The Library: reading this book can only end well

by **Haley Crusek** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:12 pm

Haley sat in a secluded corner of the mostly-empty Maldon library, a small pile of books in front of her on the desk of a study carrel. She'd been here almost an hour trying to work up the nerve to actually look for some of the books she'd been told about by the creature she met in the Astral. So instead she wandered and amassed a small collection of awful supernatural teen romance books that made Twilight look like Shakespeare, as well as a reference book that could in theory help her pass her history midterm.

After a while quietly reading, she reached for her phone, and sent Steve a text.

Code: Select all: hey...thinking of actually looking for that book at the library...wanna come join me?

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:49 am

Moments later, Steve responded.

Code: Select all: Are you nuts? Because that sounds nuts.

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 10:32 am

Code: Select all: possibly. Lol. So...wanna come make sure I don't turn into Carrie or the chick from the exorcist or some shit when I look at the book

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:02 pm

Code: Select all: Will you do it even if I don't?

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:03 pm

Code: Select all: Maybe...I dunno...

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:08 pm

A long moment passed.

Code: Select all: Okay. Just hold on until I get there.

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:09 pm

Code: Select all: thx!

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:38 pm

Within half an hour...

Code: Select all: Here. Where exactly are you?

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 3:47 pm

Code: Select all: the study desk things in the back corner

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 3:52 pm

Soon enough he walked up.

"First sign of Cthulu and we're outta here."

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 3:56 pm

"Gesundheit?" she asked quizzically.

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 4:06 pm

"Evil psychic octopus, fictional thankfully."

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 4:22 pm

"You sure about that? We are about to go look for a book that a three headed snake told us to read..." she said quietly, standing pretty close to Steve so she could avoid sounding crazy to anyone else in earshot.

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 6:48 pm

"You make a good, very creepy, point. So... how exactly do we know which book is the one?" he responded quietly.

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:38 pm

"I...don't really know," she said thinking for a moment.

"Thanks though...for coming," Haley added after a moment, suddenly hugging Steve.

She broke off the surprise embrace and chewed her lip in thought. "Maybe we can sort of...feel for it?" she suggested, tapping her temple, "Probably has some sort of...energy if it's old and strange..."

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:59 pm

The hug threw him for a moment.

"R...right. Unless we're lucky and it's just a book."

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:00 pm

"...Do you know how to find a book in a library? A...normal one?"

by **Steve Jones** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:13 pm

"Sure."

"... if we actually had anything to go on."

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:27 pm

"Uh...it's...old?" Haley scratched her head. "Well...lemme see if my idea works..."

She closed her eyes and let her mind wander the library, sort of seeking out things that may have been imprinted with memories like the armor she'd touched.

by **Narrator** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:49 pm

There are a couple of books that some people have formed emotional attachments to. Well, more the stories inside the books but it still left a faint imprint on the paper. Nothing on the scale of Roland's armor by a long shot though. As she lets her mind wander she'd feel another vague presence though. A small, regular old snake is sitting on the floor, looking at her. When it sees Haley has noticed it it slithers away a little bit before looking back at her again, waiting. It looks harmless if a little translucent.

by **Haley Crusek** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:30 pm

Haley looked down at the snake and quirked her head to the side slightly. Curious, she followed the snake. (Because when have snakes ever led a poor girl astray?)

by **Narrator** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:34 am

The small reptile leads her along a couple shelves until it gets to one in the 'History' section and slithers under the small gap between the lowest shelf and the floor.

by **Haley Crusek** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:40 am

Haley knelt down to the ground to examine the bottom shelves.

by **Narrator** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:32 pm

Nothing on the bottom shelf itself. Well, nothing but a bunch of boring books about history.

by **Haley Crusek** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:42 pm

Haley twirled her hair around a finger in thought for a moment before pulling out her phone, and turning on its flash to use as a flashlight. She got down even closer the the ground and looked under the bookshelf.

by **Narrator** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:49 pm

There is a bunch of dust under the shelf but no sign of any snakes. Settled among a bunch of dust bunnies is a book though, sitting against the wall at the back of the shelf. It must have fallen behind the shelf at some point and gone forgotten.

by **Haley Crusek** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:49 pm

Haley gingerly grabbed it with her TK and pulled it out.

by **Narrator** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:55 pm

It slides out among a cloud of dust. The dust jacket is frayed a little and it looks old, but not ancient. The cover shows a snake winding itself around the title, forming sort of a title card by biting it's own tail. The book is called 'Heaven and Earth - An Exploration of Common Motifs' and all things considered it seems oddly mundane.

by **Haley Crusek** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 1:14 pm

"...Huh...dunno what I was expecting..." She grabbed the book with her hands and carried it back over to Steve. "Doesn't look like it's made of human skin at least..." she joked weakly.

by **Steve Jones** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:03 pm

Steve looked over the book.

"That symbol always creeps me out though."

by **Haley Crusek** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:12 pm

Haley set the book down quietly on a large table set aside for studying and stared at the book before flipping it open to the first page.

by **Narrator** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:20 pm

On the first page they find a small slip of paper indicating that the book used to be filed in the 'Religion & Mythology' section of the library but had been moved to the fringes of the 'Fantasy' aisle a long time ago before it apparently slipped behind the shelves and must have been sitting there for ages, being forgotten. No author, publication date or publisher is listed but other than that it appears to fit in neatly with new-age musings and other books claiming an authoritative view of religion, mythology and history.

by **Haley Crusek** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:57 pm

"This doesn't look so bad..."

by **Steve Jones** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 3:03 pm

"Yet..." he said as he read over her shoulder.

by **Narrator** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 3:13 pm

Flipping through it it mostly seems to do what the title claims, exploring common themes found in religions and myths across the world. It begins by looking at the tendency of religions to place great importance on the sky and sun. From the Roman's 'Sol Invictus' that preceded Christianity to the Japanese goddess Ameterasu to the Mayan solar kings and Babylonian imagery depicting sun discs. From there it briefly goes into Egyptian mythology until circling back around to Christianity and the images of saints being shown with halos. The book adds a couple of images when citing examples. too All of this would seem vaguely familiar for some reason...

by **Haley Crusek** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:31 pm

"....why the hell was that snake so interested in us reading this?" she mumbled to Steve quietly.

by **Steve Jones** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:30 am

"I have no idea. Keep going. Maybe the contents page lists something on darkness imagery... or maybe dreams."

by **Narrator** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:21 pm

From there the book goes into how a lot of religions connect their gods and everything deemed holy and divine with the sun and everything to do with the ground as vile and connected to the various underworlds and hellscapes. It goes on to explore some more mundane themes of the sky and the earth in mythology, ending with the conclusion that both the sun and the earth are usually seen as the source of life.

The Book wrote:Yet if life originates in part from the earth how can it be unholy in nature. In Genesis it is even clearly stated that God took clay from the earth to create humans 'in his image'. There is a lot of debate if that means that God's physical shape resembles that of humans but it appears to be missing the point. In his image may simply mean humans were created by his design and to be his. One could almost say he stole the clay away to be remade to his liking. All of this is a metaphorical lense, of course, but similar themes are found in other places. Odin slew Ymir to create the earth and took two trees he found afterwards to infuse with life to create the first humans. It is a common theme that the so called gods and heroes of so many of our stories acquired their achievements or powers through stealing them from others. Few people know that when life was beginning it was the ones who came before the Children of the Sun who were shaping the earth.

But for those who know where to look the signs of the betrayal of the Children of the Sun are still found scattered throughout stories and religions. Saint George slaying the dragon, Seth slaying the serpent Apophis, Thor battling Jörmungandr. Yet few stories explain why. According to the Edda Jörmungandr encircles the world and should it ever let go of it's own tail the world will end. Then why does Odin's Son seek to slay him? Jesus died on the cross for mankind's sins. Sins that they say were caused by the snake's temptation in Eden. A sacrifice to appease the gods and slay the serpent by proxy.

Odin on his horse

Seth slaying Apophis

Dragonslayer Siegfried

Jesus on the cross

Mayan Hieroglyphics

Saint George slaying the Serpent

Coincidence or a repetition of the same theme? The followers of the sun, be they in the name of God, Ra or Amaterasu are always found battling the creatures of the ground and the caves that once sheltered mankind. Especially Christianity strives to paint mankind as forever tainted by original sin, urging them to free themselves from this nebulous concept that was caused by the snake in Eden. But what if that so called taint on mankind's collective soul is their inherited ties to the earth? One parent urging the child to chose them over the other? And what choice does the other side have? Pinned down by a spear they struggle not to perish. That metaphorical lance is present in many things, countless stories, as Campbell points out in "The Hero's Journey", often bolstered by supernatural aid in the form of an artifact or weapon.Beams of light piercing the clouds, church-towers rising into the sky, obelisks and menhirs, torches held high by statues in ancient Rhodes or New York, totem poles, the Lighthouse in Alexandria, all modeled after the same idea. The image of a spear, a concept weaponized in mundane ubiquity. It takes a powerful lance to wound a god but millions of them carried in everyone's minds may shackle it to the ground forever.

by **Haley Crusek** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:48 pm

"So...the snake is just trying to make us think it's not bad, and that maybe what we believe in is bad? I don't get it..."

Academics were admittedly not Haley's strongest suit.

by **Steve Jones** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 2:11 pm

"The author seems to be arguing that all the gods of chaos and darkness are just misrepresented gods of the Earth and not truly Evil. Kind of conveniently leaves out the child sacrifice ones."

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