They must have done something new to this place... Its changed in such subtle yet obvious ways...The purple for example; her idea?

 ‘I like it’

 Smooth...flowed like the truth, if not better. Lying is an easy task for me; a necessary thing for this tale I tell you now...

 ‘I knew you’d like it’

 A sidelong look from under darkened eyelids and a soft smile, makes it all worth it. We stroll out to the balcony. Our old friend joins us.

 ‘How’re you two doing this wonderful evening?’

 Rhetoric; that’s okay, I can play the game for hours at a time...

 ‘We’re good, we’re good...and how’ve you been? Still busy slogging away at the Ouija board?'

 He’s big on magic – we all are I suppose; explains the purple ceiling I suppose.

 ‘Hell no! I’m sick of that waste of time...I’m onto something much bigger...much bigger this time’

 He’s giving me that sidelong look; I sigh out loud and cut the story shorter.

 ‘What would you like us to do this time?’

‘Its simple...its so simple! I cant believe I didn’t think of doing this earlier – look!’

 He’s pulling out sheet after sheet of printed-paper; perhaps as many as two hundred tucked into the back of his pants – he’s obviously tremendously excited about something...

 ‘See...I never really gave up on that Ouija board...’

 He never really gives up on anything; just leaves it, neglects it, abuses it and eventually forgets to see it die away.

 ‘I was busy browsing online to find a more effective way of contacting the spirits...I thought maybe my fingers are too heavy or something y’know?’

 He always finds fault in himself – that’s okay, that’s where we come in; my exceptional ego and her obvious calm determination are the only reasons he has gotten this far in the first place...He sets it up, we knock it down for him.

 ‘...And then I found this link which talked about this book! And look, they had a downloadable version...its, it’s the Necronomicon...’

 His eyes are ever so slightly paranoid and his lips quiver as they pronounce the words. His enthusiasm is overwhelming. I need a cigarette.

 *Flame – smoke - drag*

 ‘So you have the Necronomicon eh? Great, so do thousands of other geeks trolling through obscure occult websites online *drag* not being rude or anything, could be an awesome read – but tell me this, what makes you so special? Are you the chosen one out of countless others to crack its hidden secrets?’

 She’s calmly observing the conversation with a hint of a smile on her ashen lips...I love it when she’s silent...I fantasize what she’s thinking...

 ‘Well...I do have one advantage the other guys don’t...I’ve Actually pulled together all the materials needed for the rituals...bet hardly any of them got that far...all I need is to actually do one of them...’

 His voice is trailing off – I want to put him at ease before he has the chance to feel embarrassed (what are friends for?)

 ‘Sure I’ll check it out...leave it with me and I’ll get on it tonight...two hundred pages...if it’s a good read I might even give one of those rituals a shot before dawn breaks...’ 

All done, formalities dropped, we relax in our chairs sipping cheap wine, smoking cigarettes and discussing the merits of letting your child play adventure games on the computer...Harmless? Yes. Beneficial? Mostly – My own experience leads me to believe there’s nothing like a visual representation of a story to teach one to use the imagination – to learn to draw out their own version of the scene that lies before them...Is there a well-defined plot? Is it linear? Will this be a dashing tale of romance or a tale of terror in the realm of the haunting? Most importantly, who’s the hero here? Me?

Always.

 Silence now.

 *Flame – smoke - drag*

 Silence once more. Eerie in the surrounding darkness. Lovemakings taken a lot out of her – she isn’t even interested in taking a drag. Her soft steady breathing tells me I’m alone in the darkness, my burning cigarette being my only guide in this morbid wonderland.

 The purple ceiling is oppressing. I cant see it but I can feel its weight on my shoulders, sitting there silently brooding, waiting for the next move.

 Guess I could start on his book – he was so very eager, I could give it a shot I suppose. Don’t get me wrong, I thrive in morbid works filled with foreboding and that ominous presence, always watching, always two steps behind. 

The Necronomicon, ancient book of the dead – containing secrets not meant for the eyes of man. The legend, the myth the all powerful printed in times new roman on white sheets of paper – at least he could have changed the font to century gothic.

 I’m all equipped and ready to dive in head first – cigarettes close at hand and a lamp sending dying rays of soft gold out into the surrounding inky black stillness...The book already grips me with its notorious aura as my mind fills in the gaps of silent dread the white sheets could never do justice to.

 It begins...

 This is the Book of the Dead, the Book of the Black Earth, that I have writ down at the peril of my life, exactly as I received it, on the planes of the IGIGI, the cruel celestial spirits from beyond the Wanderers of the Wastes.

Let all who read this book be warned thereby that the habitation of men are seen and surveyed by that Ancient Race of gods and demons from a time before time, and that they seek revenge for that forgotten battle that took place somewhere in the Cosmos and rent the Worlds in the days before the creation of Man, when the Elder Gods walked the Spaces, the race of MARDUK, as he is known to the Chaldeans, and of ENKI our MASTER, the Lord of Magicians.

Know, then, that I have trod all the Zones of the Gods, and also the places of the Azonei, and have descended unto the foul places of Death and Eternal Thirst, which may be reached through the Gate of GANZIR, which was built in UR, in the days before Babylon was.

Know, too, that I have spoken with all manner of spirit and daemon, whose names are no longer known in the societies of Man, or were never known. And the seals of some of these are writ herein; yet others I must take with me when I leave you. ANU have mercy on my soul!

I have seen the Unknown Lands, that no map has ever charted. I have lived in the deserts and the wastelands, and spoken with demons and the souls of slaughtered men, and of women who have dies in childbirth, victims of the she-fiend LAMMASHTA.

I have traveled beneath the Seas, in search of the Palace of Our Master, and found the stone of monuments of vanquished civilisations, and deciphered the writings of some of these; while still others remain mysteries to any man who lives. And these civilisations were destroyed because of the knowledge contained in this book.

I have traveled among the stars, and trembled before the Gods. I have, at last, found the formulae by which I passed the Gate ARZIR, and passed into the forbidden realms of the foul IGIGI.

I have raised demons, and the dead.

I have summoned the ghosts of my ancestors to real and visible appearance on the tops of temples built to reach the stars, and built to touch the nethermost cavities of HADES. I have wrestled with the Black Magician, AZAG-THOTH, in vain, and fled to the Earth by calling upon INANNA and her brother MARDUK, Lord of the double-headed AXE.

I have raised armies against the Lands of the East, by summoning the hordes of fiends I have made subject unto me, and so doing found NGAA, the God of the heathens, who breathes flame and roars like a thousand thunders.

I have found fear.

The shadows grow longer, deeper and denser and the maddened cackle of a woman, perhaps very far away in an apartment below ours chills me...There is a sense of evil in the air I’ve never felt before...This text is real and it is alive in my hands – my mind is in flames as I continue to read at fever-pitch.

This is the Book of Entrance to the Seven Zones above the Earth, which Zones were known to the Chaldeans, and to the ancient races that preceded them among the lost temples of UR. Know that these Zones are governed by the celestial spirits, and that passage may be had by the Priest through those lands that border on the Unzoned Wastes beyond. Know that, when Walking thus through the Sea of Spheres, he should leave his Watcher behind that It may guard his body and his property, lest he be slain unawares and must wander throughout eternity among the dark spaces between Stars, or else be devoured by the wrathful IGIGI that dwell beyond...

She stirs and nestles into my body, trying to cradle my arm but my body resists – A cold sweat runs down my spine and all measures of comfort or even recognition of a world around me is lost. I am lost. I must complete the book...

My books have lost light, and settle upon their shelves like animals fallen asleep, or dead. I am sickened by what voices I hear now, as though the voices of my family, left behind me so many years ago, that is impossible to conceive that they are about. Did I not understand of their untimely, unnatural death? Can the demons who wait Without take on so viciously the human voices of my parents? My brother? My sister?

AVAUNT THEE!

That this Book were an amulet, a Seal of Protection! That my ink were the ink of Gods and not of Men! But I must write hastily, and if thou cannot read nor understand this writing, perhaps it is sign enough for thee of the strength and power of the demons that be, in these times and in these places, and is surely a warning to thee to have a care and not to invoke carelessly, but cautiously, and not, under any circumstances, seek carelessly to open that Gate to the Outside, for thou can never know the Seasons of Times of the Ancient Ones, even though thou can tell their Seasons upon the Earth by the rules I have already instructed thee to compute; for their Times and Seasons Outside run uneven and strange to our minds, for are they not the Computors of All Time? Did they not set Time in its Place? It were not enough that the Elder Gods (have mercy on Thy servant!) set the Wanderers to mark their spaces, for such spaces as existed were the work of the Ancient Ones. Were no Sun to shine, were SHAMMASH never born, would not the years pass by, as quickly?

Seek ever to keep the Outside Gate closed and sealed, by the instructions I have given thee, by the Seals and the Names herein.

Seek ever to hold back the Powers of the Cults of the ancient Worship, that they might not grow strong on their blood, and on their sacrifice. By their wounds shall ye know them, and by their smell, for they are not born as men, but in some other fashion; by some corruption of seed or spirit that has given them other properties than those we are familiar with. And they like the Dark Places best; for their God is a Worm.

IA! SHADDUYA IA! BARRA! BARRA! IA KANPA! IA KANPA!
ISHNIGARRAB! IA! NNGI IA! IA!

The Stars grow dim in their places, and the Moon pales before me, as though a Veil were blown across its flame. Dog-faced demons approach the circumference of my sanctuary. Strange lines appear carved on my door and walls, and the light from the Windows grows increasing dim.

A wind has risen. The Dark Waters stir. This is the Book of the Servant of the Gods . . .

The wind is stirring and the softest glow of the on-coming day is creeping into the shadowy corners of my mind. I have been consumed and set free and now I have a decision to make...This is the reality: whether this book is a fraud, whether this book is truth, whether I can truly reach the golden gates of knowledge and whether I lose my mind in the attainment of secrets not of this world, I must make one attempt...

 A solitary crow sits silently, acknowledging my decision with a glassy stare...

 Just one attempt...

 She shivers; in her dreams the monster is near... 

 He’s here again. I try not to show my excitement but I have been waiting all day for his inevitable clambering over our balcony...My aura is in angry knots of orange-red flames just waiting to explode...

 ‘You read it dint you...’

 Rhetoric...No time for the correct response...

 Of course I read it! Its phenomenal...so strange...it had me panicking in a dark, tiny corner. I was trapped between the demons at my back and the overwhelming darkness in front of me...I have felt fear before but never a book; not in this way...I need to learn more...

 He’s smiling smugly, knowing full well I would react like this; we are friends after all. She seems somewhat disinterested though – as always faintly amused at how things play out in my mind. I can’t blame her for the gentle dig...

 ‘I have a plan...Its all here you see...’

 He has his own copy; obviously more involved in this than I gave him credit for.

 ‘Its Marduk we’re after...With a name like that, and his history...If we could get through his gate...wow...we wouldn’t need anymore’

 The prince of darkness – somewhat a satanic symbol yet all powerful, his myth is engaging and always, always drawing you deep into the pit from which the curious mind cant escape...we sit down to plot our way through the myriad landscape of images and words forming the ritual...I am afraid yet the sense of fear is exciting – I can almost sense the unseen lurking beside me in the growing gloom of a dying day. We read...

The God of Jupiter is the Lord of Magicians, MARDUK KURIOS of the Double-headed Axe. MARDUK was born of our Father, ENKI, to do battle against the forces of the Ancient Ones, and he won a powerful fight, subduing the armies of Evil and putting the Queen of the Ancient Ones beneath his foot. That Serpent is dead, but dreams. MARDUK was bestowed Fifty Names and Powers by the Council of the Elder Gods, which Powers he retains to this day. His colour is Purple. His Essence is in the material tin, and in brass. His Gate is the Sixth that you will come upon as you follow the rituals that follow. His Step on the Ladder of Lights in Purple.

This is his Seal, which you must engrave on a plate of tin or of brass, when Jupiter is strong in the heavens, while making special invocation to ENKI Our Master. This shall be wrought as the others, and wrapped in pure silk and lain away until the time for its use. Know that MARDUK appears as a mighty warrior with a long beard and a flaming disk in his hands. He carries a bow and a quiver of arrows, and treads about the heavens keeping the Watch. Take care to summon his assistance in only the most terrible of circumstances, for his might is powerful and his anger fierce. When thou hast need of the power of the star Jupiter, call instead one of the appropriate Powers listed within these pages, and they will surely come.

The Number of Marduk is Ten and this is his Seal:

‘We must call upon him, mustn’t we?’

 He is in awe and his jaw quivers just slightly...he has brought all the tools necessary but as usual, he is backing down from the truth standing before us – someone has to perform the ritual.

 Am I too involved? I always ask myself that question...Is this perhaps too inane, or is this strange compulsion part of a necessary process...Guess it all depends on how one views the subject at hand – she smiles at me, encouraging me to devote myself to a seemingly simple task; after all, I’ve done worse...

 Tin or brass? Strange symbols and a simple chant later – nothing happens. They both stare at me, waiting for a sign...nothing.

 ‘Marduk arise’

 Silence in the surrounding air as the sun sets slowly, leaving trails of purple and gold strewn across the sky.

 ‘Well...it was a bunch of crap after all.’

 *Flame – smoke - drag*

 Appear nonchalant, appear nonchalant – don’t let the disappointment consume...Its not such a big deal, didn’t expect much in the first place, did I? Did I?

 ‘Where did the magic go?’

 ‘I don’t know...I did everything precisely as it said...no gate; no tea and a bit of conversation with a deity either’

 Silence.

 Time passes.

 Midnight and sleep is consuming me.

 Dreams...

A voice is calling me...down in that cavern...strange – Ive been here before but never seen that entrance...

 Strolling with unease, a queasy sensation in my stomach and a deep bass roar in my ears; tremors of power all consuming.

 Flashing gold...a solitary symbol, I must touch it...the frame appears and I step through the gate, into the realm of Marduk, he is with me, whispering in my ear. He tells me many secrets for he is adept at listening to human emotion (we are a part of him). He tells me of the emptiness in my heart and he tells me of the fulfillment of tragedy. He tells me all about the man next door and the old lady bent over double cackling to herself on a park bench at dawn. He leaves no space; his knowledge is unforgiving and relentless in its completeness – I am sinking, I am sinking...

 Powerless in this haunting maze...it is a labyrinth of a single shade of purple. There is no escape on either side...sitting, listening...screaming silently as the lyrical feats of the unknown fill me with a dread never felt before...please let me out of my mind...please...

She cradles me and soothes me. In her arms I am a terrified child of age ten, faced by that nightmare which lingers in the memory till death, till death do us part...maybe...please...

I can’t escape my imagination. Its like a flesh wound which gushes blood yet doesn’t kill, just nauseates. Or perhaps I can’t escape the reality which exists – I know too much and my mind cries out for mercy...wherever I turn I see truth? And it is in the shape of monsters – haunting me, following me; they are at my heels.

 The nightmare...Its implications...I am old now yet I still remember. I was given knowledge which unfolded truth for me in all its forms. The truth is something we take for granted as merely existing – yet I am plagued by it.

 In the trees I hear the silent roar of hatred; in the motionless gaze of an animal I see its pity, its loathing, I see it tremble too. In my friend I see something I hate – something neither human nor monster; a misfit of sorts roaming the world in its attempt to spread its disease. In my lover I see where I went wrong, and all my mistakes haunt me in that soft smiling frame.

 Alone...hiding...must escape everything...cannot face the images, the knowing sensation of feeling...a strait jacket, a leash and a hood...like a dog, like a dog with its eyes gouged out...

Life is too too long.

I’m sorry...but it must pass to you...

http://www.lovecraft.ru/texts/necro/simon_eng/