Tome 015S

 Welcome back to another entry from The Agency. This week's entry involves a book that is fairly normal as far as artifacts collected by the Agency goes aside, even with its tendency to wander and appear at suicides. It's a normal book and not hard to handle, right up until it begins screaming. The Agency hasn't figured out why it screams yet, but maybe eagle-eyed readers can. 

Trigger Warning: Frequent mention of suicide. 

Tome 015S

Description

Previously known as Artifact 0015SB, Tome 015S displayed a unique trait that necessitated the creation of the Library and the hiring of librarians. Tome 015S began to scream, loudly and constantly, starting on November 21, 1994. Construction began on a new building to house it and other books January 1995. The new building, dubbed the Library, was completed in December of 1998. During this time, the screaming had been constant, except for a brief moment on October 3, 1998, where it ceased screaming, only to resume it later that day. We are not sure what caused it to start or stop screaming, though Omicron researchers and Omega scientists are attempting to uncover the reasons. Once Tome 015S was moved to the Library, it ceased screaming entirely.

            Tome 015S is a strange book, perhaps because it seems so normal when not in the Museum. What drew the Agency’s attention to Tome 015S was its habit of showing up at suicides and seeming to have recorded intimate details about said deaths as well as the lives of the deceased up to that point and the secrets they had. This on its own was unusual enough that the Agency opted to take possession of it for further study. After acquiring it, Tome 015S would sometimes vanish only to later be discovered at the scene of a suicide. Interestingly, not every suicide drew Tome 015S out of the Museum. No connection or pattern has been discovered regarding why only these specific suicides are the ones it goes to. Prior to the discovery of Artifact 0037LH, Tome 015S was the only known artifact that frequented suicide locations.

            The discovery of Tome 015S and the properties it displayed prior to the screaming are noted in Testimony 1991-06-11. In this testimony and Testimony 1994-11-21, Tome 015S is referred to as Artifact 0015SB as that was the designation given at the time. After it was decided to create the Library, Artifact 0015SB was given its new designation as Tome 015S and is referred to as that in Testimony 1998-10-03 and any other time it is referenced beyond this date.

Testimony 1991-06-11

Arch. Burgess: Statement of Nicholas Grant regarding Artifact 0015SB recorded direct from subject by Archivist Raylee Burgess.

Grant: I found the book when I arrived at my—er—friend’s house. Isaac Barrett. It was just sitting there on the coffee table, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like it belonged there. I didn’t think much of it. I mean, Isaac liked to collect books and would go to thrift stores to get them. He never went to libraries, though. I ignored it and went to the bedroom, looking for him. He hadn’t called me or answered when I called. If I hadn’t had a key, I wouldn’t have been able to get in.

I…He was back there in the bed, dead. I spent a bit of time in shock, then I called the police. I sat down in the living room to wait. I…I couldn’t just leave him. I looked at the book again and decided, “What the hell.” So I picked it up and started flipping through it. It certainly seemed weirder than what he’d normally read. It seemed like obituaries and some more information about the deceased. It was strange, but sometimes he’d pick up weird things.

That’s when I noticed the last entry. It had his name. His date of birth. Today’s date. A little bit about his early life, family, etc. You know, the boring stuff. Then it listed something I didn’t expect. His cause of death. It listed it in detail. Suicide, specifically by overdose of pain pills. It listed the specific type of pill, too.

Arch. Burgess: Was that all that was in the book regarding Mr. Barrett?

Grant: Yes.

Arch. Burgess: Mr. Grant, I would suggest you not lie to me. Our researchers will be reviewing the artifact in question and will know if you are being less than truthful.

Grant: It also included what he experienced as he was dying. The physical sensations. The thoughts he had as he died. Why he chose to end his life.

Arch. Burgess: And why was that?

Grant: Frederick fucking Carter. Because despite everything that he had done, despite regularly attending the parole hearing and speaking against it, despite what that bastard did to him, the prison system decided to release the bastard and somehow the fucker got Isaac’s number and address. Isaac couldn’t handle the idea of him knowing where he lived. Apparently, the bastard called Isaac earlier that morning and said he couldn’t wait to see him again since he’d be moving back to town.

            The cops showed up, along with some suit I’m guessing actually works for your agency. The suit—

Arch. Burgess: That would be Collector Sloan.

Grant: Collector Sloan took the book from me and passed it to some weedy-looking guy who looked like he should be in somebody’s basement and told me I needed to come with him to give a statement. I don’t see why. You have the book. Your agents are likely cutting open Isaac right now and running all sorts of tests on him. What do you need me for?

Arch. Burgess: To answer questions regarding the book.

Grant: Can’t you or your scientists answer them?

Arch. Burgess: We need to know how the book came to be in Mr. Barrett’s possession. Had he mentioned anything to you about finding it in a thrift store or anywhere?

Grant: No. He never mentioned it to me. It was just there on his table, waiting for me.

Arch. Burgess: Why do you phrase it like that?

Grant: That’s what it felt like. It felt like the book wanted me to find it. Like it wanted me to know that he didn’t suffer as he was dying, that he thought of me and wanted me to be happy, wanted me to know why he did it. It wanted to comfort me.

Arch. Burgess: You sound very sure of that.

Grant: That’s just how it felt. But no, he never mentioned finding the book or anything. It’s like it just showed up.

Arch. Burgess: Statement ends. Grant returned to his apartment to grieve the death of his—ahem—friend. Omicron researchers have begun studying Artifact 0015SB, though for all intents and purposes there doesn’t appear to be anything unusual about it aside from the fact that it has been present at no less than eight suicides to date.

Arch. Burgess: Addendum—As of June thirteenth of this year, Nicholas Grant has been arrested for the murder of Frederick Carter. Grant was found sitting inside Carter’s apartment after he called the police to report and confess to the murder. The murder weapon, a knife, was on the coffee table and Grant was sitting on the couch. He directed the police to Carter’s bedroom where they found Carter’s body, tied to the bed, and sans genitals. Grant’s file is ear-marked as a potential Zeta candidate, but we will need to wait to see.

Testimony 1994-11-21

Arch. Burgess: Statement of Omicron researcher Rhett Durham regarding Artifact 0015SB recorded direct from subject by Archivist Raylee Burgess.

Res. Durham: Holy…I can’t believe that happened. I mean, given everything else that happens around here and considering some of the stranger things that we’ve got in there and the things we’ve seen, you’d think that this wouldn’t have bothered me, but damn. I didn’t expect it. We’ve been studying that thing for three years and, aside from it occasionally leaving, it’s been dull as dirt. It just kind of sits there on the shelf unless it vanishes or one of us takes it down to study it or it’s moved for dusting.

            I had it down to make sure it hadn’t been damaged from the last time it vanished. Damn thing turned up in a car that was pulled out of the lake. I was checking for water damage and had just opened it when it started screaming. God…it was unearthly. I know that’s what they always say about things like this, but this was like nothing I’ve heard before. It was as though hundreds of voices were all screaming at once. It was definitely more than one voice because it sounded like a woman wailing and a man being tortured. Then there was the sobbing. It just sounded so inconsolable, like all the happiness had been sucked out of the world and they were just realizing it. The sobbing, wailing, and screaming intermingled and magnified and just…it was so much. I shut it, but the screaming kept going. The others came to look, but it still didn’t stop.

            We put it back on the shelf. I apologized to it. Nothing. It wouldn’t stop screaming. It was still screaming when I clocked out for lunch and was still screaming when I came back. It was still screaming when Curator Harris said for me to come here and give a statement. It’s probably still screaming. I don’t know why it’s doing this or how to make it stop. It sounds like it’s sad, pained, and scared. I don’t know how to help it or why it started screaming, but I want it to stop.

Arch. Burgess: Statement ends. Well, it would appear that there is indeed something more unusual about Artifact 0015SB than its habit of vanishing from the Museum, only to turn up at the site of a suicide. Aside from this being a bit inconvenient for collectors, Artifact 0015SB’s tendency to wander doesn’t cause any problems as it always returns and provides vital insight into the deaths of the victims. Indeed, it has even solved a few cold cases that our support team Beta detectives were investigating. This new development is unusual and doesn’t seem to fit with anything else Artifact 0015SB has done before.

Arch. Burgess: Addendum—As of January first, 1995, construction has begun on a library to house Artifact 0015SB and all other books acquired by the Agency. Given how many books the collectors return with annually, this is likely going to be beneficial. Hopefully, the construction of a library will appease Artifact 0015SB enough that it will stop screaming. 

Testimony 1998-10-03

Arch. Burgess: Statement of Omicron researcher Chaya Maxwell regarding Tome 015S formerly known as Artifact 0015SB recorded direct from subject by Archivist Raylee Burgess.

Res. Maxwell: It stopped screaming. I don’t know why, but when I went into the Museum to start researching today, it was quiet. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but then I realized what was missing. It wasn’t screaming. I went to check Artifact—er, Tome 015S—because it was quiet. I thought that maybe it had vanished again, though it hasn’t done that for a while now. It was still there, it was just…quiet. It looked like a normal book. Well, as normal as it gets anyway. It was just sitting there on the shelf like always, like it hadn’t been screaming for four years straight. I examined it, the other researchers checked it out. Everything seemed fine.

            That evening, when I came back from dinner, it was screaming again. One of the curators, I didn’t get his name, was there, introducing the book to one of the future librarians. “This is one of the more docile books you’ll be dealing with,” he told him. “Sometimes it vanishes, but it’s usually here and it screams. It’s been screaming for four years, but stopped for a bit today. We still don’t know why.” The poor new guy looked a bit unnerved. I mean, I don’t blame him. I was overwhelmed at first when I started working here, but all in all, it isn’t so bad. Then again, I’m a researcher. But anyway, I went about my standard duties: examining Tome 015S, looking for damage from any of its misadventures, looking for any defects, studying the pages for any detail that might have been overlooked, and reading the pages to see if any are connected. Then, I was told to come here and tell you about when it stopped screaming.

Arch. Burgess: Statement ends. The screaming ceased at approximately five-oh-three in the morning then resumed at six-thirty-two in the evening. Omicron researchers are still not sure why the screaming stopped or why it started again, but they are looking into it. Interestingly, another artifact vanished from the Museum during this brief respite. Artifact 0037LH is another artifact that appears to wander, though this is first time it has done so since it was acquired. At any rate, Tome 015S has once again begun screaming, but will hopefully stop once the Library has been completed.

Arch. Burgess: Addendum—As of December ninth, 1998, the Library has been completed and Tome 015S ceased screaming as soon as it was removed from the Museum. It would appear as though we have appeased it for the time being. Hopefully, it will not start screaming again and we can uncover the reason it began screaming in the first place.

That's all for "Tome 015S." The next entry from The Agency will feature the entity responsible for the Tunguska Event as well as a character of Myrrh's creation that has grown on me (that they gave me permission to use).