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The Book of Absolute Truths - Excerpt 1 | The Book of Absolute Truths - Excerpt 2

From THE BOOK OF ABSOLUTE TRUTHS
Excerpt 1

"Randy? You ok over there?"

Margret's concern didn't sound like a parent worrying about a child but an agent fearing the loss of a golden goose.

"Yea, Margret, I'm fine. Just someone walked in and..." He didn't know how to continue. The words vanished from his mind like a David Copperfield trick.

"You need me to call the cops from here, Randy? I'll do it. No questions asked. I won't even charge you for the call."

The state of hypnosis seemed to lift as Randy felt the conversation with Margret reaching its end. His tongue loosened and the words began to come back to him.

"No, I think he's harmless. I'll be fine. That really is great news, Margret, and I'll be happy to sign the paperwork just as soon as I get it."

"Alright, Randy. If you say so. But if I don't hear from you tomorrow morning, I'm calling the cops and telling them about your mystery visitor, 'kay?" Randy agreed. "You want me to FedEx it to your house or the shop?"

Randy gave Margret the shop's address because he couldn't stand Kelley opening his mail before he got home. Nine times out of ten she'd forget and tell him he didn't get any and then weeks later, he'd find important documents he needed to file or sign and return lying under the end-table or on in the kitchen somewhere. He found it easier to have mail of importance sent to the shop.

With the call ended, he focused on the vagrant in his shop and what he needed to do to get him out. "Something I can help you with?" The man jerked his head in Randy's direction and rushed to the desk.

"Take this book and get rid of it. I don't care how, I don't care who, just get rid of it as soon as possible. You hear me? Get. Rid. Of. This. Book!"

The vagrant shoved the book at Randy and let go of it. Randy had no choice but to grab the book before it fell to the floor. The book felt like it weighed five pounds, though only an inch thick and its cover felt like some sort of ancient leather, unlike the cheap replicas used by pressing companies of today. Randy looked at the font and read the five words that comprised its title, The Book of Absolute Truths.

Strange title. He looked up to ask the man what he wanted for the book, but the guy had left the shop. The bell hadn't rung so Randy rushed to the back of the shop to make sure the guy wasn't hiding out waiting for him to leave so he could stay the night. No sign of him. He checked the door and found it unlocked. Ok, so he left stage-rear. Locking the door he walked back to his desk, book still in hand.

Not wanting the man to come back, he locked the front door while he examined the book. So he'd be late going home. It wasn't like Kelley cared anymore. She seemed preoccupied in Kelley and all things Kelley. It had been years since she even thought of them as a couple and tried to make decisions based on what would be best for both of them.

He sat at his desk and opened the book, flipping through the pages. The publishers must have wanted to give the impression of a journal. The font looked like a typesetter's version of long-hand script. Examining the text closer, Randy deduced the work had to be done by a typesetter. The characters were the same height and all the lower denominators lined up. He flipped a few more pages to see if they were made the same, but found text missing from some of the pages and on the others the text faded to a point where it couldn't be read. Wanting to know more about the company that published the book, Randy flipped to the first page but found the same font. No copyright or author information. Hell, there wasn't even a table of contents.

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From THE BOOK OF ABSOLUTE TRUTHS
Excerpt 2

Randy grabbed the book, no longer caring what might happen, and tossed it in the fire. His excitement grew as the cover browned and began to blacken. Then the pages curled and--is that ash forming? He couldn't tell if the hissing came from the fire or the book and didn't give a shit. It was burning.

He sat back down to watch the book's destruction, barely able to make out the cover as the leather binding curled and burned slowly. A smile crept across his face. He might go to jail, but the book, that damned book, was gone, dead, unable to hurt anyone again.

As he watched the last remnants of the book float through the air, Randy felt a burning sensation, almost as though he'd sat on a lit cigarette. Leaping up, he swiped at his ass, looking round and trying hard to identify the cause of the burning sensation. A moan of defeat escaped his frustrated lips as his eyes fell upon the book smoldering on the ground where he sat.

He wanted to yell, scream, curse the heavens, but as he opened his mouth, he noticed a flash of light to his left, then another flash a few feet from the original. Randy turned in the direction of the light and found multiple flashlight beams piercing the woods with spikes of light. He knew he was busted, only slight moments from being arrested, but he needed to get rid of the book. He had to keep it from the hands of someone else who would end up giving the thing another reader to torment.

Randy grabbed the book and clutched it to his chest. How do I get rid of it? He got close to the fire so he could read the book. There had to be something inside about what would happen next. He flipped to where he thought he left off--the leaf he used as a book mark didn't rematerialize with the book--but only found two words printed on the page: The End. "No," he whispered flipping page after page. The End. Flip. The End. "No, no, no!" The End.

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