While digging through a box in the attic he found it. The book almost seemed to call to him. He even forgot what he had been looking for. Holding the book in his hands all he wanted was to read it. The desire was insatiable. The book had to be thousands of years old. The cover was in some ancient and dead language. Still knowing he wouldn’t understand the contents he could curb the desire to read it.

Joey tucked the book under his belt line and climbed back down out of the attic. He was leaving, he had to get somewhere private immediately. The book had even cause hi. To forget where he was. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he was surprised to find he was in his neighbors house. He looked around but couldn’t focus on anything but the door. He walked towards it and the Old Tom called out to him, “Did you find it?”

Joey turned to the living room that shared the entry way and the landing for the stairs. The house was as ancient as Tom. Maroon shag carpet cradled a floral set of couches and chairs against wood paneled walls. Tom sat in one of those floral chairs off in the corner near the window that looked out on the neighborhood. The book began to burn against his stomach as he turned his attention from the door. He spit out the first thing he thought to say, “No sorry Tom, I’ll have to come look another time. Just realized that I need to get home.”

Joey turned before he could see the smile creep across Tom’s face. The reality was Joey had no reason to be there. Something had called him there, he complied without question. When he got there Tom had asked him to fetch something from the attic for him. Tom was a cranky old hermit that most people steered away from. He had been alone for over a decade, no one was sure if his wife had passed or left him but no one was brave enough to ask. Those that had been in the neighborhood long enough lamented the current state of Tom’s home. It had once been a bright spot in thier neighborhood but now it looked to be condemned. A few of those the lamented the state of the home even recalled a time when Old Tom was a friendly and good neighbor.

As Joey walked out the door to his home Tom breathed out a deep sigh and under his breath said, “Good riddance and good luck Joe.” Joe wasn’t really every bodies favorite neighbor either. He kept to himself to the degree that it was offensive to others. He rarely left his home kitty corner to Tom’s. It to was in rough shape. Many neighbors would say it’s hard to take care of a home when you never leave it. He rushed passed the overgrown grass, up the paint shipped steps and through the splintering door. He threw it closed behind himself and pulled the book from his belt line. He rested against a near by wall and slid down it staring at the book the whole time.

Time became relative. He wasn’t sure if he started at the cover for 30 minutes or 3 hours but it had been a long time. Finally he opened to a random page mid-book. To his surprise he could read every word of it. What he read frightened him but excitement that seems to accompany the book bayed him on. It was either a journal or auto biography of sorts of some powerful and malignant man. The first line he read rang in his head over and over again. “I have become a God. You say your God gives life and now I take it. I am the God of death, fear me.”