Curse of the Black Book

Gift or Curse? Often times, the line that divides these two extremes can be blurred to nonexistence. A gift can be a wondrous thing, one’s genes can be a gift, the friends we make across a lifetime are a gift and of course, how people use these gifts matters the most. Yet, those very gifts can sour turning them into curses. So, the question remains, gift or curse? This question plagued Jason’s mind since he opened his mailbox to find a rather unimpressive black notebook bound to a letter. Upon opening the letter, a strange feeling came over him, the more he read the more his stomach contorted. The contents of the letter explained that $20,000 had been deposited into his account and that the funds were to be used however he wished. However, the letter stated one condition: Jason must never open the black notebook.

In complete disbelief Jason set down the letter on his coffee table then pulled out his phone to check his bank account. To his astonishment there was indeed $20,000 sitting in his bank account. A tidal wave of questions washed over him as he sat there thinking for a minute. “Who would just give a stranger so much money? What if I get audited, how do I explain such a gift? What is the catch? There’s always strings.” Thoughts raced back and forth within his mind until he remembered his mother. Jason got fairly excited and decided to give his mom a call to tell her the good news. By the 4th ring his mom picked up and answered with a horrendous cough, Jason winced at the sound as it reminds him of his mothers’ fragility with every breath. “hello?” she answered after the attack has passed.

“Hi mom, it’s me! I thought I’d check in on you and tell you some good news.”

“Oh, that’s sweet Hun, but you needn’t worry about me, you have your own life to live. Besides how do you expect me to have any grandkids if you keep fussing over your mother?”

“Ok, we are not having this discussion again! I mostly called because I think I have a way to pay for the treatment, I wanted to let you know before I called the hospital.”

“You do? How? Where did you get that kind of money? Please tell me you didn’t do anything illegal!?

“What? No! Mom you know I would never do something like that. I was given a gift that’s all.”

The conversation continued for nearly an hour before Jason finally hung up. It tends to get tiring to be lectured about your non-existent love life every 5 minutes. As he set his phone down on the coffee table, Jason felt a tug at the back of his mind, almost like a whisper. His attention was turned back to the black notebook “All I have to do is not open this thing? Too easy.” Jason thought to himself as he got up and put the notebook in a drawer of his computer desk. From there it was a simple task of forgetting it even exists. Even as the drawer slid shut, the tug at the back of his mind remained. The next task on Jason’s agenda was to call his mother’s doctor and discuss treatment options. It took some convincing, but in the end, the doctor finally relented and told Jason about an experimental procedure that was sweeping the market. While still experimental the results were undeniable. Jason agreed to the terms set forth by the hospital: that should things go wrong in any capacity that the hospital would not be held responsible for any loss of life or quality of life.

Feeling better about things now that Jason was sure that his mother would be taken care of, He headed out to have some fun of his own. Jason grabbed his keys and headed for his car, a beat-up Corolla that he’s still paying off. The sun was out, birds singing, a slight breeze in the air. Jason figured today was going to be a good day, good news followed by a beautiful day, nothing could get him down! Jason found himself at the mall window shopping, when he found out there was a new phone that was just released. The latest and greatest iPhone, Jason hadn’t gotten a new one since he lived with his mother several years back. “bout time I get an upgrade!” Jason murmured to himself. Several hours passed as Jason perused the stores and splurged on new items here and there. Satisfied with his new phone and wardrobe, Jason headed home and thought about how else he could better his life.

That night as Jason slept, the drawer that housed the black book gently opened. Out of the darkness a Shadow slithered to the floor and made its way to Jason’s bedside. There the Shadow whispered in Jason’s ear. A whisper that penetrated his blissful dream. In his dream Jason’s mother was home surrounded by friends and family. She smiled at him as she blew out her birthday candles, a celebration for her beating such a terrible disease and living to see another year. As she blew out the candles the room went black and Jason couldn’t see a thing. His friends disappeared; his mother was no where to be found. As suddenly as the darkness came, it was gone, replaced by a new scene. Jason recognized the hospital room where his mother was being treated, yet his mother wasn’t here either. Jason felt a strong urge to look out the window. From his vantage point he could see his mother being wheeled out of the hospital by a nurse. They were crossing the street to the parking lot, when the nurse paused mid stride and looked back at the hospital and locked eyes with Jason. She gave him a wicked toothy grin that sent shivers up and down his spine. Before he could twitch it away, she was gone! Jason tried to catch his breath as he heard a screech of tires then a blood curdling scream from his mother.

Jason awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat, the scream echoing in his head as he gasped for air. He stared into the darkness of his room and felt an uneasy presence stare back at him. Frantically Jason searched for the switch to his night lamp, after several seconds of fumbling he managed to pull the string and Illuminating the room. Looking from corner to corner, Jason was alone. Finally calming down, He got up and went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. He passed his computer desk and came to a dead halt. The drawer was still open. Jason quickly shut the drawer and looked around his apartment. Nothing else had been disturbed, yet in the darkness he felt an ominous presence watching him. For the rest of the night Jason decided to stay up and watch some silly cartoons to shake him from the nightmare. As captivating as the show was, He couldn’t shake whisper at the back of his mind urging him back to the notebook.

Several weeks had passed since Jason had his nightmare and things were looking up. His mother was scheduled to start her new treatment soon, he was finally adjusting to his new phone, even got his co-worker’s number with the possibility of a date. Yup, life was going well for Jason, or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. For the past week he kept finding himself drawn to the black book, even went as far to hold it in his hand before placing it back in its hiding place. His curiosity was starting to become overwhelming. Jason thought about everything that could possibly be written in the secret journal, from love notes to wild conspiracy theories. “One little peak won’t hurt anything” he thought to himself. Determined, Jason opened the drawer once more and picked up the book. He then sat on his couch and debated whether it would be worth opening the book, its not like anyone would know. Taking a deep breath with his eyes closed, Jason unbound the book and ran his finger across the pages. Choosing one at random with his eyes still closed, He flipped it open. Then ran his finger across the page. He felt something wet touch his finger and slowly opened his eyes. Blood drained from his face as Jason gasped then slammed the book shut. He grabbed the book and raced out to the dumpster where he threw the book away, then raced back into his apartment. With labored breathing, Jason sat on his bed and tried to calm down again.

The next day Jason got a call from the hospital stating that his mother was undergoing the treatment plan as scheduled. If all went well, she would be able to leave the facility within the next few days. Relieved Jason gave his co-worker a call and stumbled over every word to ask her out on a date. For some reason, with a giggle, she agreed to meet him at a local bar. There they talked for hours: their hopes, fears, even most embarrassing stories. The date was going wonderfully, as a rule they both put their phones on the bar face down, so there wouldn’t be any distractions. By the end of the night, Jason couldn’t find his phone anywhere. He asked his date to call it in case he had just dropped it and was too drunk to find it. As she did, she got a prerecorded message saying, “I’m sorry your call can not be placed as the number is no longer in service, please check the phone number and try again.” Jason’s addled mind refused to make sense of the message. Confused he asked his date to call them an uber, where he figured that this new problem was “morning Jason’s” issue.

That morning greeted Jason with a pounding headache, as he rolled out of bed to take some Advil for the pain. Groggily he remembered he needed to pick up his mom in the afternoon. “Plenty of time for breakfast.” He thought as he opened the fridge. Jason nearly gagged as the stench of rotten food assaulted his senses. “On second thought, McDonalds it is.” Jason slammed the fridge door and stumbled out of his apartment to his car. Getting food took a bit longer than Jason had intended as the drive through line at McDonalds was insane to say the least. Finishing his burger, Jason looked at the time and decided to head to the hospital. The closer he got the more a sense of fear overtook him.

Jason arrived at the hospital to see his mother being wheeled out of the building by a nurse. The nurse walked out into the middle of the road with his mother and then looked directly at Jason. she flashed him a familiar, unnerving smile. Horrified, Jason froze as he stared that the terrifying visage. In doing so He never considered to stop at the crosswalk. At the last second Jason realized his folly, He slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched to a halt, but alas, it came to late. The last thing Jason’s mom saw was her own son ram into her. Her eyes glazed over as a trail of blood trickled from her body that led to an open black book. To any onlookers it appeared empty, however, Jason could make out the chilling words all too clearly. Etched in fresh Crimson blood the journal read “Her soul is mine”.

Months after the accident Jason was awaiting a trial standing accused of manslaughter, the Book was requested to be presented as evidence in the trial. Unfortunately, the notebook was reported missing by the Sheriff’s office. On another note, another soul was given a gift of a large sum of money. Accompanying the gift was a little black notebook.