3 The Cat

"Great!" a dark creature atop Ben's house said, "more sacrifices for master."

For thousands of years, that creature guarded that seemly old-fashioned book. It waited and saw many man approaching the book but none ever grabbing. As if they couldn't see the book at all. Some very powerful man sought that book for uncountable years, relying on divination and lucky, but none ever saw a glimpse of its cover. An indeed valuable treasure without a safe but nevertheless forever secure.

"Why master is so complicated," with a sigh the creature waited for the pawns to make a play.

*****

"You still don't believe me?" Ben asked Clara.

"Many things could explain the lights," Clara shrugged getting a hold of her breath again.

"You never believe me," he said shaking his head, "you saw it, right Susan?" he put his hand in her shoulder and pointed to the book.

With crimson red cheeks, Susan just lowered her head and shook it positively. Clara just shook her head seeing that far too common scene. "How he can be so thick?" Clara thought.

"I'll try a different magic if you don't believe me," he said already turning another page and trying to find another set of incantations."

"Wait a little bit," Clara said biting her lower lips, "tell us a little about this book first."

"Well--" Ben scratched his cheeks, "--I basically know its name and that words have power. With the correct words, you can do anything you want."

"That's all?" Clara said open wide her mouth, "you didn't sleep all night reading the book and you still don't have a clue?"

"Clara," Susan said raising her little face and looking deeply at her friend, "don't be too mean to Ben. Maybe the book it's just too hard."

"Thank you," Ben said smiling again, "it's just that the phrasing used it's sometimes too confusing for me. You know I'm not good at interpreting things sometimes."

Clara knew well mild dyslexia that ben had when he was younger, but now he rarely ever showed any visible struggle. He was just bad at some things that were very easy for others, and really good at some rather difficult things.

"If you are sure it's safe I guess we can try again," Clara said sitting straighter and giving a light sigh, "just to show that it was probably just a coincidence."

Ben looked a few more pages before deciding in a spell. He read most of the book in the previous night. Using the translator to understand the meaning of some Latin or Greek word took quite a bit of time, but nevertheless, he thought he could do it. He wasn't born a geek for nothing. That was his territory, solving puzzles.

"This spell," Ben said pointing to the page that had some drawings, "it's supposed to take all sound of the air," with no pause Ben started to read the letters.

"That seems strange," Clara thought but had no time to say anything.

Every word pronounced made their hearts beat a little stronger, pulsating with Ben's voice.

"I'm not liking this," Susan said covering her head with her hands.

When Clara was about to ask Ben to stop he concluded the spell. For a moment Clara's eyes were fixed into Ben's ones. Not moving or blinking. But nothing seemed to happen. Nothing was happening.

"It's everything OK?" Clara finally said taking her eyes off Ben and looking around. No lights blinking and no signal of anything wrong.

"It's quiet," Susan said finally looking at both of them, "I can't hear any more noises."

As the sudden realization, all of them started to look for the usual noises that were ever present. No noisy TV on the first floor. No cars passing by. If one didn't speak it was easy to even listen to their own heartbeat.

"What spell did you actually read?" said Clara taking the book and reading the page. "Ben! This is dangerous!" she said after a few minutes.

"What? Why? It's just a spell for silence."

"You're wrong. Read here," Clara pointed to the text.

'All life inevitably is messy and noisy. The absence of sound is the beginning of death. Everything one posses start with noise, and this is the first one to be taken.' And the rest of the text describes how the spell must be pronounced. Which word shall be stressed and how toxic move one's mouth.

"What's the problem?" Ben said scratching his neck, "it's just a silence spell, right?"

"NO BEN!" Clara said, "I think this spell--this whole book--it's not good news."

A few seconds later all sound came back all of the sudden, making Susan scream and Ben almost falling off the bed.

"What now?" Clara said.

"I think it's OK now. The effect is temporary, apparently," Ben said slowly closing his book and giving a really good look at the cover for the first real time. It was all in black and leather. There was something embossed in the leather but it was almost impossible to figure it out now after, presumably, many years. No title and no author apparently. "What is exactly this book?" Ben thought for the first time.

After a few hours of dabates, they got some points about what was happening. The book was dangerous and should be disposed of as quickly as possible. No matter how much Ben argued about being careful, it was to no avail. Clara was firm in her decision. Ben's face almost burned by the fierce stares Clara gave him from time to time. She was used to him doing silly things willy-nilly, but this was the last straw. In the next day, they would throw it out in the trash and forget all about it. It's no use to posses something that you don't understand and can be dangerous, was the last speech of Clara.

"It's OK if I sleep with you guys today?" Susan said after things calmed down. She knew herself well. She was strong in the field, but here? She was scared. She wouldn't be able to sleep alone today. The flicking lights made her remember when she was a little kid watching a ghost movie her parents have strictly forbidden her. She would have nightmares this night.

After discussing, it was set that Susan and Ben would sleep over in Clara's house. They tried to pass time and watched an anime on the computer but it didn't help to change the atmosphere of the room. That night it was hard to sleep for all of them. Their imagination was too wild but finally, each one of them slept until late in the Sunday morning.

They started deliberating in the afternoon the book disposal. In the middle of the discussion it happened. Susan got a call from their family. Her little cat she got as a present a few months ago passed away in the previous night.

Susan ran home as soon as she got the news, not even waiting for miss Renault to drive her home. When she left, Ben and Clara looked at each other. One could see each other in their reflection on their big black pupils.

"What have you done, Ben ?" she said getting grips of herself.

"I-It's not my f-fault," he sat on the bed and gave a long hard sight.