The candles flickered and the shadows danced about like "blind acolytes" (a term that I got from some Cradle of Filth lyrics) as the participants stood silently, moments before the midnight ceremony kicked off. The smell of Evesham incense filled their nostrils and the light sounds of "Nar Mattaru" by Morbid Angel played in the background on repeat. Peter, Paul and Jack stood in a circle drawn in white chalk on the wooden floor of the cleared out den. Inside the circle there was a six pointed star along with three other smaller circles. In each circle stood one of the three: Paul in one circle at the north side; Peter in the one on the east side; Jack in the one in the west side. Just a few feet ahead of Paul there was a triangle drawn on the ground in the same white chalk, its lead point facing Paul. This is where the summoned spirit would manifest.
[[Nothing to worry about...|No worries...]]
The guys had no need to worry about being interrupted, as they were the only ones in the home of Jack’s friend, Othello. Othello was to be out of town for a little over a week or so, visiting some of his friends at a place known as Facing Worlds, in Unreality.
“Hey man, how would you like to house sit for me while I visit Jesper Kyd?” Othello asked Jack.
“Yeah, I can do that, no problem!” Jack responded.
“Just don’t throw any wild parties and don’t have questionable people over…” were Othello’s only requests when he asked Jack to house sit for him while he was away.
“Gotcha, no problem,” replied Jack.
[[Questionable people?|As if...]]
Questionable people? Other than their shared interest in heavy metal, horror movies and the supernatural, there was not really anything questionable about Jack’s friends, Peter and Paul. Those were perfectly fine interests all the same and they were all college sophomores making good grades and working part time jobs. Jack met them on a night out in the downtown area of his city, whereas he met Othello during the daylight hours, at a downtown church. It just seemed that the interests of Peter and Paul were a bit different than those held by Othello.
[[Are we ready?|Tried...]]
The gathered “wizards of sorts” really wanted to exercise their growing skills in magic, just to see what they could accomplish. After a bit of studying and practice in their free time, they were ready to summon their first spirit. They had hopes of gaining something more material than in the recent past. With Othello being away and the house being theirs to use, this night was the perfect opportunity for them to try their hand. They had tried to summon spirits before at Jack's, but not for material gain. Their intention was to gain knowledge, to gain experience, and to see what would happen. They intended to ask these spirits about things such as philosophy and theatre and other worlds, but the spirits just wouldn’t manifest for some reason. The most they got was a strange breeze that blew their candles out.
[[Hoping for more...|Think big...]]
Those past attempts were not that difficult to pull off, and they were fun experiences, but they didn’t profit what the would-be magicians would have liked most. Now Peter, Paul and Jack had hoped to gain something a little more demanding than abstract ideas. They wanted something that would open a window into another world. They had read about similar types of things before, such as the portals in Donald Tyson’s Necronomicon. Therein the reader is told of a hidden chamber beneath a desert where there are scenes on a wall. The reader is told of how he can travel into those scenes and gain access to other realms.
Peter, Paul and Jack had heard that some spirits could give the location of hidden treasure, but only if they were dealt with the right way. Well, this window into other worlds was certainly a treasure, but would their summoning prove successful this time around? They guys decided to tweak the ceremony just a little to better insure their success. This time around they planned to make things a little more appealing to the spirit by giving it offerings of music and incense. They had a particular song in mind also, one in which they thought to be appropriate for their purpose.
[[And now...|Let us begin.]]
“Let us begin,” chanted Paul. “Ohm, balahm, balahm!” he continued.
“Hear our words/ infernal host/ come to those who call you/ come to those who want your presence the most!” chanted Jack and Peter.
Oh how they hoped that Melchom, the spirit they chose to summon this night, would come. They were excited at the idea of interacting with a paranormal entity. Granted his purpose may not be to grant their wishes, but why not ask? The only thing was that Melchom was from Hell and of course Hell didn’t sound like a fun place to do business with. But hey, it sounds kind of fun, right? Things might have seemed better if they had a djinn to grant their wishes. But weren’t Djinn and “demons” the same thing? Anyway, Melchom didn’t sound like too bad of an entity. There were those with worse reputations...
[[Imagining the possibilities|What we think we want...]]
Peter, Paul and Jack were also excited about the aspect of gaining a sort of “crystal ball”, one that would give them the ability to interact with other worlds and characters; only this would be a far more advanced crystal ball than that of Santeria.
The worlds therein are different then the worlds found solely in the imaginations of Peter, Paul, and Jack. These worlds would be a little more detailed, with an equivalent value of several thousands of words and years of hard work. This device in particular was actually more of a work of science and art combined, rather than an object producing images existing only in the mind/imagination.
[[Come ye forth|We call upon Melchom]]
“Tonight we call forth the spirit Melchom! Melchom come ye forth and speak with us this night!” said Paul.
“Hear our words/ great spirit Melchom/ come to us on this fine night/ hear our words great spirit Melchom/ hear our words and do take flight/ come here from wherever thou art/ hear our words and do take flight!” chanted Jack and Peter.
“Great spirit Melchom/ to ensure your presence/ we offer you this song, oh so pleasant!” chanted Paul.
[[A little incentive|\m/ Oh, yeah!]]
Paul quickly reached into his robe and pulled out his Samsung Note II smartphone. He swiped the screen to unlock the device and then he pressed the play button on Google Play Music. The Bluetooth speakers connected to Paul’s phone were just a few feet behind the triangle and “Dethharmonic” by the virtual band Dethklok (from the tv show "Metalocalypse") began to play.
“Great spirit Melchom/ we offer you this night/ some sweet tunes for your liking/ come speedily along and give us no fright/come along like lightning!” commanded Paul.
The magicians felt the vibrations caused by the ceremony. The anticipation they felt as they imagined getting what they desired outweighed the displeasure of any doubts they had that the ceremony would be a flop. All the same, this ceremony was something fun indeed!
The guys remained silent through-out the duration of the song as the music played on:
[[Deth-harmonic|Sweet music!]]
[[The song began to play|http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/dethklok/thedethalbum.html#15]]
Peter, Paul and Jack felt that this song was quite appropriate for gaining the treasure they desired. And it was such a good song after all. Surely Melchom would feel comfortable here in this place, with the incense and the music and the relaxed lighting.
The song ended and Nar Mattaru by Morbid Angel began to play through the speakers once again. The three friends focused their attention on the music, as they awaited Melchom’s arrival. All of a sudden the song “Money” by Pink Floyd started playing through the speakers, and then a figure appeared in the triangle!
[[Hello, lads!|Standing before you]]
““I, Melchom, do stand before thee. Tell me what you would ask of me and keep me not too long, for I have matters to attend to in Hell,” spoke the payroll clerk of Hell.
“Oh, great spirit Melchom, We ask that we receive a payment from you in return for our agreement to do a service for you.”
“Ah, and what service would that be? What are you willing to do and how much are you expecting to be paid?”
[[We thirst for...|Nothing other than...]]
“Melchom, we want nothing other than to buy a PlayStation 4 bundle, along with an extra controller and game. We will also need a high definition television to use with the PlayStation 4. So, we’ll need about $1000 to get these items. We have a few ideas as to what we will offer you in return for this. We are not, however, willing to do something vile, nor are we willing to offer you our lives. We are thinking that we are willing to offer you a creative effort. Something that will bring a feeling of contentment to those who should discover it. Something that contributes to the well-being of others.”
“Okay, do what you would like. I will grant you this money in the amount of $1000. Summon me again in a week and we will talk of your progress. Is there anything more you would ask of me?”
“No, great spirit Melchom. We thank thee and we bid thee goodbye. Sayonara.”
“Cheerio, chaps,” spoke Melchom, and with that he was gone. His form form faded away and Nar Mattaru began to play once again. In his place there now lie 10 one hundred dollar bills.
[[Gimmie the money!!|10 Big Ones!!]] :)
Jack walked up to the bills, picked them and counted them one by one. He then placed them into his wallet.
“Sweet, now we will soon enter the world of PlayStation. Bonsai!” said Jack.
“I’ll get the PS4 in a few days and I’ll let you guys know once I’ve got it.” Said Jack.
“Cool,” said Paul. “Remember to get Grand Theft Auto V, and to reserve a copy of Mortal Kombat X.”
“Done,” said Jack.
“I guess it’s time to clean this place up,” said Peter.
[[One week into the future...|A week later...]]
Othello returned one afternoon about a week later. “Thanks for watching the place for me. How about I get your dinner later tonight?” he asked. We can go to your favorite Indian restaurant, the one with all of the cool wooden idols on the walls and those neat looking bronze statues of the ladies at the entrance.
“Okay, sounds good. That place has the coolest decorations! And the food is so good!! I just love the Lamb Bhoti Masala! Hey, I know you just got in, but I wanted to ask something of you," said Jack...
“Sure, what can I do for you?” asked Othello.
“Well, some of my friends and I worked hard to come up with some money with which to purchase one of those neat PS4 consoles, along with a TV. We'd love to sit there and pound away at its buttons together, or to use it for live interactions with other users. I think that device would be like a portal to entertainment central!!! And maybe we could even use it to spread the word of just how glorious a trip to Unreality would be... Would you mind running me to Machines 'R' Us so that I could pick up one of these cool devices?" Jack asked.
“Yeah, we can do that, no problem” said Othello. "Are you ready to roll?" he asked.
[[Yes, let's go!|So excited...]]
[[Hold on, just a minute|Not quite ready to roll...]]
Jack was excited the whole way to Machines 'R' Us, even up to the point of sale. He’d selected a nifty television and he gathered a controller, a ten foot long HDMI cable, as well as a ten foot micro USB cable.
“Are you sure you want that particular tv? You can get this Vision Viewer tv for about a hundred and fifty dollars less…” said Othello.
“No, I definitely want this nifty Holo-Smart TV,” said Jack. He remembered hearing one of his coworkers talking about how she purchased a Holo-Smart tv and was able to use it to project holograms of her girlfriends while they were using it to hologram-video chat. He knew he wanted to have one too, it would be so cool to see a hologram projection of the characters from Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, or to see some of his favorite celebrities right there in hologram form. Or maybe even to see his favorite scary movies with his other buds right there in Holo-Smart glory.
He saw the icons of other potential apps on the Holo-Smart TV box and he knew this would be something awesome to have. He also noticed a camera app that looked interesting. With that, Jack brought his things to the register counter. He noticed that the sales clerk was quite pretty... He'd felt that he'd seen her somewhere before, even though he didn't come to Machine's 'R' Us very often.
[[The interaction.|If you can make her laugh...]]
Jack had to pause for a moment to consider that his plan was about to pay off. He had the knowledge that there was such a device that he could use to enter a realm of fancy if he could just obtain it...
He had the strategy devised that he could summon a spirit to attain such a device...
He executed this strategy by undergoing the ceremony to summon Melchom, although there was no scientific evidence to support that such a thing were possible. And now he was at the final step of execution of his plan... Going to actually get the thing.
[[Exciting|So excited...]]
“Hello, what can I help you with?” spoke Emilia the clerk. Emilia was such a stunning specimen of beauty to be found within the confines of Machines 'R' Us when the stars of the sky were aligned just right...
“I would like these things here, a Playstation 4, and a copy of Grand Theft Auto V. Oh, I’d also like to reserve a copy of Mortal Kombat X”, said Jack. He wondered if he'd be able to have a hollogram-chat with Emilia at some time... maybe if he made the right impression...
“Okay, one moment while I grab the PS4 and GTA V for you," said Emilia with a smile.
Emilia the clerk returned with a Bundled PS4 that came with The Last of Us, in addition to Grand Theft Auto V, and she proceeded to scan the items.
“Oh, man, the big moment, Jack! Are you excited?” Othello asked.
Jack was watching the graceful movements of Emilia the clerk as she scanned each item. “Yeah, I’d say so,” said Jack. Emilia looked up to meet Jack's gaze.
“Okay, that will be nine hundred thirty-three dollars and forty cents,” said Emilia, with a friendly smile. “Will that be cash or credit?”, she asked.
“Cash,” said Jack, reaching for his wallet. Jack opened his wallet, pulled out the hundred dollar bills and held them out to Emilia, who took on a puzzled expression before letting out a gentle laugh.
[[Are you for real?|It dawned on Jack...]]
“What’s that" asked Emilia, with a playful expression. At that moment Jack realized that his extended hand was quite empty.
“Jack, are you serious?” asked Othello with a chuckle.
“I- I thought that I had the money right here in my wallet” said Jack. "Right here in my hand..." he trailed off with a glum tone.
“Jack, man, you should have made sure that you had the money on you before we left. It’s my fault, I should have asked to be sure that you had the money with you as we headed out. You have definately got to be more careful when handling money. $1000 dollars is a significant amount of money to lose!” said Othello. "Especially after you worked so hard for it" Othello continued.
“Well, I guess we should head back then” said Othello.
“Sorry,” Emilia said to Jack, rolling her head to the side as she looked at him sympathetically. “You can always come back once you find your money" she continued. "I hope you find it!” she said.
[[At Othello's...|Where could it be now?]]
Once they got back Jack sat on the couch in the living room and tried to think of where the money could be. It was so weird, he thought he had the money right in his hand earlier at Machines 'R' Us, and then he just realized that it wasn't there! He must have been so excited about the whole thing, or maybe even so entranced by Emilia the clerk that... “Weird” he though to himself. He felt upset at the idea that Melchom pulled one over on him. He truly believed that Melchom would have been a beneficial spirit to conjure. But this whole thing...
“Hey, Jack, c’mere! There something I want you to see!” called Othello from another room.
[[What could it be...|What did they see?]]
Jack entered to find Othello seated at a computer. A directory named “Surveillance” was open and it contained a series of video icons. Othello double-clicked an icon of the den that was dated a week ago and it began to play that night’s events. It showed the guys clearing out the room and setting it up. It showed the whole ceremony, only it never showed Melchom! The video contained the changes in the music, it showed the trio's focused attention a few feet above where the triangle was while "Money" was playing, and it showed Paul speaking... to no one. The video also showed Jack walk up to the chalk triangle and pick up some imaginary hundred dollar bills. It was at that point that Othello stopped the video.
“Jack, you should have known better than to practice sorcery, especially in my home! Though I will say it is an aspect of the teachings of Unreality. Well, it looks like "great spirit Melchom" pulled one over on you. Or, perhaps you guys pulled one over on yourselves for thinking that you could just conjure some infernal entity as a means to get what you want."
Jack felt kind of entertained by all of this, but he also felt a little... coo-coo...? (lol)
“Wow, this is really crazy!" thought Jack. But you know what, we did get to actually see Melchom...” he thought to himself.
Just then there could be heard a low rumbling sound, and the walls began to vibrate just a little as the sound of strange laughter could be heard bouncing around the room. Othello let out a chuckle... "What is this?" he asked as he looked around the room.
[[And then...|Melchom speaks]]
“Ha, ha, ha!” laughed the familiar (to Jack) voice of Melchom. “While you may think we daemons are far too busy to answer every call, especially by the likes of you, I must admit that I don’t mind a bit of mischief”, spoke Melchom. His voice seemed to be moving back and forth around the room like the effect of sound quickly alternating back and forth though the left and right channels of headphones.
“True, you did not get your PS4, etc. that you mentioned, but maybe you do have something of value all the same. I may seem like kind of a jerk, but you did get to see that lovely clerk...", spoke Melchom.
Melchom continued to speak, "Ah, yes the lovely Emilia/ at best, an empty wallet - but don't stress-/ to make for some good memorabilia" he said, somewhat poetically. "You are quite welcome for the experience, Jack. Until next time... Buh-Bye!!”, spoke the great Melchom. With that the vibrations died down to nothing, leaving the room in near silence, as the faint disembodied echoes of Melchom's laughter faded away.
[[And with that...|The end is near]]
Jack felt crazy with excitement at having actually contacted a daemon (although Melchom wasn't recorded on camera) and on having just heard him speak throughout the room.
Othello turned his gaze to Jack and spoke.
“Well, I’ll tell you this" he said, “That surveillance video would make a nice addition to your YouTube channel, and you are going to have an interesting story to tell! Maybe you should tell your story to Emilia the clerk over a cup of coffee" finished Othello.
"Yes, coffee with Emilia sounds like a nice idea. Why don't we ride back and invite her to a change in atmosphere. Maybe she'd like to eat Indian, but right now her answer isn't that clear. So let's go and ask her, let us get out of here", spoke Jack.
And with that they left.. on to the next level... Hoping to claim beauty from a realm of machines.