Hellbound

It was a warm summer day in the park, and unusually sunny, especially for the Pacific Northwest. On a day like today, it was hard to get around the crowds, as both locals and tourists seemed intent on making the most of the weather. But for Gabe, it seemed inappropriate, giving them a sunny day when Phoebe felt so miserable.

The two of them sat in a public park, Phoebe leaning away from Gabe. He sighed. She was usually so happy when it was just the two of them. She had such an amazing smile, and there were days Gabe couldn’t believe just how lucky he was. He reached out to gently touch her shoulder, but she shuddered away, not in the mood.

Gabe just wished he knew of a way to help her. He knew what was on her mind, too… Shawn, her ex-boyfriend, kept pestering her, despite the restraining order. He looked at his hands, twiddling his thumbs. Shawn had just called again – he was using other numbers now to harass her. He called almost daily now. It was getting serious, but the police wouldn’t stop it. Phoebe had to be in physical danger before they’d respond! She was afraid of unknown callers, but she had to answer – if she didn’t, he might show up in person.

“I… I wish I knew what to say, Phoebe,” he admitted.

“It’s fine, Gabe,” she said, a bit impatiently.

“I mean, why can’t some guys just take a message? You know, the restraining order, the burner phones, why don’t you just get him arrested?”

“He’s not worth it.”

“Look, if it’s about not being able to afford a lawyer, you know I can–”

“What was it you said about some guys not taking the message?” she snapped.

“Sorry,” he looked back down at his hands.

She sighed. “I just need time to cool down.”

He smiled in return. “Alright, I’ll stay out of it. But there must be something we can do to at least get your mind off of it. How about a bit of shopping?”

At that her face lit up, and Gabe smiled. He knew he’d hit the right mark! Suddenly the weather seemed so much more appropriate as Phoebe squealed and dragged him off towards the town square.

“Uh, Phoebe, the mall is that way…”

“I know, but they’ve got these cute little specialty shops down by English Bay, and it’s such a gorgeous day! I’ve always wanted to go, but I never had any… you know… time… to see them. They sell so many oddities and unique items you just can’t get anywhere else. Isn’t that fun?”

“Yeah,” he smirked. He’d never been one for shopping, but if Phoebe was happy…

They went off to a little side street away from the downtown centre, where all sorts of local shops had set up. Gabe had never seen it before! They sold antiques and trinkets, handmade clothes, jewelry, and other local items that had not yet been turned into chain stores. It was quite an upscale market! He liked the idea of it – who wanted to deal with mass consumerism, after all? But this street in particular felt a bit too pretentious for him, like it was built for a higher-class clientele and not really meant for the average person trying to buy local. Phoebe was a bit of a shopaholic though, so if doing this with her hade her happy, Gabe didn’t mind that, either. Besides, he had enough that he could afford it.

They visited three shops, and Phoebe bought a set of silver cutlery, ordered a new table, and found a real antique fur coat, which of course usual retail stores didn’t sell anymore. Phoebe was on her way towards the fancy jewelry when Gabe noticed a lot of old books at a rather small shop tucked away in the corner.

“Hey, Phoebe, hold on, what’s here?”

“Not now, Gabe, I want to get that necklace!”

“We can go there later, I’m kind of curious as to this place,” he said.

Phoebe came back to look. “An old book store?”

“What, I can’t take a quick look?”

She sighed. “Fine, I guess so. But let’s make it quick, okay?”

Gabe quite liked to collect old and unusual books. It was the one hobby he indulged in. Something about clinging to the past, he supposed. Still, if it wasn’t for this stuff, he’d have never met Phoebe. He remembered, fondly, seeing an old copy of The Origin of Species go up for auction. It had cost him more than he would have liked, but fortunately the auction was thin. He ran into Phoebe outside the auction house, and the two of them had really hit it off from there!

Gabe was excited thinking about it. There were always some hidden gems in these little shops. He walked in, and began looking over the titles in the display shelves. It was run by just one older woman, who was taking a call in a Boston accent.

Phoebe was completely disinterested, however. “Come on, Gabe, can’t we just get the necklace?”

“In a minute,” he promised, although this shelf was yielding nothing exciting.

“Well, all this obsession with old books, you’re too stuck in the past. Like Shawn, he can’t let go of the past, either,” she began sobbing a little.

“Well…” he sighed, “well, look, here, you take my card and get it, and I’ll–”

“Thank you, Gabe!” she kissed him on the cheek and took it, without another word.

The old woman behind the desk chuckled a bit, her call having ended. “Girl trouble, eh?”

“Hmm? No, we’re fine. She’s just not into this stuff.”

“Really? Well, it’s none of my business. Do you see anything that strikes your interest?”

“Maybe,” he admitted, though on closer inspection it wasn’t interesting at all. “It would be better if some of these were a bit…” he sighed, “well, I’m not sure…”

The woman seemed to understand what he meant, and took out a set of keys.

“So you’re a serious collector, then? Perhaps you’d like to take a look at these books over here,” she indicated to a glass shelf of very old books behind her desk. “These are my rarities, old works and original editions. Come around, have a look for yourself.”

“Well… yeah, okay,” he agreed, intrigued.

He came around and saw the case with twelve old, leather-bound books behind it. Now this was the sort of stuff he was looking for! The woman opened the cabinet.

“Be quite careful with these…” she said.

“Oh, yes, of course! Very sensitive to the environment, I know.”

Gabe pulled a couple of books out to take a look. Now these were interesting. He wanted them all, but looking at the price tag, and knowing he only had so much cash after giving Phoebe his card, he had to narrow himself down. Besides, he didn’t get paid until the end of the month anyway. But the titles were fascinating – an original Alice in Wonderland, a second-edition Frankenstein, and a copy of the notes of John Bell Hatcher all caught his attention.

“Now these are expensive!” he said. “I’d like them all, but I can only afford one.”

“Ah, well, I’ve got some great items for collectors. How about this one?” she suggested one of the thinnest ones, “It’s thin, but extraordinarily rare. The journal of Theodore McCobb, an RCMP clerk who worked up in the Yukon during the gold rush. He wound up here, in Vancouver, for his retirement. I was lucky to find this, actually, I went to school with his great-granddaughter.”

“That’s pretty cool! But I’d actually like to take a look at this one…” he looked at the thirteenth book lying forgotten on the shelf beneath the others, tucked away and covered in dust.

“Ah! No, sir, that one’s not for sale. That’s way too dangerous.”

He picked it up anyway. “A Grimoire?”

“Yes. A book of demons and how to summon them.”

For some reason, Gabe had an attraction to the book. It was odd, he wasn’t usually into this stuff, but something about owning a taboo item was tempting. He shook his head free of the thought. Such things were taboo for a reason! Besides, it was just a cheap novelty.

“Those certainly aren’t common, but it’s not like it’s that out of place, to be honest. I mean, it’s just an old superstition, it’s nothing special.”

He didn’t know why he put it that way, but at any rate, the woman seemed to have a brief moment of pride in her merchandise, and, forgetting her previous warning, began to defend the product that she didn’t want to sell.

“Nothing special? Most grimoires are tourist bait and cheap novelties, but this is an original! One written by some demon or other and sent up here to cause mayhem and havoc. This one actually works, I’ll have you know. That’s why it is not for sale. It’s way too dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“Oh come on! Those things never actually work! How do you know it’s real?”

“A neighbour of mine used it, almost forty years ago, when I was still a student attending school in New York. He performed their ritual in the apartment next to mine, and even brought in a goat.”

“Ewww.”

“Was that a pun?”

“No, sorry, just… I like old books, but grimoires are a bit, well… grim. Still, in ancient Greece demons were beings of good and bad who would grant wisdom, and the line between good and evil spirits has always been blurred in some cultures. Even medieval catholic texts describe a few of them as having potentially good natures. Actually, I’d be quite interested to learn about it straight from the source.”

“Not using this one you won’t! I saw what this thing can do. I ran out of my apartment, believing the building was burning down, and it was then, outside the neighbour's door, I realised the fire was not of this world. I heard his chants grow into screams of terror. Despite my better judgement, I peered through the crack in his door. What I saw was so terrifying it still gives me nightmares to this day! Once the demon was done, it disappeared in a flash of fire, back into this grimoire.”

“So why sell it?”

“It’s not for sale!” she repeated. “I keep it with me so some fool doesn’t pick it up and find it. And I don’t really feel comfortable keeping this thing in my house.”

“Well, look, I’m not one of those weirdo goat sacrificers, alright? I’m just a collector of old books. And I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I’ll find another grimoire.”

“Well, it is too dangerous to collect this one.”

“Illegal, you mean?”

“No, grimoires aren’t illegal in Canada. They’re just not popular, so publishers and sellers tend to avoid them.”

“Well, now you’ve got me curious! A book that dangerous, you don’t actually want to keep it, do you? I’ve got a safe place for it, away from the open air environment so it won’t disintegrate.”

“Oh, this thing doesn’t disintegrate,” she said, darkly. “I’ve tried burning it, dousing it in holy water, burying it, even tossing it into the ocean. It finds a way back…”

“I’ve got to try that!” Gabe laughed, even more enamoured with having such a myth associated with the item. “Come on, how much do you want? $500?”

“You can’t… wait… $500? You'd be able to pay that in one lump sum, today?”

“Well, it would stretch my budget a bit after my girlfriend’s shopping spree, but yeah, I could do it pretty easily. Cash okay? My girlfriend took my card.”

“$500… cash?”

“Yeah…” he showed her the money, fanning it out.

She bit her lip, looking at the fan and the book. “Okay, fine. I’m well rid of it! But be warned – don’t attempt any of the rituals! This book is cursed. And I won’t be responsible for whatever consequences come of it.”

“That’s fine,” he said, putting the money on the table. “I’m genuinely intellectually curious now, and don’t worry, I’ve no intention of sacrificing a goat or drawing a pentagram in blood!”

“I believe you, you don’t seem the type. Otherwise I wouldn’t even consider the sale!”

She handed over the book, but still seemed reluctant to sell it. Gabe took the book before she could back out, and saw that it was, indeed, very different from his other books. It was bound with dark leather, almost like living flesh, with a pentagram drawn in blood red. It was warm to the touch, even! It felt like it was calling out to him. He stuffed it in his bag and went out to find Phoebe.

Gabe found her by the jewelry store, pushing a man away.

“I told you, Shawn, stay away from me!” she yelled.

“Hey, look, babe, you know you want me!” the man responded.

“For the last time, Shawn, leave Phoebe alone, or I’ll call the police on you!”

“Hey, Gabriel, chill dude!” he put his hands up, backing off. “Look, sweetheart, when you’re done sucking this fucker’s cock you’ll come running back to me,” he winked at Gabe. “See ya around, dude.”

“What a horrible man,” Gabe said. “Let’s just go, I think you’ll be safer at my place tonight.”

“No, that’s okay, I feel fine to go home.”

“Are you sure? Do you need me to stay with you?”

“No, I should be fine, just… maybe just escort me there, please?”

“Of course.”

“Hold on! Sir, please, hold on!” someone yelled.

Gabe turned, and saw the saleswoman coming after him.

“Look, I’m really sorry, I’ll give you the money back,” she said. “I really can’t in good conscience let you take the book home, please, return it to me.”

“Aren’t all sales final?”

“No, look, I’ll give you $600 back, okay? Just please, give me the book.”

“You paid $600 for a fucking book, Gabe?” Phoebe asked.

“No, I only paid five!” he replied. “Besides, what does it matter? I can afford something for myself. And I’m sorry, ma’am, but like I said, I kind of like collecting unique books and odd antiques. Besides, this book seems interesting. I kind of want to read it, now.”

“Oh, no, it’s got some kind of power over people’s wills!”

At that, Gabe laughed out loud. “Oh, come on! Just because I don’t want to sell it back doesn’t mean–”

“Don’t be stupid, Gabe!” Phoebe pulled the book out of his bag. “He’ll take it. And good lord, that is a nasty book! It feels like it’s crawling on me.”

“Hey!” Gabe protested, “I wanted to keep that!”

“Why? Trust me, Gabe, you’ll thank me later,” she said, taking the book back to the shop, “I’m going to go with her to return this, and you wait here.”

The old woman looked visibly relieved, while Gabe decided not to argue. It was probably for the best not to spend his money on things that creepy, anyway. He couldn’t even quite remember what compelled him to buy it in the first place, or why he seemed intent on keeping it.