The Book of Immortality
She clutched the book under her arm as she ran. She didn't know where she was going- she just had to escape him. He would not stop till he had the book. Who he was, even she wasn't sure. He had shown up shortly before she had gained possession of the book. How he knew the book would wind up in her hands still haunted her. She didn't know why he wanted it, or what he would do with it, only that the result would be disastrous if he ever acquired the book. Run she thought, run and don't stop for anything.
Her heart was pounding and her legs were like lead. Everything seemed too loud. Every noise, every sound seemed magnified. The air oozed him and his footsteps. She knew she couldn't run forever, but she had to escape him. She couldn't let him have the book. All would be lost if she did.
The cover was old, worn leather. Despite the book's age, the binding held fast. The pages had once been stiff parchment, but now felt like soft dollar bills beneath her fingers. She gripped the book tighter. In her hands she held the future. Clasped in her hand was The Book of Immortality. Within its ancient depths was the secret of immortality.
Instead of empowering her, the knowledge scared her. The book had remained hidden for thousands of years. The book's creators had been wary of creating such a powerful weapon. In the wrong hands, the book could destroy the world. However, the search for the book had kept many a greedy man busy for the entirety of his lifetime. She however, had not read the book. It was knowledge she could not bear to possess.
Though convinced that she did not want to live forever, cheating death was a notion that could tempt even the strongest mind. She had faith in herself, but no more so than was wise. Human nature was flawed and therefore allowed room for temptation. She did not wish to have what countless people desired. Why live forever when you can die? Death is one of the few certain things in life. If you take that away, what else in your life can you be sure of? And so she ran, for the future, for her safety, for her death.
The grass was dying and the whole area was heavily shaded by widely spaced ancient trees. Little light penetrated the trees' thick canopy. The air was thick and cold. It chilled her lungs and increased her dread. The grass beneath her feet was dry and twigs snapped constantly beneath her feet. The steady rhythm offered her no comfort. He was coming, she could hear him. The sky was dark and overcast. The trees were still, no wind disturbed their delicate leaves. The silence was deafening, her heart and footfalls her only companion. She had to reach the house on the top of the mountain, safety was there. And if it wasn't, she was doomed.
"Give me the book," he shouted. She ran faster.
The house turned out to be much less of a house and rather more of an abandoned stone cabin. She rushed inside and bolted the door. The sole filmy window, opposite the door, let in only choked light and the air, though seemingly clean, was full of tiny floating particles that were only visible in the sunlight. The cabin was not cold per se, just empty. Through the cracked, broken window she could hear his footfalls. They came slower now. He knew where she was. He needn't rush. There was no where she could run that he couldn't follow.
Desperately, she looked around the one room cabin. A fireplace with some charred wood and broken glass beneath the window was the only sight that met her eyes. Everything else had been removed. Some stone from the wall lay upon the floor where it had fallen away from the wall. She quickly dropped the book, wincing when it echoed loudly against the wooden floor. With fumbling hands, she picked up two pieces of cool stone. She ran to the fireplace, quite aware of the unfaltering footsteps that were growing ever louder, carrying her enemy closer. She rubbed the stones in her hands together. She needed a spark. A fire would save her, or rather would save the book. The only way to protect the book was to destroy it.
Her hands shook and the fire would not start. She dropped the stones and sunk down to the floor resting her back against the uneven wall. She was going to fail. I can't give up she thought to herself. The world needs me. She laughed a hollow laugh in spite of herself. The sound of her own laugh scared her and she sprung into action. She noticed how the broken glass from one of the windows seemed to magnify the spectrum of light that passed through it. Like a bug under a microscope she thought.
Quickly she snatched up a piece of glass, cutting her hand in the process. She didn't feel the cut or notice the blood. Grabbing a piece of wood she held the glass under the light that came from the hole in the window. Despite the lack of sun the sky was a bright gray. She hadn't realized just how bright it was when the sky was cloaked by the trees' canopy. She slowly moved the glass experimentally. The footsteps echoed loudly and her heart raced faster.
"I know where you are. You can not hide from me."
She moved the glass, finally the wood started to sizzle. Desperate to make sure he didn't get the book, she quickly ran over to where the book lay in front of the fireplace and then ran back to the window. Her breathing was shallow and she once again resumed her position. She carefully felt the wood, it was warm. Come on she thought desperately, light.
A slight breeze picked up, rustling the trees outside and causing the book to flip open. The pages flipped slowly and first, then as a particularly strong gust of wind rushed in, the pages flipped in a manner similar to that of cards being shuffled. The wind however, slowed her counterpart's progress. Twigs, leaves and dirt were thrown into the air. His progress was halted until the wind stopped. The wind changed direction and stopped blowing into the cabin. The pages of the book stopped flipping and the book lay still, open to a page at the end of the book with faded cursive script, written in ink that must once have been a sharp black color, but was now faded to sepia.
She tore he eyes away from the page and looked at the piece of wood she held in her hand, still no fire. Her pursuer screamed and her head whipped to the door. She could not tell where he was without his moving footsteps. She turned her head back to the window that was opposite the door, but before her eyes reached the window they once again strayed across the book. This time she could not help but read the cramped, faded print.
By now you must understand what this book contains. However such information could have been inferred from the title. This book details how one can obtain immortality. Contained on this very page is the secret that has been protected since the beginning of time. If you wish to know the secret that kings and emperors have waged wars over for thousands of years then continue. But beware; this knowledge is not for those who are weak of heart.
Do I want to know she thought desperately? Will my heart become consumed with greed just as thousands of kings' hearts were? If I am protecting this secret, don't I have a right to know what I'm protecting? Her pursuer's footsteps had once again resumed their steady rhythm. He wasn't too close yet, but his pace was much faster. He was undoubtedly irked by the delay that the wind had caused him. She held the glass and wood tighter. I need to know she thought desperately, I must know.
To achieve immortality one must die.
What? She continued reading desperate to understand what the book meant.
Only in death can man truly be immortal. No mortal man who walks upon the Earth can possess immortality. Even the divine cannot walk upon the Earth immortal. That is why when God sent his only son, Jesus was human. He had to die. No being can walk upon earthen soil and not one day die. For the circle of life to continue uninterrupted, each creature must die. Only in death can immortality be achieved. No, that's not right? It can't be. Man can be immortal. He must be able to be immortal.
For those of you who are disappointed with this revelation, I offer my condolences. No other more logical or possible conclusion has ever been formulated. Perhaps you feel cheated, lied to, but this is how it is. For man to live forever, he must live in heaven or hell. Immortality is a gift given to those who have suffered. Only with one's passing can a person be rewarded beyond compare.
Close this book, my friend. I hope that much of your life has not been wasted looking for this book. It is a dissatisfying and useless endeavor. You will die- it is inevitable. Close this book and live your life. For perhaps tomorrow you will have all eternity to reflect upon the things you did not do.
She stared in awe at the book. How many men had wasted their lives? How many men had gone insane once they had gained such knowledge? Death was the only way to live forever. What secret was that? Why would anyone protect this book so desperately? Without realizing it as she did so, she dropped the wood and the glass. There was one more page left. She carefully turned the page.
You are probably wondering why anyone would go to such lengths to protect this book. The answer is simple, if not just as dissatisfying as the rest of the book. This book keeps the world alive. If humans realized they could live forever simply by dying, they would. A dead man feels no pain, cries no tears and is never wrong. Why then, would anyone live if they possessed such knowledge? I beg you, if death now seems to be a comforting idea then hide this book, or better yet destroy it. It is rare that men are greedy for knowledge, but this book is the exception. I am sorry if your quest for this book has consumed your life. Farwell, my friend and good luck.
Sincerely,
Nowl Egde and Whis Dome
She closed the book slowly and clutched it to her chest. She was not concerned with what the rest of the book contained. The beginning was of no concern to her. She was warmer than she remembered. She had been so absorbed in the book that she had become unaware of the world around her. She listened for her pursuers footsteps. She could tell he was very close. She coughed. Confusedly she looked around. The whole cabin was on fire. She had been so absorbed in the book that she hadn't realized that the wood had finally caught fire. Most of the floor was engulfed in flames. She stood up. She realized her mistake too late as her lungs filled with smoke.
"Help," she screamed. However her mouth once again filled with smoke.
She tried to yell for help again, but the smoke scorched her lungs, swallowed her cries. She heard her pursuer yelling from outside the cabin, but the door muffled his words. She tried to walk towards the door but her eyes were watering and she couldn't find it. She was desperate to escape but she couldn't. The hole in the window gave the fire a continuous air source and did nothing to diminish its strength. Eventually the conditions became too much and she could no longer withstand the heat and smoke. She fell towards the floor and as the blackness engulfed her, a smile graced her face. Her last conscious thought was I'm going to be ok. Where ever I'm headed, it's going to be ok.
A/N: Well yes, ah this wasn't actually written to be a Harry Potter story. I actually wrote it as an assignment for English. However, to me it kind of seemed to fit in with the Harry Potter realm. I kind of liked it though, so here it is. The girl I suppose could be either Hermione or Ginny, maybe even Tonks. Actually it could be just about any young female character from the books. You choose. And the man is most likely a Deatheater or Voldemort. Probably not Voldemort because I didn't have him using magic. But it could be. The man could basically be any evil male from the books. Sorry the characters are so vague. I wrote them with undefinite figures in mind and as I said they weren't originally meant to be Harry Potter characters. Review if you feel like it.
Disclaimer: For once I can actually claim this is all mine because, I'm not sure who the characters are. However if you do decide that these are Harry Potter characters then I am telling you that they are not mine.