(Dedicated to myself, because I have two home made masks and they're
freaking scary!!)
The Cursed Mask
The Claremont High School was having its annual field trip and this year they were headed for the Museum of History. No one ever really enjoyed going to the boring Museum of History, except the science geeks (A/N no offense to anyone!!) and the teachers, although some did fall asleep on their feet.
The Museum had gotten a new exhibition on Central American and African masks, and the students were scheduled to see it as well. Just as the group of students huddled around the first set of masks, the guide started his boring blab about their history: how it was created, why, and with what purpose. Strangely, the guide skipped an unusual looking mask; it was made of plain wood, with just one carving on its forehead. The carving looked like a crooked "J". One of the students raised her hand and asked the guide why they had skipped that mask. The guide shivered slightly, and straightened himself. Then he said: "This is a cursed mask, people" in a monotonous voice "it was found in The Amazons, and it had the ticket of killing more then 30 natives in the record of one week." At the sound of this some people laughed, incredulous, and some others gasped. He went on "The Natives were eager to give it away, because of it's cursing existence, and our archeologists were deaf about it's legend; they never believed that this mask could be cursed, or that the curse" he quoted these words with his fingers "could actually kill them. But as they found out, one of them put the mask on and it sucked his eyes and tongue out, and hadn't it been gross enough, it gave him schizophrenia-" But he was interrupted by another boy, who asked how come he died if he was only insane.
"Like I was saying before I got interrupted by corrupted minds" and he shot a look of loath to the boy who had interrupted him before "he got schizophrenic and jumped off from the top of this same building. Now if you will let me, we will explore the other safer masks. Please follow" and he went on with his boring speech.
* * *
One of the students, the first girl who had asked why they skipped that mask, got a click on interest on the mask. She gathered information from around the museum, and looked in books from the gift shop. She got lots of information, except one tiny but important detail: what did the crooked "J" meant!
Finally, she just went and stared at the mask, as if waiting for the mask to tell her. This old frail looking man came up to her and also observed the mask. His eyes narrowed to almost closed slits, and the grunted. Unexpectedly, the man spoke to her, not leaving the sight of the gruesome mask:
"I see you are eager to learn about this mask. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't be so happy to learn. If I must tell, it was my fault the natives got this mask, but I shouted and barked to them to destroy the damned thing, but they thought it could represent one of their gods. Good idea if it hadn't been for the curse it carried. From where and from who came the curse, I don not know. I'm sure you haven't been able to find what that marking" he pointed at the J "means, uh? Kid, if I was you, I'd never wish to know."
"But it sounds so cool though. I'm sure it didn't suck no body's eyes or tongue, and the archeologist probably got bitten by some animal and got crazy."
The man finally looked at her, with piercing eyes. "Kid, this is no ordinary mask. The J stands for Jaldabaoth, the name of the devil! You better stay away from this mask or you'll loose your eyes and tongue too, and will get even more crazy than you are now!" and the man stormed out of the room.
* * *
The girl was even more interested in the mask now, for she had the name of Jaldabaoth, the name of the devil, and she could put some pieces of the puzzle together.
She gathered some books about Latin names, and origins, and even the bible. She looked and looked, but found absolutely nothing that had the name Jaldabaoth in it. Finally she went back to the museum, and she had the plan to turn the mask around to see if anything was written on the back, even a scratch that could give her a clue.
She finally reached the room where the evil mask was resting. It looked empty and malevolent, and there was nobody around. She sighed, and went to get the mask. It felt rarely warm to the touch, and she turned it around. There was one single small carving. It was some sort of lettering. She got a small magnifying glass she had brought, and read the carvings: 'Tertius angelus tuba cecinit, et cecinit de caelos stella magna, ardens tamquan facula'. It was Latin, but she didn't know what it meant, so that didn't help.
The she had the idea… what if she dared to try and put it on? It wouldn't hurt and she wouldn't get her eyes sucked out. But it could happen…not…yes… Finally when her mind stopped discussing, took a sharp breathe and put it on. She felt as if something was gripping tightly to her face, and there was a rush of great winds, and she heard a cold voice laughing and somebody was talking in this weird language. It sounded like some english words were in it…it was talking english backwards! She tried to take it off, but it was completely attached to her face. The she heard it:
"CUM IMPERIO ET AUCTORITATE, PRAECIPIO TIBI, QICUQUE ES, SPIRITUS IMMUNDE, DICAS MIHI NOMEN TUUM!!" It was the same man that had warned her from the mask. She felt someone taking possession of her voice and mind, and suddenly, she, or whatever had taken possession, answered back, in plain english:
"Shut up, you stupid man! No one can destroy me, you hear me! Go away, I will take this girl and by her I will rule the world, and let all the spirits that were conquered out, so revenge and terror will rule this world!"
The man continued talking in Latin, probably trying an exorcism.
WHAM.
The mask, or her, or both, had grabbed the man by his eyeballs and had pulled them out. It was now going to his mouth, and amazingly, but nastily, she (the mask) buried her hand inside his mouth, and reached down, down, and grabbed his heart. The man stopped screaming and fell dead to the floor. The girl, somehow screamed by her own will, not the devil, and fell a piercing pain struck behind her neck.
* * *
By mid morning, the janitor and caretaker came by to sweep, and saw the gruesome sight. The dead man, without eyeballs and his heart next to him, the girl thrown on the floor a couple of feet away from him, blood streaming still from her broken neck. Her nerves and veins had been torn apart, and the mask, translucent and shiny, on its place on the wall, had a thread of blood dripping down to the floor.
The Cursed Mask
The Claremont High School was having its annual field trip and this year they were headed for the Museum of History. No one ever really enjoyed going to the boring Museum of History, except the science geeks (A/N no offense to anyone!!) and the teachers, although some did fall asleep on their feet.
The Museum had gotten a new exhibition on Central American and African masks, and the students were scheduled to see it as well. Just as the group of students huddled around the first set of masks, the guide started his boring blab about their history: how it was created, why, and with what purpose. Strangely, the guide skipped an unusual looking mask; it was made of plain wood, with just one carving on its forehead. The carving looked like a crooked "J". One of the students raised her hand and asked the guide why they had skipped that mask. The guide shivered slightly, and straightened himself. Then he said: "This is a cursed mask, people" in a monotonous voice "it was found in The Amazons, and it had the ticket of killing more then 30 natives in the record of one week." At the sound of this some people laughed, incredulous, and some others gasped. He went on "The Natives were eager to give it away, because of it's cursing existence, and our archeologists were deaf about it's legend; they never believed that this mask could be cursed, or that the curse" he quoted these words with his fingers "could actually kill them. But as they found out, one of them put the mask on and it sucked his eyes and tongue out, and hadn't it been gross enough, it gave him schizophrenia-" But he was interrupted by another boy, who asked how come he died if he was only insane.
"Like I was saying before I got interrupted by corrupted minds" and he shot a look of loath to the boy who had interrupted him before "he got schizophrenic and jumped off from the top of this same building. Now if you will let me, we will explore the other safer masks. Please follow" and he went on with his boring speech.
* * *
One of the students, the first girl who had asked why they skipped that mask, got a click on interest on the mask. She gathered information from around the museum, and looked in books from the gift shop. She got lots of information, except one tiny but important detail: what did the crooked "J" meant!
Finally, she just went and stared at the mask, as if waiting for the mask to tell her. This old frail looking man came up to her and also observed the mask. His eyes narrowed to almost closed slits, and the grunted. Unexpectedly, the man spoke to her, not leaving the sight of the gruesome mask:
"I see you are eager to learn about this mask. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't be so happy to learn. If I must tell, it was my fault the natives got this mask, but I shouted and barked to them to destroy the damned thing, but they thought it could represent one of their gods. Good idea if it hadn't been for the curse it carried. From where and from who came the curse, I don not know. I'm sure you haven't been able to find what that marking" he pointed at the J "means, uh? Kid, if I was you, I'd never wish to know."
"But it sounds so cool though. I'm sure it didn't suck no body's eyes or tongue, and the archeologist probably got bitten by some animal and got crazy."
The man finally looked at her, with piercing eyes. "Kid, this is no ordinary mask. The J stands for Jaldabaoth, the name of the devil! You better stay away from this mask or you'll loose your eyes and tongue too, and will get even more crazy than you are now!" and the man stormed out of the room.
* * *
The girl was even more interested in the mask now, for she had the name of Jaldabaoth, the name of the devil, and she could put some pieces of the puzzle together.
She gathered some books about Latin names, and origins, and even the bible. She looked and looked, but found absolutely nothing that had the name Jaldabaoth in it. Finally she went back to the museum, and she had the plan to turn the mask around to see if anything was written on the back, even a scratch that could give her a clue.
She finally reached the room where the evil mask was resting. It looked empty and malevolent, and there was nobody around. She sighed, and went to get the mask. It felt rarely warm to the touch, and she turned it around. There was one single small carving. It was some sort of lettering. She got a small magnifying glass she had brought, and read the carvings: 'Tertius angelus tuba cecinit, et cecinit de caelos stella magna, ardens tamquan facula'. It was Latin, but she didn't know what it meant, so that didn't help.
The she had the idea… what if she dared to try and put it on? It wouldn't hurt and she wouldn't get her eyes sucked out. But it could happen…not…yes… Finally when her mind stopped discussing, took a sharp breathe and put it on. She felt as if something was gripping tightly to her face, and there was a rush of great winds, and she heard a cold voice laughing and somebody was talking in this weird language. It sounded like some english words were in it…it was talking english backwards! She tried to take it off, but it was completely attached to her face. The she heard it:
"CUM IMPERIO ET AUCTORITATE, PRAECIPIO TIBI, QICUQUE ES, SPIRITUS IMMUNDE, DICAS MIHI NOMEN TUUM!!" It was the same man that had warned her from the mask. She felt someone taking possession of her voice and mind, and suddenly, she, or whatever had taken possession, answered back, in plain english:
"Shut up, you stupid man! No one can destroy me, you hear me! Go away, I will take this girl and by her I will rule the world, and let all the spirits that were conquered out, so revenge and terror will rule this world!"
The man continued talking in Latin, probably trying an exorcism.
WHAM.
The mask, or her, or both, had grabbed the man by his eyeballs and had pulled them out. It was now going to his mouth, and amazingly, but nastily, she (the mask) buried her hand inside his mouth, and reached down, down, and grabbed his heart. The man stopped screaming and fell dead to the floor. The girl, somehow screamed by her own will, not the devil, and fell a piercing pain struck behind her neck.
* * *
By mid morning, the janitor and caretaker came by to sweep, and saw the gruesome sight. The dead man, without eyeballs and his heart next to him, the girl thrown on the floor a couple of feet away from him, blood streaming still from her broken neck. Her nerves and veins had been torn apart, and the mask, translucent and shiny, on its place on the wall, had a thread of blood dripping down to the floor.