This is a novella of one such secret.
All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret messages in this novel are somewhat accurate.
Due to its controversial content, this novella will be removed in a week's time. Madadale nanaman ako nito pag kumalat e. hahahaha
Tinamad na rin ako magrevise, so please don't mind the grammar and the poor sentence constructions.
-----
Prologue
Early February, 2006
Renowned commercial model Jean Cammhall II stopped at the corner of Yale and Harvard Street as he was trying to catch his breath. A robed figure behind the mist of the foggy night was not far behind and is slowly closing in on him.
As he started to run around the street corner, trying to quicken his pace, his foot was caught on a stray rock and he tripped. He lay for a moment, gasped for breath and stared at the sky with the yellow crescent prominently glowing behind the clouds. I am still alive. He tried to crawl and stood up when he heard the grating footsteps of the man against the concrete road that had just caught up with him.
A voice spoke, chillingly close. “Do not move.”
On his hands and knees, the model rose, turning his head slowly.
About five feet away, behind the blinding streetlights, the silhouette of the attacker stared right back at him. He wasn’t that tall of a man but had a firm stature. His skin was darkly tanned and he had a prominent unibrow.
The man drew a pistol from his coat and aimed the barrel directly at Jean, right between the eyes.
“You should not have run.” The man’s voice was really low and his accent, not easy to place. “Now, tell me who else you have told it to.”
“I told you guys already!” answered Jean nervously, now kneeling on his knees. “I have told no one else!”
“You are lying.” The man stared at him, immobile, as if he’s contemplating on what to do with the helpless model. His beady eyes looked at him with intensity as he spoke. “Tonight, the rightful guardians will be restored. Admit to me everything and you will survive.” The model could not breathe.
The cloaked man tilted his head and peered down the barrel of his gun. “When you are gone from the Priory of Thirteen, we will be the only ones who know the truth.”
Jean closed his eyes, with swirling thoughts of fear and regret.
The click of an empty chamber resounded through the empty streets.
The man then glanced down at his weapon, looking almost amused. He thought about pulling the trigger and contemplated on popping a few more bullets through Jean just to make sure, but then seemed to reconsider, and smirked at him. “My work here is done.”
-----
Chapter 1
Early December, 2005
“What do we do now, my preacher,” asked Jean to the snotty, scenic ego who calls himself as such “now that you know the Priory's secret, that the upcoming Book of Eternity holds the key in exposing the Jubilee?"
He was able to deceive Jean into believing that the Priory uses that knowledge as an instrument for them to exercise their political power. The organized institution cannot afford to let the Priory expose that furtive matter for it would cripple their integrity forever.
“My friend, what we have here is an instrument.” He explained to his pawn. “We will elicit the editorial staff to disclose the contents of the book but we will have to be discreet. We cannot afford to converse about the matter blatantly since everybody will identify and grow suspicious.”
The preacher paused for a while to contemplate. “There is a reason as to why the editorial staff is holding the book's publication back, and it is apparent that they are revising it, trying to eliminate all indications that would point out to the Jubilee’s surreptitious hidings to the populace.”
“How will we able to get the staff to tell us?”
“Simple. We will put insinuations in our query.”
With that, the preacher started to type on his brand new Mac laptop.
“Jean, I want you to read this before I send this to the groups. I am certain that we will get a coded response as well.”
He showed his pawn his poorly written message. It read ( “[ ]” are omitted or revised parts) :
“[…] Commi[t]tee! Any updates on our "REALLY BEAUTIFUL" […]book? I am really concerned about its slow paced production and I have heard some reasons why it[‘]s not out yet. I hope none of them are true or related in anyway. This might be exaggerating[,] but do we want our […]book out another 4[four[ years or even a decade? Come on! Some of us will already receive our [other] […]book by Jan or Feb! Moreover, some of those who I asked sponsorship from have been asking me about what happen[e]d to our […]book and their money. It's very embarra[s]sing!
I plead to you to finish this simple project. Also, please give me as well as [the others] the "true" details on what caused the delay. It [is] our right as well as the sponsors to know.
I hope for you[r] soonest reply and immediate action regarding this matter.”
And with one click, he sent the message.
“..Now Jean, I want you to flagellate yourself for no reason.”
“Yes, my preacher."
-----
Chapter 2
Michael Longdong awoke at four in the morning from the ringing of his cellphone. He fumbled for his reading lamp and turned it on. Without his glasses, he squinted at his surroundings and tried locate his phone.
He pushed the green button. “Ack. Why are you calling me at this time of the hour?”
The woman’s voice then answered “I hope I have not awoken you. I have received this mail from the groups and had just replied to it. You were the next person that I have called about it and I think you should have a look at your mail too.”
Dazed, Michael looked at his alarm clock. It was 4:08am. He had been asleep for only an hour and least expected her, of all the people, to give him a call.
Michael groaned. “Bloody hell you hope that you haven’t awoken me, harassing chic. I just hope that this one’s urgent or something else.”
“Gagu. Basta check your mail. You guys have to do something about it.” And she abruptly hung the phone. ..Just typical.
He turned on his PC and logged on the messenger.
What the Fuck. He thought to himself as he read the message. All of sudden, his cellphone rang again.
A low voice spoke. “What do we do about this? It will still take us a week or two to iron things out. It seems that he wants to get his hands on the unrevised version of the Book of Eternity. Goddamn sponsors.”
“No JC, I don’t think that that’s all to it. I sense something else. Something covert. I’m still not sure about it though. Try to gather up all the others, especually Jean, and we’ll meet in Berkeley Manor at noon. We’ll all know by then." Michael shifted his gaze from his computer screen to the moving cutains by the window. "For now, I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and take one for the team. I’ll lure them back.”
“Whatever.”
“Just let me do this and back me up. I’ll explain everything later if what I suspect is true.”
Michael and JC hung up their phones at the same time, as dead air was all that was left. He analyzed the content of the message and then noticed a peculiar hint. What's he really trying to say? I know this guy and I doubt that he would write such a simple message.
He took his time to ponder as to why a part of the mail was deliberately capitalized. He tried playing with the letters until something came up, something that gave his message a whole new meaning. Damn. Everything was made clear.
Michael then decided to reply back. Fine. we'll play your game.
His message read:
“[…] Ako hindi ako […] committee at wala naman akong malaking naitulong sa paggawa […] pero wag mo na titirahin ang [Book of Eternity] ok? Oo matagal nga din nga talaga ang paglalakad ng […]book pero wag nyo palabasin na hindi ito binigyan ng pansin ng committee. Kahit ako hindi ako parte ng committee, kusang loob akong tumulong sa paraang alam ko dahil gusto kong matapos ang […]book.
[…] Issue na ito ng publication […] at hindi na sa kamay ng […]book committee at design, kaya wag nyo na tirahin yang paglalakad at lalung-lalu na ang disenyo nya Anyway […], don’t worry. It's gonna be ‘REALLY BEAUTIFUL’.
It's been four years already. Di pa ba kayo pagod magwhine? Dapat nagreklamo kayo 2-3 years ako like I did. QUIT WHINING.”
Michael was content with what he wrote and sent his retort back to the groups.
A fine pen could be wielded like a sharp saber or a blunt mace. This occasion obviously called for the mace.
-----
Chapter 3
The cold December air was well abound when everybody got to Berkeley Manor. Well, everyone in the Priory, except Jean.
In the lounge, where the Priory members formed a circle, JC threw a question to open up the discussion. “Michael, why’d you gather us at Berkeley’s, and where the hell is Jean?”
It was time. Michael thought to himself, as he swallowed. And with a dry throat, he said “Someone in the priory’s a snitch. Jean told the secret to the man who sent the first message in the groups.”
He continued. “I suspect that he is now aware of the secret that the Jubilee is hiding and he wants to get his hands on the unrevised copy of the book. If I am not mistaken, we should be receiving another message from Jean with a new coded reply, right about now.”
Just then, a voice exclaimed “Hey guys, take a look at this.” it came from the smallest among the Priory.
Michael Longdong cannot believe what he saw on the white WiFi enabled laptop. It confirmed his suspicions. Another coded message was in the reply, and this time, written by no other than Jean. Fuck.
The poorly written mail read:
“First of all[,] I would like to thank ____, _____, [and] ___ for giving a COURTEOUS reply to my inquiries. They've presented their repl[ies] with [the] utmost integrity and respect, [and] they faced the situation like true leaders. I admit I admire what they did.
The purpose of the letter I've made was (1): to inquire about the developments of the […]book[,] (2): to find out the reasons for the delay[,] and (3): to appeal in making a solution to hasten things, as you can read in my letter.
Now that I have found out thanks to ____’s courteous reply[,] I am already satisfied with the an[s]wers he and the committee provided. I was merely stating facts about my life this past 4 y[ear]rs[…].
Right now the issue at hand is not about the […]book any longer it is now a question of respect, my letter was inquiring politely on behalf of _____ Press Incorporated about the developments of the said […]book and you answer "QUIT WHINING hindi pa ba kayo pagod?[this is a blatant misquote]" I think that's below the belt!!!! And anyone concerned such as the sponsors or people that are waiting patiently wouldn't like that kind of answer!!!
PS. COURTESY PARE!! Courtesy! Wag bastos pag matinong nagtatanong!!!”
“It seems that they are blaming you Michael, for deliberately blocking the information regarding the publication of the book.” Wil retorted.
“Just as I wanted them to do. But I’m afraid we don’t have much time, Jean had told him where the unrevised copy of the book is and he will get to it. We have to get there before he does.”
“Well, what about it? Will you tell us first as to how you came to it?” Jim asked with skepticism.
With that question, Michael turned and looked at Jim right in the eyes, with intensity, but with a hint of fear and replied, “The preacher has sent anagrams about their knowledge through the messages.”
-----
Chapter 4.
“This bloke who calls himself The Preacher is fond of anagrams.” Michael explained as he went to another room in Berkeley Manor to get a pen and paper. “Let me show them to you.”
Tension filled the manor as everybody tried to fathom all that had happened. To them, all they saw was that someone and Jean, no less, one of the Priory, are pressuring the Book of Eternity's Editorial board to hasten the publication of the book. Jean knew better that its contents should be revised because hidden messages were put in the book that would point out the dark secret that the Jubilee was hiding.
Jean, of all the people. He swore to protect the secret, for God's sake. Michael thought to himself.
“In his initial message, notice the capitalization of this particular phrase” he then scribbled the words just as what was written in the mail:
REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
“It seems innocent.” Retorted Jim.
For a moment, Michael paused after Jim’s response as if he was trying to gather his thoughts, trying to remember something that he had done in the past, to use as an answer for him. He paced around the room and stared blankly. And with a sigh, he relaxed his tight lipped expression and started to explain everything.
“You see, I designed the layout of the book and I have personally put the information regarding the secret, information that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Someone outside of the Priory now knows about it and he intends to use it for his personal gains.”
He then scribbled words just below the ones that he first wrote.
I BEFALL A YULE RUT.
“This was what he meant. He knew about it and I tried to persuade him not to, so I wrote him this in reply.”
Michael wrote a new phrase on the piece of paper from his reply mail, another capitalized phrase.
QUIT WHINING.
“What I meant was” and he showed what he wrote to everyone,
NIGH WIN, QUIT.
Silence befall the priory as they realized that they were not dealing with some bickering discourse in the groups. Ulterior things were being discussed.
“And now everything was confirmed when Jean sent another reply mail, no doubt under the order of his now preacher.” Michael tried to look for a new piece of paper and a pen as he needed a new one. "..Umm, wala bang ballpen at papel sa pagkalaki-laking bahay na ito?"
"In the blue case, I've left some from last year." said Mark.
Michael took a new piece of paper and wrote what the coded message in Jean’s mail.
COURTESY, PARE!!
He then wrote the unscrambled meaning of the phrase.
A RUT SO CREEPY!!
Everyone in the room felt the hairs on their arms rise, as if a slight breeze had passed through the patched up, broken window. Funny, considering that the air conditioning wasn't working most of the time and that the windows were never opened. They all looked to each other with slight nervousness, waiting for each other to utter something. They wondered about the talk on this rut and of why the Book of Eternity is so important that people would go lengths just to get their hands on its unrevised copy.
“So, what does this rut mean, anyway?” Wil asked.
Michael finally replied “…The secret.”
-----
Chapter 5
(I got tired of writing so here's the summary. The priory is now on a race to get to her place first before the preacher because the unrevised copy of the Book of Eternity is with her. They contacted her and they went on their way, not wasting a single minute. well, actually, they dawdled for a while and watched an NBA game. While on the road, they thought about exterminating Jean and Siles [pronounced sai-les, for lester] elected to do so.)
-----
Chapter 6
(They got to her place at around eight in the evening and asked for the book. they decided that the book has to be disposed but first, Michael should reveal to them the secret. He told them to gather around in her ground floor office.)
-----
Chapter 7
“Mademoiselle, would you be so kind as to observe the markings on the book, just between the spines?”
She eased her heavy clutch on the Book of Eternity as she turned it sideways. What everyone saw were two logos.
The one on the top was that of the institution, and at the bottom, the Chinese character ‘Heng’, which meant ‘Eternity’ in English.
Everyone inside the room was baffled. Why would he let her identify markings on the book’s spine? What does this have to do with the secret?
“You must first understand that a RUT means a depression or groove along a path, commonly used to describe the markings of a traveling wheel, or the result of erosion from flowing water. In this case, it was used to describe the grooves between the spine of the book, and thus pointing to the symbols.”
Everything was a tad clearer.
Michael Longdong continued on by pointing at the triangular symbol. “We are actually concerned with this one, the one above. Now I ask you, what do you make of it?”
With that, she snootily replied “Of course, the three sides of the equilateral triangle stand for the institution’s motto. You should know that. They taught us that long since we were young.”
“True, but there’s more to it.”
Michael asked for a piece of paper and took out this silver pen.
“A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry; it is a polygon with three vertices and three sides which are straight line segments.” He then drew an equilateral triangle on the paper, similar to the one printed on the book. “It has many uses, and one of which is an arbitrary marker. If you are aware of the Bermuda triangle...”
“Yes, Devil’s triangle.”
“…Exactly. We have then realized that a triangle also has the purpose to that of a parameter, similar to a circle that one would draw. And what do you see inside our little triangle?”
It was unmistakable. “Why, the cross of course.” What else could the triangle give emphasis to, but to the cross?
“You are following quite well mademoiselle…”
“I wish you would stop calling me that. It’s starting to get really annoying.”
“Heheheheh, just messing around. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah.” Michael proceeded by drawing a cross inside the equilateral triangle, as if he was trying to copy the logo.
“Bear with me with this one. An arrow, on the other hand, is a graphical symbol used to point or to indicate direction, with its simplest form being a line segment with a triangle affixed to one end.” Michael then extended the line of the cross that he drew downwards. “What we have now is a rudimentary symbol to indicate a position or of a direction.”
Nobody ever thought that the institution’s symbol would mean something similar to that of an arrow.
“Go ahead, open the book and browse through the pages. You will notice that one particular page also has the institutional logo, but this time, placed precariously, as if pointing to something.”
She opened the book and flicked through the pages.
Lyrics to a song. Pictures of unfamiliar faces. Endless write-ups. Advertisements. Messages. Where could it be?
As if her thumb was guiding the pages, it flipped to a page and true enough, she saw the emblem. This time, the symbol was in the Executive Directress’ page.
“I ask you now to draw a line from the vertex of the triangle with the cross as the guide and extend it through the length of the page.” She did so and everyone felt the eerie silence.
She started to become tense. Although her heavy breathing did not make any noise, everyone in the room still noticed her growing anxiety.
“..Umm.. Stop staring.”
The men were all red with embarrassment.
Michael spoke again. “Note that the line that you have just drawn had passed though several words.”
To her amazement and to everybody else, he was right. It did pass through several words, words strung by the beeline that she drew to make a new meaning. Maybe, she thought to herself it’s the secret.
She wrote what she saw on the piece of paper where Michael Longdong drew the triangle.
I LAID HIS HAND IN A REVERE ADVICE
“Is that the secret?” she asked with puzzlement. WTF, that doesn’t mean anything!
Michael answered “Yes it is, but still not quite.”
It seemed to mean something, but it sounded nonsensical.
“Before I tell everyone what it means, you must all know why the institution went to great lengths to keep it a secret.”
Everyone nodded eagerly, beckoning him to continue with his tale.
“What we all conventionally know, that the Directress equates to the omnipotent symbol of the institution. That, my friends, is untrue. She actually had a clandestine affair with an influential individual in the institution and it bore fruit. Their union, unfortunately, if known to the public, would shatter the institution’s integrity and reputation. She would no longer be seen as pure and as supreme. Now you all know of their dark secret.
“And who’s the lucky guy?”
“Let me help you.” He took the piece of paper and arranged the letters to form a new meaning.
“There.”
Everyone was stunned.
REVEREND SIA II AND I HAVE A CHILD.
-----
Chapter 8
(Now you know how the title of the novella got its meaning. Vicente was the guy's first name. they decided leave and go to the institution to find the guy [well he lives there]. and just as they were about to leave, a million peso car swooshed by and it was the preacher.)
-----
Chapter 9
(what followed was an exciting chase between the priory and the preacher. unfortunately, the preacher was caught by the police because he was beating the red light. isnt it weird that a deus ex machina would intervene? and what's weirder is that it's a goodie goodie policeman. [no, i wasnt talking about the red light])
-----
Chapter 10
(They got to the place and met the guy. instead of destroying the book, they decided to give the book to the guy for safe keeping. the priory held true to their oath of protecting the institution's secret. FIN)
1 comment:
hee. id like to see you post that sa groups.
Post a Comment