"The Blank Book" (Part 2)

by Joseph Linhardt, ©2003  

(From Part 1 ...)

Jake almost dropped the book. Aaron's sudden intake of air was audible. Black letters, printed in neat computer font, were printed on the first pages! They both gasped and stiffened, their eyes glued to the pages; written on them was a detailed account of what they had just done. 

"Two boys, Jake and Aaron by name, who never spent time reading books, were walking down a busy New York City sidewalk, when they found a red book, lying by a blue postal box. Curious, they picked it up, and opened it. However, the boys could find nothing written it, not even an address to return the book to. Since they couldn't return the book, Jake and Aaron decided to take it to the police station the next day…"

Jake slammed the book shut! He looked at Aaron, dumbfounded. Aaron stared back, his face mirroring Jake's. They were both puzzled and nervous. How could a book that had been blank less than fifteen minutes ago suddenly have writing in it? Writing that told exactly what they had done, and what they intended to do? They were both positive that they had checked those same pages and they had been blank! 

"This isn't possible!" said Jake softly. "I checked these pages! There was nothing written on 'em!" He opened the book to the same pages, and the writing was there as before. 

"I…I think we should take this to the police as soon as we can," stammered Aaron. Nervousness riddled his voice. 

"Why? Do you think they would believe us? I'm not even sure I believe this," replied Jake with doubt in his voice. But he was looking uneasy. 

"It's written right in front of you!" Aaron exclaimed. 

"Yeah, but…well still, let's just see what happens," Jake said. 

"Are you crazy?" 

"We can take it to the police tomorrow and have them put it in the lost and found," replied Jake, still unwilling to believe it. 

"But what if someone reads it?" 

"So? How would they know it's about us?" 

Aaron thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, you're right," he said, calming down. 

"And maybe it's just some weird coincidence," said Jake. But they knew that was not true. 

The sound of a voice shouting up the stairs caused both boys to jump. It was Aaron's mom. "Aaron, I need you to come with me for clothes shopping. I'm not picking out clothes just to have them be the wrong size for you!" she called up to them. 

Aaron walked to the door, opened it, and yelled back, trying to steady his voice. 

"Okay, Mom! Coming!" He turned to Jake, and nodded toward the stairs. "Let's go." 

Jake and Aaron walked down the stairs. After saying a polite hello to Aaron's mom, Jake left. He walked back home, thinking of the book, and the mystery that had suddenly come upon him and Aaron. Had the writing really appeared in the book? Or, had Jake simply missed that first time he had looked? No, he was sure he had checked those pages! But, could he really believe those words had just appeared? Jake wasn't sure what to believe. It was strange. He would not admit it to himself, but he felt the first stirrings of uneasiness.

It was now four o'clock and getting dark fast. Dark storm clouds had rushed in, creating a gloomy atmosphere. Jake hurried home, knowing that the streets were not a good place to be on a dark evening. His home was close to Aaron's house, only a five-minute walk, but an apprehensive feeling was coming over him. It was the kind of feeling he got when he was expecting something awful to happen. He caught himself looking frequently at the book, as if he expected it to suddenly start talking to him. Something was going to happen; Jake knew it! 

Then, less than a block away, something did happen; he was grabbed roughly from behind! 

"Help! Oomph!" He tried to yell, but one hand closed over his mouth, and another forced his arms behind his back. Another pair of hands reached inside his pockets, looking for a wallet or anything of value. Jake felt his wallet being jerked out of his pocket. The book was snatched out of his hands. Jake heard the sound of flipping pages. Disgusted that the book was blank, the mugger threw it to the street. Jake was fighting back as best he could, but both men were much bigger than him. The first man was holding him tight. There was almost nothing Jake could do. 

The thieves had taken Jake's wallet and watch. One of the muggers knocked him over the head and threw him into the street. Free from the smothering hands, Jake managed to yell for help, as the footsteps of the muggers faded into the evening. A nearby man heard Jake's desperate shouts and came out of his house. He immediately ran to Jake. 

"Are you okay, son?" he asked. He quickly dialed 911 on his cell phone.

Continue on to Part 3...

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