{Transcriber's1,2 note: This is a direct transcript of leather bound notebook discovered in 24 Crompton Road, on the 6th January 2006.
It was written by four different authors, what follows is the first writer’s testimony.
The coversheet and the first 17 pages have either corroded away or have been torn out3.}
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Lake Geneva, June 20th, 1816.
Dear Diary; On way from PS’s chateau now, Lord B was in attendance, MS was simply ghastly as usual, one does not know what PS sees in the brat. Yesterday she had the audacity to challenge PS and Lord B to a writing contest!
Lord B had her beaten; he accepted so long as he could choose the genre. How I wish I could have a linograph of her face when she found out that she would have to write a horror novella! (She’ll have PS write it for her to save-face no doubt.)
One ought to publish something just to spite MS. It’s not normally in me to be so competitive, but I do have an
idea in the works. (I hope, Diary, that you will not be too
upset if I note some of them in the
preceding pages, as these have become too full with the
frivolity of
Geneva, and I fear that
Paris holds much the same!)
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Paris, July 4th
[Marginal note: Story cont. from March 16-14th: Now that the pencil is cursed, it must too have a life span, it’s lead is limited this is the point of weakness. It also needs sharpening! (double ended!) Could the author and the pencil have a self destructive symbiotic relationship? Addiction! Double edged blade!]
On alternate flashes the paper shook and burned bright, the graphite standing stark against the parchment. A instant later the pitiful lamplight and the terrible scratching filled the room once more. Mary didn’t look up at Martha even as she shuffled tentatively through her scribblings towards her desk by the window. The anger she treated her with yesterday was gone. She sat sanguine whilst her hand continued its relentless scrawl.
Mary took up a shred of the paper and read: Leviathan quod Ba'al erant iussus creo an angelus ex suum diligo quod eram validus quod putus ut is sceptrum super orbis terrarium. Perficio res talis valde vox eram partum ex abdomen leviathan ut Iam sui palpito pro suus vire...4
[Marginal note: I don’t know why I keep using Mock-Latin! I don’t even understand it!]
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Dear Diary, these pages are such a mess! Each page has some notes to you and some scraps from my novella. Paris has inspired me and I seem to be spending almost all my time writing! This is exactly what I hoped for from the Grand Tour and as I am sure you can tell the book is coming along fine. – got to go I’ve just had another idea!
[Marginal note: The latin text could be a message from beyond the grave or perhaps hell? Does the curse attack “the one true obsession of humanity”*, the artist’s imagination?]
…paro continuo subvertio Nostrum Vinco quod reprobo pro suus opus per humanus, quod miniatus suus vox.5Mary poured over the Latin remembering what she had learnt years ago, searching desperately for a clue to unravel the curse. Turning to the page before: Iam tribuo Nostrum Vinco principatus super orbis terrarum , gnarus ut is would constupro him.6 Through His compassion Our Master was undone.7
*Lord B
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Dear Diary; I am feeling tired but my dreams are filled with stories, fables and dreams. Even during the waking hours I cannot pursue my usual habits. I would have liked to dine in some of the French restaurants; but each time I leave my apartment a gnawing spark of inspiration sucks me back in itching like a scab beneath my fingertips. It is difficult even to write this to you now as I feel compelled to tell you the tale of Japheth as a child, who stole the heart of a dog-daemon to poison her lover. It has a very good ending, I wouldn’t say funny but certainly entertaining, it explains why dogs bite girls more than boys. I have to note that down... tell you more.
And so it was understood that there could be no subversion of celestial power without the four-fold prophecy. And so Our Master explored seven thousand methods of delivering the true story of Man’s descent. He spread the message of his re-awakening throughout the world in objects that deliver speech into the minds of their owners’. In this way The Bealzaspel remained Hidden from Iam amongst the human writings. This is how Iam came to hate knowledge.
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[Marginal note: Dear Diary; I am writing with my right. My left hand writes without thought. I lost weight, my dress hangs off the shoulders. I am like Galgashem on the eve of battle. She who made herself small to defeat Michael and his armour. Such stories... give hope that my task will completed soon. My eyes are dry, like prune's skin, I could not blink even if I were allowed to. Must return to my work, He promises that it is near completion.]
And those who should sacrifice themselves to undo this wrong shall have a space amongst the new heavens beyond-beyond so glorious as to make all of creation jealous. For they forfeit life, which Our Master understands is great, for the freedom of others, which Our Master admits is greater. Justice is hereby promised to the justice bringers.
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[Marginal note: Dear Diary; Something’s wrong-]
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End of Mary’s testimony
Begin Martha’s testimony
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Transcribed (and translated where necessary) by Johanna Ephraim, (2007)
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Uploaded to E2 according to the arbitration of Johanna Ephraim's will, read on 10/5/2007. For Copyright issues consult Birsha, Birsha and Raamah solicitors, 616 Abchurch Lane, London. E1 3TN. By appointment only.
- The whereabouts and title of the manuscript are currently unknown.
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Leviathan and Ba'al were ordered to create an angel out of their love, which was strong and pure, so that it could rule over the earth. A perfect being of such great power was created out of the belly of leviathan that God himself trembled before his might.
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[he]...set forth to destroy Our Master and condemn him for his work with humans, which had diminished his power.
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God granted Our Master dominion over the earth, knowing that it would weaken him.
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It appears that she is making a shift from Latin to contemporaneous English at this point. Henceforth there is no more Latin.