Books of the Dead Read Free Page B

but the urge was too much and finally got the better of her. She sat down and requested Nora to bring her a pair of scissors, and she started to unravel the gems that laid hidden in the package.
    “Hurry up,” Nora urged.
    Merly looked up at her without saying a thing. The package was beautifully wrapped as if some treasure lay protected in it.
    Merly inspected the leather wrapping, and it was extraordinary like she has never seen before. Setting it aside, she decided to open the box after breathing deeply. Merly didn’t know what to find inside. She expected nothing and everything at the same time. Merly removed the lid as Nora sat beside her with expectant eyes.
    “Books? There are books in the box.” Nora released her breath and broke the silence.
    Merly relaxed as well. “Were you expecting something else?” They looked at each other.
    “Who would send you these books?” Nora asked.
    Merly shrugged. Each book was neatly covered and they had to open one to see what contents were inside.
    They were books of criminology from authors old and new, and books by modern writers to vintage editions dating back as far as 1939. Both the girls started turning the pages in a rhythmic manner. They checked out every book. The collection included books which Merly had only dreamed of holding in her hands since they were too expensive for her. Now all of a sudden, they were all hers. Merly looked at Nora delightfully, still bewildered and not knowing what to say.
    “Can you believe this?” Nora asked.
    “I don’t know what to say,” Merly replied. At that very moment, they found something else that astounded them. Along with books of criminology, there were books of necromancy and evocation. Now that was something the girls did not expect and there was more than one book. Several of these books were old or worn out and looked as if they were from the past; each with detailed graphic description on how to evoke spirit and souls or how to relate to them.
    “This parcel cannot be for you,” Nora logically concluded. “You don’t even believe in ghosts or spirits.”
    “But the package had my name on it.” Merly was confused, although it was true that she did not believe in life after death or spirits or ghosts. She deduced everything with science and believed there was always a logical explanation for everything. People who knew her were obviously aware of her beliefs. She was not afraid when her seniors in the first year at the university tried to scare her at the university terrace. Merly was never afraid to go anywhere alone or scared of the dark for that matter. She worked for long hours by herself in the library and went places without anyone’s company. Therefore, this turn of events perplexed her greatly.
    Merly was at her wits end and tried to figure out who the sender could be. Both the girls turned the pages of the books to find any clue that would lead them to the sender, but it was of no avail.
    Merly was looking frantically when she heard Nora say, “Spirits, hear my cry, I summon you from the other side to come to me and cross the great divide.”
    “What are you doing?” Merly was angry.
    “I was just reading a line from this book,” Nora said. She continued, “It even says that when you…” Her speech was cut off when Merly snatched the book from her hand and slammed it against the floor. “Nora, not in our room,” she said. “You don’t know how these things work and I don’t believe in them, so stop it.”
    “I did not mean to offend you, but, Merly, are you so sure that you understand everything? There are a lot of things beyond our understanding and cannot be explained by logic alone, so why negate them completely?”
    “Nora, you and I have been friends for too long, so don’t tell me this now, and what you said was extremely cliché.” Merly hated being lectured by her friend.
    “And ghosts and spirits are only good to read in stories,” Merly said to lighten the