Death Mask Read Free Page A

said.
     
    ***
     
    Roughly two hours later, on his third and final pass around the museum, Juan returned to the exhibit room to replace the glass over the mask.
    “Hello again, Juan.”
    Juan didn’t respond, only nodded.
    “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Mr. Gonzales.”
    Without making eye contact, Juan picked up the glass dome from off the floor and replaced it over the top of the mask then turned and left the room. Quickly pacing himself toward the security office he collected his belongings and clocked out for the day. On his way home Juan couldn’t help but wonder whether to be afraid or intrigued by his own strange encounter or what, if anything, he should do about it.
    One thing he did know for sure. He couldn’t tell anyone. Whether true or not, he felt that nothing good could come from sharing his news. If he did tell, he calculated the reaction would be one of two options. Either he would be thought crazy and put behind bars in an insane asylum or he would have his Green Card revoked and sent back to Ecuador. He decided to do nothing.

Chapter 6
    Exactly one week after encountering the talking Death Mask, Andria used her master key to gain entrance back into the museum after hours. She had to know the truth.
    Since the night of the incident, she’d done nothing but stare at the four walls of her apartment and question her sanity. She kept replaying the impossible scenario over in her mind, wondering how much the non-stop work with little sleep to prepare the museum for its grand opening had played a part in what she’d seen. Any variety of delusions seemed possible under those circumstances.
    Luckily for her, she and Juan had occupied the museum together, at night, many times before. From this association, she had learned that Juan was a creature of habit and took his nightly dinner break at precisely the same time each night. She never imagined such a simple detail would come in handy. But tonight she would use the knowledge to her advantage.
    It was well after midnight when she entered the building disguised in a black hooded spandex suit, black sneakers and black face paint. The epitome of a commercialized ninja warrior, she blended in perfectly with the night. Crouching into stealth mode, she easily slipped past the expansive lobby then quickly crept down the hall. She drew up next to the Death Mask room and tilted her head into the open doorway to peek inside. The stoic mask sat idle facing the entranceway under the square domed glass. The sight of the mask’s blank stare sent a chill down Andria’s spine. With no eyes, it was impossible to tell if the mask was watching or not. She looked away then retracted her head from around the door’s casing and pressed her back against the wall. Summoning all her courage, she drew in a deep breath then willed herself forward into the room; her entire focus was on the mask. When the mask noticed her presence it instantly came to life. Squinting its plaster-filled eyeholes and contorting its mouth, the mask made vibrating, convulsing actions as though it were choking and couldn’t breathe. Andria instinctively panicked and rushed forward to remove the glass.
    No sooner had she removed the glass than she heard the mask’s familiar voice speak a rhyming couplet in a soft poetic English cadence:
     
    “ Dry, dry bones are mine,
    Try my bones and make a find. ”
     
    Her body quivered uncontrollably causing her hands to lose their grip on the glass dome. When it struck the floor, the dome exploded into thousands of tiny shards.
    “What do you want?” she screamed, tears forming in her eyes.
    The mask didn’t skip a beat. Instead, it opted to continue with its rhyme.
     
    “ Follow my steps to find the clues,
    Then put on your detective shoes. ”
     
    Andria gawked down at the mask, a puzzled expression on her face. The mask grinned a wide “Joker” smile then uttered an awful, hysterical cackle. The creepy scene and laughter—the second for her