Goliath: The Soothsayer

LEFFLER WEB DESIGN goliaththe soothsayer PLAY PLAY L E F R W B D S I G N s p o E u t R r n e C a S D i v l v e t l a b s h m o m y d r g E E It started a week ago...My brother had been missing for the better half of a year and we had all but given up any hope of finding him alive. It was as if he just suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth leaving everything behind.It was decided that his affairs and finances should be handled and closed off immediately - you’ll never guess which ‘lucky’ sibling got that job…Initially everything was relatively straight forward and simple - that is until that first night in my brother’s house. Strange noises and dark whispers plagued my sleep. I remember running and stumbling in my vain attempts to escape the horrors nestled deep in my dreams. And I awoke the following morning… not in the bed to which I fell victim to exhaustion - but on the cold wooden floors of the attic with no recollection of how I came to be in this room. But most disturbing of all is my only exit was mysteriously locked from the outside.I have been here in this attic for days, unable to escape whoever - whatever - holds me captive in this room. I can hear them in this house, in the walls and in the floors. They utter obscenities and demand reverence. I sometimes even think that I can hear my brother’s voice amongst the cacophony of vitriolic abuse.So here I sit - tormented and driven to the brink of insanity. And no matter how loud I scream, the voices shriek back louder. All that I know is that I must now escape this prison and find a way to release myself and my brother’s soul from the bondage of this evil.Somewhere in this house, the answer waits for me... Inventory Inventory Inventory X CLOSE X CLOSE X X 4 4 This area of the wall doesn't appear to go all the way up past the rafters. The gap is too small to climb through, however there is a chance that I can thread something through here to the other side of the door. That's odd. There is a thick line of salt on the floor here spanning from one side of the door to the other. It's almost as if whoever placed this here did so in an attempt to create a barrier. An old white sports jacket hangs on the coat stand in the corner of this attic. The pocket of this sports coat is bulging. Maybe it's a good idea to check it out. I've checked the pocket of this coat and it is now empty. The door is locked and unfortunately this is my only way out of this attic. I have to get this door open somehow. What waits for me outside this room, is merely secondary to my concerns. The door is now open and I have access to the downstairs areas of the house. if I could pick the lock it wouldn't help... the door handle freely turns however the door doesn't budge. I'm no handyman, but it seems to me that this side of the handle rivet is threaded and won't work... perhaps the handle will work from the other side? The urn on the floor here is empty, but it seems that it was once filled with the salt poured on the floor at the foot of the door. D Light streams through the window. Through it I can see the backyard and the forest that this property backs on to. I could break this window and scream for help, but with not another house within 5 miles, I would be wasting my breath. You've used the rope and hook to fish for the door handle on the other side... X X X A Roman Catholic prayer card... That's unusual - I didn't know my brother was a religious person. I was always under the impression he was agnostic... maybe he found faith before he disappeared from the face of the Earth? The drawer in this chest is currently closed. The drawer in this chest is currently opened... and is empty The drawer in this chest is currently opened... and empty. The drawer in this chest is currently opened... and is now empty The drawer in this chest is currently opened... and empty An old musket is racked up against the wall. Somehow I don't think it will workas it is missing it's firing hammer. Light streams in to the attic through a window embedded in the roof. I can't quite see the top of the dresser from all the way back here... Under the chest of drawers, I've spotted a roll of rope. Maybe this will come in handy? I found an old wooden crucifix in one of these drawers... A dark metallic meat hook sits on the dresser. It has a loop hole at one end allowing a line to be threaded through. I don't really see a purpose in carrying this around with me at the moment... You've tethered the hook to the rope... The wall on the left here is cracked all the way along the length of this area.. It's probably a good bet that what ever malevolent force exists in this house is responsible for this. The wall on the right here is bland and uninteresting. It's a photo of my brother with two friends. He;s the one dressed in the white shirtin the middle. It appears that this photo was taken in the Middle East as it is marked "Jerusalem 2005" The stairs from the attic lead downwards in to darkness... The eerie darkness at the foot of this stair case beckons me. It's a light switch, but I think it has shorted out. There might be another switch just around the corner in the hallway if my memory serves me correctly... The area up ahead is too dark to see anything. I'm not going to move any further forward until I can light this area up... perhaps a light switch might be a good place to start? This door was open, however the moment I got back down here, it closed by itself. The door at the end of the hall is just an empty unused linen closet. There is another hallway which leads to the master bedroom and the bathroomjust around this corner. There is another staircase beyond this end of the hallway that leads down to the ground floor It's just a small table with a lamp and a few random pictures situated at the end of this hall. There are more pictures here of my brother, taken of him with various famouslandmarks from around the world in the background. He certainly was a traveller!It's odd though that he's wearing white in virtually every picture... There is a room to my left which my brother converted in to a home-office.This is where I have spent most of my time arranging his affairs since arriving in this house. These stairs lead back up to the attic... If my memory serves me correctly, this should be the light switch for the hallway. This door leads to the master bedroom. This is where I fell asleep on the first nightand woke up the next morning in the attic... I won't be making that mistake againany time soon. This door leads to the bathroom... There is another strange line of salt outside the bedroom door. But this barrier seems to have been broken. In any case, I don't remember this being here last time... It's just the tap and handle for the bathroom sink My brother kept his shower pretty damn clean... that said, there is nothingof real interest for me here... Candyman, Candyman, Ca... ok, I'd rather not tempt fate right now. Enough crazy shit is happening in this place as it is... The steam from the tap brings up a message on the mirror..."Look not for what is there. Look for what is not there" Now is not the time use the toilet... There is a toiletries and towel rack in the corner of the bathroom.Nothing of immediate interest here... It's just a towel hanging from the towel rack on this wall... This bathroom has two wash basins, but only one has a mirror. A piece of notepad paper has been cut out in the shape of a heart and the word"Love" has been scribed on to it. What could this mean? My brother's bed. Oddly enough, the bed has been neatly arranged to 5-star hotel standards! A comfortable looking recliner sits in the corner of the room. The padded footstool sits at the base of the recliner. A vinyl shade blind blocks the view from this window. A throbbing stream of daylight floods this room through the adjacent window. It's a power socket - currently the lamps are connected to this port. More pictures of my brother - once again he's decked out from head to toe in white. A couple of trendy lamps illuminate that side of the room.... when they are on, that is! Its a switch for the bedside lamps, if I'm not mistaken... An alarm clock with a digital read-out sits on the bedside table. There's a small piece of paper left on the bed here... It's a bronze statue of the Hindu deity, Shiva. This alarm clock must be broken... The panel is displaying a weird formation of characters... Light from the morning glare streams in to this room. This window looks out on tothe National Park here in San Raimi A desktop computer sits in "stand-by" mode on the desk A desktop computer is currently powered up A couple of spare computers sit on the left side of the desk. One was used for playing the share market, and the other was more of a games machine. I have no real inclination towards investigating these machines any closer. This is the keyboard and mouse which controls the desktop in front of me... And inkjet and a laser printer. I take it one is for color and photo printing - theother is for document printing. The shelves above the desk are filled with books, photos, and knick-knacksseemingly from around the world Interesting... my brother kept an eDiary. Maybe this could give me some insight into what's going on around here... It appears that the laser printer has something left in it's paper tray Success! P Continue 12th FebruaryAfter the dramas in getting from Spain across to Greece, I was quite surprised in how quickly and effortless the trek in to the Middle East was. Brad was not wrong when he mentioned how cold it gets in the highlands of Israel this time of year. I wrongfully met his original statement as such with sarcasm.So anyway, this morning I finally made it in to Jerusalem half expecting a place of quiet spiritualistic harmony – however once again I find myself surprised with the cacophony of noise and the speed of life around here. I think I’m going to enjoy the 3 remaining days in this hustle-and-bustle city 14th FebruaryToday I’ve been resting up by the pool after yesterday’s awesome day of schlepping through the local markets and shops. I bought Angela a whole bunch of clothes (unfortunately I couldn’t find any “I LOVE ISRAEL” t-shirts for her!), Mum and Dad some ornaments, Adam an awesome leather bound notepad and I even got myself a little something to waste some time.Of all the places in the world to literally walk in to a “curio” shop, I never expected it to be the holy city of Jerusalem! A strange looking gentleman picked off a suede bag from behind his counter and offered me its contents at a very generous price. 14th February (continued)Examining the bag a little closer, it held a few items that instantly perked my interests. Inside I found what at first looked like a foreign board game, but upon closer inspection it holds a lot in common with what is known in my culture as an Ouija board. Also inside was a glass divining guide for the board, religious related paraphernalia (not just Judaism, but from a variety of different religions) and an old scroll which (with my limited understanding of the local tongue) reads in the form of a poem.Maybe when I’m lying bored on the beach in Thailand next week with a Margarita and a newspaper in hand, I might decide to pass some time by playing around with my new purchase. But until then, I’ve got too much to do! 18th FebruaryHere is sit in the terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi! Unfortunately I am restricted to this immediate area as I wait for my connecting flight to Malaysia to start boarding. The air here smells kind of musky, however unique enough to tantalize my culturally explorative nature!Mental note for my future endeavors to this country: stay away from the airport café lamb rolls! They are nasty! 21st FebruaryMmmmm… it’s a hard life isn’t it? As I type this out on my keyboard, I’m lying here on a secluded Thai beach looking out over the ocean with the sunset as its background. Simply beautiful.Tonight is the first night in a while that I’ve had no plans to do anything. My interest in the board that I picked up in Jerusalem last week has perked up to the point where I might kill an hour tonight playing around with it in my bungalow. The odds are that the board will end up in storage when I return home and only see the light of day whenever I need a talking point with guests… So I might as well get my money’s worth out of this thing 22nd FebruaryOK… this is going to sound strange. The board spoke to me. No – not literally… but when I used it for the first time last night, I actually think that I contacted something!Maybe it was just my subconscious manifesting itself with movements of the glass without my self-awareness being engaged… well, that’s what my new Pakistani friend Kazi seems to think.Or maybe… just maybe there is something more to this board than I had ever hoped for… Not much information was passed on to me through this medium, only a few answers of “yes” and “no” to a few generic and boring questions… but still exciting all the same... 23rd FebruaryI received word today that Brad had been rushed to hospital. He mentioned something along the lines of experiencing chest pains, feeling dizzy and passing out in a public place.Apparently he feels ok now and was kept overnight for observation. However what is of greatest concern is that even after the doctors ran a whole variety of tests on him, they still don’t know what could have caused what seemed from the symptoms, a heart attack.Brad insisted I stay in Thailand while he travelled back home and consulted his own doctor. I could sense he was a little freaked out by what had transpired. 27th FebruaryOnce I again, I find myself a little shaken by that board I picked up in Jerusalem. Last night I decided to play around with it again, purely out of interest to see if I could get similar results this time around.The phrase of the day is “and then some!” Rather than the repeated YES and NO to my questions, I started getting constructed words. It was all going very pleasant at first, but what scared me away from the board was when the words “HOW IS BRAD” formed.Surely my sub-conscious at work again? Because I sure as hell didn’t spell it out intentionally! 28th February A little experiment this time around. I invited Kazi over earlier today to sit in on a session with the board. Ever the skeptic, Kazi’s original reaction to my offer forced me to also offer a copious amount of the local Bintang beer.It didn’t take long for the spirits of the board to come out of hiding… and without fail, we were witnessing constructed sentences being formed. At this point the standard banter between Kazi and I started flying – “You’re doing that” “No – you are!” To which we agreed to remove our hands from the Diving Glass at the same time.For a moment – just a small moment, it seemed the glass moved by itself. 4th MarchI’ve finally arrived back home. After a long trip, the phrase “there’s no place like home” rings so damn true. The place hasn’t changed a bit – save for the new layers of dirt, dust and maybe a couple of critters making my attic their new home.After the amazing sights and experiences I’ve had in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, I am having trouble comprehending a return to the mundane life of an insurance salesman.As nice as it is to be home, I am not looking forward to slipping back in to the habit of spending bored nights staring blankly at a TV screen. At least I have Goliath. 6th MarchGoliath? Where did I get that name from? In reading over my previous entry in to this diary, I made mention of that name.I can’t remember where I pulled it from, but maybe it has something to do with the unusual nightmares I’ve been having of late? Or could I have heard the name elsewhere?In any case, it seems like an appropriate name for the spirits of the board... Speaking of, tonight may require another session to once again kill some time. I just can’t deal with another episode of Dancing with the Stars! 10th MarchThe rabbit hole runs deeper than I had ever expected… I’ve been contacting Goliath fairly frequently of late. I fear that this is become somewhat of an obsession for me. But the more I use the board, the further and further I delve in to its history – and the more I lose myself. The nightmares have been getting worse. I’ve even now started to find myself sleep walking. On the odd occasion I would fall asleep in bed or on the couch, and would wake up in the attic. Always the attic! I don’t understand why! 11th MarchOk – I’m ready to burn this board. Things have suddenly turned nasty. “YOU ARE MINE” – what the hell is that supposed to mean?I ended up deciding against destroying the board for now, however I did discard it to the corner of the closet. Yes yes, I am ready to close the book on that chapter for the time being. 26th MarchBrad is dead. His mother called me today to relay the news. One moment he is walking around and talking to his family, and suddenly he trips on the corner of a rug and hits his head on a granite bench top. I don’t understand… I’m absolutely devastated. He was just 28 years old.I am unsure if the distant cackling laughter I heard after receiving the news was coming from the closet or a dark corner of my mind. 30th MarchBrad’s funeral was today. It is a sad day, indeed. His whole family was there, as was our circle of friends. In talking to them all, there seems to be a streak of bad luck hitting those closest to me. Julie had a miscarriage a week ago, David broke his leg after coming off his bike, Greg and Dana are being audited by the IRS for taxation anomalies that neither were aware of… and then Brad…On another tangent, everyone I spoke to today at the funeral commented about how tired I look. I guess the lack of quality sleep lately is starting to take its toll. 2nd AprilI received a frantic phone call at 3am this morning from Kazi. At first he was talking so frantically that I had trouble understanding him. But after I managed to calm him down, he got to the reason for his call.It seems that ever since he and I spoke to the Goliath spirits in that board, strange accidents and disturbing events have plagued him and those close to him. A strange parallel to what I had been experiencing since isolating the board to the downstairs closet.Kazi implored me to take his requests seriously. He apparently consulted with a local medicine man and described to him what had happened when we were together in Thailand and 2nd April (continued)used the board. The medicine man was very stern in what we needed to do to alleviate our circumstances.Kazi referred to the Medicine Man calling the board “The Soothsayer” To sever our bondage to these spirits, Kazi implored me to split the board up in to 7 pieces and along with 7 religious artifacts, bury it where no one will ever find it. The Medicine Man also suggested that we each wear white for a year to stave off any possible residual harm that may be brought upon us. Worst case scenario, create an unbroken barrier of salt to create “safe rooms” in my house.Naturally I dismissed Kazi by telling him that I would take his 2nd April (continued)pleads seriously. As disturbing as this phone call was, Kazi was known for his excessive use of “medicinal supplements”… let this be a warning kids: say no to drugs… 9th AprilKazi’s requests are starting to not seem so crazy after all. I’m starting to hear & feel things around me which defy any rational explanation. Appliances turning themselves on, cold spots in random areas of the room, thumping & whispering.This morning I got out of the shower and thought I heard a deep guttural growl echo down the hallway. The walls seem to breathe, and lights seem to buzz with electrical activity while lights dim, flare and burn out on a daily basis.I fear my obsessive use of the Soothsayer has given Goliath a taste of my world. I’ve opened the door enough for them to see the other side, but I don’t think I’ve given them enough space to come through just yet. 10th AprilLast night I dreamed again. A man, woman and her mother. Fighting amongst themselves – until a knife was pulled… and then I awoke in a hot sweat… once again finding myself on the floor of the attic. 12th AprilI received an email from Kazi asking why I haven’t destroyed the board yet. He assumed as much after his run of injuries and bad luck continued to snowball since we last spoke.He kept referring to the Love Lust Murder triangle of the spirits that keep within the confines of the Soothsayer – a context that is lost on me at the moment… 15th AprilThings are getting intensely frightening here. Not only am I hearing and feeling strange things, I am now seeing apparitions in mirrors and in the shadows of this house – God help me! If Kazi’s Medicine Man feels his suggestions can help me, then it is time for me to take his advice seriously.I ran full pelt in to the park behind my house with shovel in hand and dug a hole deep enough that not even a hundred years of natural erosion would uncover the Soothsayer. Sweaty and dirty, I returned to the house to collect that infernal board…To my dismay, when it came time to remove the board from 15th April (continued)the safe I had placed it in – I realized that I had forgotten and misplaced the access code! In a rage I kicked and screamed, slamming doors in my wake.My one chance to disburden myself of the guilt, bad luck and pain I have unleashed upon myself and my friends, was gone until I could piece together the code for the safe… 28th AprilHere I now sit, hearing the whispers again. Speaking lies – all of it lies. Goliath and The Soothsayer are not to be trusted. They may manipulate our lives, or demand reverence and payment for our dabbling with the Soothsayer but we are all empowered by our privileged existence. They can have the last shreds of my desperate sanity, but they’ll never take my soul without a fight…Those words still echo in my thoughts “YOU ARE MINE”… Payment indeed. They are coming for me right now – I can hear their screams and demands getting louder and louder with each moment that passes. The stairs. The hallway. Outside this door right now. Consummate the vows of defeat. Dear God.… < end document > This room feels weird. It's the switch for the lamp This door leads back out in to the hallway The TV turned itself on... and was that a voice I was hearing? A copy of the Islamic Qur'an rests on a side table. It's the wall socket for the power being pumped in to the TV. I better leave this onin caae something else comes through it's reception... This Tallboy assembly is empty and of no interest. The mirror on this wall is broken after I saw that... thing... in the reflection... It's a rather uncomfortable looking chair. This floor lamp is currently set to a low dim. I need to pump up the lightin here to see where I am going. The lamp is set to full illumination. These stairs lead back up to the bedrooms. This door leads in to the loungeroom. This door leads to the linen closet... This door leads to the rear end of the house, however it seems to be locked.Now where could my brother have kept the key? The door has been unlocked and the rear of the house can now be entered Resting on a metallic wire stand is a Jewish religious intrument called a Shofar A bronzee statue of Buddha is placed next to the TV. A flat screen TV sits in the corner of the room. A merlot colored suede couch looks like it was a recent purchase before mybrother suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. The dinner table looks like it was left set for a meal. It's a strange looking abstract piece of artwork. A little beyond my appreciation. A bare kitchen table with what I believe is an Ouija Divining glass resting on it. This is the object that is directed on the board to translate whatever messages come through from. The Ouija Divining Glass... It's usually used with an Ouija board - in this case the Soothsayer. Unless I am going to use this with the board, I might just leave it right here This sliding door leads out to the back of the house. My brother's place actually backs on to the national park. From here I can see a mound of dirt and a hole in the ground. A message has been carved in to the table:" Brother, Use the Soothsayer! Save my soul and yourself!" A toaster and a small lamp rests on the bench here... The light bulb must have fizzed out in the lamp as it won't work when I flick it on. These are the kitchen cupboards. They are filled with pots, pans, knives, forks and other culinary implements. The National Parks around here are beautiful in the summer, however this timeof the year the fog adds an eerie atmosphere There is a hole dug in to the ground here. This must be the hole my brother referred to in his diary. Now to bury this infernal board once and for all... A mound of dirt - no doubt from the hole in the ground right next to it... My brother must be responsible for this with the intention of burying the Soothsayer... There is a shovel jutting out of the mound of dirt. You've placed all 7 religion themed objects in the hole And so Goliath - The Soothsayer was no more.Buried deep under the top soil of a secluded National Park, and nigh a chance in hell of the demonic entities trapped within it's physical confines, escaping to terrorize anyone again.And while the mystery of my brother's disappearance will continue to be an unsolved case, his direction before succumbing to the Legion of the board would set me on the path to ensure his will would be carried out.And I continue onward in this world... wiser from the ordeal and with the knowledge that greater powers looks over us all. Some with envious eyes... and some with kind benevolence. Try again foralternative ending?YES / NO Y YO YOU YOU A YOU AR YOU ARE YOU ARE M YOU ARE MI YOU ARE MIN YOU ARE MINE This is it. The Soothsayer that my brother obsessed over in his diary. Could this be the cause of his disappearance and all of the crazy things I've witnessed in this house? My brother mentioned that I have to bury this board, split in to 7 pieces. Only then will his soul be released... An antique side table rests against the wall A page ripped out from a notepad has the word "Lust" written on it A Japanese Shinto prayer board - an Ema - is hung on the wall here... This door leads to the closet, however no matter how hard I pull, it won't budge... Holy shit. There is a bright light coming from behind this door - not to mention a deep gutteral growl coming for the same area. I'm not sure I want to be going in to there... The door is currently open A key hangs from the roof in the closet. A small, yet convoluted looking safe is on the floor here... A couple of pens jut out of a weighted holder