Dr. Phillip Beckett

I reached out to MIT to try and find out more about the book that was in Daniel Sullivan’s possession, the one he described in my previous post.  I looked through papers from 1955 all the way to 1970 but found nothing.  I reached out to MIT to see if the cryptography department knew of this book, but still couldn’t find any sort of lead on the matter as the majority of the staff from that time had since passed away.   

However, I was eventually able to track down a student who graduated during that time and they directed me to get in touch with a grad student who wished to remain nameless.

This grad student, had worked with a Dr. Phillip Becket whom actually led the team that examined the Sullivan book and was willing to talk with me over email.  They told me Dr. Becket became obsessed with the book and kept it to himself the majority of the study.  He grew cold and angry at anyone who tried to even speculate.  

He eventually stopped talking to everyone altogether and disappeared for months.  Only one other graduate student, Diane Myers,  would give his updates.  She also disappeared along side him.  A search went all over the campus, but they never did locate the two of them.  The book was found on his desk.

After this the MIT team returned the book to the Sullivan family and decided not to pursue the matter any further.  Dr. Beckett’s office was cleaned out but this student went in before the college and found Dr. Beckett’s journal he kept in his desk.  They also told me strange symbols had adorned every corner of the office, and ashes covered the floor.  Even when looking back on it a chill still runs down their spine.  They thumbed through the journal, but told me it was completely illegible.  They kept it anyway and stored it in a plastic bin, but never found the time to try and decipher it.

Fortunately they were still in the Boston area and I was allowed to pick it up from them.  They were long since over the whole thing and more than happy to finally get this notebook out of their life.  

The journal was completely scrambled in the same fashion as the note that had been found in Daniel Sullivan’s apartment.   I applied the same cipher from the Daniel’s note to the diary, and was able to translate it word for word, but this took quite some time.  Here is where I need to take a pause though.

 I’ve been finding sleep difficult and even when I do drift off, I find myself waking at 3:03am almost every night.  Some nights I swear a shadow will be standing over me.  

This journal does detail what became of Dr. Beckett, and worse what happened to Diane.  I urge you reader to be careful.  If you read the journal below, do your best to put its contents out of your mind. 

The Morinthal Journal

Nov 16, 1966

 It was really quite simple all along!  The symbols that dotted the floor of Morinthal.  It was all that was needed to propel one to dive into the text no matter the time of day.  Well that and, as Diane had suggested, this can only happen during the retrograde of Mercury.  Only then is this the time that Morinthal can truly be envisioned by ours.  Diane and I spent the entire evening there surrounded by the symbols in the office we so painstakingly drew across the room.  Years of one minute at a time are now over.

The visits had always been stronger in retrograde, we did learn that through the mere moments we’ve spent in Morinthal over these past 9 years, but to learn that you could escape there once the retrograde starts?   Incredible.  Diane has really outdone herself on this. 

This time the Kindreds tried so hard to establish themselves with us, but we soon found we didn’t have to be pushed along with their wants.  I could merely push passed them and walk wherever I wanted to be.   It seems that upon entering Morinthal without the time, you must explore by foot instead of by focus.  It’s no matter I could spend all my time there.  

Nov 18, 1966

A cup of coffee never tasted better than after waking up from Morinthal.  I am struggling to find the words to write for what we just experienced.  We spent the whole day there again.  Diane and I met a little after lunch and walked into my office where we opened the book, and escaped.  In a bit of reverse it is now 3:03am and we are sitting in silence composing what we have discovered.  This world is not worthy for what Morinthal can offer.

We’ve learned that it as a society like no other.  Today though we witnessed all the beings working for the greater good.  No matter what it may be the Kindreds move and take care of the society. 

We strolled around the perimeter of the city, taking in the less constructed pieces of its architecture.  Eventually coming upon an old building that was crumbling.  Diane pushed against one of the walls and it collapsed across the ground.  At first I was angry, but her laughter calmed me and I had a realization.  We weren’t just reading a book anymore, but that we were truly present within the world.  As this feeling welled up inside me, the kindred’s swarmed the fallen slate and pulled it back together on the frame.  Hundreds of clouds swirled around it and lifted it off the ground setting it back as others gelled and disappeared into the side of it like an adhesive.  As they worked one of the clouds bubbled over towards us and swarmed around Diane and I’s face.  I stared at it in bewilderment, but she let out another laugh and swatted it away.  

We don’t need them anymore.  

Nov 19, 1966

We were completely unguided for the first time as we travelled deeper into the city today.  We came across a great white cathedral.  Well I say cathedral, but it is a large rotunda.  Stone white pillars surround it and it was daunting looking at them towering over us in such majesty.  Inside the building the ceiling could not be seen and I found myself lying on the floor staring up into a pearly shimmer.  This is where I lost Diane.  

I noticed her tracing the walls, but was so caught up in the tower I lost sight of her.  I continued my exploration around the building from inside and tried to shout for her, but heard nothing in return.  The walls surrounding the whole of the rotunda held nothing of note on them, other than the fact they were completely smooth to the touch.  There were no creases to be seen even within the walls themselves.  

The floor of the cathedral was most intriguing though, small indentions along the floor stretched out from the center of the room.  I ran my fingers through them and was amazed at the ingenuity that had gone into carving them.  They ran exactly half an inch into the surface.  There were eight altogether, starting in the center, and going about 15ft to the edge then curving and winding back into the center where it connected with the start.  Like great maze, I would have loved to get above it to see it from the air.

Until now all information had been given to me willingly in Morinthal, but here it seemed as though there was no memory of this place.  I don’t know how long I struggled to find some sort of knowledge from the pattern, but Diane startled me with a hand on my back and as she did we found ourselves back in the office.

She hurried home and did not stick around for our usual coffee session.  I wonder what she studied?

Nov 20, 1966

Diane was very eager to return this morning we had hardly finished breakfast when she suggested we get back to Morinthal.  I fully agree with her, if this is the only time we have for now it won’t be until next year that we can go back.  

Diane wanted to go back to the cathedral, but I decided to head up into the mountains of Morinthal.  I have spent enough time in the city I thought it best to see what the actual terrain looked like.  Diane on the other hand refused, she said she wanted to see the creases on the floor.  We had talked briefly during breakfast about what had happened yesterday and said she actually did go back outside and walked the perimeter.  Maybe she would have better luck than I would at identifying the pattern so I left her to it. 

I found a trail that led up the mountain at the edge of town.  A few kindreds swirled in the air around the woods, but they seemed preoccupied with floating about.  There was quite a forest surrounding this trail, I had not been able to make out it’s existence from the town itself, but getting close to the edge, well I found it to be all grey and ashen.   I stepped in to examine one of the trees, but a kindred darted down beneath my foot and actually forced my foot upwards from touching the grey moss that covered the floor.  Using the kindred though I managed to touch the tree, it wriggled beneath my foot keeping me from going into the moss.  The tree itself was hard and petrified.  The empty branches jutted out from the trunk as they grew more dense near the top.  

Continuing up the trail there were of course more kindreds swirling about.  The one I had used as a stepping stone, followed behind me pensively.  These Kindreds are curious little things.  One day I am going to study one of them and figure out just what is going on with it.  The moss that grew along the ground of the forest was a bit ominous.  When I would get close to the edge of the trail, the kindred would swoop next to my foot.  I wanted to step into it, but thought better of it and continued.  

I must’ve hiked a good five miles up the mountain.  I was completely gassed by the time I reached the end of the trail.  The trail which led directly into a cave.  More Kindreds billowed out from inside of it.  However, as I stepped towards the cave the Kindred which had guarded my foot swirled down and pelted me in the chest pushing me back.  I grew angry, what was in this cave?  I’ve always been able to go anywhere the Kindred’s go.  I could see only darkness from within.

 I wrestled with the Kindred to get past and then others swarmed and pushed against me.  A light burst from within the cave and another Kindred came rushing out from the black it met with my left leg.  Taking my body completely out from under me, I fell to the ground.  

At the moment of the flash, I saw inside the cave.  There was something else besides the Kindreds within.  It was small in stature and as the light was devoured by the black, I saw it retreat backwards,  it’s humanly form hunched back into the darkness.  I felt it’s eyes peering back at me from the within and I lay staring into it.  

Diane called my name from behind me.  She said she had followed me up the mountain, decided it was too much trouble to decipher the floor today.  Perhaps it would be better to do so during another time.  As she helped me off the ground, I looked again into the darkness of the cave and asked Diane what she thought about it, but she only asked if I was referring to the mountain.  She could not see a cave. Before I could question her further we found ourselves back in the office.  Again 3:03am.  I could hardly believe how long, yet, how short this visit seemed.  

Nov 21, 1966

We both looked awful this morning as we met in my study.  I had hardly slept last night I needed to know what was in that cave.  It drove me mad all night I tossed and turned imagining the creature I had seen.   

I am heading back up the mountain.  I was just going to lock myself in my office, but when I arrived on campus Diane was already there.  Ready and waiting outside the door.  She was pulling at her hair and nearly knocked me over as I opened the door to the office.  I asked her if she had wanted to come back up the mountain, but she declined.  

Of course.  Just flittering about Morinthal as if you own the place. Such a childish way to approach this… this magical place.  I don’t know what stared at me in the cave, but I needed to know.  I had to KNOW!  She is…

I ran to where the trail leading up the mountain had been, but when I arrived there was no trail.  Only the dull grey detritus of moss and trees was before me.  No Kindreds fluttered about today, and I was sure this was where I entered the day before.  I took one more cautious glance around and stepped into the moss.  In an instant the trees flew by my vision at an incredible pace and then I saw… blood endless amounts of blood. 

Demons on stork legs and with long proboscis were stabbing and probing around me.  I didn’t know if I was standing or falling.  My vision was swarmed by these creatures all around me and blood pouring like waterfalls.  A little creature unlike the stork ones strode through the sea and was soon standing over me.  I was laying down.  It peered at me with dark beady eyes and then it kicked me in the ribs.  The thing then spat on me and walked back into the darkness.  More of the stork demons emerged and surrounded me.  I couldn’t move I was struggling but no response. They crowded around and one after the other began stabbing their proboscis into me.  I felt no pain, no sensation at all, but I wanted to scream all the same.  One of them stood over my head looking and twitching its head at first then… it plucked hard into my eye.  Finally I screamed and at long last I was able to move.  I struggled to my feet, my vision completely dark like I had lost my eye.  

When I opened them I found myself at the edge of the forest as if I had never stepped into it.  I was completely alone again.  I tried to catch my breath and checked my body but found nothing of the trauma I had just experienced.  No mark at all. 

Diane shouted at me and when I turned I saw her walking towards me.  Kindreds swirled around her head.  I had never felt terror from them before but they seemed so different now.  She had a smile across her as she got close to me.  We stared at each other wordlessly.

I had this incredible urge that I wanted to rip her face off.  I can’t explain it, but this welling of violence flowed through me.  I wanted so bad to just grab those cheeks of hers and tear the flesh from them.  

I could feel myself slowly giving in to this urge, then she laughed and patted me on the chest.  We were back in my office.  I sit here writing this now still feeling that urge.  When we go back tomorrow I fear I may give into it.

Nov 22, 1966

Dr. Beckett is dead.  I killed him.  He was extremely weak and Mortinhal simply did not want him anymore.  He was such a sad little man wondering around the premises and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect to get rid of him.  Of course I did at first try to reason on his behalf, but ultimately…. Well Morinthal required his death, and so I did what must be done, and killed him.  

This morning we met as usual.  He looked like shit, his suit and hair all completely disheveled.  I led him to the cathedral to show him what I found out about the symbol.  I made sure he stood right in the center.  There I started to tell him about the plan, and when he turned to look at me with that stupid puzzled look of his.  I stabbed him with the dagger.  I started from his gut and went right up into his sternum.  He just let out a quick and surprising gasp and his blood poured over my hands and onto the floor.

I let his body collapse into the center ring, and watched as his blood poured from his chest and raced through the chambers.  I pulled the organs from his body one by one and tossed them towards the Kindreds that walked up and began surrounding the rings.  They looked so awkward when they walked on those little legs of theirs.  To watch them feed though was a whole other matter.  You can see the particles flow up their proboscis. Widening as it passes up and disappears into them. 

After harvesting all that Dr. Beckett had to offer, I sat on the floor amongst the Kindreds and we waited together.  They did peck at me a bit causing some of my skin to bleed and peel.  Soon though, it was awakened.  The reason we had come to Mortinthal in the first place.  The Kindreds guided me out of the cathedral just in time as the floor opened up and I saw Beckett’s body disappear into the cavern.  

Outside we watched as the cathedral crumbled away and soon our new lord was there in front of us.

Why am I even bothering writing any of this.  It is awakened now, and I can no longer stay in this world.  Mortinthal is my home now.  My skin has started crumbling from my body even just being outside of Morinthal so I must return.  Just before writing this most of my face has fallen and turned to ash upon the floor.  

I guess I just wanted to leave this in his journal as proof that I won.  It was a choice between the two of us, and I am it’s champion Dr. Beckett.  Not you.  But I will say Dr. Beckett.  Thank you for opening my world.

The rest of the pages were ripped out after this entry.  They must’ve been torn in a haste though, because at the top of the last page in the notebook there was this scrawled hurriedly near the top but is missing most of it.  I plugged the two of these coordinates into Google Maps and found that one is a place on the coast of Kodiak Alaska.  The other places me in a forest in Germany, and the others there doesn’t seem to be enough information to go on.  

57.589321, -152.158114  -  Kodiak Alaska.

48.404036, 8.2022 - Germany

26.541921, -69.7  - ???

70.607219, -9  - ???

I urge you to stay safe reader, and I hope you are not also awakened at 3:03am.