This choice: A tome of Eldritch Lore! The Liponomicon? What's that? • Go Back...Chapter #5A Tome Most Mysterious... by: Unknown “Huh?”
Dakota blinked. Lying at the bottom of the box, perfectly placed in the center, was a small book bound in cracked brown leather. The pages were wrinkled and the spine was limp, but the black ink of the title shimmered bright as gold.
The Liponomicon.
Dakota hesitated. The name seemed familiar somehow, in that far-off, deja-vu sort of way - a feeling of a feeling, and nothing more. Suddenly, she felt the irresistible need to grab it. Bending down, she lifted the book carefully out of the box. The timbers of the pallet groaned and straightened, as though a great weight had been lifted off of them. Dakota didn’t notice, her eyes locked onto the book’s mesmerising title.
The Liponomicon...
“Dakota! There you are!”
Dakota whipped around, clutching the book defensively against her body. She huffed, giving Zack a dirty look. “Geez! You scared me.”
“Jumpy, are we?” His smug grin disappeared suddenly as he noticed the book in Dakota’s hands. “Hey, what’s that?”
Dakota felt herself flush. For some reason, she felt like she’d just been caught with something she shouldn’t have. “Oh, it’s just some book I found in that box. It’s... really strange.” She timidly showed him the cover, tilting it so that the light shone off the black lettering.
“Lip-o-nomi-what?” Zack huffed, snatching the book from her. “What was it doing in that box? It’s almost like - wait a sec.” He grunted, prying at the book’s cover. “Gah! It won’t open!”
“What do you mean, won’t open?” She took the book back, prying at the hard leather cover. It was no good. The book refused to budge, as though the covers were welded shut.
“Huh” she said, scrunching up her face. She examined every inch of the book, looking for a latch or a switch, but there was nothing to be found. It wouldn’t open. So strange...
“Hey! Losers! What’s going on in there?” Piper’s peeved voice came from outside the crate.
“Dakota found a fake book,” Zack shouted, smirking.
A few moments later, Piper appeared in the doorway. “What? Do you guys, like, actively seek out the lamest thing in any given environment?” She sighed dramatically. “C’mon, let’s get out of here before Dakota finds a shipping container full of math homework or something. You guys obviously don’t appreciate my efforts here.”
“If you’re talking about the breaking and entering, then no, we don’t.” Zack said, earning him a swift punch to the shoulder.
Dakota bit her lip as her friends walked out of the storage crate. She knew she ought to put the stupid thing back, but there was something stopping her. She just couldn’t bring herself to let it go...
Making sure her friends were occupied, she slipped The Liponomicon into her purse and hurried after them.
000
It was pretty late when Dakota sluggishly lugged herself into her room. It had been a rather, uh, full evening. Zack and Piper had insisted on taking her to some tiny beachside stand that sold the best (and biggest) burritos in town, and then her mother had made spaghetti for dinner - her favorite. Needless to say, her tummy was feeling a bit overloaded.
Dakota slung her purse onto her bed, quickly flopping down after it. After nearly a month of sedentary mopeing, her long day had left her exhausted. She stuck her hand in her purse, absently searching for her phone, when her hand touched something unfamiliar...
Suddenly, it all rushed back to her. The book! Dakota clutched the mysterious tome eagerly, forgetting about her texts. She brought it out, determined to find some lock or switch that was holding the thing shut.
To her surprise, The Liponomicon flopped open without an issue. The page that it opened too had no text, but was instead an image in a fantastical style. It should not have been a surprise to her that this was no ordinary book, yet Dakota's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the strange illustration that occupied the pages. It... kind of looked like her!
It was an image of...
| Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
<<-- Previous · Outline  · Recent Additions © Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.
Bobo the Hobo has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work within this interactive story. Poster accepts all responsibility, legal and otherwise, for the content uploaded, submitted to and posted on Writing.Com. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
