Chapter 16

"And so," began Brother Vasily his story, "this was not so long ago—somewhere around three and a half years past. I was teaching at the university. One of my colleagues and friends, Mikhail Rozkrutov, proposed creating a scientific society. He was a doctor of jurisprudence, though he was also fascinated by physics and philosophy. Since he was first and foremost a jurist, he proceeded from the convictions of the state. He believed that excessive funds from the state budget were being allocated to scientific experiments. Half of the so-called discoveries, hypotheses, and theories did not correspond to scientific norms and established facts about the world and existence.

"At some point, Mikhail Rozkrutov learned that somewhere out there a certain scientist had presented proof of perpetual motion. After receiving an n-sum of money as funding for the perpetual motion project, he, as one should have expected, vanished along with the money. Moreover, Mikhail was irritated by all the absurdities and superstitions of the unenlightened populace; he wanted to enlighten them all, to show them what the world truly is. He devised a way to bring the people closer to science and dispel all manner of absurdities about the supernatural.

"As soon as the society was formed, affairs began to ascend as if by magic. Many even considered resigning from their teaching positions at the university."

At these words Vasily paused, and looking somehow sorrowfully at Konstantin and Henry, pondered something.

"How many of you were there?" Konstantin interrupted his reflections.

"Ah..., not many, about fifteen people. Those wishing to join the society were far more numerous," answered the monk, and continued, "affairs were ascending, as I already said. Out of nowhere, various calls came in with reports of the supernatural. After our investigations, it would turn out to be either swindlers or physical laws of nature misunderstood by people. There was all manner of things.

Vasily made another pause, but gathering his courage, continued again:

"A month later, a stranger came to us—I don't think he even introduced himself, or perhaps I simply don't remember. He asked whether we were the ones investigating pseudo-scientific theories. He assured us that he possessed a certain scroll that described how to summon an otherworldly entity, and he wished to verify whether this was truly so. Mikhail, a convinced but curious skeptic, agreed to go with this person to test the hypothesis. Everyone agreed. This society would be better named 'the society of excessively curious skeptics' rather than 'representatives of healthy skepticism.' Only I was not inspired with trust by this unknown character; I did not know what might happen, but I took a pistol with me.

"We waited while this stranger did everything as was written in that scroll. He drew circles, sketched various signs within the circles and beyond them. He poured candle wax around the largest outer circle. No one knew what he was doing or why; no one even stopped this nonsense when he decided to sacrifice a cat. O Lord, forgive me for this," Brother Vasily raised his gaze upward; during this gesture his eyes filled with tears.

Konstantin did not wish to torment this already suffering man, but this story interested him greatly; he could not help but learn what happened next, and therefore quietly said, "I am very sorry, truly, but we need to know what happened next."

"Yes, of course," the monk came to himself. "We stood for more than an hour while he read the ancient scroll. Then..., then it grew cold; some barely perceptible shadows began darting across the walls of that building in which we found ourselves, but none of us moved. After that I understood little; I heard the terrible guttural screams of my colleagues. Something knocked me off my feet, injuring my shoulder. Propping myself on my arm, I saw how a certain entity, resembling a bear with the jaws of a wolf and the claws of a lion, bent over my friend Alina. She resisted, screamed, tried to evade the claws... but... Anatoly, a biologist, a friend, rushed toward the door, but escape was impossible. One by one, this entity killed all my colleagues, but did not touch the stranger. Somehow involuntarily I drew my pistol and began firing at that entity, and then at the stranger standing in the circle. As soon as he fell on the spot where he stood, struck by the bullets from my pistol, everything vanished. All traces of this abnormal visitation sank into oblivion. Only my wounded shoulder remained, the pain of which could not compare with the pain for my lost friends," Brother Vasily concluded his tale.

For about five minutes everyone was silent. Vasily was recovering from the terrible memories. The friends were digesting this extraordinary story.

"Holy hell," Henry finally expressed his emotions, forgetting that he was in a monastery.

"That is why you must forget this. All that is unknown must remain so," the monk wisely counseled, as soon as he had gained mastery over his emotions. "There are things into which we must not intrude. You must understand me; you too are writers, you read scholarly works—much has already been given to us; one must not desire still more. And now, I would not wish to continue this conversation. Shall I escort you, or will you find your way yourselves?" The monk made it clear that this was the end. He stood, approached a large gilded dish upon a tall stand. He took the statute that Konstantin had given him, ignited it from the candle flame, and cast it onto the dish. In this manner he rid himself of this dreadful memento. As the former statute turned to ash, the monk's countenance noticeably changed. The statute burned away, and he, now entirely at peace, departed from the chamber.