Presenting Textual Evidence of Other Horrors

Consisting of the cogitations of the crowned King Merrygold; arrayed in reverse chronology; appended by the animadversions of sundry pundits, bluestockings, braintrusters, longhairs, dunces, clods, tomfools, and dullards.

20081101

I Found This Scratched Into Banana Leaves

[Note from finder - these words were scratched into a pack of banana leaves tied together with the coconut rope from the husk, you know? They floated with a wave in front of my bungalow in Palolem but the rope was made very poorly so some of the leaves are missing. This i know because they are numbered. I followed the instructions and am writing this blog with the password it gave me, so maybe somebody who knows this person will get this. There were many leaves and it took a long time for me to write it here, but reading the story made me very interested. I don't know all of the english words so i didn't understand all of it. I am alone here in Goa with none to speak french and i am not good at making friends you know so i feel like this person has become my friend. -Jerome]

  1. [Instructions for the finder to write this with password. Also password for flickr.com and instructions for camera card but i have not found it yet. Also maps through jungle.]
  2. I have many leaves available, and many old coconut husks with which to tie them together, so I won't worry about being brief; I will try and tell everything from the beginning. I believe I have plenty of time to think about it all.
  3. I knew that night was the night, but I was still quite apprehensive about the entire affair. This is why I truly came to India, after all, and under false pretenses. I began the day fasting, ending with a ritual vindaloo with ginger rice.
  4. I allowed myself not a single drop of water and instead meditated in the hot sun amidst several zebu cattle on the beach. I spent six hours in the dragon pose as per my instructions before my final meal.
  5. In my search for the food I required I entered trance and wandered Palolem, finally drawn to a restaurant on the north end blaring Massive Attack. The lights were dimmed in red paper lanterns and the deck was heavy with opium smoke.
  6. Waiting for my food I drew a fifteen-card spread; There was an overwhelming wand influence, and almost half the spread was trumps. This indicated a confluence between will and dharma, but several cards suggested a terrible trial.
  7. [missing]
  8. [missing]
  9. [some strange drawings that i can not write here. They don't look anything similar. I could not find a scanner and i have to follow the instructions to burn the leaves after i write this.]
  10. The banyan tree had erupted in flames, electrical lights sputtering, sparking, and melting, but no one else seemed to notice. However, the Goan resembling Matt Shilman was staring at me now, expressionless. I stood up hesitantly, then approached the tree.
  11. The sound system began to play some Bob Marley, but either the trance or the smoke slowed everything down to a crawl. "Ehhhxxxohhhdusss... mooovvvemmmennnt ooovvv Jjjaaahhh pppeeepppaaalll..."
  12. Slowly at first, then with more confidence, I began Papa Legba's dance around the tree. After a minute I felt a burning on my ankle, but my first thought was that the tattoo was infected. I recalled the doctor's warning against sex, tattoos, and piercings in India.
  13. [missing]
  14. Suddenly the wild dogs let out a cacophony of howls; scores of them ran out of the darkness and encircled my uncontrollable movements. By now the veve on my ankle was aflame; I immediately fell and convulsed as Papa Legba began his ride.
  15. The circle of wild dogs parted to allow the "Shilman" Goan to enter. He handed me my cane and straw hat, which I adorned, and my pipe, which he lit. He addressed me as St. Lazarus and we exchanged the appropriate phrases.
  16. Papa Legba dictated my next instructions to my assistant, but stayed longer than I wished to smoke several times more. As he left, the dogs began growling and closing in on us; the Goan was clearly frightened. I walked unharmed into the jungle, leaving him.
  17. The music returned to a saner speed: "We know where we're going / We know where we're from / We're leaving Babylon / We're going to our fatherland." It faded into the rest of the music on the beach as I made my way in deeper.
  18. After thirty or forty minutes I stepped in something repulsive. I hoped beyond reason that it was elephant dung, but the squeals and grunts nearby told me that it was wild boar. I quickly smeared the foul substance over my body.
  19. [missing]
  20. [missing]
  21. The jungle was filling with smoke: someone must have been burning a very large amount of trash. I couldn't see anything at this point, so I kept a hand on one of the boars and tried to keep up without tripping.
  22. [missing]
  23. [more of the strange drawing or symbols, but all different]
  24. [missing]
  25. A light emerged from the smoke, after wandering aimlessly alone for what could have been hours. I was quite thirsty at this time, and my eyes were burning. A small jungle shrine to Ganapati, the ghee lamps filled and burning!
  26. I noticed seven or eight Indian men surrounding me, naked and painted white. But they were chanting in the Tibetan tongue! One with his long straggly hair and great black beard reminded me vaguely of Johnny Bungalow.
  27. [torn with some unknown marking]
  28. The fireworks persisted for several minutes as the shrine burst into flame. From the fire stepped who I took to be Alphonso Lingis, but as he bared his chest I realized it was Anger! [some more symbol]
  29. The opening chords of what I realized to be Iggy Pop's "The Passenger" floated out of the treetops. Kenneth Anger, in his characteristic lisp, gave the correct introductions, but to be sure I gave the Sign of the Enterer and the Elemental Sign of the Water Grade.
  30. He returned the Fire Grade Sign! I tried several Planetary Signs and a minor banishment, but the visage remained unturned. "I am the Lightbringer and the Guardian of the Gate to the Garden. Is it the day we are awaiting? To leave my post at the Tree of Life?"
  31. I was dying of thirst now, and couldn't comprehend his question. I begged him, "Pani, pani, cold and sweet!" He cupped his hands and water appeared; I knelt before him and he poured it into my mouth, but it had turned to salt!
  32. I fell choking, and the crows descended to rend my dessicated body. I awoke just before dawn, surprised to be alive, and judged from the long line of beachside bungalows across the water that I had somehow ended up on Monkey Island.
  33. I have called for help, but no one hears; I would easily swim to shore, but there are leopards here that won't let me leave the top of the isle. My only hope is that this bundle reaches the water unharmed, and someone finds it and regards my instructions.
[I followed the maps, but the shrine i find was very old and black from coconut husk charcoal. No proof that a banyan tree burned and no banyan trees. I took a kayak to Monkey Island but theres no leopards and i could not find the marked coconut with the camera card inside. I will be waited to see if more leaves wash in.]

2 comments:

Tyler said...

Jerome: have you found the camera card yet?

De Campo said...

Is this the Indian version of a which way book?