The envelope arrived on a dreary Tuesday morning. No return address, just my name scrawled in spidery ink. Inside, a cryptic note:
"Behind the door lies the answer you seek, but beware the price of forbidden knowledge."
Underneath, an old brass key glinted dully.
Curiosity gnawed at me. What door? What answer? I turned the key over in my palm, a flicker of doubt crossing my mind. But I had to know.
I wandered the city, trying the key in every old door I could find. Finally, in a forgotten alley, it turned with a soft click. The door creaked open, revealing a spiral staircase descending into darkness.
Down, down, down I went, the air growing colder with each step. At the bottom, a chamber lit by guttering candles. In the center, an ancient tome bound in cracked leather.
With trembling hands, I opened it. The pages were filled with cryptic symbols and diagrams, secrets man was never meant to know. As I read, a searing pain bloomed behind my eyes. Knowledge poured into my mind—the true nature of reality, the folly of mankind, the fate that awaits us all.
I staggered back up the stairs, the book clutched to my chest. I knew things no one else could comprehend. But the price? A piece of my sanity, my ignorance, my bliss.
I locked the door and hurled the key into the river. No one else must ever find it. The forbidden knowledge is mine alone to bear, a burden and a curse. But oh, the things I know now...the terrible, wonderful things...
(298 words)
