The Journal

The leather bound journal with attached key was Edgar's personal journal. One of several that he kept and later transferred to his monograph.

This one however, seemed to be written especially for me. The tiny, crabbed handwriting spoke of enormous effort on his part, as his hands tended to shake in his later years.

"Now that Lurk has provided proof of my sanity, and provided you haven't run screaming from the house like a goosed prom date, there are things you must do to secure Tumbledown against the Darkness.

Firstly, you have befriended Lurk but you are not his master. You must repeat the feeding with milk and honey, but this time you must add three drops of your blood to the mixture. Place the saucer in the center of the living room throw rug. When the greedy beast finishes, you must call his true name, Elezmandar, thrice. When he makes eye contact, repeat the following incantation ... This will bind the imp to you and impart some measure of his powers. Do this at once, because without his aid, you and Tumbledown are lost. Under no circumstances break eye contact with the beast until you have spoken the binding, if you do so, he will attack you and cause you no end of mischief."

Madness.

If it were not for the fat bellied imp curled in front of the fire like some black hairless cat, I would have doubted Edgar's sanity. As it was, I was beginning to fear for my own. With a heavy sigh, I rose from the comfortable chair and made towards the kitchen.

Some hours later, as I drove across the city and back to my own apartments, I could feel the mental bond stretching between myself and my new familiar. It is as close to a schizophrenic experience as I ever want to experience. Although there is no sharing of actual thoughts, there is a sense of ...understanding... empathy, if you will. If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can feel his quick thoughts and the rough wood under his scrabbling claws. I can see through those black eyes of his as he scurries about the eves of Tumbledown. When we are close, in contact, it is unlike anything imaginable. His senses overlay mine, giving me preternatural abilities beyond that of mortal man.

When I finally drifted off to sleep that night, my dreams were strange and disjointed. One moment they were comfortable and familiar, and the next, I was skulking about Tumbledown hunting mice.

Utter Madness.