red thread

I have to apologize. I meant to reply much sooner after your generous replies, but in the week since my last post, things have only gotten more strange. The symbol has continued to appear, every day since I described it here. Always fleeting—on a piece of glass, a reflection in water, once even in the way the leaves had fallen on the ground after a gust of wind. It’s as if it’s following me, yet disappearing the moment I try to focus on it.

The most recent occurrence was different. I was alone in my classroom, finishing some work before going to meet a friend for coffee. When I stood to stretch, I noticed something on the chalkboard—a faint outline, as if someone had dragged a finger through the layer of dust through the erased chalk. It wasn’t clear at first, but as I approached, my heart sank. It was the symbol.

For a long moment, I simply stared, waiting for it to disappear like it had the other times, but it remained. Why is this showing itself to me? the last week had had me increasingly thinking about this symbol and the book and the store, the strange feelings I have had walking into rooms and even now shaking hands with people. My head was spinning with all of this and before they settled completely, chalk was in my hand, and without thinking, began tracing over the outline. When I stepped back, the symbol was no longer just a faint mark—it was fully drawn, stark and sharp against the blackboard.

I don’t know why I did it. It felt... necessary, as though leaving it incomplete would have been worse somehow. Yet now, the thought of what I’ve done terrifies me. I stared at it, into it, hoping for some answer to show itself to me. The room felt colder afterward. I sat down at my desk and, overwhelmed, fell asleep. I've just run into another room to post this here while it is still fresh in my mind.

I'm sorry if these seems like a desperate plea for help, but I am afraid that is what it is. As I sat down at this desk that is not mine, I swore I heard someone crying and no one is here. I know we aren't supposed to do certain things here, but is there someone I can talk to who knows about this? Please?

Oh my, that's incredible.

Niks just posted what seems like a cleansing ritual on WiltedRoses' "I think I just did magic" post. You may want to go and review their post and see how you can apply it to your situation. I know you don't have the book, but if something attached itself to you in the shop, better safe than sorry.

Sorry Bone, I meant to reply earlier but things have been a bit up in the air for me recently. I had a look through a copy of the Lemegeton that I got my hands on as it contains a number of sigils I thought might be relevant but I couldn’t seem to come up with anything that matched. I could be going down the wrong route.

I’m hesitant to go back to the same library I’ve been using as I feel as if people there have been looking at me oddly recently. If anything they probably just think of me as the weird chap who keeps taking out books on the occult, but it’s unnerving nonetheless. I need to find a new one, one where I don’t feel so observed.

If I come across anything, I'll be sure to let you know.

I went to my doctor’s appointment yesterday, and for now she has found nothing out of the ordinary. I would not have bothered to waste your time with this, if not for what happened after.

It had been raining most of the morning, but it was finally letting up as I left the appointment. I got inside my car, tossed my umbrella onto the passenger seat, started the engine, and turned on the windshield wipers.

In that fleeting moment—just before the droplets were wiped away—I swear to you, I saw the symbol, formed by the rain, right there in front of me. It was so brief, too fast for me to even process, and before I could convince myself that I wasn’t imagining things, the wipers had already cleared the glass.

After what I can only guess was a minute of staring blankly at the empty space in front of me, I began to rationalize this implausible occurrence. The symbol is made of hard lines and geometric shapes. There is no way rain droplets can simulate this accurately. It was just on my mind since there was no medical reason for what was happening to me lately. Right?

I barely remember driving after that I got home and tried to busy myself with prep for work and anything else I could to keep myself distracted. I took off work today, and I'm going to the library of one of the bigger universities nearby to see if I can find anything out. Anyone have a good book recommendations?

I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful suggestions—it’s reassuring to see such a practical approach to what I have experienced.

I have purchased a carbon monoxide detector and it is installed in my home. While it has not detected anything, I am glad to have it. I do feel physically all right, but I have made an appointment with a doctor tomorrow. I will request he test my breathing along with a general check up. The bookstore does have a name, and it is still there.

In regards to the symbol, I believe my memory of it to be accurate. I will attempt to describe it as best as I can, but please refrain from making any attempts to recreate it.

The symbol is made up of three concentric circles. The outermost circle is the largest, and to my recollection, it remained untouched by any other lines in the design. The middle circle, however, was unique—it wasn't smooth like the others, but rather, its line was wavy all the way around.

Inside the smallest circle, there was a horizontal line drawn near the bottom. Above this line, six vertical lines descended from the top of the circle, stopping at the horizontal line.

Overlaying the entire design was a large triangle, positioned so that its curved sides touched the edges of the inner circle. The triangle itself was "upside-down," with its points directed left, right, and downwards. Its was large enough that the points extended past the wavy middle circle, reaching into the space between it and the outermost ring.

Again, thank you for your thoughts on this. Please be careful.

BG

was there a name to the bookstore or was the sign blank, and is the bookstore still there?

Was the embossment on the cover flaking? Some old books, especially from the 1800s used arsenic, lead and/or other heavy metals to dye or emboss their bindings. They're called Poison books because interacting with them can cause heavy metal exposure and, depending on the duration, severely poison those readers. Yours seems to have been very brief but have you noticed any difficulty breathing or new marks/swelling? Perhaps that touch on your shoulder could be a reaction?

I agree with Pen, this sounds a lot like an attachment of some sort. From what I understand, some entities can willingly embody objects like dolls and figurines, but others may be imprisoned in them, like a dybbuk box. Let us know more if you are able. There are ways to cleanse some attachments, but if it’s powerful it could be very dangerous and not something you should attempt on your own! Be careful!!

Before we delve into the more 'paranormal' answers, we should rule out some of the more mundane ones.

A colleague of mine in the Lancet recently shared with me a soon to be published paper on the theory of hallucinogenic spores found within the musty pages of old books that have the potential to cause strange visions and sounds. An interesting theory though unless highly concentrated, from my understanding it would take more exposure than you would have had, to produce such potent and long term effects. An interesting article nonetheless.

Carbon monoxide poisoning. Have you been experiencing any headaches, dizziness, memory loss? A common answer to many of the more bizarre sightings I've looked into, though as the point of first encounter was directly upon opening of this book it seems unlikely. I recommend a detector nonetheless if you haven't already got one.

In regards to more paranormal or supernatural answers, There is the possibility that you may have stumbled upon a curse. Many books, especially those from before the advent of the printing press contained such curses, going back to the tablets of the ancient Sumerians. The book itself could have been a copy of an older text or a book of some unknown hermetic secrets whose author wished its contents unread by the unwelcome. I've never heard of a curse reacting in such a direct way as this however and so I'd be reluctant to go down this route.

In my opinion, I believe this to be a very plausible case for spiritual possession or infestation. By spirit I do not simply mean in the traditional sense of a spectre or ghost but rather any non-physical being that has powers beyond our own be that Jinn, fairy, angel or dare I say, demon. I have unfortunately had some experience in this field myself. Though I understand your hesitation in doing so, describing the symbol upon the book could help to identify it or whatever was contained within as it seems to have been no accident that this spirit (if that is what we are dealing with) found its way within the tome. Please do give any more details if you feel safe to do so. Knowing what you're dealing with is the only way you'll be able to defend yourself.

[X]SIGHTING - [X] UNCONFIRMED
[X]FIRST HAND - [ ]SECOND HAND - [ ] QUESTIONABLE

DATE OF FIRST ENCOUNTER: 9/6/95
SUSPECTED ENTITY:UNKNOWN
APPLICABLE MYTHOS: UNKNOWN
LOCATION: New England

Though I have long considered myself a man of reason and careful study, I’ve recently found myself at a loss. The following account may stretch the belief of most, but after reading through many of the posts here today, I have hope that some among you may be able to shed light on what I’ve experienced.

Roughly six weeks ago, I ventured into a small, unremarkable bookstore nestled between a laundromat and a deli in a commercial area where I live (for now, I’ll simply say the Northeast). This was only my second time in the store, as I recently moved here for work earlier this year. After discovering a lovely history book during my first visit—a title I had never even heard of before—I returned with high hopes for another rare find. Unfortunately I would get what I was hoping for.

Among the usual volumes, I noticed a book, black and worn as though it had passed through countless hands over many years. There was no title on the spine, just a bit of decorative border in faded silver. My curiosity, perhaps too strong for my own good, compelled me to retrieve it from the shelf. As my finger traced along its spine, I felt an unmistakable coldness—a sudden chill that surged through me, not unlike the sensation of a winter draft through an open window.

At that moment, I chalked it up to the excitement of potential mystery, and my attention quickly shifted to the symbol etched into the front cover. It was a design completely unfamiliar to me in all my years. It felt...beyond the reach of any historical record I could recall. I hesitate to describe it in detail at this moment.

I won’t lie to you—my pulse raced with anticipation at the discovery of something so foreign to my own knowledge. I should have placed it back on the shelf, but instead, I opened the book.

What happened next is difficult to describe without sounding entirely unhinged, but I will be more frank with you than I’ve been with myself. When I opened the book, I felt something… leave it. The only word I can find to describe it is a "presence." It then passed through me in an instant. It was so sudden and overwhelming that my hands instinctively slammed the book shut, trembling so much that I dropped it to the floor. I fumbled to pick it up and placed it back on the shelf before rushing out of the store.

In the days that followed, strange occurrences began to plague me. At first, they were subtle—flickering lights, doors creaking when they shouldn’t. I dismissed it all as tricks of the mind or stress. These things are not uncommon. But then came the more troubling moments: strange sounds, fragments of whispered conversations I couldn’t quite make out, low animal growls that had no source, and—most disturbingly—the sensation of a cold hand resting on my shoulder as I entered a room at work.

Unable to discard these as normal occurrences, I returned to the bookstore, intending to reexamine the book with a more collected mind. When I made my way to the same shelf it was gone. I looked about, but nothing. The shopkeeper had no recollection of it when I asked, nor of anyone purchasing something similar. He looked at me as though I had imagined the entire thing.

I have dreamed of finding a mystery of this magnitude, but now that it has found me, I find my desire to solve it comes not of curiosity and the thrill of discovering the unknown, but fear and concern that things may get worse. In my search for answers, I managed to find a thread that led me here, hoping that perhaps some of you might be able to help me find any answer.

I do have some more information, but this wound up longer than I had planned. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

BG