"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32. I Mark always hated bithdays parties. When he was a child this type of meetings were the perfect excuse for his parents to let out all the hatred they had toward each other. A children meeting ended up becoming an endless war. An awckward smile was seen through Mark′s beard when his friends and acquaintances give him the gifts, some of them know his cloudy past, so they deliver the gift traying not to violate the unseen Mark's personal space, which is delimited by his eyes. The hug of an ignorant acquaintance erased Mark′s shy smile, his friends feared the worst; the holy wrath! But, he he replied with a sarcastic and humorous comment; Take it easy, man! Mark said, Your hug will make me burp!. And then Mark went back to submerge in his solitary world like a solipsist. From a corner of the room, Teal sees the reaction of his boyfriend, she knows him very well that she can read his facial expressions like he were an open book. Man and women make eye contact, she smiles, he looks down. Mark's friends don't like Teal; they smile at her from afar with false courtesy, her witchy goth look scares them, "hipsters don′t like goths" think some of them. Her black lips like oil, her long nails decotared with curious esoteric forms, her tattoos and that dark and strange sexuality, is too much for them. For Mark's friends, Teal is some kind of alien who coaxed Mark, and drove him away. Mark's girlfriends form a group away from Teal to "talk" about her. Teal Tiphereth Swan sees the "coven" of the girls with lasciviuos curiosity, she is accustumed to see others speaking behind her back, her father used to tell her " Your beauty is going to intimidate some people, get used to it, that's why a gave you the name Tiphereth in honor of the sixth sefirot of the tree of life of the Jewish mysticism of the Kabbalah, Tiphereth means beauty, but when you see some one talking crap about you, remember, the universe is dual, so use your qliphah Thagirion that means pain, and get back at them!" -Look, The way she crosses her legs! She doesn't care if her black underwear is seen by anyone! Look the way she smokes, it's looks like she was doing a blow job!- Said one of the girls in the "coven". Some how, Teal heard the comment. Furiuos, Teal puts out the cigarette and walk toward the girls. Mark's girlfriends watch her approaching, "Oh, No! She heard!" Murmured one of them. -Girls, Do you want something else? - Asked to them Teal sarcastically. -No, thanks! - Answered Laura; the girl who made the negative comment. -If you need something, please tell me, I'll be sitting right there listening and waiting for you all, ok…? - She said a with false smile. -Ok, ok, thanks, you are very kind! – Laura said. Teal returned to her chair and lit another cigar. The girls looked at each other ashamed. Mark noticed the misunderstanding between Teal and his girlfriends, Teals look at her boyfriend in recriminatory way, he inmmediately knew that thanks to Teal's rage he would spend the night on the full house bed. "What did I do?" He murmured to himself. The gift delivery session ended, there′s a pile of gift paper destroyed in the middle of the room, and a pile of black sweaters size M next to Mark. "We don't know what to give you" Said his best friend "You are a complicated man, Mark!" he finished. -Don′t worry, I like black clothes – Mark replied politely. -We know that you love the black colour! - Chales said while he points at Teal, who is picking up the paper from the floor. -Black is eternal – Teal said. Charles answered something to Teal, but Mark didn't hear it, because something caught his attention; one last gift forgotten on the floor, it seemed to be an old vinyl wrapped in an old newspaper from june 1966. Charles and Teal kept arguing while Mark picked up the object. -Who gave me this? - He asked at loud, but everyone ignored him. Ignored by everyone, Mark looks for an empty room to analyze the strange object. He went to his room, then, he rips off the paper from the vinyl. "It's old!" He said "Smells like the 60". The cover of the album was white but yellowed by the passage of the decades, in the middle of it there's a hole, through which he can see the center of the vinyl; there's an inverted pentagram with the head of a red goat. -Oh, no! I don't like any kind of heavy metal! - He said – I am a computer security technician! What I supposed to do with an old heavy metal vinyl? - He said while he takes out the vinyl of its sheath. There's only one song recorded in the album – This have to be a joke! Mark left his room, and shout at loud again: Who gave me this?! - No one seemed to know the origin of the gift, including Teal. - Great! He said. II The meeting is over. Mark picks up the empty dishes and takes them to the kitchen. While he is cleaning up the apartment, his attention is cought by the vinyl with devilish aspect. He walks toward it, the vinyl is on a table next to an empty pitcher of beer, Mark takes the vinyl and analyzes it with his eyes half closed. A shadow passes quickly in front of Mark, He looks up but does not see anyone, his eyes return to the vinyl, then Mark feels like some one is watching at him as a predator sees its prey. -I'm Leaving! - Teal said. Mark turns to see Teal, who is standing by the door. - Where? - Mark answered. -To my house! -What do you mean? This is your house! -No, Mark, it's yours! -For god's sake, Teal! You've been living in "my apartment" for months! This is your home! -Must go to feed my cat! -I've told you thousands of times: bring that thing to live her with us! -My cat is not a "thing" -Ok, ok, I'm sorry – Mark apologized -Besides, we have not formalized anything. -What do you mean! -I mean, what the hell are we? -C'Mon! Not again! You are my woman, and I'm you man! that's all! - He puts the vinyl on the table – Don't go, stay, please! -You lied to me! -No! I didin't! -Yes, you did, you told me that she would not come… but, she came! And she said horrible things about me! -She means nothing to me! Teal, she is the past! You are my present! -Is she?! Is she?! - Teal asked. .She is! She is! -Tell me the truth! And I'll forgive you! I just aking for the truth! -There is not truth to say! She and I are just friends! Teal looks disappointed, I'm leaving! She said. -You are being irrational! Teal leaves the apartment without looking back. -Teal! - Mark screams. III Mark have to work on some important algorithms for a an application for a well known bank, but his mind is stuck on Teal. She doesn't answer the phone or the text massages. Frustrated for non being able to concentrate on his job, Mark turns off the computer. He needs to get her out of his thoughts, so he thinks on the vinyl, "well, I have nothing else to do" Mark said as he shrugged. Mark puts the vinyl on an old turntable that belonged to his father, old melodies burts into his mind, he remembered when as child he sat on his father's lap to hear the classics of the Rock music; Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Stones, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, among others. "Oh, The old times…!" he said while he pushes Play. However, the melody that cames out of the vinyl was a clumsy riff, not one of the rock masterpieces that he was used to hear in his father's lap as a child, not guitar solo, no bass, no drums, no vocals, just, C sharp, D major, D sharp, C major, G minor, C major, D sharp, C major, D sharp, G minor, over and over again. "What the hell is this?!" Mark said when the song ends "This is the dumbest song I've ever heard in my life!". Mark stands up and walks to the door, but then he realized that the song was imprented in his mind, because he was unconsciously humming it. So, he go back and heard the song again and again for half an hour. In the umpteenth hearing he noticed a low noise with the riff, it was a lament, a male lament. "What is this?" Mark asked. He puts his ear next to the speaker but he didn't listen the male voice, "the male voice seems to come directly from the vinyl" He said, then Mark puts his ear near to the disc, a murmur reached his ear… "What do you said?" Mark asked to the vinyl as it was alive. Bang! Something hits the window, it was the branch of a nearby tree, Mark breathed relief. He curled besides the vinyl with his eyes wide open fixed on the tree. The branch moves by the beat of the riff; C sharp, D major, D sharp, C major, G minor, C major, D sharp, C major, D sharp, G minor,. But suddenly, music and branch stopped, Mark's beard was touching the vinyl, his pupils dilated, the branch began to turn in to a hand, for the corner of his eye, Mark saw a dark shadow without form approaching to him, "You..." the shadow said… Mark stands up like a scared teenage girl and runs to his room. IV The cat looked at him deeply, so deep that he felt as if the feline were scrutinzing out his soul; his inner demons flushed. "Stop staring at me, you pulpy smelly cat!" Mark demanded to the cat. The animal, who was looking at him form the other side of the room, ignored him. The cat sitting like the sphinx saw something on Mark's head; it caught its attention. "What are you looking at? There's nothing above me!" Mark said. The pupils of the animal dilated, the cat curled up, hiss and then ran to the kitchen. "Crazy animal!" Mark said. Teal came out from the kitchen with two coupes of coffee. "What did you do to Belfegor?!" She said. "He is scared!" - I did nothing to that smelly black hairball! - Mark answered while he recieved the coup of coffee. - Please, don't talk like this about him! - Ok, I'm sorry… - What's wrong with you, Mark? You look emaciated!
- What do you mean? - Mark asked. - your skin, your eyes… Have you slept well? Are you working without rest? - Yes, yes, yes… I've working a lot… that's all! And I really miss you!! Teal looks at her boyfriend in disbelief. You know – She said – I called to your work yesterday, they said that you did not go to work yesterday! -I've been working on this new app on my place, that's all! I feel more confortable there. You know how a love privicy. - You are lying to me again, Mark! - She screamed. - No, No! I am not! - Yes, you are!! To work on the new bank's app, you must connect your computer to the server of your company, and you have not done that! They told me! They are worried, because you are late…! - but, but… - You have been with her! - No, I swear! - Then, tell me the truth! - I told you the other night; there's no truth to say… Teal stands up – Get out of my apartment! - She demanded to him. - No, please, come with me! -No, I don't want to see you any more… unless you tell me the truth… - There's no truth to... - Go Away!!! - Teal screamed. V Mark climbs the tree near to his window, under the suprised look of his neighbors. He is carrying a saw on his left hand. "What the hell are you trying to do?!" Asked a man on a window. - It's not your bussines! - Mark answered arrogantly without stopping. - It is our bussines! - Screamed an old lady from below. Mark began to cut the branch that hits his window with the saw. - Hey! Stop! - Shouted at laud the old lady as she tried to climb the tree. Mark smiled at the old lady's attemps to clim the tree. Lady stay down! Mark said. - No! That tree belongs to us! You are vandalizing it! Mark finished his work, the branch crashed near the old lady. "Hey! Are you tying to kill me!" she said. - I told you! I warned you! Mark get off of the tree. "The board is going to know about this!" The old lady threatened him. - I don't give a damn, lady! That branch almost broke my window yestarday! I'm trying to protect my property! - Mark answered to her as he entered to the building. - You are inconsiderate and rude, Mr, Passio! - Said the old woman. VI Mark hasn't enter to the room since the event of two nights before, but tonight the scientist who lives inside him is forcing him to repeat the experience to make sure that all that hapenned that night was a product of his imagination mixed with the alcohol. Still with the saw on his hands, Mark walks slowly toward the Vinyl, he's shaking. "It was my imagination, it was, it was…" Mark repeated to himself as he sat down. The goat, in the middle of the vinyl, seems to look at him with morbid curiosity. Mark pushes the play bottom; C sharp, D major, D sharp, C major, G minor, C major, D sharp, C major, D sharp, G minor. Mark looks the window, there's no tree, there's no branch, he breathed in relief. The song ended. "See, nothing hapenned" He said to himself, suddenly an idea crossed his mind; "What will happen if I play th evinyl in reverse?". Mark pushes the bottom and he puts his ear near to the turntable, he immediately noticed a bass accompananying the guitar riff and a male voice, a male lament. -What…? What are you trying to say me?¨- He asked to the vinyl as it was alive. -You… - Said a voice without gender – Have… Shadows began to emerge from the eyes of the goat, they surrounded him as a bunch of hungry predators. "Leave me alone!" He begged at them, but they didn't care. And closed the siege. -You have to do… - Said the voice again. Mark didn't want to hear the end of the sentence, He got a up and ran to his room as a scared child, once there, he hid under the bed. The lights of the apartment went on a nd off by themselves. Footsteps rumbled on the floor, someone enter to the room, the person is wearing texans boots, "Those shoes seem to be from the 60's or 70's" He thought, the person sat on the bed, it creaked. -Please stop! – The man said. – Don't listen to the vinyl again, I want to protect you from the others and from… IT, but if you don't obey me, I can not protect you anymore… I fell into the trap, please, you don't… - The boots disappeared. Slowly, Mark came out from under the bed. Everything look calm, but suddenly, he felt how someone; an entity stare at him from behind. He got paralyzed. -Use C language to program – Said the voice without gender – It will be easier… As a midless golem Mark nodded. A dark shadow appears in front of him, the thing takes Mark's hand like mother, "You have to change the source code to make the bank's app more friendly with all the operating systems" It said. Mark nodded again, and then he walks to his computer.
The man works on the bank's app all the night with the music rumbling at loud, the beeps on his computer resambled the melody of the damn vinyl; C sharp, D major, D sharp, C major, G minor, C major, D sharp, C major, D sharp, G minor. "You must do what I tell you" said the shadow with a familiarity that he didn't recognized. "#include