Recipe for Disaster Pt. 01

Story Info
An ancient scroll with mystical secrets is discovered.
13.3k words
4.76
87.9k
195

Part 1 of the 4 part series

Updated 06/07/2023
Created 04/28/2016
Share this Story

Font Size

Default Font Size

Font Spacing

Default Font Spacing

Font Face

Default Font Face

Reading Theme

Default Theme (White)
You need to Log In or Sign Up to have your customization saved in your Literotica profile.
PUBLIC BETA

Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.

You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.

Click here
Lost Boy
Lost Boy
5,764 Followers

All characters are 18 years of age or older. Unlike most of the pieces I write, this one was done in one sitting. I usually write one piece and see if it is liked or not. This time I decided for continuity sake to just write until I reached some sort of end. It is nearly eighty pages long in total so I broke it up into four parts for your consumption. I hope you enjoy it. As always tip your server, dim the lights and let the story take you away.

*****

I started to see double and sat up from my work. I set down the lighted magnifying glass, stood up and stretched my back. My back popped from the base all the way up to my shoulder blades. I moved my head from side to side and it popped too. The sigh of relief escaped my lips and echoed in the vaulted space. I needed a fucking break. I pushed the chair back and away from me which set off a cacophony of squeals and echoes. I grabbed my jacket and slung it on as I walked towards the library exit. My footsteps became a chaotic demoniacal choir as I crossed the way to the side door. I opened the door, placed the encyclopedia in the doorway to keep it from closing and locking behind me.

The cool air felt amazing and I reached into my jacket pocket and took out the metal cough drop case. I opened it, took out one of the joints within and put it to my lips. I lit it between cupped hands and took a deep draw into my lungs. Damn I needed that! I look up at the cloudy sky and saw the stars disappear behind a line of storm clouds creeping across the horizon. Great, just fucking great, I cursed knowing that by the time I finished this translation it would be raining cats and dogs out here. You could smell it in the air. Even the temperature was dropping while I stood outside. I finished off my treat and returned to the desk I was chained to for the next six months. My doctoral thesis was riding on this work.

I bent over and retrieved the thick heavy tome and returned it to its place by the side wall. I returned to my desk and the scrolls. Since I had been accepted into the doctorate program I had been given access to the libraries vast quantity of scrolls, tablets and scraps that had yet to be fully translated. Most of it, like the one I was working on, was boring lists that were the equivalent of tax returns from the rich of ancient Egypt. I took a break and lifted up one of the boxes I had yet to look at. I gingerly picked up one scroll after the other and opened them. It was by sheer accident that I found the undocumented scroll. It had been hidden behind a larger scroll. It was as if someone had taken the two and placed the larger scroll on top of the other and rolled them up together.

I carefully removed the smaller scroll and my jaw dropped open. I had to take out my reference book to be sure but there could be no doubt. The hieroglyphics were second dynasty! That made this scroll almost five thousand years old. I looked on the list within the box but there was no mention of a second dynasty scroll. I flew to my feet and checked the master list in Professor Loveless' office. I checked the box number and there again was no mention to the scroll. I checked all the other boxes and there was no listing for my discovery. What the hell was I going to do? The right thing to do would be to call the professor and tell him. But my curiosity got the better of me.

"It could be a laundry list for all we know," I said as I returned to my desk and began translating it.

It wasn't a laundry list though it did contain a list of ingredients. There were two lists actually and a block of text that described how to prepare and combine those ingredients. I jotted it all down in my notebook but there was no reference to what the recipes did. The last line of the first concoction told that it was given to the person using a wooden tube and blown in their face. The last line of the second told the reader to drink the potion only once and to be very sure for its effects were permanent and unalterable.

"What the hell," I gasped even as the first flashes of lightning lit the library.

I decided it was time to take a break from my work and clear my head. I returned the scrolls to their boxes. I walked the boxes back to the vault and stopped. I looked over my shoulder at the singular piece of papyrus left on the table. I knew it was wrong but if anyone else happened to stumble upon it my shot at my doctorate would be ruined. I was just borrowing it I told myself. I placed the boxes in the vault and closed the heavy steel door. The deafening clang blended with the first peel of thunder. The two blended in my ears and I squeezed my eyes shut. Put it back a voice screamed in my head. Put it back and walk away. The heat in my chest made it difficult to breathe as I walked back and carefully rolled up the priceless scroll. I hid it inside my backpack and took up my notebook and pulled the reference material that would tell me the modern name for the ingredients on the scroll. I was surprised at how common the plants and roots were. I could find them in any New Age store or gardening greenhouse.

I raced to my car to reach it before the rain hit. I carefully placed the backpack on the passenger's side floor mat. I started the car and drove off campus to my parent's house. They were expecting me this weekend. I had barely driven half a block when the heavens opened and the downpour began. My windshield wipers were working at top speed and I had to lean forward to see the road ahead of me. My heart was pounding in my chest and it was a horrid combination of fear from stealing the scroll and the road conditions.

"I am just borrowing it damn it," I cried out in the deafening conditions within my car.

The pounding of the rain or was it my heart, I couldn't really tell the difference anymore. I drove home in a borderline panic. Turn around damn it, it's not too late! I could just make out my parent's house and I was parking. I took surgical care as I slid the backpack under the passenger's seat. I had my keys in hand and opened the door. The wind nearly snatched the door out of my grasp. I got out and used my body to shove the door shut. I heard something or someone above the din of the storm. I looked and saw the front door open and my sister Briana standing there waving me in.

"Hurry up," she was saying.

I raced and did a little slip slide up the brick steps of the walkway to the front steps. I grabbed the iron wrought rail and pulled myself up and in. Sis closed the door behind me and handed me a towel. I placed it on my head as I stripped down to my underwear as I had been taught to do since I was a child. I dried my hair and then worked on the rest of my body. Briana picked up my clothes, fished out my keys, phone and wallet before tossing them down the basement stairs to be laundered.

"Here's a robe," she said keeping her eyes away from my tidy whitey covered junk.

"Thanks," I told her as I slipped it on. "Are they asleep?"

"They just went to bed," she informed me as she gestured for me to follow her to the kitchen.

I smelled chocolate and saw that she had made some hot cocoa. At the moment it was better than sex. We sat opposite each other at the kitchen table. Briana had just graduated from high school and was looking forward to heading off to college. Like me she was going to a two year college for the basics and then a four year once she figured out what she wanted to major in.

"You look like hell David," she commented between sips of hot chocolate.

"Thanks, you look as cute as a button," I replied and watched her blush.

"You always say that," she stammered. "How goes the research?"

"I think I found a diamond in the rough," I admitted. "I still have to follow it through though. What do you know about alchemy?"

"Not much... ooh wait, I did see something on cable that said Isaac Newton might have been a closet alchemist, I think. I was sort of distracted. Kevin was nibbling my neck while I was trying to watch. Then one thing led to another and I missed the rest of that show and the one after that. If you know what I mean."

"I understand I hope mom doesn't catch you studying like that."

"She was out shopping with Aunt Denise. They hit Victoria Secrets and got me a few things." Briana said smiling lewdly at me. "I love it when you get all twitterpated. You really need a girlfriend in a bad way."

"I know."

I finished my hot chocolate and headed off to bed. Mom had fixed up the guest room for me. Her birthday was later that day and she wanted me there. I crawled under the covers and dropped off into a troubled sleep. The alarm went off next to my head promptly at six in the morning. I had gotten a little over four hours of sleep. Truth is that was more than I had been getting since I had started the doctoral program. I got up fairly rested and found clothes set out for me. I guess mom still had some of my clothes from the last time I came over and did laundry.

I showered and got dressed. Dad was up and fixing mom her birthday breakfast. I lent a hand and we caught up on current events. He asked me if I had gotten mom a present this year and I told him it was in the trunk of my car. Yes I needed to wrap it but I had actually picked out something. So while dad delivered breakfast in bed I went out and got the box and with sis' help managed to do a bang up job wrapping it.

Since it was mom's special day she didn't make an appearance until almost noon. I took the time to borrow dad's laptop and look up the plants from the scroll online and see where I could find them. What I feared would be an entire afternoon of hunting around ended up being reduced to two local stores. I could get my supplies on Monday and begin my preparations later that day. Some of the plants needed to be dried while others had to be harvested fresh and processed almost immediately. I was going to have to be patient and buy what I required in steps. I hated that thought but it was unavoidable.

I plopped down on the couch and turned on the History Channel. I tried to get into a program about using satellites to find undiscovered archaeological sites but ended up falling asleep. When I finally woke up I was stretched out and was covered with a blanket. Briana was sitting in dad's chair smiling at me as I sat up. I looked around and it was dark outside. I panicked but she told me to relax. Mom ordered them to let me sleep. I was just in time for dinner and mom opening her gifts. I gave mom a huge hug for letting me sleep. As we talked I told them how close I was to getting my degree. My mom's eyes welled up with tears and said how nice it would be to have a doctor in the house, even if it was only in linguistics and archaeology. They all got a good laugh out of that. My thoughts turned back to the stolen scroll in my car and the knife's edge I was walking if the university discovered its loss somehow.

"Hey I was just kidding," mom said and I managed a smile for her sake.

"Sorry, I was thinking about my research," I replied and forced another smile.

The conversation shifted to my sister and for that I was thankful. Once we finished eating we cleaned up and gave mom her gifts. Dad got her a diamond bracelet. Sis got mom tickets to see Wicked, the musical. She opened my gift and held up the earrings I had gotten her. She asked me where I had gotten them and I told her a friend of mine had made them for me. I had gotten the pattern from a necklace discovered in an Egyptian tomb. I began to tell them about the queen and her life and stopped abruptly.

"Sorry I didn't mean to bore you guys," I said and fell silent.

"NO," mom chimed in. "When I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about her how can I not love my gift."

"She's right son," dad added smiling. "Your face does get that intensity and it's clear that you love what you do."

"Speaking of intensity," Briana chimed in. "Anyone else notice the flashing lights outside?"

"Is it an ambulance?" Mom asked as we all got to our feet.

"No, we would have heard a siren," dad said as we went to the front door.

My heart was tripping in my chest as dad opened the front door and we all looked out. There were two marked police cars and one unmarked police interceptor parked out front. Two detectives stepped out of the unmarked car and then opened the back door and Professor Loveless came into view. My jaw dropped and I knew I was going to jail. A moment later the professor smiled and looked relieved. What was going on? I walked over to the elderly man and he embraced me.

"Thank god you're okay my boy," he said and he hugged me.

"What's going on Professor?"

"The university has been robbed and... and they killed Rick."

My family overheard that one word, killed. They panicked and wanted to know what happened. Professor Loveless said that the vault at the university had been robbed and that the thieves had shot Rick the night watchman dead. It had happened shortly after I had left. It wasn't until Rick's wife had called in that he hadn't returned that the police had looked into his disappearance. They looked at the university and discovered his body and their first concern was me. The police called the Chancellor and he in turn called Loveless. It was the professor that had worried I might be another victim of the thieves.

"I left just before the storm hit last night. I was trying to get home before it began pouring down."

"Can we take a look in the trunk of your car?" the lead detective asked and I happily obliged.

We walked over and I unlocked the trunk and let them look to their hearts content. They were still looking over video footage but would keep in touch and wanted me to come in for an official statement. I felt the stress leave me in one huge wave. They told me they would find out who murdered Rick and recover the artifacts stolen from the university. It wasn't like they could just vanish. It would take time to get a buyer for items like those scrolls.

We returned inside and the police switched off their lights and drove off. Mom asked me how well I knew the guard and I shrugged. I hated to admit it but Rick was like part of the furniture and surroundings. We shared a few late night snacks when I was working odd hours on my thesis. I knew him and yet at the same time I don't think I really knew him at all. We took out mom's birthday cake and lit the two candles, one shaped like a number four and the other like a two. She closed her eyes and blew them out. I wonder what she wished for. My wish was to try and decide how safe the scroll in my car was. Tomorrow was Monday and a perfect time to open up a safety deposit box.

I was going to drive back to my apartment near the campus when mom and dad ordered me to stay the night, just in case. I felt they were being a little paranoid but agreed. I am glad I did. The next morning I want straight to my bank and opened that deposit box and placed the scroll in it for safe keeping. When I returned to my apartment I found a marked police car and a now familiar police interceptor. The two detectives were there answering a breaking and entering report. My landlord had been shot but would recover the assailant had been shot dead by the police. I was taken over to the gurney where the body was and asked if I could identify the corpse.

"Holy shit, that's Tim Graves, and he's one of my students. Well, he's technically Professor Loveless' student but he is in one of the classes I teach as part of my doctorate program. He is... was at the top of the class. Do you think he killed Rick?"

"We won't know until we check his weapon against the bullets taken from the night watchman." Detective Brine replied. "I have to ask you this, why did he break into your apartment?"

"I have no idea," I said. "The only interaction I have with him is at school."

"Did he know the contents of the vault?" the other detective asked.

"He might, the master list is located in Professor Loveless' office. He might have seen it there. Most of the scrolls were valuable but I can't see anyone wanting to kill for them."

"Have you removed anything from the vault and brought it home?" Brine asked narrowing his eyes and watching me intently.

"No, nothing ever leaves the campus. You can ask Professor Loveless. He wouldn't assign me to the vault unless he trusted me completely. Besides, I would never risk my degree on something like this. My entire life is tied up in those scrolls. With their theft I have to reapply for a new thesis and it sets me back quite a bit."

"We have uniforms checking out Mr. Graves' apartment as we speak. If we find anything we will be in touch."

I thanked them and headed off to the campus for my first class I had to teach. I would have to tell Loveless that Graves was the likely culprit but the motive still remained unknown. He could try and sell the scrolls on the black market. But any real collector wouldn't be interested in those particular items. They weren't the thing you added to your clandestine treasures. Now if we had ancient funerary texts then that would be another thing altogether. But this was all very boring day to day civil documents of no great monetary value.

I pulled up into my parking spot and that's when it hit me. Had Graves learned about the hidden scroll somehow? It wasn't on the master list so how could he have learned of its existence? There must be another reference to it somewhere else, but where? He must have accidently stumbled across it during research for a paper. I had to retrace his steps before someone else did. But first I had other things I had to do. If I didn't it would look suspicious.

"How the hell am I going to tell them that Graves is dead?" I said as I walked up the stairs to the second floor.

I stepped into the class and knew something was wrong. The class was silent and it was obvious that some of the female students had been crying. Had someone else beat me to the punch? I cleared my throat and tried to pick the correct words to use.

"Is he really dead?" Linda Conner asked and I could only nod. "WHY? What happened?"

"I can't go into too much detail. There is an ongoing police investigation and he might be involved." I replied and the looks on their faces was shock mixed with disbelief.

"He was so level headed," one student said.

"He was going on a dig this winter," another added.

"What do you think," Tiffany Sanders asked her eyes streaming tears.

"I am as confused as the rest of you," I admitted.

"Did he kill Rick," one of the male students asked. "Is this all connected?"

That caused a shit storm. People were standing now and shouting. I had to raise my voice and call for silence. They settled down but it took a full minute for them to calm down enough to listen to me. I told them to let the police do their work and that there were counselors available for them to use. I handed out a reading assignment and let them go. There was no way they were in mental shape for anything more. I went to Professor Loveless and asked for his opinion on how I should conduct the rest of my glasses for the day. He thought a reading assignment would suffice and to announce via the school's site that classes were cancelled until tomorrow.

I posted the required reading assignment and informed the students that classes were cancelled for today. I went home, well to my parent's house since mine was still a crime scene. The drive home my mind was preoccupied with the thought that Graves had somehow discovered the existence of the second dynasty scroll. Was there another record somewhere and if there was I had to find it? I pulled in front of my parent's home and some of the neighbor kids were out and pointed when I stepped out of my car.

"Hey did you kill someone," one of the kids called out.

"No, he's a drug dealer," his buddy said and they both busted out laughing.

Lost Boy
Lost Boy
5,764 Followers