In the quiet corners of Denver, where the city’s pulse fades into whispers and echoes, Tony Piazzi stumbled upon a relic that would unravel the very fabric of his reality.
It was an innocuous day, much like any other, with the sun casting its golden hue over the bustling streets and the scent of coffee lingering in the crisp air.
Yet, fate had woven a different tapestry for Tony, one that would entwine his destiny with the darkest of enigmas – the Devil. (1)
The Devil In Denver
In the heart of Denver, amidst the bustling streets and towering skyscrapers, lived Tony Piazzi, a curious soul with an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Tony spent his days wandering the local library’s shelves, seeking hidden treasures buried within the dusty tomes of forgotten lore.
Growing up in Denver, Colorado, Tony Piazzi was your typical sixteen-year-old boy. He attended school and got decent grades; he played sports and was reasonably popular among his peers. 2002 Tony was at his local library when he came across a book, quite by accident.
The public library was not too old, even though many of the books from the ‘old public library’ -The Denver and Auraria Reading Room Associates made their way to the new library.
One fateful afternoon, Tony stumbled upon an ancient book tucked away in the darkest corner of the library.
Its leather-bound cover was weathered with age, and its pages whispered secrets long lost to time. Intrigued, Tony carefully pried open the book and immersed himself in a world of cryptic symbols and arcane texts.
When he stumbled upon it, Tony was looking for a book about astronomy for a school project.
Driven by an irresistible urge to unravel the mysteries contained within, Tony devoted countless hours to deciphering the book’s enigmatic language. Slowly but surely, he began to piece together fragments of a forgotten history—a history that spoke of dark forces and otherworldly beings lurking in the shadows.
As Tony delved deeper into the book’s secrets, he became increasingly obsessed, unable to tear himself away from its tantalizing pages. He barely noticed the passage of time, consumed by the thrill of uncovering forbidden knowledge.
From what he could tell, the title was in Latin. Tony opened the old, dusty, dirty-looking book, and many folded papers emerged.
Tony picked up the papers and saw that someone had deciphered the words in the book. It was like the Rosetta Stone as far as Tony was concerned.
Since reading his first Harry Potter book, Tony had been interested in esoteric knowledge. He sat at a table with his newly found book and began deciphering the text. From what Tony could gather, it was a book about creating spells, magic, and contacting spirits.
Tony knew magic was genuine in his gut, yet he couldn’t do anything except for cheap, sleight-of-hand magic tricks.
Mrs. Cruz
Tony knew he wanted to borrow this book, so he went to the librarian, Mrs. Cruz, to check it out. When he handed the book to the librarian, she asked him, “Where did you get this book?”
“I found it in the astronomy section, ma’am,” said Tony.
“Well, this is not one of our books,” said Mrs. Cruz.
“Can I have it then,” said Tony.
Mrs. Cruz wouldn’t let him have it, so she made a deal with Tony: “I’ll tell you what: I will hold onto this book for one month, and if no one claims it, it is all yours.”
Tony wanted the book now, but he agreed to the terms.
“Okay,” said Tony, “I’ll be back in thirty days to get this book if no one claims it.”
The truth is that Tony had no intention of waiting thirty days to get the book. He was going to get the book one way or another. Tony left the library, contemplating how he would get the book. He was thinking hard when he found the perfect idea.
His friend Tanya worked part-time at the library and liked Tony a lot. Tony called Tanya on his cell phone and explained what he wanted. Tanya initially hesitated but decided to do it after Tony “schmoozed” her.
Tanya was scheduled to work the following evening when she was going to get the book for Tony. The next day, after school, she went to her Library job and went into the back office to look for the book. There it was, sitting on the desk, opened.
Bravely, Tanya walked over to the desk and grabbed the book. She tucked it under her sweater and walked into the parking lot where Tony was waiting. She gave the book to Tony but felt dismayed when she saw the look on his face.
“The papers, where are the papers,” said Tony.
“You told me to get the book; you said nothing about papers.”
“I need the papers in the book; otherwise, I can’t decode what is written,” said Tony.
Now Tanya, who feels terrible, must go inside and look for the papers. She went into the back office again to search for the documents Tony was adamant about getting.
She looked everywhere: on the desk, inside the office, and under the desk. They were not there. She went back outside to tell Tony the bad news.
He wasn’t happy.
Tony asked Tanya to ask Mrs. Cruz about the book for information. Tanya told Tony that Mrs. Cruz wasn’t in today.
Tony thought that since the book was useless without the decoding sheet, she might return the book to the back office, which Tanya did. Tony went home, perplexed, wondering what could have happened to the decoding sheets. It wasn’t until the next day that Tony got his answer.
Instead of waiting several weeks, Tony returned to the library to plead with Mrs. Cruz to give him the book and decoding sheet. He was surprised when Tony visited the library to talk with Mrs. Cruz.
The new head librarian informed him that Mrs. Cruz had quit her job that morning and would not be returning.
Tony asked them about the book by the new librarian. He asked her to go into the back office to check if an old book was on the desk.
She checked and returned to tell Tony that the desk was clear. There are no books on that desk. Now, Tony is steaming inside. He needs to talk with Mrs. Cruz and find the book’s location. Tony talks to his friend Tanya and asks her if she can find Mrs. Cruz’s phone number.
When no one is looking, Tanya goes into the back office and looks into the employee’s files. She finds Mrs. Cruz’s home phone and address and writes it down for Tony.
Tony immediately calls Mrs. Cruz’s house number, but no one answers. Tony decides to pay Mrs. Cruz a personal visit instead.
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The Devil Visits
Tony rides his bike to Mrs. Cruz’s house and knocks on her door. Surprisingly, she answers. “Hi, Tony,” Mrs. Cruz says to him. “What are you doing here?”
“The book, where is the book?”
“What book,” she says, looking guilty as she says it.
“The book you were supposed to hold for me unless someone claims it.”
“Someone did claim it, Tony; I did.”
“But it’s not yours,” said Tony.
“It is now,” said Mrs. Cruz as she slammed the door in Tony’s face.
As Tony hopped onto his bike and rode away, he noticed a brand new Mercedes Benz 500 in the driveway. Tony thought about what an expensive car it would be to drive on a former head librarian’s salary.
It was around 6:00 p.m., and Tony headed home to figure out his next move: He would get that book.
Tony arrived home and went into his bedroom to lie on his bed and think. He was so eager to get his hands on that book that he couldn’t even quiet his mind to believe.
He devised a plan: He would break into Mrs. Cruz’s home and get the book. He knew it was a considerable risk but believed it was worth it. Tony waited until midnight before leaving his house that night.
He rode his bike over to Mrs. Cruz’s home, just a few blocks away from his home.
When he arrived, he parked his bike beside the old oak tree across the street and methodically walked to Mrs. Cruz’s house.
His first move was to check the flower pots for a spare key because he wasn’t keen on breaking in. He checked all the prominent places for a spare key but couldn’t find any.
He checked the back door, and it was locked. He also tried to open the windows on the house’s first level, but they were closed.
He then considered checking the basement windows, which were all locked except one. Tony pushed open the hopper window and proceeded to enter, feet first. The basement was unfinished, slightly damp, and moldy smelling.
Tony’s goal was to find that book, and he needed to find the upstairs stairs.
Tony entered the basement’s laundry room and exited through the door, which came into the basement’s main room. Tony looked over to his right and saw the stairs. Excellent, he thought to himself. I bet the book is up there somewhere.
As Tony was about to take his first step up, he heard a voice coming from the far end of the main room in the basement. From what he could see, there was a door over there. He walked away from the stairs and towards the direction of the door.
Tony heard what appeared to be Mrs. Cruz’s voice. She was chanting in some foreign dialect. The door was slightly ajar, and Tony could see in the room.
The room was filled with candles, hundreds of them. Mrs. Cruz was kneeling on the ground with what looked like a pentagram drawn around her, and the book was in front of her.
There was smoke in the room as well. Mrs. Cruz was burning something like Frankincense in a Thurible that hung next to her on a stand. Tony was freaked out, and his body wanted to go, but his mind was fixed on getting the book.
He had to have it no matter what. Tony noticed the room trembled slightly as Mrs. Cruz continued chanting on the ground.
Next, there was an odor that smelled like sulfur. Then Tony heard the sounds of a man’s voice that started to come through Mrs. Cruz.
As she chanted, her feminine, high-pitched voice changed to an intense masculine voice. Tony couldn’t believe his eyes.
Mrs. Cruz shapeshifted right in front of his eyes. Her body morphed into what appeared to be a reptilian being much taller than Tony, who was six feet tall. The Reptilian Being had horns on his head and wings on his back.
Tony was completely frozen with fear and couldn’t move at all. As Tony watched, he could still see glimpses of Mrs. Cruz’s body, but the Reptilian Being had taken over almost entirely.
Standing before him was a creature unlike anything he had ever seen – a reptilian being with glowing eyes and razor-sharp claws. Its twisted visage bore an unmistakable aura of malice, and Tony knew instantly that he was face to face with the Devil himself.
Fear and disbelief flooded Tony’s mind as he struggled to comprehend the reality of his situation. But even as panic threatened to consume him, a voice echoed in the depths of his consciousness – a voice that whispered words of power and defiance.
Summoning his courage, Tony confronted the Devil, armed with the knowledge he had gleaned from the ancient book. With each incantation and gesture, he wove a web of arcane energy, pushing back against the darkness that threatened to engulf him.
Final
In a climactic battle of wills, Tony faced the Devil head-on, refusing to surrender to its sinister influence. With every ounce of strength, he fought to protect the fragile barrier between the mortal realm and the forces of hell.
Tony slowly stepped back across the basement to the laundry room where he came in. As he frantically walked towards the laundry room, he heard the door open behind him.
It was from Mrs. Cruz. She walked out and asked him, “Do you still want the book?”
Tony replied, “Hell No, You can keep it.”
He quickly ran for the stairs and left out the house’s front door.
Tony ran across the street, hopped on his bike where he had left it, and rode home as fast as possible. He quietly, yet still full of fear because of what he had just witnessed, went upstairs to his bedroom and closed his door.
Tony jumped into his bed and pulled the covers over his head like a child. He was too scared to sleep and lay there quivering until the morning.
Tony decided not to go to his school that day. Instead, he just sat in his bedroom, hoping to understand what had happened the night before.
The truth was that Tony was never meant to have the book. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. He was used as a tool to get the book into Mrs. Cruz’s hands.
The book wanted her to have it, not him.
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