The Little Leather Book...

Josephine sat down at her home in Eastern England awaiting her father’s anticipated arrival. Her maidservant helped her get into the most expensive gown she owned for this big event. Josephine hasn’t really seen her father since her mother died almost five years ago. Josephine was about to walk to the main room when the butler announced that her father had arrived.

The butler opened the door and revealed a stiff looking male around fifty years of age. He was dressed in a less expensive outfit worn only for his travel. He bowed to his daughter and she curtsied back. “My daughter, Josephine, you’ve grown so little.” He said smiling.

She smiled and bowed her head. “I’ve this for you, dear.” He said handing her a book with a little brass buckling. Josephine forgot all customs and hugged her father. It was a bit of a shock for him. But nevertheless, he hugged her back.

The butler took Josephine’s father’s coat and hung it on a hook near the door then took his hat and neatly placed it on the hat rack, next to Josephine’s bonnet. “Oh dear, look at the time. Josephine, I’ve an appointment. I will be back awfully late tonight; do not wait up for me.” He kissed her on cheek and ran to his study. Josephine went swiftly to her chamber and began getting out of her ridiculous gown. She was in her nightgown without any help from her maidservant and was reading the little brass buckled book by the time the sun went down.

In this book, I will tell of my journey to become immortal. The journey that ruined and saved my life that I never wanted to have in the first place. It all started when my parents named me. On my first day, I was given a name that would brand me all my miserable life. I was given the name Death von Leeds. Ever since that day, I have lived by my name. The name I did not choose.

Josephine stared at the introduction of the book debating whether to carry on. The candle she was using to read by suddenly went out leaving the room dark and cold. She decided to mark her page and put the book down for the night. She shut her eyes and soon fell asleep.

’Josephine…’ Someone whispered to a sleeping girl’s ear. The girl rolled over but never woke up. She continued to sleep peacefully but shiver every now and then. ‘Josephine…’ the voice whispered again. The young girl sat up in her bed and walked over to the door to the sound of her name.

’Hello?’ She asked softly. She felt a cold breeze sweep past her and followed the draft down the hall. When she walked into the last room at the end of the hall, the heavy wooden door swung open. She continued to walk in the room and passed her own reflection in the mirror. She was pale with light fluffy brunette hair concealed most of her poisoned face.

’Write your name…’ The whisper said. She took the feather quill and dipped it in silky black ink to write her name. She touched the parchment and wrote her name in a scribbly cursive hand. ‘Good…’ The whisper said.

’Now what’s your name.’ Josephine said braver than she was. The cold draft left and the room became warm. She looked at the parchment and saw ‘Death von Leeds’ written in the exact hand she wrote her name.

Josephine dropped the feather quill and ran back to her bedroom to find tiny puddles of blood making a ‘D’ in the middle of her floor. She climbed back into her bed and woke up.

Josephine sat upright in her bed and made her way to down to the main house to find her father sitting at the breakfast table alone. She sat alone on the balcony thinking about the dream she had last night. She suddenly went inside to her chamber. She remembered the parchment and flew to room at the end of the hall. She walked to the table where she wrote the notes to…to whoever she was talking to.

She reached the table and picked up the parchment then threw it against the floor and staggered backward. She ran back to her chamber to get the book. And began reading it again.

Ahh…I see you’ve chosen to continue reading my story. My story is not ordinary, it has affected many people but no one as perfect a candidate as you. And after much delay, my story has a ending. You may not know the ending until you read but it may end strangely familiar.

Josephine stood speechlessly in her chamber, but was compelled to keep reading the story. She skipped the introduction and went to the first stave.

My human life is nothing important except the day of my death. A snowy day in Eastern England came to be the last beautiful thing I was going to see. I passed the main room and walked to the study my father had claimed. I knocked on the door for minutes but no reply made me open the heavy door. I found my father writing something detailed on old parchment. He looked up at me and began to cry. I knew something was wrong when he cried. The only time he cried was when he saw my Mother die.

Josephine threw the book on the ground and stamped it with her foot. She pulled her skirt over her ankles and ran down to the main room. She stood there for a minute and continued to her father’s study. She knocked on the door but had no answer. She swung open to the door to find her father feverishly writing on yellow parchment. “Father…?” She asked. She didn’t get an answer so she walked closer to him. Then she saw a single tear fall from his eye.

“No…no…no…” Josephine cried loudly. She ran back up to her chamber and picked up the book. She continued reading.

I ran back to my chambers and picked up the only thing I knew had the answer. This book you’re holding. I flipped to last part I left off at. The part you’re reading. I looked at the answer to question that I had asked. And I found the answer. My name had written on the next pages of the book in my exact hand. I flipped past those pages as you are doing know to hear my father scream shrilly and know I was too late.

Just as the book said, Josephine heard her parent scream shrilly then abruptly stop. “I’m too late…” She said to herself. She picked up the book and began to scream at it. “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!” A cold draft flowed through the air and made Josephine shiver. As much as she wanted to stop reading the book. She couldn’t. She picked up the book from where she had thrown it against the floor again and read the last page that she read over again.

I gave up and continued reading this story. I read that the next step was to torture me slowly, so slowly that I would shed one tear at a time. But I thought I couldn’t handle that. With my father dead and my mother dead from a previous five year accident I couldn’t handle being tortured. So I did the last thing I could think of. I wrote my name in this book and became the book.

Josephine looked at the title of the book she unfortunately started reading. She looked at the title very closer until she began to shake violently. The title said: Josephine Justice Scarlet. Her very name. She immediately flipped to the last page to see how the story would turn out.

I never would have thought that I would be released and replaced by a woman whose life could not have expected it. I feel sorry for her. So her name becomes the title of her story. As mine was once Death von Leeds is now changed for the better. So I also thank you, Josephine Scarlet. But, now this becomes you’re story become a great author and carry on well.

Josephine closed the book and slowly slipped into sleep. She didn’t know that she was an author until her maidservant found her body limply lying on the ground and picked the little brass buckled book titled Josephine Justice Scarlet. She opened the cover and began to read it, but stopped when she heard Josephine’s father walk in the door once more home from his business trip. The maidservant burnt the book and Josephine’s spirit leaving her locked forever amongst the pages of her own story.