Descenders of the Chariot

Section 1

You open the ancient-looking, leather-bound tome that your uncle laid before you. “Uncle Martel, what is this?”

Uncle Martel’s eyes gleam. He glances around the library to make sure no one is close enough to overhear your discussion. “I don’t know how much you know of the writings used in Kabbalah. One of those is the Shimmush Tehillim, or Magical Uses of the Psalms, a compilation of writing collected around the Middle Ages.” He puts a hand on your shoulder before you can respond. His smile broadens. “This is the Shimmush Tehillim Merkavah, a more ancient collection used by the Yordei Merkavah, Descenders of the Chariot.”

You look up at him and wonder what on earth he means. “This is a book of magic based on the Psalms?”

He grins and nods his head.

You flip through the pages and see the familiar ancient Hebrew script you learned in your studies over the years. You stop on the page that shows Psalm 52 and read some of the other script. It appears to claim that wearing this psalm as an amulet will protect the wearer against slander.

“Is this for real?” you ask.

Uncle Martel has a twinkle in his eye. “Why don’t you try one?”

You open to the back of the book. “Why are so many pages blank?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve read somewhere that some pages are locked.”

You can’t fashion an amulet right now, and so you turn again to the front of the book and reach Psalm 10, which has instructions for healing someone of any illness. You just have to recite the psalm nine times and concentrate on the sick person. You hear a cough from a nearby library aisle.

If you recite Psalm 10 nine times and concentrate on the coughing person, go to Section 2.

If you close the book and tell your uncle you don’t believe in magic, go to Section 3.

Section 2

You feel a weird pulling on your heart as you recite the psalm for the ninth and final time, as if someone is picking a piece out of your chest. Right away, you notice the coughing has stopped, and you hear a male voice comment on how strange it is that his cough suddenly went away and that he feels much better.

Uncle Martel grins and slides the book along the table closer to him. He turns to the pages toward the back of the book. They are filled with writing now!

“Oh, I knew it,” crows your uncle. “You are one of the Yordei Merkavah!”

“Shh.” A woman in a chair close by holding a magazine glares at you both.

You try to pull the book back, but your uncle keeps hold of it. He suddenly does not seem all that interested in letting you read more of the book. “What’s going on? How did all those pages get filled in? What is a Yor…whatever you said?”

“We’re closing in ten minutes,” broadcasts a female librarian over the loudspeaker.

“I’m sorry, but I have a lot of research to do now.” Uncle Martel closes the book. “Thank you for your help, but it’s time to go.”

If you grab hold of the book and challenge your uncle, go to Section 4.

If you allow your uncle to leave and then walk home alone from the library, go to Section 5.

Section 3

You close the book and say, “I don’t believe in magic.”

Uncle Martel frowns and shrugs his shoulders. “That’s fine. I thought it would be a little fun to see what happens, but if you don’t want to, that’s okay. I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.”

Even though Uncle Martel has always been a little strange, you do like hearing about his journeys to different lands. Listening to him relate his adventures always conjures up visions of you traveling to these lands yourself and learning all about what you find there. You might not make the same choices as your uncle, who seems to put his own interests before others often, but you can envision yourself exploring and trying out new things and enjoying the novelty of it all.

Maybe it won’t be such a big deal to just do what your uncle has asked, even if you don’t believe in such a thing. What harm can it cause? You still hear the person coughing, and you open the book back to Psalm 10, concentrate on the person and then recite the psalm nine times.

Go to Section 2.

Section 4

You grab hold of the book. “You were just using me.”

Uncle Martel sneers and rips the book from your hands and darts to the closest door, which happens to be an exit door behind the library’s check-out counter. You chase after him.

The eyes of the woman behind the counter get huge. “This section is off-limits.”

Uncle Martel dashes through the exit door with you following closely behind. The streetlamp from the parking lot provides enough light for you to see a turban-wearing man collide with your uncle. They scuffle on the ground while you grab the discarded book.

“Run!” yells your uncle, and you run as fast as you can away from the library.

When you get to your townhouse, you make sure the front door is locked and then run upstairs to your bedroom. Now that you are safe, you yank open the book again to the back and notice all the pages filled in with later psalms—-nearly one thousand, all with instructions or incantations. These later psalms, though, claim more fantastical supernatural powers, like gaining the ability to fly, causing someone to disappear, creating different weather effects, and other potent effects. Before you know it, you’ve been reading through the book for a couple hours and feel sleepy.

The next morning you call your uncle to check on him, but he doesn’t answer. You wonder if you should have stayed with him. You grab the book and head over to his house to talk with him about it.

On the way, you notice a swarthy man in a turban following you. You are close to your uncle’s house. You quicken your pace. Once there, you knock on the door, but no one answers. The door is unlocked so you step inside. Before you can close the door, the man in the turban is there.

If you confront the man, go to Section 6.

If you recite a psalm from the book, go to Section 7.

Section 5

“Okay, you can have the book,” you say. “I don’t know why you won’t just tell me what is going on?”

“Maybe someday.” Uncle Martel leaves the library with the book under his arm.

You head to your townhouse, finish off the evening with dinner and some television, and then go to sleep.

You call your uncle the next morning to see what more he may have discovered about the book, but he does not answer. He does not live too far away and so you make the trek to his house. When you arrive, the front door is open.

“Hello,” you call out as you step inside. “Uncle Martel?”

No one answers, and the house sounds eerily quiet. The book from the night before is sitting closed on the kitchen counter. You open it to the back and flip through the pages that now have writing on them. The book holds nearly one-thousand psalms, and the later ones claim to cause incredibly miraculous events.

“Get away from that!”

Startled, you look at the front door, which you left open. A swarthy man in a turban stands there menacingly.

If you recite a psalm from the book, go to Section 7.

If you back away from the book, go to Section 8.

Section 6

You stand your ground. “What do you want? Why are you following me? Did you do something to my uncle?”

The man points at the book. “You do not comprehend the responsibility inherent with using that.”

You hold the book tightly against your chest. “What do you know about it?”

The man glares and snorts derisively. “My society has dedicated their lives to protecting the secrets in that book. In the right hands, it can bring beauty and peace. In the wrong hands--”

“I get it,” you interrupt. “Tell me why I should believe you.”

The man responds calmly, “Let me have that book, and I will give you the knowledge you desire.” His eyes become like flint. “Or you can try to keep me from taking it.”

If you recite a psalm from the book, go to Section 7.

If you hand the book over to the man, go to Section 9.

Section 7

You read hastily from one of the psalms near the back of the book—-Psalm 854, you believe. The instructions claim this psalm will make things disappear and state that the reader must point at the object while reciting the psalm. You point at the man and clearly read the psalm out loud. You feel the same tugging on your heart that you felt when you read Psalm 10 the night before.

The man merely stands and waits for you to finish. He bares his teeth and flinches backward but stands his ground. Before you can flip to another page, he speaks. “If you were given time to learn the ways of the Yordei Merkavah, you might discover how to ward yourself against the readings.” He steps closer and points his finger at you. “You have shown little regard for the powers contained in the book.” You hear him flawlessly recite the words of the psalm before you vanish out of existence.

If you want to make different choices, go to Section 1.

Section 8

You back away from the book. “What is so important about this book?”

The man steps closer and takes the book, placing it under his arm. “Reading from this book can be perilous in the wrong hands. The power contained here rebounds against an untrained user and may cause unintended consequences.” He eyes you, and you feel as if you are being examined. “You have opened the power of this book and have shown wisdom in not using its power frivolously. You have the potential to join our society and become one of the Yordei Merkavah, to commit to the protection of this book and similar artifacts, and to serve Yahweh and his interests forever.”

You realize when people say forever, they usually mean until you die. “I don’t know anything about any of that.”

“I will guide you. You will be my apprentice, and I will teach you everything you need to know about the Yordei Merkavah and our mission.” The man smiles and extends his hand. “Come, join us.”

If you take his hand and agree to join him, go to Section 10.

If you do not want to join him, go to Section 11.

Section 9

You hand the book over to him. “All right, tell me about it.”

He clasps the book under his arm. “Reading from this book with an untrained and unrepentant heart only brings harm to the reader and others.” He closes his eyes. “You cannot imagine the pain the misuse of this book can cause.”

“Okay, so how does one use it properly?”

He opens his eyes and appears to survey you. “It takes many years of training to understand how to properly use this book,” he says, “and the other artifacts.”

You let out a breath of frustration, but you realize, what else did you expect? Everything since your uncle showed you the book has been shrouded in mystery. “Okay, okay, I get it. If I want to learn how to use the book, I have to get the proper training. How do I get this training?”

The man looks over you warily. “I can teach you. You have the potential to join my society, the Yordei Merkavah, but it requires much patience and many trials.”

You consider the possibilities. Leave your life behind to join some secret society and pursue unknown ventures, or stay in the society you know and pursue mostly known milestones.

The man extends his hand. “The choice is yours.”

If you do not want to join him, go to Section 11.

If you take his hand and agree to join him, go to Section 12.

Section 10

You grasp the man’s hand, and he smiles at you. “I am honored to be allowed to instruct you.”

He recites beautiful poetic words, and the two of you are instantly translated to a different land. You admire the lush loveliness of your surroundings, and your new master helps you get settled into a new dwelling with several other apprentices.

Over the years, you learn about the deep meaning behind each of the psalms and how to shape reality by reciting the words and concentrating on the will of Yahweh. In time, you become a master of the Yordei Merkavah society and take on apprentices yourself. Most compelling to you is the use of wisdom to carry out the will of Yahweh, which has become your ardent endeavor.

If you want to make different choices, go to Section 1.

Section 11

You decline his invitation. He nods his head, recites a poetic verse, and vanishes.

You return to your townhouse, still wondering about whatever happened with your uncle, and continue your daily life as before. Your adventures with the Shimmush Tehillim Merkavah, although brief, did provide you with a greater appreciation for wisdom with the use of power.

Over the years, you are successful in your endeavors and eventually reach many of the goals you set for yourself. In the back of your mind, though, you always wonder what could have been.

If you want to make different choices, go to Section 1.

Section 12

You take hold of the man’s hand, and he nods in resignation. “I am honored to be the one who will provide you instruction, but I warn you, it will not be easy.”

With guttural tones, he recites strong words that translate the two of you to a different land. The dry and dusty environment chokes you at first, but the man recites more words, and a wind clears the grit from the air.

“You must learn patience and perseverance to bind your will to Yahweh,” says the man. “Let us begin.”

At times, your training is brutal, but you begin to understand the need to knock your pride out of you and to grow in humility. As you learn to accept your master’s tutelage and acknowledge the wisdom in it, you notice your surroundings soften and grow into beautiful landscapes as far as the eye can see. Eventually, you learn to love your new home and the fellow apprentices that train with you. You join the ranks of masters in the Yordei Merkavah and even take on apprentices of your own. Pursuing and fulfilling the will of Yahweh has become your passion, and you humbly devote yourself to following this to the end of your days.

If you want to make different choices, go to Section 1.