Tales from the Voynich Manuscript and the Island of Jan Mayen Read online

  Tales from the Voynich Manuscript and The Island of Jan Mayen

  Alexander Copperwhite

  Translated by Donald Snowden

  “Tales from the Voynich Manuscript and The Island of Jan Mayen”

  Written By Alexander Copperwhite

  Copyright © 2017 Alexander Copperwhite

  All rights reserved

  Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

  www.babelcube.com

  Translated by Donald Snowden

  “Babelcube Books” and “Babelcube” are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.

  TALES FROM THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT

  and

  THE ISLAND OF JAN MAYEN

  BY ALEXANDER COPPERWHITE

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  THE VERTEBRA OF GOD

  THE TEMPLE OF ONE THOUSAND CRYSTALS

  THE ISLAND OF JAN MAYEN

  The Vertebra of God

  Title: The Vertebra of God

  Original Idea: Alexander Copperwhite

  Cover: Alejandro A. Blanco

  Text and style revision: Corrigenda

  © All Rights Reserved

  CHAPTERS

  TOC

  I – TOLLING BELLS

  We rummage through the past and present of things. Among the gifts of our ancestors, who made such great sacrifices to save and preserve them, that we are so thrilled to recover in our modern times. We look for answers to questions posed by all human beings who find themselves at the beginning of their adult lives, and investigate the origins of our very soul. But sometimes the answer is much closer than we think; you we could even say it lies within us.

  *

  Vatican City, August 28, 1988

  The pigeons took flight and were soon lost to sight against the backdrop of the blue horizon broken by the silhouettes of magnificent buildings. The faithful gathered in the sacred places, while less spiritually inclined visitors never stopped jotting down notes, snapping photos, or simply strolled around and enjoyed being in the presence of the works of art surrounding them.

  On the outskirts of the city, Father Matthias bit his fingernails as he paced in circles in the foul-smelling tunnels of the sewer system. The black knapsack he carried on his shoulders concealed one of the greatest discoveries in human history. He didn't pray. He didn't think about the Bible or the Holy Scriptures. The only thing that concerned him was what was inside that knapsack. His beliefs would never allow him to get rid of it, even though he wasn't entirely sure of how much damage it would cause should it fall into the hands of unscrupulous people, either.

  The tiny sliver of light that penetrated through the cast iron sewer grate wasn't strong enough to illuminate the section of tunnel where he waited impatiently. Father Matthias didn't care. He had cut himself shaving that morning and, after looking in the mirror, decided he might as well get rid of the goatee and shave his head for good measure. He opened his closet and hunted through his clothes for the oldest, most faded cassock he had and put it on. Without giving it much thought, he placed his wristwatch, the gold cross that had been a gift from his late mother, a ring adorned with a ruby, and a silver chain inside a plastic bag. When he left the Vatican, he simply left them in the hat of a poor old man playing the accordion under the arches of the centuries-old passageway.

  "God bless you, father," said the old man.

  But Father Matthias was far too preoccupied with his own thoughts to hear him.

  Now he was looking down at the raw sewage covering the tunnel floor and feeling light-headed from the effects of the methane fumes the waste produced as it decomposed. The rats were nosing around, their whiskers twitching when they scratched with their tiny paws; they nibbled on the garbage expectantly, watching this unknown visitor who dared to invade their domain. If he wasn't so big, they undoubtedly would have attacked him to feast on his flesh and skin. "For now.

  "What time is it?" he said to himself, scratching his head.

  He peered at his wrist in the dim light.

  "Ahh, that's right. I forgot I don't have a watch now," he muttered.

  He touched the damp wall and rubbed his fingers. Dirt and grime.

  "What could be keeping them?" he wondered. "Or maybe they're not late and I'm just being nervous?"

  He checked again to see that the knapsack was still in its place, as if he doubted his own lack of preparation. Relieved when he saw it was there, he breathed more easily, even though inhaling the fetid air nauseated him.

  Then the sound of the water carrying every conceivable kind of gross thing was joined by another faint noise, distinct from the murmur of the currents that were lost down the different channels. It is entirely possible the two men coming closer were trying to camouflage the sound of their footsteps as they approached, perhaps even hoping they would pass unnoticed, but that proved impossible.

  "Who goes there?" Father Matthias asked.

  The two mystery men stopped in their tracks. Something was not right. Unfortunately, they were standing at the very spot where the priest had entered the tunnel.

  "Which way should I run?" he muttered to himself, worried now.

  Father Matthias had never once stopped to think about what would happen if he couldn't escape; in fact, he hadn't planned anything. Fear and confusion were working against him now, stripping him of his ability to think clearly.

  "Who are you?" he asked again, preparing to take flight.

  He scanned the surrounding area, desperately searching for an escape route, and only encountered the darkness. He stretched out his hands, looking for obstacles in his path, shuffled his feet and breathed deeply.

  "May God's will be done," he thought.

  "It's us", he heard a voice in the distance say.

  Father Matthias exhaled in relief.

  "Why didn't you say so before? I thought you were someone else."

  "What do you mean, someone else, and what are we doing in this place? For the love of God, why couldn't you have thought of a less disgusting place to meet?"

  "It was the first one that came to mind. I'm sure they will never imagine that we would have met down here."

  The two men were now on the verge of coming into sight in the dim light. Even at 54 years old, Cardinal Patrick Mus Le Blanc had the firm skin tone of a man in his 40s as he extended his hand. Father Matthias immediately approached and kissed it, all the while keeping a wary eye on the cardinal's companion.

  "I told you I would only talk with you," said Father Matthias suspiciously.

  "Don't you worry about Thomas. He is a good friend who was given no choice about whether to accompany me. Wouldn't you agree that coming down here is more than a little frightening?"

  "I'm very sorry, but I can't afford to take the chance."

  "Then we're going," declared the cardinal. "And when you ask to meet me in a place that isn't as dark and foul-smelling, I won't have any qualms about coming by myself."

  "If that's what you prefer, fine."

  Father Matthias' reaction surprised the cardinal. Now very eager to know exactly what Matthias was guarding so zealously, he motioned with his hand for him to wait a second and headed over to Thomas. The darkness made it impossible to make out their facial expressions as the two men spoke, but finally the cardinal's voice rang out loud and clear as he sternly ordered Thomas:

  "Wait for me outside."

  As soon as the outline of Thomas' figure faded into the darkness, Father Matthias became much more talkative.

  "I don't know what to do. I've been thinking about it all day but I haven't been able to come up with the right answer. Hiding it w
ould be a mortal sin but, on the other hand, revealing it could trigger a series of terrible events that would wind up claiming hundreds of victims...or maybe thousands."

  "I want you to calm down," the cardinal said.

  "I can't," declared Father Matthias, obviously worried. "It weighs too heavily on me."

  "That thing you're talking about, do you have it here?"

  "It's in my knapsack."

  The cardinal shifted his gaze there.

  "Well, are you going to show it to me?"

  "First you must understand how significant what I've discovered is."

  "I am sure that it is."

  "Then, swear to me that you won't make a hasty decision and you will protect the secret with your life if necessary."

  "I am not going to swear any such thing without knowing why."

  Father Matthias opened his knapsack and removed a relatively new book.

  "A copy of the Voynich Manuscript?" said the cardinal as he recognized it and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see anything special about that document. I myself have had the privilege of studying the original."

  "It's not about the book itself. It's what's written inside it."

  "Just try and tell me what you've found out," the cardinal said, his eyes opening wide. That's impossible, he thought. No one has ever managed to do it.

  "Everything, absolutely everything we ever imagined, is found in this book. Research studies about medicine that we weren't capable of performing until the past few years, the plans for a plant that produces nuclear energy safely, even studies about extraterrestrial organic material."

  "No, I refuse to believe what you've found out. It's impossible."

  Trembling, the cardinal hesitantly took hold of the book, so carefully it seemed like he feared bursting into flames just by touching it.

  "Nothing is impossible, I have all my notes right here," said Father Matthias as he showed them to the cardinal. "I reviewed them any number of times and I always got the same result."

  "But, how...?"

  "That doesn't matter."

  "What else does the book say?"

  "The answer to the question that every inhabitant of this planet has asked ever since they were first capable of thinking for themselves."

  Unable to disguise his concern, the cardinal emphatically grabbed Father Matthias' arm with his hand.

  "We cannot tell anyone about it."

  "How can you be so sure that's the right thing to do? How can you make a decision like that so quickly?" the priest asked, throwing his hands up in astonishment.

  "The decision is not mine to make."

  "Are you telling me you already know what you should do in cases like this?"

  "I'm not talking about an official position. In fact, it has nothing to do with the Vatican..."

  "Wait, are you talking about a sect?" he interrupted, his face flushed. "A secret organization?"

  "It's not that easy to explain."

  "I knew I shouldn't have trusted anyone."

  "Listen..."

  "No!" the father exploded furiously, freeing his arm from the cardinal's grip. "To hide the truth is a sin, a sin that will accompany us during our entire life and death. Forever. They put that in here."

  "It is only a book of riddles, nothing more. We cannot risk creating a massive uproar on account of some old tales."

  "You don't know what you're talking about. Secrets of the universe that have been proven are collected here, along with others that are still waiting to be proven. It is a meticulous, thoroughly researched book, very scientific. It has nothing to do with the myths and legends we are accustomed to."

  Without a second thought, Father Matthias pushed the cardinal away and ran off into the darkness without a clue as to where he was going. He was only concerned with getting his notes safely away from the poor minds who would never comprehend the true value of what was hidden inside that book.

  "Matthias!" the cardinal shouted.

  Thomas, the man who had accompanied him, approached the cardinal from behind and put his hand on his shoulder.

  "Don't be upset. He's scared. He won't answer even if he hears you."

  "How is it possible that someone like him could have managed to decipher the code?" the cardinal wondered. "You would think that it's so complex..."

  "If we managed to decipher it, others will do it, too. The important thing now is to inform the master about the situation."

  The cardinal kept his eyes fixed on the darkness, imagining he would see Matthias return with his notes and hand them over. He wished that he would join with them in honor of the trust and friendship they shared over so many years, although he couldn't help but have mixed feelings of envy and admiration for that man.

  "And what will we tell him?"

  "That we did everything in our power to obtain what we were after, but the priest got away from us before we could kill him."

  "And we didn't even try to kill him," said the cardinal, worried now.

  "The truth is, yes, we did," Thomas declared as his right hand gripped the dagger underneath his cassock. "Unfortunately, the priest reacted so quickly that he got away wounded."

  Everything became clear to Cardinal Patrick at that moment. His eyes glazed over and his thoughts became increasingly agitated until the moment the cold steel of the dagger penetrated his chest.

  "Two messengers aren't necessary to deliver a single message," said Thomas.

  "You already know what awaits you... your soul... " said the cardinal with his final dying breath.

  "My soul was lost a long time ago," said Thomas, before shifting his gaze to the darkness of the tunnel. He whispered:

  "It's your turn now. No matter how much you run, sooner or later I will find you."

  Then the silence was broken by the tolling bells of a nearby church and Thomas' heart sank at the thought of the divine punishment waiting for him after he died.

  II – THE ACCIDENT

  Today...

  The mass of gray clouds overhead grew larger, releasing a fine spray of raindrops over the city of Amsterdam. The residents of the Dutch capital merely turned up their plastic hoods and opened their colorful array of umbrellas. A little rain wasn't about to disrupt the normal rhythm of their lives. The cyclists continued pedaling towards their destinations while the curious onlookers observing them from the vantage point of the buildings smiled at the spectacle. A swirling mélange of yellow, orange, pink and green parkas blended together at full speed, like kites swept along by the wind.

  Carlos García Goldman was talking into his cellphone as he attempted to maneuver around the various obstacles he encountered in his path. It was the usual assortment of impatient people rushing along and the merely distracted, the beautiful girls and businessmen oblivious to everything around them; not to mention the rain, which only made everything worse.

  Not very far away, a pair of eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses watched the 26-year-old Goldman from the back seat of a taxi. The driver carrying him didn't care they had been going in circles around the same places the entire morning. He was content to just watch the numbers on the taxi meter keep climbing higher and higher, adding more money to the fare, and thought that this unusual tourist route would end up costing his passenger an arm and a leg. The one thing he did find strange was that this mysterious man had not asked a single question, unlike the others who were especially interested in the popular tourist attractions. But he was fine with that, since at least this guy wasn't the intolerable bore it seemed like you had to put up with on every shift. Besides, since he never stopped taking photos and consulting his Smartphone, he probably had all the information he wanted in the palm of his hand anyway.

  Carlos was heading towards the museum where he worked as a linguist and student of several encryption methods. He had earned the respect of his superiors from the very start, and the museum staff was quite fond of him. He was the first to come in to work and the last one to leave his desk, always putting his insatiable
curiosity ahead of his personal life or any other consideration. Considered one of the best and brightest young minds in Europe, he was forced to emigrate from his native Spain to the Netherlands, where his mother arranged for him to stay with his grandparents, at least until he could get by on his own. But after the first few months, Carlos decided not to move out and live by himself. His grandparents loved having him around the house and it was much more comfortable for him, since he wasn't weighed down by the obligations and concerns of everyday life. Instead, he could focus his full attention on the dead languages he was studying.

  A couple of months earlier, he began performing tests of an algorithm that would enable every language to be standardized based on the common strokes used in the actual writing of any word in any language. The ambitious project had been christened 'The Human Letter' and scientists from all over the world were taking part.

  "A project that is already part of the electronic media and Internet environment", Carlos would comment when asked by curious acquaintances or the occasional journalist.

  Unfortunately for him, it was that very window directed towards the outside world that captured the attention of some of the most powerful men on the planet.

  "The time has come," a mysterious woman wearing a gray dress said into her cellphone as she stood in front of the museum.

  Her slim figure enabled her to pass all but unnoticed and her thin face was hidden by shoulder-length brown hair. But no one who was aware she was there would forget her piercing black eyes.

  When Carlos chained his bike in a parking lot next to the main entrance, the mysterious women went over to intercept him.

  "But, what..." exclaimed a surprised Carlos.

  Without warning, a car appeared from out of nowhere and smashed into the bicycle, destroying everything in its path and violently slamming into Carlos full force. A crowd instinctively gathered around to form a choir of the curious, pushing and jostling back and forth but unable to respond. Two women brought their umbrellas over to cover the lifeless body of Carlos while a policeman raced over as fast as he could to pull the injured driver from inside the car.