“This video is meant for Ethan. If anyone else finds this, please don’t listen to it. It’s a private matter. Make sure he gets it.”
Then there was a pause as his father gave the stern look all his children knew meant that he wasn’t kidding.
Ethan grinned, remembering the ten thousand times he’d been on the losing end of that very same stare.
After about thirty seconds, his father abruptly changed. He lowered his eyes and shook his head. “So it’s come to this, has it, son? I’m sorry to put you in this position, but when I thought of all the people I knew, and who would be the best one to pass this on to, all I could think of was you. I know you probably think it’s because you don’t have a wife and kids, but that’s not true at all. I believe that your mind is singularly suited for this mission. You think critically and base your answers on provable facts. Too many of us have traveled down the rabbit hole and gotten caught up in the minutiae of all the supposed facts at hand. The document, as you can see, is as much a trap as it is a platform from which to find these giants. That’s our ultimate goal, after all, and I think with your mathematical background you can actually do it.”
Then his expression got serious.
“But follow the instructions. Beware the Six-Fingered Man. He’s not fictional. He’s real. I know, because I saw him once. The problem is now that he knows where I live, it’s only a matter of time before he tries something, and I need to—”
Ethan pressed pause, catching his father in midsentence. Had the Six-Fingered Man been in the home the morning his dad died? Did he give his father something that caused the aneurysm? An injection, or a pill? And why hadn’t the doctor found it?
The answer to the last was obvious. Without any indication of foul play, why would the doctor suspect it was anything other than an act of God? Real life wasn’t like an action movie.
Ethan pressed play again.
“—protect your mother. That is the utmost. There’s no way for the Six-Fingered Man to know I sent you the box unless you’ve ignored the admonitions, which I’m sure you haven’t. Even so, I don’t want you staying around the house for too long. That will only put her in danger. You’ll find a debit card in the bag with your name on it. I opened an account. I know they laid you off at the high school, Ethan. A letter came to this address from the board of education. I guess they took the address from your application and sent it here. I didn’t tell your mother, though you probably should. It’s never a good thing to lie to your mother. Trust me on that. There’s nearly ten thousand dollars in that account. I won it in Vegas a few years ago and decided to store it away for a rainy day. I see storm clouds in the distance, so that day is coming soon.
“Now for advice. I’m not going to give you any. Like I said, you think differently. Use that. Trust your instincts. Solve this equation and figure out what it all means. And please be careful. One last thing. If you’re ever in trouble, seek out Nathan White. He lives in Memphis. He’s a stand-up guy and has more resources than any single man should. Tell Nate that I sent you because I’m dead and you’re in trouble. That should be enough. Don’t tell him about the Six-Fingered Man, though.
“I love you, son. I love you. I so cherish that fishing trip we went on on the Columbia. Sometimes I think I love you best.” He regarded the camera with so much love that Ethan couldn’t help himself as a sob escaped.
“I love you, too, Dad,” he said softly to the screen.
Then his father cracked a smile. “Enough of this mushy stuff. You’ll be here anytime now, and I have to hide this somewhere only you will find it.” Then he winked at the camera, moved forward, pressed something, and the video went black.
Ethan sat and stared at the screen through tear-prismed eyes. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but it was long enough that the screensaver came on. It was an image of a Sumerian statue of a six-fingered giant.
LOCATION: Evidence of a giant was found in Crittenden, Arizona, uncovered while excavating a building site in 1891. They found an immense stone coffin filled with the dust of the remains of whoever had been inside. The size of the coffin indicated that the occupant had to have been twelve feet tall. A carving on the granite case indicated that he had six toes. The stone coffin has since gone missing.
Who do you think made them disappear? The COD or perhaps the giants? —Paul
A lot of these have gone missing —Matt
THREE
Ethan had to begin somewhere, so he selected the file labeled Notes for Ethan. It contained more than a hundred pages of random thoughts and information, including account data for the debit card and contact information for Nathan White. He scrolled through the pages and stopped at a section marked Which Bible to Use. He wasn’t aware there were any differences, but then there would be, wouldn’t there?
For a long time the King James Version was the standard, but that specific edition has been heavily edited. Realize that the Christian versions of the Old Testament are actually translations and edits of the Hebrew Bible and associated apocryphal texts. The most trusted version is the Septuagint, which is the name given to the first translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. Written around 300 BCE by seventy scholars (from which its name was derived), the Septuagint was created because many Jews were growing up in other cultures, speaking other languages, and they needed access to a single, true holy book. Any edition that references this as the source document can be trusted. Do not trust those translated from the Latin Vulgate or Masoretic text because these have been changed and edited by them.
There are two English-language versions available online. They are the New English Translation (NET) and the Holman Christian Standard Version. What makes these worthwhile is that they provide footnotes and in-text citations that point out differences and often indicate why a certain translation was chosen over another.
Why this is important is because they have spent thousands of years trying to hide and have been involved in the various churches from the very beginning. Yet if you look hard enough, you will see that the clues are there. In fact, they seem to be everywhere.
Ethan was impressed. His father came off as a biblical scholar. Ethan wondered how long his father had been working on the document. It could have been years. It could have been a decade. Then again, it might also have been just a few months. In fact, it suddenly occurred to him that it had been almost exactly nine months. If Matt had it before his dad, then he must have passed it on right before he died.
Which reminded him…
Ethan went to his father’s desk and searched for an address book. He found one in the top center drawer. It had a red cover, was well-worn, and looked as if it was decades old. Ethan flipped through it, searching for the name Matt or Matthew amid the crab-handed writing. There were so many names. Even more had been crossed out. Eventually he found it, but it took two attempts. Matthew Fryer, Unit 24, West Mobile Home Park, Phoenix, Arizona. No phone number. And the address was crossed out with a fine straight line, as though his father had used a ruler.
Ethan shoved the address book into the side of the computer bag. He had a plan now. He’d go to Matt’s place first and see if Matt had left anything behind. What he’d do then, he couldn’t be sure.