The Opening Quotation and Passage of Mad Men.
Ya see sir, ma’ friend ‘ere was told me you’s lookin’ fer men oo’ve seen things. Things un… unat…
unnatural?
O’ course sir, unnatural sir. An’ I thinks to meself, “Taav, not a man you know oo’s seen the things you’ve seen”.
What exactly is that then?
Excuse me sir?
What have you seen that you believe is unnatural.
Of course sir, ‘twas three years ago, but I recall it like it was me dream just last night. I was walkin’ cross the canyon on the South Bridge when’s I hear somethin’. Mind you sir, you always hear somethin’ on the South Bridge o’ course cause the ol’ Nopea gurgles noisesomely
loudly…
Yes sir quite so, but this weren’t that, ‘twas like a whisperin’ child’s voice but ‘tweren’t sayin nothin’, nothin’ was that sounded like words I’d ever heard, but o’ course I hardly speak Zoherian ‘nyways.
Do you recall the sounds?
Yes sir, I can hears ‘em like they ‘twas whisperin’ to me now, but not could I repeat ‘em sir.
What occurred following your perception of the strange noise?
course sir, the next thing I does is the nat’rel one, peak over the South Bridge wall and get an eyefull in case me ears are actin’ up on me. I ‘as to climb a bit, the wall’s are terribly ‘igh on the South Bridge but when I get meself up I’s looking and the voice comes to me strong like. Whisperin’ in me ears, but feelin’ as though it whispers to me eyes n’ nose n’ mouth n’ me everythin’ really sir. But ‘twasn’t scary, can’t fer me life think why not, frightens me right awake regular like now that its gone n’ past me by, but while I lies there on me stomach pearing toward’s ol’ Nopea I stop seein’ n’ hearin’ the babblin’ of her. ‘twas like someone snuffed ol’ Lev’el out like a spent candle, and ‘twas then I was suddenly right interested in leaping down.
To escape? No sir, not down onto the South Bridge sir, but over its wall what faces south and down splashin’ ‘n ol’ Nopea. If ‘tweren’t fer Leo here I’d be flotsomed right off to the oceans and be feed fer Goblins, Trolls n’ the like. ‘e comes along n’ scares me right off the wall but by me luck its on the solid ol’ stones of the South Bridge.
Taavetti Laakso, the full name of the questioned, claims to have experienced some kind of temporary shift in his perception of reality. Though I cannot rule out Ashem workings, the component of this that is most intriguing and distressing is the influenced mind, the desire to jump where it was moments before, clearly death. It was this tale and encounter which began my search for all the rest within, what you or I may read here now began with Taav the simpleton’s brief sprint of madness.
One of the few named and signed journals of Mordechai. It catalogs the testimonies and final words of dozens of individuals. The quotes inside range from simple to depraved, and Mordechai’s commentary weaves within, his end goal with the book uncertain. He appeared to have traveled the continent over taking down the quotes within the book wherever he went, something about it was important to him, but among the thousands of brilliant minds that have come since no definitive answer could be found.