Recipe for Adventure Pt. 01

All characters are 18 years old or older.

This is the second installment of the Recipe series. If you haven't read Recipe for Disaster please go to that series first. That said, welcome back to Arkham Massachusetts and Dr. Donahue our protagonist. This story takes place two weeks after the end of the previous series. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to vote and comment. If you have any suggestions drop me a line. Without further ado...

*****

I opened my eyes and regarded the gorgeous figure of Felicia Harding. She was sitting opposite me in a full lotus position with her eyes closed. Her breathing was slow and regular as she hovered in a deep meditative state. She had asked me a week ago how to deal with her inability to sleep. The elixir had worked and she possessed the unending vitality and energy of immortality if the head librarian was to be believed. I had taught her how to meditate to replace sleep and the necessity for dreaming. I closed my eyes again and slipped into the comforting bliss that meditation offered. The alarm went off at six in the morning. I opened my eyes again but Felicia was gone. I heard the sounds of her in the shower. I got up and joined her. I stripped down and slid in behind her.

"Morning," I said as I slid my arms around her waist.

"Thank you," she purred. "The meditation is a real life saver."

"I am glad I could help. Are you going in today?" I asked as I helped her wash her hair.

"Yeah, I have paperwork that I have been putting off. What about you?"

"I am going to go to the campus and get some exercise in. I think running some laps will help clear my head and help blow the cobwebs out."

"Call her," Felicia said out of nowhere. "I know you miss her. You aren't going to hurt me by having her in your life."

It felt like a punch in the gut. I had been trying so hard not to think about Carol. Ever since the day the monolith swallowed friends and enemy alike I had been avoiding her like the plague. She and Ivan seemed to be hitting it off well enough. Did I have the right to be selfish and ask her back? Felicia had turned around and had cupped my face in her hands. She kissed me lightly on the lips and smiled. The slap came out of nowhere. It wasn't a hard slap but it had enough force to wake me out of my funk.

"I'll call her... I promise," I said wondering if she even wanted me anymore.

"Men are so stupid," she said as she let me wash up. "Oh by the way... I am going shopping after work. I might be late. You might have to get a bite on your own."

I watched her leave and wondered how the hell I had landed such a loving and understanding woman. By the time I was drying off Felicia was strapping on her sidearm and blowing me a farewell kiss. I got dressed and headed for the university. The drive was a bit on the gloomy side. The sky was overcast and there was a deeper chill in the air. You could tell that fall was giving into winter. Most people were wearing jackets and even a few had hats on or had their hoods pulled up to keep the wind out. I parked in my spot on the lot and decided to walk by the house that was on the edge of the campus. I couldn't believe no one was renting it.

"Yoohoo," the neighbor lady called out to me.

"Oh hey," I said waving to the elderly lady. "How are you doing?"

"Where is your lady friend," she asked as I walked over so we weren't' shouting at each other.

"She is working today," I said. "Why isn't anyone renting the house next door?"

"Oh you don't know," she cackled. "It has a pretty bad reputation. Most people steer clear since they think it's haunted. It is the Miskatonic murder house after all."

"Murder house," I said and she nodded. "Who was killed?"

"That is still a bit of a mystery," she said as she got to her feet. "Come on in and I'll fix some tea. It's getting too cold out here for my old bones."

"Thank you," I said and followed her inside. "What a lovely house you have."

"You are so sweet... Take a look around Dr. Donahue and tell me what you think."

How the hell did she know my name? I let it slide for now. I stepped into her living room and wow what a sight. There were dozens of framed photos. Some were hanging on the walls while the majority was set in elegant silver frames. I guessed that some of the images went back to the middle of the nineteenth century. There was a definite family resemblance that carried on through the successive generations. The women of the family were quite distinctive with their high cheek bones and full kissable lips. I noticed the craftsmanship of the furniture and guessed that none of it came from a factory. Every piece appeared to be handmade and with master craftsmanship.

I heard the whistle of the tea pot from the kitchen. I walked back and found the lady pouring the water for our tea. She was using what appeared to be a porcelain tea service. I picked up the silver tray and carried it into the living room with her leading the way. We settled across from one another and as she poured the tea she launched into the history of the house next door. There had been a house there since the founding of the college. It was originally used by the Chancellor of the university. But after a strange fire gutted the building in 1852 the structure was torn down and a new building erected on the site. This became the home to what became known as the Lost Fraternity. The fraternity was made up of the most wealthy and powerful students. There was some sort of scandal around the turn of the last century involving the disappearance of a dozen or so ladies of the evening. No one ever used the word cult but the university disbanded the fraternity and the students were ejected never to return.

The second fire that destroyed the house occurred in 1923 and was attributed to a wild party and careless use of candles. While no one was injured a few of the party goers did disappear a few days later never to be seen again. The building that now stood upon the site was designed by the famed architect Richard Upton Pickman. He was well known for several prominent civil projects as well as many private commissions from the wealthy of the city of Arkham. It was those same wealthy that hired Pickman to design the house next door as a gift to the university. Many of those responsible were former students of Miskatonic University.

She told me about the parties that had occurred in the 1960s next door. There were rumors that there was a secret tunnel that led from the house to somewhere on the grounds of the university. It was a way for the teachers to travel unseen to the party house without being seen and possibly ruin their reputations. The last people to use the house were a groundskeeper and his family. When he died the house was sold and was left unoccupied to the current day. There were the occasional renters but they never lasted long. That's when the house got a reputation for being haunted.

I had a lot to think about and one of them was renting the house next door. I thanked the kind lady for her tea and left trying with some difficulty to order my thoughts. I was going to research the architect as well as any other history that might have been omitted. I was walking barely aware of my surroundings when I saw her.

"Carol..." I said and fell silent.

"Hello Doctor," she said and smiled brilliantly. "I can see it in your eyes."

"What do you see?" I asked and dared not hope for too much.

"You missed me, no it's more than that you love me don't you?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation.

Carol flung herself into my arms. I held her close and bent down to kiss her and stopped. Carol blinked a few times and smiled. She crooked her finger and I leaned close. Carol whispered in my ear and I laughed. This time I did kiss her and held nothing back. I felt her arms slip around my neck. Suddenly I felt complete and the tension that had been haunting me left completely. I was being selfish but I needed her in my life as much as Felicia, maybe more. We broke our kiss and walked around talking and catching up since the others 'disappeared'. She spoke fondly of Ivan but it was quite clear he was just a friend or as she had told me earlier a fuck buddy. As we walked towards the parking lot a young lady approached us.

"Doctor Donahue," she asked and I nodded. "The Chancellor sent me to find you. She'd like to see you in her office."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I replied and the girl walked off leaving me alone with Carol. "How about we have a late breakfast?"

"I'd love to but I have to head out and pick up a few things. I'll call you later."

She kissed my cheek and giggled as she headed off to her car. I headed back to the campus to meet the new chancellor. The university was in utter chaos. What had happened to the Chancellor and the eight prominent students? It was as much a mystery as the appearance of the monolith. There was a shakeup in the hierarchy of the college. After much debate the head librarian was offered the position of Chancellor. I wasn't surprised she was well known for her ability to keep things in order. Branwyn was elevated to head librarian and Professor Lyndhurst took Loveless' position as head of the history department.

I took the steps up to the third floor of the administration building and found the secretary's desk empty as well as the door to the office wide open. I stepped into the Chancellor's office and found the room in the kind of shit storm you'd expect from lesser beings and not the one time head librarian. The former Chancellor's books were scattered all over the place and Julia looked like a caged animal. She was seated on the edge of the large wooden desk glaring at the piles of books as if they were the enemy. I cleared my throat to get her attention. She looked at me with an expression of fear and hopelessness.

"I need your help," she said motioning me to close the door.

"What can I do for you Chancellor," I said as I shut the door behind me.

"Look at this fucking mess," she cursed as she pointed a finger at the piles. "Who the hell organized this mess? It's going to take me a week to get this all in order!"

"You could just box them all up and start from scratch," I offered and her features softened and she smiled. "If you want I can take the books that belong back to the library for you."

"No, that is what Branwyn is for," she purred. "However, there are a number of volumes that were the property of the late Chancellor."

"Late Chancellor," I said and she smiled even wider.

"Yes, you weren't the only one that heard that god awful keening sound. You weren't the only one that saw those poor children dragged to their deaths. I saw it all. I saw you kill the Chancellor."

"I didn't kill him," I said my voice almost cracking.

"Yes you did my dear boy," she purred with a noticeable erotic quality to her voice now. "Don't you remember... you told him to go to hell? The monolith answered your command and took him away."

I felt the icy chill in my bowels. She was right. I had cursed him at the end. The shadowy tentacles snatched him up and drug him down. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Could I have saved the others? I sat down and put my head in my hands. Julia sat on the arm of the chair and ran her fingers through my hair. She told me they were already gone. There was nothing I could do. I looked up and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Thank you," I said and she kissed me.

Her tongue invaded my mouth and I found myself kissing her back. She broke the kiss and we were both panting. I thought Felicia and I had chemistry between us but it paled in comparison to that single kiss. I hardly knew her but there was something between us. Julia bit her lower lip and growled.

"I promised to show you something no man has ever seen," she whispered in my ear. "Are you ready?"

"Oh yeah," I growled thinking this was about to go to the next level, it didn't.

"Follow me," she said as she walked over to one of the bookshelves and it opened to reveal hidden stairs beyond. "This room has been forgotten by the male Chancellor's over the last century or so. The Daughters of Dagon, my sorority, we remember and we maintain it."

The stairs led up to what may have been an attic at one point in the building's history. The artifacts housed here were at once both disturbing and beautiful. Some of them I recognized while quite a few came from cultures I had never heard of. I couldn't deny the skill present to create these artifacts. I knew why they weren't in the university's museum. There would be far too many questions about where they came from and who had made them. Julia told me the history of her favorite pieces. The last piece she talked about she actually picked up and held up for a better look. It was hideous and depending on how the light hit it I would almost say that it changed shape in very subtle ways. I suspected that was just a trick of the poor lighting in the room.

"This is an idol of a being known only as the Formless. Here, take it, hold it and tell me what you think." Julia said handing me the horrible thing. It was cold to the touch and seemed to squirm in my hand as I held it, she continued. "The passages that I have read about them say they were masters of shape shifting and possessed no hint of morals or emotions that we could possibly understand. I am showing you this because the board has agreed with my suggestion to send you to Egypt. I left the details out since they don't really care about that sort of thing. You have two months to plan your dig, pick your crew and get your affairs into order."

"I don't know how to thank you," I said trying to hand the small idol back to her.

"No, you keep it," she said and I frowned. "That particular idol is known as the Keeper of Secrets or in the oldest texts the Key. I suspect you might need it on your travels. It seems to like you."

I glanced down at my hand and the thing had not only changed shape but color as well. It had been a dark black stone when she picked it up but now it was the color of newly spilt blood. Its shape was also more dramatic than when I first laid eyes on it. The tentacles were now splayed out in a kind of fan formation instead of the long straight pose it had first adopted. I dropped the thing into my jacket pocket and I swear it let out a squee of delight. Julia giggled and I knew that arguing with her was useless. We returned to her office and she pointed at a box of books. My name was written in black sharpie on the side of the box.

"Those are for you. Since my predecessor had no family to inherit his belongings I decided you were the best person for that particular collection. You might look upon them as research material. They might serve you well in the end, who knows. The last act of the former Chancellor was to sign off on your degree for your hard work in decoding the markings on the monolith. I agree with him completely and will issue you your diploma in a few weeks. I hope you will stay on in a consultant capacity. I am sure we can agree upon an acceptable salary."

"I am honored," I told her and she smiled. "Oh, one last thing, there is an empty house on the edge of the campus..."

"The old party house, ah what great memories," she practically purred. "You want to rent it?" She asked and I nodded. Julia took out her phone and dialed a number. "Barbara DAHLING... do you still own that quaint little house on the edge of the campus? You don't... what do you mean you sold it to the university. I see. I see. Hold on just a moment sweetie..." She said and walked over to the desk. She opened the belly drawer and took out a set of keys. "Got it... dinner tonight, oh I don't know. Remember what happened the last time we went out... mmmmm when you put it that way... seven o'clock... I'll be there."

She hung up and set the key ring on her desk. She exchanged a few text messages with someone and told me that I could move in tomorrow. I thanked her again and picked up the box with my name on it. I left her office in a bit of a haze of confusion. Why was she being so damn nice? Did she know what we would find at the dig site? I had become a lot more paranoid since I found the scroll. If Julia had an agenda I would just have to be patient as well as careful. I didn't want this to go sideways on me. I took the box directly to my car and locked it in my trunk. My classes had been taken over since the disappearance of the former Chancellor and I had officially graduated. What the hell was I going to do now?

I guess I should start boxing up my things and tell everyone that I am moving. I sent out an email to all of my friends and waited on the responses. I decided to drive over and inform my landlord that I would be moving out. On the way over my phone went crazy as the responses came in. I waited until I was parked to read them. I had only sent out the email to twenty or so people but I had over sixty replies. As I read through them I realized someone had forwarded my email to some of my former students. I walked up and knocked on my landlord's door. He came down wearing jeans and a Logan's Run t-shirt. When I asked him about the shirt he said it was vintage. He had gotten in when the movie came out all those years ago. He didn't wear it much but to celebrate his weight loss he began wearing it again.

"I just wanted you to know that I've decided to move out," I said as nicely as I could and I saw the look of relief on his face.

"You've been a great tenant and all but things have been a little too exciting around here as of late. I hope your new landlord takes great care of you. What the hell?"

I looked over my shoulder and saw the line of cars coming up the street. They were all sizes and shapes including a few pickup trucks and even a full sized van. The lead vehicle parked while the others stopped in the street and put on their hazard lights. I walked over to see Ivan and Carol stepping out of the car. Ivan shook my hand and with a grand sweeping gesture informed me that the students of Miskatonic University were here to help. When I asked how the hell they had organized so damn fast he told me the new Chancellor had let it be known on Twitter that I needed help packing and moving my belongings to my new digs just off campus.

I didn't know how to react so Carol took charge and began directing traffic. As the other vehicles parked Ivan and I went into my apartment and I began writing out a list of food and beverages. Once I had a body count I could figure out how much to order. My mother arrived and took over. She began to conduct her organizational symphony and had people assembling boxes in my front room and on the porch outside. I pulled Carol aside and told her where the house was that I was moving into. I asked her to drive over and check on how the sorority was doing on the cleanup side of things. Happy to be of help she grabbed Ivan and they left freeing up another parking spot. I did a quick count of bodies and told my mother that I was heading out to the store to buy refreshments. She shook her head and took the list. I was about to object when I saw the stern look on her face. I acquiesced and went upstairs to grab any unmentionables mainly the large plastic bag of the Egyptian aphrodisiac. I placed that in my briefcase and locked it up tight. I decided to wash any dirty laundry because I really didn't want people handling my dirty clothes. That would have been too damn weird. Soon music was playing and the boxing up of each room was handled with care and efficiency. These were college kids and they knew the importance of not breaking another person's belongings.

I spent most of my time on my phone directing traffic. I sent people over to the house near the university to help clean up. I texted Carol and told them to keep the cleaning to the first, second and third floor. I didn't want anyone in the basement. The gang of students soon finished the living room and moved on to the kitchen. Mom arrived with snacks and drinks a little while later. We were microwaving bite size pizza treats and placing a ton of soda into the fridge to cool. She was also smart enough to buy paper plates, plastic utensils and disposable cups. There was a freakish amount of energy in the air. A smaller group of female students attacked my bedroom and packed its contents. Mom kept an eye on them and reported back the topics from the fact that I wore boxer briefs to how comfy my bed was.