— Old, crumbling bus ticket
Make every effort to locate the items, yet refrain from investing too much time in the hard-to-find and extremely rare ones. You are currently in a relatively less dangerous location, but that does not mean the place is safe. Move as quickly as possible.
First: if you have found the old, crumbling bus ticket.
Congratulations. You have discovered the easiest way to leave this place. Proceed at once to the bus stop at the village entrance.
From the moment you set foot inside the bus stop, you cannot leave its bounds. You may only board a vehicle; even if you try to walk out, you will be unable to step beyond the stop. Therefore go to the bus stop only after you have found the ticket.
The vehicles that arrive are a red bus, a small black flickering carriage, and bus number 375. Board the number 375 bus. Occasionally a number 355 bus also appears; send that one away.
When the bus doors open, fix your gaze on the floor, climb the steps, and present the ticket toward the place where a driver would sit. If the ticket vanishes as though taken by someone, do not look around inside the bus afterward. Keep your head lowered and sit in an empty seat.
Even if someone taps your shoulder, even if you hear unintelligible speech, even if endless whispers surround you, even if the interior grows deathly cold—do not raise your head. Remain seated.
If you suddenly feel as though the world beyond the windows is brightening, press the stop bell at once and get off. The brightening lasts only a very short time; the wait until that opportunity arrives is very long. Stay sharp.
The fate of those who boarded other vehicles has never been confirmed, and no survivors have ever returned. Board the correct bus.
Next: if you have found The Tales of the Bard of Tillydildri.
This book is easier to locate than expected, yet it leads to the most difficult escape method of all. You must now leave this house and search the other houses for Tusran’s Labyrinth Journal and Journal of the Creatures of the Island by the River Cocytus.
Be extremely careful. Unlike this house, the others still possess living “Owners.” Methods for surviving inside each house are detailed in the table of contents that follows later; consult them.
If by some miracle you obtain all three volumes, peel the single sheet of old parchment affixed to the back of each book and gather the three sheets together. We strongly recommend that you neither examine nor read the stories or contents of the books themselves. Although rare, we have confirmed cases of readers who thereafter displayed madness and severe mental distress.
Having successfully reconstructed a fragment of an ancient Bible, you will now be able to leave this place. Grip the parchments as tightly as you can. Without your even realizing it, the space around you will change.
If you release or lose the parchment in the instant the space shifts, you may return missing parts of your body. In the worst cases we have confirmed, people have been sent to places even we do not know.
During the shift you will feel an immense pressure as though your entire body is being crushed and compressed. Hold onto your mind and keep strength in your hands.
Next: if you have found the very large leather sack.
The work that follows will be both extremely tedious and extremely dangerous. You must roam the village and gather the fruits that bloom among the bushes scattered throughout. Fill the leather sack completely.
At first glance the task may appear simple, yet the space outside the house is profoundly hazardous. Refer to the later precautions for details.
If by miracle you succeed in filling the sack, you must wait for the Crow Merchant to visit the village. He appears at highly irregular intervals; the times and places of his visits are never the same.
When you meet him, present the leather sack. If your harvest is satisfactory, the Crow Merchant will permit you to grasp his foot. Bow deeply in thanks, take hold of the foot, close your eyes, and do not open them again.
We have learned that the scenery visible until the Crow Merchant leaves this space is more than an ordinary mind can endure. From the moment you hear the sound of wings beating and feel yourself rising into the sky, keep your eyes shut until your feet once more touch solid ground.
Should you fill the sack with worthless or inferior items—though we doubt anyone would—the Crow Merchant will show clear displeasure, look up at the sky, and prepare to open his mouth. Apologize at once. He will exact a price, yet if he accepts the apology he will still carry you out by the same method. Pray fervently that his mood is not too badly spoiled; the severity of the price depends upon the degree of his offense.
If the apology comes too late, the Crow Merchant will utter an ominous cry three times. Immediately attempt another escape method or flee without delay. From the moment that cry resounds, every being in the entire village will have recognized you.
Next: if you have found the letter opener.
This method is best attempted when you have also obtained the bottle of green liquid. You may still try without the liquid if the situation is desperate.
Smear a single drop of your own blood onto the blade. Perform this act only after you have left the house, and once you have done so, escape with all possible speed. The beings of this village are known to possess an extraordinary sense of smell for blood.
If the act is performed correctly, the knife will transform into a censer. Grasp its chain and begin to swing it; smoke will issue of its own accord. Enter the forest that surrounds the village and advance while continuously swinging the censer. So long as the smoke envelops you, the forest’s inhabitants cannot harm you.
From the instant you begin swinging until you leave the forest, you must not cease the motion for even a single moment. The drawback of this method is that it continuously consumes your blood. Blood will flow from your grip in the same quantity you first offered, travel down the chain, and seep into the censer.
Moreover, the forest itself abhors any being that attempts to escape its bounds. It will generate hallucinations that make you believe you are endlessly circling the same place, or that you have returned to the village, or it will confront you with terrible shapes. We recommend walking with your eyes closed. The journey will be long; if you lack iron mental fortitude, physical exhaustion may prove the lesser torment.
If, however, you possess the green reagent, drink it the moment you enter the forest and press forward. A narrow path of gray light will appear. Run along that path while still swinging the censer.
Our own tests have shown that the green reagent grants the mysterious ability to perceive things normally invisible and intangible. Its great disadvantage is that unknown entities which previously could not sense you will now perceive you with perfect clarity. Most forest dwellers cannot overtake a human running at full speed, yet beings we have not yet catalogued may exist; escape swiftly.
The gray path may occasionally spiral or appear to reverse upon itself, yet those who have escaped by this route have succeeded within approximately ten minutes. One of our agents who walked with open eyes and without the reagent survived after walking without rest for 48 hours, 34 minutes, and 12 seconds. Those who closed their eyes required anywhere from one to nine hours.
Finally: if you have found the ominous black pearl.
We pray the moment never comes when you must use this item, yet keep it with you. It is a last resort when every other method has failed or death is imminent.
Swallow the pearl. Then proceed to the firmly locked basement. The door will open of its own accord when you draw near; once inside, close it behind you. Below you will see black water whose depths cannot be known. Close your eyes and enter the water. Having swallowed the pearl, you will not drown.
Swim without direction or rest. If you sense that the surface above is brightening, keep your eyes shut and rise. With great luck you may escape within minutes. Most, however, cannot endure the lengthening swim and open their eyes or surrender. What befalls those who open their eyes we do not fully know, yet final radio transmissions and last wills have told us that something beyond imagination dwells in those waters.
Should you miraculously return to the real world by this method, you will surface near a rocky islet in some sea. From the instant you leave the water, use whatever clothing or belongings you still possess to cover your mouth and eyes. From the moment you swallowed the pearl you will require no food for years. Within a few days to two weeks at most, one of our agents will carefully guide you. Do not resist the touch; simply follow. Under no circumstances open your mouth to speak.
We pray for your successful escape.
From this point forward, we will set out the matters that require your utmost caution.
