Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #14 May 2015 | Page 69

Part Ten:
The Hand of Resurrection
Margo and Jake arrived at the monastery. Margo was
carrying the Hand of Resurrection in a large wooden
box in one hand, a large suitcase in the other, and her
backpack on her back. She still couldn’t believe she
owned Malik’s place, not even when the crystal let her
straight into the lair, without her having to go through
the traps. But she had time to think about that later.
Right now she needed to help Jake.
Vincent was excited and clapping. When they arrived,
he immediately brought out an urn with deep, ancient
runes carved into it. Margo had never seen anything
like that.
“So that is what you meant by ‘We don’t have to dig
up anything.’ How did you get his remains?” Margo
put the box on the floor.
“Easily. I scared the mortician. Religious guys are
easy.”
Margo looked closer at the runes, unfazed by Jake’s
admittance. “I haven’t seen an urn like this.”
“You wouldn’t. This kind of urn hasn’t existed in a
thousand years.”

“Then how?” Margo suddenly realised “Don’t tell me
you know how to make it.” She chuckled.
“It took two months and six of those to get the symbols right.” Jake chuckled too. He was both happy and
scared at the same time.
Vincent placed the urn in the middle of the room and
handed Jake a square glass container. Margo opened
the box and gave the Hand to Jake, who was now sitting cross-legged on the floor, a couple of steps away
from the urn. The mummified hand looked charred,
with long claws on each bony finger. Its skin was dry
and cracked, and handling it gave one shivers. Margo
remembered the legends surrounding it. An eightarmed demon had fallen in love with a human, who
then died. The demon, wrought with pain contacted
a witch, who cut off his hands, enchanting them.
In some versions the ritual succeeded—in others it
didn’t. Either way, they all ended with the hands getting scattered across dimensions.
Jake placed the Hand in the glass container. Now they
would find out if the legend was true.

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