The Man Who Knew Too Much

== THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH ==
=== By Kathi Wyldeck ===
Published in StoryStar 2014
It’s very good of you, Doctor, to see me at such short notice … and
although you are a psychiatrist, you will find that I am perfectly sane, once
you have listened to my account of what I saw inside the box. If you eventually
decide that I am, in fact, mad, then I would be very happy to invite you to
look into the box yourself. Now, Doctor, let me start at the beginning. Are you
ready?
Recently I bought a house up on Hatfield Hill. Such a lovely, old place
it is, and with a wonderful view down over the valley. On moving day, I was
pleased to see that the house had been left in very neat and tidy order, so I
quickly set about moving my furniture into place, and in no time, I felt
settled and comfortable. The only area of the house I had yet to explore was
the attic, which I was looking forward to being able to use for extra storage,
and maybe even as a place where I could set up a darkroom for my hobby of
photography. 
So, last weekend, I finally found the time to climb up the spiral
staircase into this last room of the house. As with all the other rooms, I
found it to be neat and tidy, except for a box that had been left in one of the
dark corners of this dim attic. The box looked like an old trunk, and I thought
that maybe the previous owners had left it empty for my own use … or perhaps
they had forgotten to take it by mistake. I took a look and on the top of the
box was a little note that simply said “Don’t Open”.
Well, of course I was going to open it. It may have contained something
important that the previous owners might have needed, or if it were empty, then
I would certainly find it handy for storage purposes myself. So I opened it.
Who wouldn’t have? It was a perfectly natural thing to do.
Initially, as I gazed inside, the box appeared to be empty. However, on
closer inspection, I noticed that I could not detect any floor or walls to it.
I placed my hand inside and nor could I feel any boundaries to this strange
container. As I looked more closely, I realised that I was staring into an
abyss - into a bottomless, black void of absolute nothingness. How could this be?
A shiver ran up my spine and I was gripped with fear … and yet, I was powerless
to look away. The box seemed to have taken hold of me, and I was forced to
watch and witness things that no man should see.
At first, I could see an image of myself looking into this very box, but
then quickly, as I continued to watch, episodes of my future began to unfold
like a video in fast forward, and the rest of my life was played out in front
of me. I now know what lies ahead for me over the next few decades, and I also
know how I will die and when I will die, to the very minute and second. Nobody
wants to know this sort of information. Would you, Doctor?
My heart was racing and I wanted to tear myself away, but the box had a
grip on me that could not be released. The fast forward video continued long
past my death and on into a far distant time. I witnessed mankind’s future
history until we had become extinct, I watched as other creatures evolved, as
asteroids and comets occasionally hit the Earth, creating destruction and
renewal, as is Nature’s way. I saw our Sun grow older, run out of fuel and die,
taking our solar system with it.
But the box hadn’t finished with me yet. Why did it want me to know all
this? The box showed me how the Universe would continue to expand, and how it
would eventually fade away into the nothingness from which it had come. Surely
now, the box had finished with me … but no, there was one final episode that it
insisted that I witness. 
I was shown the face of God and the hideous horrors of Hades. I was
taught the meaning of life and was made to understand the purpose of our very
existence and that of the Universe itself. This knowledge is all embedded
deeply and permanently in my brain, and it is just too much for me to bear
alone. What can you do to help me, Doctor? I have become a man who knows too
much.
Category:Wuldeck
Category:StoryStar
Category:Web-Published