The "Scribi Finali" (Final Scribe)

Ah good! You opened my email!

I don't mean to intrude while you enjoy your morning coffee, but it is of great importance that I interrupt your tranquility to see if what I'm beginning to suspect about you is true.

I promise you that although this is very forthcoming of me to ask, and also probably more awkward than is intended, but I've seen how you interact with complete strangers and I ask that hopefully you will give me a few minutes of your time.

Who am I........well that actually gets a bit complicated. I suppose I'll have to explain that later.

But first, before I get too far I need to ask you some question:

I see from your book bag that you are a lover of poetry. You learned to love the beauty of words and I've you not only recite them to yourself, but your friends and family were quite delighted by reciting your favorite limericks of love, life, nature, and how they all seem related. I've even heard you read a few out loud in this very coffee shop.

I see also an older leather book settled in your bag as well. Am I to presume that it is a Bible as well? I think it would be obvious to say that you cherish the words between these pages even more than words from mere mortals. And I even heard you recounting of the mischief you and your friends at summer camp would get into?

But now I must ask:

Have you ever noticed that committing lines of writing to memory has been quite easy for you?

Perhaps as a child, did you find you were able to recite Bible verses with pinpoint accuracy, even to the amazement of your teachers?

When reciting words of poetry, did you find it quite easy to memorize those words and phrases that even the most gifted struggle at?

Even in class, when tested were you able to memorize complex tables of facts and figures for exams?

If you found all these to be true, even perhaps if you yourself have noticed an almost unnatural ability to commit these and many more to memory then please keep reading on. Or if at this point you have no desire to continue on in this please just delete this message. I promise that not only will I not disturb you again, but you will also find you will have no memory that this even took place.

I see you have carried on.

Now this is the part where I must be very direct, and very truthful to you. Well, as truthful as one can be in this situation.

You are in danger.

But first I must also begin by offering an apology.

I want, with all my heart, to tell you what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen; However truthfully I cannot tell you that any event has really taken place, or will take place either now, or in the future.

This I'm sure you can imagine gets very complicated.

Before I tell you who I am, I must tell you who you are first.......

You are one of the “Scribi Finali,” which is Italian for the 'Final Scribe.'

You see, it's not that you are able to fully memorize what you have read, but you posses the secret, and many would call unnatural ability, to change anything that you have committed to memory without the knowledge, even to the author, that it has been changed at all.

Look back at one of your dog-eared poetry books. Pick a poem that describes a bird in a tree. Recite the poem back to yourself and pick a bird that would normally not be in a tree. A penguin, for instance.

Now go back to that poem in your book.

As you see what was either a robin or sparrow singing majestically has now changed to a penguin.

But this doesn't make sense, you think?

Why would my favorite poet write such nonsense?

Well, like everything we do nowadays, you can always take your phone out of your pocket and Google it!

I bet you are just as surprised as I was to find articles written years ago describing interviews with the poet forty years ago describing uses of flightless birds as humorous, ironic, or insinuating a deep philosophical meaning.

In fact even if you were to ask the poet or author directly they would give you a straight answer, even within their personality, of why they wrote such nonsense to begin with.

The entirety of the page is your canvass. You may change whatever you want or see fit to change.

Where did this come from?

Truthfully I can tell you that nobody knows.

It would make sense that those who have the ability to change writing would be very clever to cover their tracks. There have been cases rooted in Aztec, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, Asian, and European cultures. But the true origin of this ability is unknown. It's not hereditary, and there seems to be almost no pattern to those who have this “gift” and those who don't. Sometime around the fourteenth century there were a group of farmers, clergy, scholars, women, men, and children, from all walks of life that came together recognizing the gifts that they possessed and formed the Ordine Degli Scribi Finali, or The Order of the Final Scribes.

How am I so versed in this secret knowledge you ask? Am I one of you?

No. I am not.

However my talent is that I am a “Truth Seeker” in that I can not only find any of the Final Scribes, but I will notice any changes that have been by the Scribes as natural as a sixth sense. This allowed me to find you so easily. However I am unable to change any of the writings, nor present any real evidence to the public that any changes have been made. In fact I am at the mercy of those who I am destined to seek out. For we am able to seek them, but they do not have the ability to seek us.

Normally changing words from stories and poetry have no real change in our day to day activities.

However many things have changed recently.

You see although it was known to the order that words could be changed in created writing, what about the words read in history, science, politics, even religion?

Could a Scribe change the leadership of the country? Could they change the molecular structure of an atom? Could they even change the words of a sacred religious text?

Yes.

But with a cost, thankfully.

The reason such drastic changes have not been made yet is because nobody has ever tried because of the immense cost to change any words that have not been written as art. It has been tried. However the toll it takes on the person attempting trials is too great that not only does the one suffer, but all the scribes suffer as well. In this case The Order made it clear many centuries ago that changing facts should only be done in case if absolutely necessary.

As a result when it was found out that I was a Seeker, the Scribes made it clear that they do not want to be meddled with. As such, I have bee changed from a successful businessman; happily married to my wife with a child on the way, to a widow, in almost a blink of an eye. I suddenly had no memory of my previous address and every instant of home and family now resides in a small apartment on the south side of town. I had no memory of my previous address because my name was never on the lease to begin with. I suppose somebody was able to research my business credibility and alter it to discredit me have no idea how they were able to change my wife's mortality. All I know is that it must've cost them, and even you, a great deal. So I hope you understand that by telling you all this it puts me in great danger!

I started by saying you were in great danger, because I took notice of the young man that has been courting you recently. As like yourself he is a fond lover of poetry, and I've overheard the many chats you've had here talking of life, politics, and religion.

I must also tell you that he is a Scribe, much like yourself.

Now I hardly doubt that he has any cruel intention to perform any type of evil on you; however it is worth noting that he does have the ability as well to change anything he has read into something else he desires.

Your friend circle seems pretty tight, in a moment he could easily transfer a friend who he suspects doesn't like him to another city.

You spoke of his first encounter with your outspoken grandmother, the one that clearly despised him. What if he was able to change her diagnosis to something more serious? Remember, nobody would know if there was anything afoot, except for a Seeker like myself.

As I said, I don't see any warning signs that he would put your life in immediate danger, and it seems like is generally interested in having a serious committed relationship with yourself.

Realistically he must seem it more of value to work on your family and friend relationships more naturally, since he knows how much it will cost him to change anything; but there is always the risk that he might lose patience and perform a quick drastic change.

Therefore, but only if you wish, I offer my services as a Seeker to guide you.

There might be time where you seem to think that something might seem off, and you will soon be able to find out for yourself if what you feel is true, that something has in fact changed about your situations. Since learning if a truth has been undone comes quite natural to me I will be able to tell if what you suspect is true.

Please write to me whenever you like, but also keep your writing away from others, for if it is seen by your friend it runs at great risk that they will make another attempt on my life.....

…...or dare I say, your own.

Yours sincerely,

The Truth Seeker.