Compass

In any city in any country, go to a bus stop and find a bench. Sit on this bench, and wait. If a bus comes, do not step onto it. Remain seated. If anyone talks to you, do not speak to them. Remain quiet. You may gesture your arms if you wish, but no sound must leave your mouth, and your body mustn't leave the bench. Simply wait.

The time you must wait is never certain. It could be minutes, it could be days, or weeks, or months, or years. This is a test of dedication. If you leave, or if you speak, you will never find what you seek.

Do not fall asleep. Take caffeine, slap yourself, even burn yourself with a cigarette, but do not fall asleep. This is immediate failure. If you fall asleep, once you wake up, go home. You will never find what you seek.

If you wait long enough, perhaps he or she will come to you. A man or woman with a confused look on their face. You will always be alone when they come. They will stumble around in confusion for a period of time, walking in circles, or muttering questions quietly to their self. Do not get off of the bench, and do not say a single word. Allow them to continue their disoriented movements until they stop and turn to you.

They will ask, “do you know where I am? I seem to be lost.”

Do not tell them anything about where you and they are. If you tell them anything, the name of the city, the name of the street, even that they are at a bus stop, then you have failed to get what you seek. Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you. They’ll simply smile, thank you, and walk away.

Do not try to lie to or trick them. Saying no or making up a location will only bring you their disbelief. They will continue to ask you where they are.

All you should say is “yes.”

They will smile happily and pull a small compass from their pocket. It will only have a pointer, no writing of any sort. They will ask “could you show me the way?” If you ask the way to what, they may say many things. The way to the nearest school, the way to the nearest abandoned house, the way to the nearest asylum. Don’t tell them how to get to where they wish to go, or they will thank you, leave, and never return. Don’t say no or lie to them, they will thank you, leave, and never return.

Finally, get off of the bench, and grab the compass from their hands. They won’t put up a fight.

The dazed look on their face may fade, and they may thank you. They may do this, but it is not likely. In most cases, the person will once again stumble in confusion, ignoring anyone or anything around them. They may even stumble into the road. Do not try to help them, only they can find their way home now. You know where your home is, so return there.

Place the compass somewhere secure, somewhere difficult to get it from, but not impossible. Give yourself a few days to congratulate yourself. When you feel like you are ready, remove it from the place you had put it, and leave your home. There’s no rush, take all the time you wish before this. And while retrieving the compass from the difficult place to get it from, use this time to contemplate if you’re really ready.

When you leave your home with the compass, you won’t know where you are. No one who has ever had the compass and lived has ever been able to describe in detail where they really go when using the compass, only that it all beautiful, all terrible, all wonderful, and all dismal. You may wander for minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. Eventually though, you’ll find a man or a woman sitting at a bench. Politely say to them, “do you know where I am? I seem to be lost.”

If they say where you are from their perspective, you won’t be in the other world anymore, and you’ll know exactly where to go. Thank them and leave.

If they say yes, but don’t tell you any details, pull out your compass and ask “could you show me the way?” If they say anything now, you won’t be in the other world anymore. Thank them, and leave.

Pray that they don’t take the compass away. You might leave the other world, but it’s more than likely that you won’t.

If you are able to leave the other world, you’ll know exactly where to go and what to do. The place you are going could be anywhere. A school, an abandoned house, an asylum, anywhere that an Object is being held.

Congratulations, you have just successfully secured and used a Seeker’s Compass.

Remember though, sometimes the journey is better than the destination.