The Vessel

He dug and dug at the cold, hard earth. He dug until his hands were cracked and bleeding, until the handle of the shovel was slick with blood. He dug until he hit the wooden container, the tiny box that contained the thing he had been searching for all these years. The box contained the Vessel.

It was a coffin. And inside it was his brother.

Albert wiped the sweat from his brow and looked upon the small coffin. Could he do it? Could he open the coffin and take what was left of his brother and use him like some sort of tool?

"The Vessel shall lead to the Place of Enlightenment." That is what the Book of Sand said. "And in the Place of Enlightenment, the one with the Purity of Essence shall find the convex point of all space and time, the Aleph."

The Book had gone on to describe how the Vessel should be arranged. How its bones should be formed to make a compass. How the compass of bones shall lead to the place.

The bones. The bones of his brother. Don't think, just open it.

Albert opened the box.