Object 228

The Holder of False Truth

In any city, in any country, go to any brothel or whorehouse that you can get yourself to. Once inside, wait for one of the women, or the mistress or master of the house, to approach you. Pay no mind to their offers, and ask to be taken to "The Holder of False Truth". They will try to persuade you otherwise, and offer alternatives of the flesh. Do not accept their offers, and persist in asking. Eventually, they will give in and lead you into the basement of the house.

Along the way from the front of the house into the basement, you will hear the sounds, and perhaps even see the sights, of sexual ecstasy. Pay them no mind and continue following your guide into the basement. Once in the basement, they will lead you to a door and open it for you, revealing a descending staircase going deeper beyond the basement. They will refuse to take you any further. Do not waste time begging for them to follow and proceed alone.

No danger occurs on the journey down the stairs, however, when you leave the last step at the very bottom, you will begin to feel as if something is watching you. Time will begin to slow, as the sounds you heard upstairs will begin to ring freshly in your ears, louder and more intense than before. You will see a door at the end of the corridor you now stand in. Make your way toward it, and do not look back. Every step you take forward will feel like a year, as every fear and every sick desire you never knew you had courses through your being. Do not turn around, do not look back. There is no turning back, for if you wish to turn back now, you will be trapped in this corridor to experience these terrors for the rest of eternity. You will wish for death, but it will never come.

Continue toward the door. When you finally stand before it, you will feel exhausted. However, do not stumble, do not lay a hand upon the door. Stand before it, stiff as a board, and ask "What is their true story?" without allowing your voice to break. If you succeed, the door will swing open on its hinges. Step inside, and the door will close behind you.

You will find the room's appearance is not frightful, as it is merely a dusty old room with bare walls. Do not let your guard down. On the other end of the room, you will see a person seated on the floor, their back against the wall. The figure appears devoid of gender, starved in appearance, and dressed in ragged gray clothes. This person is the Holder. You will notice the entire room is devoid of color, except for a steely-eyed parrot that sits upon the person's shoulder. Do not look directly at the parrot, and instead, keep your eyes on the Holder.

Look into the figure's eyes, and simply ask them to "tell you the truth". They will give you a grin, one of flattery, and then proceed to tell you "the truth". It will tell you the history you have previously heard from the Holders before this one, in fictitious detail. This will not be the history you have been told. Do not believe it, and do not interrupt them to argue or question what they are telling you. If you interrupt them, their bird will fly from their shoulder to give you a quick and befitting death. Let them finish their history.

You will know they are finished when the parrot leaves their shoulders, regardless. If you have listened to their story, without interrupting and without looking away, the bird will perch harmlessly on a nearby basement window. As it does this, the Holder will follow the parrot with their eyes, then bring their gaze harmlessly back to you. At that moment, you will remember that you have Object 225. Take it and cut out the figure's tongue. They will lay dead upon the cement floor after you remove it. Hold the tongue in your left hand, then turn toward the parrot and hold out your right hand.

The parrot will fly from the windowsill and land in your open hand, only to devour the tongue from your left hand. When it has finished, it will look up at you and thank you: in the voice of the now-deceased Holder. From now on, this voice will tell you nothing but truth, no matter how cruel it may appear.

That parrot is Object 228 of 2538. It will provide you with the truth 'til the very end.