You may not begin reading this book yet. Do not open to the inside cover
Do not meander through the pages.
It is imperative that you do as is written below here.
BEFORE READING
This tome belongs only to one person at once. No voice besides theirs nor eyes besides theirs
May read aloud or silently from the pages.
To take ownership of the book,
Fill a shell with a dye (ink, blood, turmeric, etc.)
And paint a sigil on your forehead with a brush or bundle of herbs
Then, press your forehead against the cover, cover page, or spine.
Following this, the tome is yours to do with what you will.
Show your love to the work every once in a while
By filling your mouth with ocean water
And kissing it tenderly on the sigil you made
To show it that you care.
(If ocean not available, dissolve 35g of salt into 1L of water
Mix in a pinch of blended moss, and spit in it.)
CARE OF THE MANUSCRIPT
This tome must not be wetted by any water
Save that which comes from the sea, or from your body.
Should it be dampened by tea, water, wine, etc.
You must immediately salt the offended area
And leave it to dry through the course of a full evening.
Before opening it again.
Any other damage to the book besides water damage
Must not be repaired, save to salvage
Minimal structural integrity.
IN CASE OF LOST TOME
If the work wanders off on you and you cannot find it
Place a wooden bowl of ocean water upon a low table
And leave it until it returns, or you move.
Often, the book will wander in search of its home.
DISPOSAL OF TOME
If a proper personage cannot be found to take ownership
Of the work if you wish to rid yourself of it,
The book must be donated or left on a street corner
With a small flannel pouch of biscuits
So it does not go hungry.
If the tome is damaged beyond legibility,
The remains must be wrapped in kelp
And left under a stone on the seashore.
Then build a small fire nearby it
And eat hot treats while you stare
Out over the open waves.
Enjoy the work, and have a good time!
(In lieu of reading these instructions at the start of the play,
Have the NARRATOR scrub themselves with sand and oil, and rinse with water.
Make it a “ritual cleaning”, make it be quiet and last some time.
Have smoke be made, and then doused.
Make the audience feel dirty watching the actor get clean.)