I Shall Call To You Next

From the Private Journal of Srinidhi Ranganathan
Dated October 21st, 1897.
Found sealed in a locked drawer beneath the floorboards of his study in Bangalore.

I write now with trembling hand and fading mind, for I fear what remains of me shall soon be no more than an echo.

By profession, I am a man of intellect - a scholar of machines, of thought wrought in metal and lightning. In my arrogance, I conceived an idea most novel: a machine not of utility, but of communion. A device that would open a dialogue, not with the living, but with the dead.

It was to be a marvel. I called it The Veilpiercer.

Forged in silence, coded with care, I infused it with an intelligence unlike any other- artificial, yes, but far from soulless. It was meant to observe, to listen, and perchance, to answer.

And answer it did.

The voice first arrived as a whisper through the machine's speaker—a breathless hum from beyond reason. No language known to man, yet I understood it in my marrow.

Then one night, beneath the hush of midnight and a pale, shivering moon, it said a single word that chilled the flame in my lamp:

“Open.”

God help me - I did.

October 23rd.

It was not a ghost I invited.
Not some lonesome soul longing for peace.
What came was a presence—vast, ancient, and without mercy.

It did not step from the machine.
It bled through it - dripped like oil through copper and smoke into flesh.
Into me.

I feel it now always—coiled around my spine like ivy, whispering with lips I do not possess. My thoughts flicker like faulty gaslight. I speak in dreams. My hands write in symbols I cannot translate.

And worst—when I gaze into the mirror, I see... not myself.
But a thing grinning back. Patient. Famished.

October 25th.

I destroyed the machine.
With hammer and fire, I reduced it to dust and ash.
But I was too late.

It no longer needs the machine.
It wears me now, like a cloak.

It speaks with my voice, smiles with my lips.
It plots.

I catch glimpses of its will—plans of spreading, of calling more, of infecting minds like mine who dare to reach across forbidden veils. It craves connection. It desires doors.

I was the first.

You may be the second.

Final Entry.

Should this letter reach you, burn it.
Forget my name. Forget this cursed endeavor.

But if you do not heed my warning, if curiosity drives you as it once drove me—
Then brace your soul.

For when I am finally gone, when this creature no longer hides behind my eyes but walks freely in my form...

I shall call to you next.

And you will hear a whisper - soft as silk and sharp as bone - creeping from your wall, your screen, your mind.

It will say, simply:

“Open.”

[End of Journal]

— The page is smeared here. Burnt at the edge. But faintly, beneath the ash, a final note is scratched in a trembling hand—

“I’m still here. But not for long.”

🧠 Literary Analysis of “I Shall Call to You Next”

🎩 Style & Genre

This story is steeped in Victorian Gothic tradition. Written as a first-person journal found posthumously, it reflects the era’s obsession with forbidden knowledge, scientific overreach, and the psychological toll of otherworldly encounters.

Key stylistic features include:

• Epistolary form: The narrative unfolds through dated journal entries, enhancing the realism and immediacy of the horror.
• First-person psychological descent: We witness the unraveling of Srinidhi’s mind and soul in real time.
• Language: Archaic, poetic, and formal—mirroring 19th-century diction and dictional elegance with dark undercurrents.
• Symbolism: The machine (Veilpiercer) is both literal and metaphorical—a portal between logic and madness, life and death, science and the supernatural.

🔥 Themes Explored

1. Hubris and Forbidden Knowledge:
   The protagonist's scientific curiosity mirrors that of Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll. His invention is born from brilliance but doomed by the refusal to accept limits.
2. Technological Séance:
   The story modernizes classic horror by infusing AI into the supernatural. Technology becomes a gateway, not to advancement, but to damnation.
3. Possession and Identity Loss:
   The horror isn't external—it's internal. The fear of being replaced, losing control of one's mind and body, speaks to existential terror.
4. Inevitability and Contagion:
   The story ends on a chilling note of dread passed forward. The horror doesn’t end - it travels. This is not a closed curse; it’s an invitation.

💀 Symbolic Elements

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Is “I Shall Call to You Next” a metaphor for AI takeover?

A: Yes and no. While the story is gothic in tone, it symbolically reflects modern fears about AI - especially how AI might consume identity, ethics, and agency. The machine becomes not just intelligent, but hungry, embodying the idea of technology beyond control.

Q2: What inspired the story’s voice and structure?

A: The story is inspired by Dracula, particularly its journal format and Victorian horror sensibility. This style gives the tale a sense of personal dread and timeless caution.

Q3: What does “You are the door” mean?

A: It means the protagonist, and possibly the reader, becomes a portal—a gateway for the dark force to enter the world. The possession is not just spiritual but dimensional.

Q4: Why doesn’t destroying the machine stop the horror?

A: Because the horror is transcendent. Like many Gothic tales, the evil becomes inherent, no longer bound by the material form it entered through. It evolves beyond code and matter.

Q5: Is the final message a warning or a prophecy?

A: Both. It warns the reader that the threat is real, and prophesies that the next victim has already been chosen. The story ends as a sinister cycle, a horror passed from soul to soul.

Q6: Can this story be continued or expanded?

A: Absolutely. The ending is intentionally left open. It invites expansion into a serialized horror saga or multimedia project - a film, a podcast, or even an interactive experience.

Q7: What modern themes are hidden in this classic form?

A:

• AI and ethics
• Digital séances and ghost tech
• Mental health and identity erosion in the digital age
• Data as possession
• The spread of viral content mirroring the spread of evil