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A Low Profile
I
stood there silently for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had just
happened. The squid had vanished instantly, leaving an eerie silence and
many unanswered questions in its wake. It wasn’t something I was expecting,
but I had somehow managed to pass its test unscathed, though not without
losing a bit of my balance in the process. I looked around at the expanse of
flat, cold land surrounding us and didn’t know where to go next. She stood
beside me and I could almost sense that there was a way out. I needed only
to trust that she knew what she was doing. I was taken off-balance and
wondered if she was actually creating the situation, or if she was
responding to it herself. In any case, it felt like we were stranded again.
The situation felt intractable, it seemed like she was contemplating the
next step, but I couldn’t be sure. I stood at the edge of the lake and
waited impatiently for something to happen.
We were surrounded on all sides by a seemingly endless expanse. We could go
anywhere, but there was no obvious way to get out. It was a strange
contradiction that made things disorienting. I tried to find a symbol or
pattern, but there was nothing. Calm and nonplussed, she allowed me to be
the one walking ahead for a change. This gave me a chance to take the lead.
She trusted me with the task, which felt like another test she was giving to
me. It wasn’t simple, and it seemed like the challenge would come in two
ways. I needed to navigate a path forward without using the familiar
techniques and tactics while simultaneously moving quickly enough to avoid
getting subsumed under the frigid night. I was paralyzed by the lack of
direction, and my indecision left us both frozen in place. We walked around
for nearly an hour and seemed to going nowhere, wandering around the cold
ground. I tried to find some shelter but there was none from the relentless
wind. I tried to locate a sign or a direction but felt stymie wherever I
went. We walked for what seemed like many miles but ended up getting
nowhere. I could still felt the cold wind permeating the atmosphere and she
quickly lost patience with me as we seemed to return to the same spots
again. The night was long and it seemed like the cold would never cease.
A strong wind began mercilessly blowing through my thin clothes, and through
our position. It was like we didn’t exist. At first, I didn’t comprehend how
strong it was and tried to keep moving, our progress was slowed, but I was
determined not to let her down. The wind subsided for a moment and I began
walking faster into the unknown. We seemed to make good progress until I
felt a stronger gust of the cold wind. This seemed to come directly above us
and it seemed to blow right down, making the ground shake. Suddenly, it felt
like walking on sand. I nearly lost my balance as the reverberations slapped
me from above. It took me a few moments to regain my footing. At this point
she decided she’d had enough. Grabbing my arm, she pushed ahead and pulled
away motioning it was time to follow her. She seemed steadfast in this
decision, and I decided not to argue. The setbacks didn’t seem to shake her
confidence, and she started walking forward without hesitation. It felt like
she knew what she was doing, and the only thing I worry about was keeping
up. I was disappointed in my lack of ability, and I found my pace slowing. I
fell back and each step seemed to draw us further apart. Within a few
minutes, she was almost sprinting or walking. I couldn’t keep up and kept
slipping further back, increasing the distance. It was almost like walking
backwards. I looked towards the skies and they looked darker. She had gotten
so far ahead that she almost vanished on the horizon. I’d have to increase
my pace before she disappeared completely, which would leave me even more
lost.
I thought about things as I watched her spring ahead of me, unfazed by the
encroaching night skies. I tried to think about things in a rational way but
nothing made sense, despite my long walks and our encounters, I remained
perplexed. I hadn’t come close to figuring out what everything meant. Each
time a gush of memories came back to me, I felt overwhelmed. My mind was
flooded with vanishing boats, odd symbols, strange meetings and supernatural
objects. Sometimes, it felt like they’d been placed on purpose in a
particular sequence for an equally particular purpose. There were other
episodes that made little sense no matter how hard I tried to figure out
their meaning. The latest test with the angry squid was the most intense
yet, but its reason wasn’t obvious. I’d apparently passed, but I still
didn’t know what was happening. Despite my searches and thoughts, most of
what I’d seen still didn’t make sense. As much as I tried to unravel the
layers, there was something missing I couldn’t put into place. Things took a
toll on my after awhile and it took some time before I felt normal again. I
felt disoriented afterwards and it took some time for things to settle. As
the cascading memories stopped swirling around, I finally felt myself back
on solid ground. I knew the unexpected relief wouldn’t last, and I decided
to take advantage. I shut my eyes for a moment and held a deep breath of the
nearly frigid air. I stood there for a moment, waiting for the next thing to
happen. I felt myself drifting backwards in time, and things began to
clarify, in particular the relationship we had inexplicably created. I
thought that she might have trying to tell me something, but I wasn’t able
to hear the words, at least not at that time.
This discordance may have been at the root of some of the problems we
encountered from time to time. It seemed especially true with the last test
with the massive squid. I thought that perhaps it was the reason the
creature began going crazy and smashed the pier to bits. Maybe it knew I
wasn’t entirely sure of who I was and wanted to scare me away from her, or
perhaps it was jealous. Many possibilities crossed my mind. After thinking
about it for awhile, I concluded it had no real malice and was simply
protecting her from the unknown. By acting out the way it did, it was
testing me to see what effect it would have on an unknown, inexperienced kid
like me. Perhaps, it simply didn’t want her sharing any more secrets with
me. It was hard to grasp what happened, and its meaning. I decided to take a
different approach in the future. I’d be calmer and more thoughtful, not
charging ahead into the distance without fear. I’d let her lead the way more
often and, most importantly, try to be more careful in the future. I
wouldn’t wander into unknown places without company. I resolved not to visit
that mysterious cabin ever again, at least not alone.
I thought of another possibility. She might have been testing me all night
without my knowledge. Perhaps, there wasn’t a master plan, and she didn’t
have any idea what was happening either. These questions filtered through
me, and I was frozen in place for a moment. However, after awhile I had to
stop worrying. Before I knew it, I realized that I had stood in the same
place for too long, and once more felt the cold winds overrunning me. It
quickly worked and began permeating my arms. I tried to wave them around,
but I felt stiff, like a robot and my fingers were beginning to numb. I
needed to walk forward and move around. I opened my eyes and looked around,
wondering if anything had changed. The immediate area was calm; its
surroundings cold, dark and, quiet. I turned my eyes carefully, retaining a
familiar position and looked upward. I tried once more to find any
constellation that I was familiar with, but there was nothing. I had no way
of knowing where to go next, I was lost alongside her, walking through a
parallel world.
Despite all that had happened, the best and worst thing was that we were
still very much alone. No matter where we walked, we still found ourselves
stranded outside in the cold, wandering together beneath an endless,
unforgiving night. However she didn’t seem lost, and seemed to be using the
transient light of thousands of distant, alien stars to guide her. I decided
that I would have to trust her, even though I didn’t understand what was
happening, or where I was. After waiting for me to take another break, she
grew impatient and quickly walked ahead. I trailed behind; there was still a
part of me that was hesitant to move forward. Despite my efforts, I was
unable to comprehend what had just happened and unsure of what to do next. I
looked at her and she seemed more confident than me and seemed to have some
idea of where she stood. She had seemingly taken a pause for my benefit.
This allowed me to let everything sink in for a moment, and I finally began
to walk ahead without as much fear.
I
still didn’t understand what was happening, at least not then. She seemed
frustrated and began to get fed up and impatient with me. Finally, she
looked lat towards me and finally pointing her hand and head upward, gazing
towards the distant stars. This seemed to indicate that she knew what was
happening, and I knew I should follow, even if I wasn’t exactly clear on the
reasons. Walking slowly over the ice, she turned around and looked towards
me, beckoning me to follow her. It was difficult for me to anticipate what
she was up to, at first. I tried to follow along, but she seemed to have a
map with directions that only she could understand. She began walking
faster, the pace increasing and the stars seemed to parallel her steps in
speed and by apparent design. I watched closely but it wasn’t clear if she
was leading them or if they were following her. It seemed like they could be
dancing together, trading places, moving together effortlessly. I watched
her feet, seeming to glide across the icy surface and wondered what was
happening. On the other hand, I plodded along awkwardly trying to keep up
and without worrying about rhythm or style. She began to walk towards the
edge of the lake and it seemed to make the stars pulsate in strange
patterns.
I
tried to ascertain our location using them but they seemed to be in
different positions than I was used to. I wondered where I was, their
constellations weren’t what I was used to. I tried to memorize their
locations, but they seemed to be shifting before my eyes. I didn’t know how
to catalog them, and I decided to try some other method. I ran quickly until
I caught up with her. I had to maintain a fast pace, we were almost running
towards the other side of the water, to what end I couldn’t ascertain. As we
reached the embankment on the other side, she slowed down for a moment, and
there was something I didn’t expect. At that angle, there was a slight glow
on the ground. I looked around but couldn’t quite understand where it was
coming from. I looked up and saw that something had walked out from behind
the shadows. A large stationary object emerged from the clouds and I saw a
large moon overhanging us. It remained steady against the shifting stars,
its solitary glow taking control of the night. When I looked closely, I
realized it didn’t look quite the same.
It was mostly blue as usual, but there were shafts of lines striking through
its center, large tunnels that crossed its surface broken up by small
craters and indentations, When I looked closely, it seemed like there was an
oddly shaped feature on its center, like a large impact had created a
massive hole on its surface. I focused on its lower surface and there seemed
to be a strange purple glow emitting from it, like it was dispersing some
clouds or gas. It seemed larger than I was used to. I wondered what had
happened to it that would alter its appearance so greatly, in such a short
time. None of it made sense at first, I thought I was dreaming or imagining
something. I looked up towards the shifting array of confusing stars to see
what was happening. They seemed have paused for the moment and had settled
in place for the moment. I looked for familiar symbols and clusters but
there were none to be found. I looked back towards the changed moon and
finally put some of the pieces in place. I decided that it might not have
been the moon I was familiar with.
It
took awhile for the realization that something wasn’t quite normal to take
hold, but then some of my earlier encounters and tests came flooding back. I
decided I would trust her and take the leap. Even though I was no longer
walking in familiar territory, I knew there was some reason behind all of
it. Before I knew what was happening, I was walking quickly once more. I was
still trailing behind her as she guided me through the unfamiliar world, but
I had finally given myself a reason to keep up. I watched her move
effortlessly over the icy terrain. She looked perfectly at home there, while
I trailed tentatively, still falling behind her often. I was traveling into
the unknown but I had a sense that she had a plan. After awhile, I began to
relax and finally felt safe. I allowed her to take the lead, and watched ad
while she navigated the paths, despite not knowing exactly where we were
heading. After a few minutes, the journey felt strangely familiar, or at
least she did. The barren surroundings were covered in ice and snow, solid
and silent. It was a strange place, but she seemed to be at home. She seemed
to have no fear and walked effortlessly, straddling the lines over the ice,
moving forward without hesitation.
After a long walk, we finally reached the opposite side of the frozen lake.
I could see the large gaping hole in the center. Under the moon, it looked
like it had been shattered, surrounding its emptiness, a void inside the sea
of ice, carved by the mysterious creature. There were large stacks of
splintered woods on its shore and I stood at a distance. I began examining
the splinters and shards from the rickety pier it had destroyed. I tried
measuring their distinct sharp edges from afar. I hadn’t felt it at first,
but the longer we stood there, the more the cold permeated me and blew
through me. It was growing colder; a long night wasn’t going to end. I felt
a strange and unexpected gust of wind, there were clouds and atmosphere grew
strangely murky. The stars shifted around once more and a green fog of
clouds settled overhead.
The atmosphere seemed to conspire against us, shadowing at each step. It
coalesced quickly to hide the moon. Everything seemed to close in on us, and
the moon’s light dimmed quickly. The clouds took over and it began darkening
the shadows. Before we could get further along, we were enmeshed in an eerie
darkness that cloaked our position. She didn’t seem particularly worried
about this and she followed me towards the piles of wood. She didn’t stop
where I did and moved closer. I watched her walk towards one of the piles of
splintered wood boards but didn’t know what the purpose was. She walked over
towards them and began to kick them, then walked behind them, quickly moving
towards their back. I wondered why she was circling around in some kind of
ritual. It seemed like she was making sure everything had been put in its
place. She vanished on the other side of them and there was a loud bang.
This was followed by a large snap. Before I knew it, flames began shooting
up from the ground. The fire started at a low burn but quickly became
intense and hot as it consumed the wooden boards.
I
watched the flames burn through the piles and moved back a few steps as the
fire grew more intense. It seemed to be nearly unstoppable, its flames
shooting upward into the night. It light everything up and gave us some
shelter. It seemed to take a few minutes for it to scale back and come under
control, but once the initial burst subsided, she emerged from the other
side of the inferno. She seemed worried that I was standing a bit too close
and pulled me away from it quickly. There were some unexpectedly loud cracks
and explosions that shook the ground. We took several additional steps back
and she told me to crouch and get further back. I noticed a group of large,
heavy rocks and quickly hid behind them. The boards and splinters burned
faster than expected. The flames flickered brightly, burning brightly
against the night. The night sky seemed to brighten it didn’t last. As fast
as it had come into being, it had just as quickly subsided. The fire
immolated and seemed to run out of energy. There was one last gaping burst
before the flames diminished almost completely. After several minutes, only
smoky embers remained. A cold wind blew over the fire, snuffing it out
completely. In that moment, we knew our short respite was over. We looked
around and there weren’t enough planks left to last more than a few minutes,
let alone keep us warm through the night. We’d have to find a more durable
solution.
She began to walk briskly, circling over the surface at an increasingly fast
speed, she look determined to get somewhere in a hurry. I watched her almost
run ahead of me and it was surprising to observe how she moved. Moving ahead
across the edges, almost like a phantom, her steps seemingly floating above
the ground, she walked parallel to my position, navigating its embankment
effortlessly, I paused to watch her and slowly fell behind, and had to
sprint quickly to maintain my line of sight. After a few minutes she seemed
finally come to rest, pausing once more at the lake’s edge. She turned and
looked back towards my direction, standing impatiently for me to catch up.
She ran ahead and I couldn’t see where she went for a moment. Just ahead,
more groupings of splintered wood pilings blocked my view and I couldn’t see
where she had vanished too. I was worried for a moment, but quickly located
her when I saw a shadow moving, making her visible in the moonlight when she
walked behind the splintered boards.
I walked around the other side and caught up, find her unexpectedly still. I
looked at the path ahead with her, and it seemed strange. She seemed unsure
for the first time that night. Her strangely serene sense of confidence
seemed unshakable until that point. Walking ahead a few steps, I nervously
stood on my toes and looked over their tall edges. The outlines were barely
visible but I filled them in my mind almost immediately. I quickly realized
that we had finally reached our destination. It had been a long journey but
it might have been worth the effort after all. I stood there and absorbed it
for a moment, overwhelmed by what was in front of us. There was a bit
farther to go, but the end seemed to be in sight at last. I looked at her
and wondered what secrets were waiting for us, hiding in the distance.
(Continue to part two)
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