2004-1-13 Elroy Roundhouse
Hey! Have I got a story for you! Well, actually, you know it isn't a very complete story, because so little of it makes sense to me. Friday is asleep now, and I'm exhausted. It's been a week since I found the first missing student, who turned out to be Jenn Marx. How I got to her I can't say really. It would have been after Christmas, when it seemed like my mind had a...uh...mind of its own. I started smelling that Leith aroma once more, and suddenly I awoke in that cave...
Friday wasn't with me that time, and I can't say why. It was a shame because I figured he would know who nabbed me THIS time and threw me down here. There was something different to those caverns. It was like...well...caves don't have much light in them, right? Well this time it was like the cave was different, like if there WAS light there, it would be in a different area. So, cleverly, I muttered "I'll take what's behind door number two!" and set off to where the new light was.
It was slow going, same as the last time I was trapped there, until the stalactites and mites started growing smaller. Finally there were all but gone and I stood at the edge of a massive ridge. I couldn't see the bottom (I couldn't see much of anything, really) but there, in front of me, the ridge turned into steep steps, each one as high as my chest. I figured "What the hay" (since I was trapped anyways without Friday's teleporter, and he wouldn't be along until he had finished that paper he was writing for TK101) and started to climb down those huge stairs.
They were endless! I must have gone down a hundred of them before the scenery changed. I couldn't see the cavern I'd come from at all, just stairs and then black in both directions. Here the stairs had a path leading off to the left to the cave wall. The right had had one too but it looked like it crumbled away some time ago. So I took the left one and at the cave wall (when I could finally see it) there was an opening leading beyond! It looked natural, but the whole thing was just too convenient, especially after those big ass steps.
Inside was a huge chamber, maybe 100 yards across, round, with a vaulted ceiling. In the middle, also round, was a pit in the floor, maybe 50 yards in diameter. This thing was PERFECTLY round people. The stairs and cave wall had all been natural looking. They had weird curves and growths and...well...I mean this was a round hole. The smell made my eyes water. The Leith smell was replaced by something acidic. I could barely see and tears streamed down my chiseled complexion. Still, in the pit, far far down, I could see light. There wasn't much, but I could make it out. Something was down there. I called out a 'hello' since that's what people do in movies, but of course there was no answer.
At this point, the ground near the edge of that round circle gave way and I fell in. I mean, it didn't break off like it was old (although that would make sense), the circle grew in size and I couldn't tell what was happening until I was plummeting down towards that dim glimmer.
At first I was frightened, but it took me a good two or three minutes of falling to actually reach it, and wouldn't you know...
It was a girl! She was giving off the light, which did a nice job of masking the fact that she was stark naked (Wow!). She was curled up into the fetal position, as if she was hiding her light from the darkness all around us (oh, side note: as I neared her it felt like my descent slowed; we weren't on solid ground, just kind of floating on some horizontal plane). She was beautiful, but the light was so dim now...
Suddenly it was bright red all around us, like the black had turned to fire and we were surrounded by all manner of suns. I closed my eyes but I could still see the light, and it became much warmer...no...intensely hot, all around me. What exactly was I going to do? I stumbled/floated over to the girl and tried to protect her, but the pain was terrible and because I couldn't see I accidentally placed my hands on a few areas I'm not supposed to touch without permission.
And, of course, at the worst possible time, my cell phone starts vibrating in my pants pocket. Not now!
But it wasn't my cell phone, no sir, not at all! It was (bom bom BOM) the G-667 teleporter! I had it all along! I must have snatched it from Friday while he was working on his paper! So I took the girl in my arms (she was a little bit taller than me, but I’m still growing…honest), and hit the “locate location #1” hotkey. Instantly we were in my dorm room (on my bed in fact…yikes!). This time I managed to not throw up which is good because I was preoccupied with making sure the girl was okay! Friday turned around from his desk and went slightly bug eyed and I sent him to get help. When he didn’t move I started to yell but then realized what was wrong and threw my comforter over the girl. No longer distracted, he took off down the hall and I started to check her vitals. Physically she seemed okay (breathing, heartbeat, etc) but her aura was very dim. Also she seemed very pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. I didn’t think much of this because really, here at psyhigh, that’s a common look.
She didn’t stir or move until right when the doctors came to move her to the infirmary. The first thing she said (the only thing she said) was “finally!”
Finally? C’mon baby, I just saved your bacon! Gimme a break!
After that whatever got me into those caves started happening a lot more frequently. In three days I was back, and this time I saved the girl I mentioned in my Jan.9 post. I made sure I kept the G-667 with me in case I ever ended up in the caves, but on the next trip (there were three on the 10th) I didn’t have it.
And here’s where there are actually some clues as to what happened. I didn’t have the teleporter but I was still able to take them back to campus, to my dorm. It makes sense now that I’ve rescued all ten. I could never explain who kept throwing me into the caves or why I always ended up in my bed after the trip back, or especially as to why I didn’t need the teleporter for the last batch (or why Friday was only with me for the last four). Don’t you get it? I was DREAMING! Wherever these kids were (I hear they’re Psyhigh students from Edinburgh, which explains a lot), it’s no wonder no one could find them! They were…I guess, in some kind of Dreamland!
Huh, now that’s funny. I just read James’s post about the missing people and it looks like we never found the Psycurity guys…and the smells and the mind games are gone…hmm.
Oh, and in really important news, I’m happy to say that I now have enough facial hair to grow SIDEBURNS!!! This is going to be so fun!
-Elroy.