Entry 10: Inside the Tree – Open Room – August 19th, 2023 – 7:01 PM
So, as my dad would say, it’s not a failure if you learn something along the way… The piano did, in fact, work.
When I pressed the keys, all the lights went out, and when they came back on, there was an open door at the back of the stage. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Yet another doorway. That can’t be all bad, right? If we’re opening doors, that means we must be making progress, I tried to reassure myself, but it wasn’t working.
I do not want to go through that door.
Do you think we have a better shot of getting out by going back up there?
I motioned towards the stairway behind us. Murlocke squeezed his eyes shut, weighing the bad and worse options.
Fine. We’ll peek into this door, but if it’s another creepy stairway, ladder, or elevator, I’m going back.
We approached it slowly until we were only a few feet away.
What is that…?
Murlocke pointed directly ahead.
Initially, I didn’t see anything, but then the light caught the right angle, and I saw what looked like gold veins in the shape of a ladder— Going up!
That’s got to be it!
Hold on, we haven’t thought all of this through. What about Maisel?
Let’s just make sure it’s actually a way out, and then we’ll go find her.
He ran towards it without waiting for an answer.
I took a couple of steps after him, crossing through the door.
Murlocke, I—
The door slammed shut behind us.
It took a second for our eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. Looking around, we realized we were trapped in… An old-timey jail cell. The door was made of thick rolled steel bars, and we could see the whole room from the inside of our cell.1
| 1. Quick Note: I think we were in a replica of the Historic Sheriff’s Office on Main St., you know, the one that you go to in grade four when you’re learning about the town’s history? Cause I can’t think of any other jails in Harrington, let alone old timey looking ones. – Murlocke. |
To the right, in the corner of the room, was the sheriff’s desk, and to our left was the only other cell. We were still looking around when—
Sasheen! Murlocke! I thought I’d never find you.
Maisel called out from the other cell. I was too stunned to say anything. We walked in opposite directions. How did she also end up here?
How…?
Words began tumbling out of Maisel’s mouth.
I found a replica of our school at the end of the hallway that I followed, same as the other buildings, it was a life-sized recreation of the actual building. When I went inside, I noticed that there was this puzzle on one of the desks and of course, only one piece was missing… I couldn’t help myself. The second I put it in, the door behind me shut, and a dark stairway appeared. I followed it into this cell and…
She took a deep breath.
And then I was alone for a bit, and now you two are here.
There was silence for a second.
What are we going to do?
I could feel panic start to rise in my chest. I don’t like to feel trapped. If plans A, B, or C fail, I always have a plan D, but here we are, trapped in a jail cell, who knows how far underground in a (magical?) tree. What were we thinking?
There has to be a way out. There is always a way out. We just haven’t thought of it yet.
Even if we get out of this cell, though, we’re still stuck in this tree.
One problem at a time. What do we know? We know that we are in a tree—
A Red Cedar tree.
I felt my panic start to subside as Maisel spoke.
Right, sure, a Red Cedar tree. We know it’s supernatural—
We’re pretty sure it’s supernatural.
OKAY, we are pretty sure it’s supernatural. We know that everything is made of the same type of wood—
Except for the gold nugget.
Would you just let me get my thoughts straight!?
By all means.
I felt a little silly. I tended to step on other people’s toes with these kinds of things. I just like things to be accurate.
Maisel started pacing in her cell.
The tree seems to be leading us through it. Maybe it’s testing us? That would explain the puzzle piece and the gold nugget.
Do you think this jail is another test?
Maybe… Or maybe this is where it wanted us to end up.
If it wants us trapped, what does it plan on doing with us…?
We’re still missing a piece of this puzzle…
Maisel sighed dramatically and lay down on the bed in her cell.
You know, I’m surprised by you, Sasheen.
I wasn’t sure what she meant.
You didn’t tell me off for falling for an obvious trap.
I mean, how could you resist putting in the final puzzle piece?
I tried to take the high road.
What Sasheen means to say is that in retrospect, we may have also fallen for a somewhat obvious trap,
Thanks a lot, Murlocke. Next time, I’m going to be the one who goes off alone.
…We played a piano in the centre of an otherwise empty stage.
Don’t say I don’t own up to my mistakes.
Maisel snorted and began laughing.
You did not.
In our defence, it may have led to the way out—
You pulled a Maisel! I would have played that piano in a heartbeat! We’re the same.
Maisel motioned excitedly between us.
Well, I wouldn’t—
The same!
I guess we did kind of pull a Maisel.
I did tell her not to touch it.
I never want to forget this moment.
Look, can we…
I started to speak, but I lost my train of thought. What was I just thinking? What was I about to say?
…What are we doing here?
Concern reflected in Maisel’s hazel eyes.
Are you okay?
We’re investigating the Red Cedar Incident. You look dazed. Did you hit your head?
I don’t think so…
Just as suddenly as the wave of amnesia came, it went.
Maisel’s face suddenly lit up.
That’s what we’ve been missing. We’re dealing with an angler.
Murlocke and I looked at her dumbly. Maybe the brain fog is not entirely gone.
This ‘tree’ fits the textbook definition of an Angler Occurrence.
Maisel pulled out a copy of The Layman’s Field Guide to Monster Hunting from her backpack.
| Angler: A supernatural being of unknown origins. It remarkably molds itself into a trap for its prey. There are recorded instances of anglers as small as watermelons, with the largest one on record being the size of a semi-truck. When the prey enters, the angler feeds on its thoughts, memories, and emotions. Threat Level 5/5 – Highly dangerous. Exercise extreme caution. – Excerpt from ALFRED’S The Layman’s Field Guide to Monster Hunting (undated)2 |
| 2. Note: Until The Red Cedar Incident, we had no first-hand accounts of an Angler Occurrence. All we had were snippets of information collected from various paranormal and supernatural textbooks. The most notable of which is The Layman’s Field Guide to Monster Hunting (undated) by ALFRED. (ALFRED’s credibility is spotty at best.) – Sasheen3 |
| 3. Note: I should add that we don’t know much about ALFRED, except that he wrote several “non-fiction” textbooks about the supernatural. He apparently passed through Harrington in the late 1800s. We’re just trusting that the information in his books is accurate. I can’t begin to understand why, but Maisel adores him. – Sasheen4 |
| 4. Note: ALFRED! My love! How I wish I knew thee. Your writing is like sweet honey in a world of ash. – Maisel |
Maisel pointed to the Angler definition in the guide.
Think about it. It’s largely motionless; it waits for prey to enter and then lures them deeper and deeper into it until they become trapped and—
Then it slowly devours their minds, eating each thought, memory, and feeling one by one until its prey is a zombie.
Hold on, you two. Even if ‘anglers’ do exist, and I’m not convinced that they do, we don’t know anything concrete about them. There are several less dangerous supernatural occurrences that this could be.
Sasheen, nothing else comes close. It can’t be a Puppeteer, as those mimic something completely. These red cedar bars would be iron, and this bed would have a soft mattress. Anglers are more creative than that.
Maisel flicked through the field guide to the Puppeteer section to prove her point.
What about a siren? That could explain the brain fog.
As the words left my mouth, I already knew that this couldn’t be a siren.
You’re right about the brain fog, but sirens don’t manipulate their environment. They just attract people to their location.
I didn’t want to believe it. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. We’ve only ever faced one type of supernatural threat with a 5/5 rating (See the Haunted Arcade Occurrence from March 14, 2022), and we barely made it out in one piece.
Murlocke and Maisel looked like how I felt. We just stared at each other in silence. The gravity of the situation was sinking in.
We needed to get out of there.
– Sasheen
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