The Unknown Chronicles: The Bridge

I have transctibed another entry from the journal "From Whence We Came". This one seems to be the origin of the writer of these journals, the person known as "Saturn". Naturally, I have transcribed this word for word and I will again place my thoughts at the end of the story. Here it goes:

I,Saturn, fully realized the Gift at the age of eight just like all of you. The first experience I had with Unknown happened soon after my eigth birthday. My family went down to my uncles farm down south a bit, I'd say where but... well you all know the rules. Anyway, my uncles farm was surrounded mostly by woods, and supported by a very small town just down the hill to the east. A small creek ran down the hill, mostly running across plains, but right when it hit the town it formed a sort of circle, surrounding the town on three sides and disappearing into the woods. A small bridge was built, naturally, to allow access inside so you didn't have to drive or walk all the way around the creek. This town didn't get much traffic, and people tended to leave to move to the big city so, occassionally, people would go missing. Most of this was attributed to runaways, wolves, or things of that nature, but I knew the truth. I know what really happened to those people. I know they crossed the bridge, crossed it at the wrong time.

Now, like I said, I was at my uncles farm only for my birthday, we stayed for one week. As a child, I had a rough time staying in my bed at night. Now, when I was tempted by the rolling green hills and wonders of the country, you couldn't expect me to stay inside. So, on the third night, I managed to jar open my bedroom window and sneak outside. It was great, I ran down the hills, the dew brushing against my bare feet. I sprinted and rolled down the hill, a great time. But then I saw someone. A teenage boy and girl holding hands, walking back towards the town. I decided it would be quite fun playing spy, thinking they snuck out too (which I'm sure they did, likely to have sex or something of that nature) so I followed them, keeping to the shadows. They walked slowly but I managed to move quietly, long enough to see them walk onto the bridge, long enough to see them disappear.

One second they were they, they took a step onto the bridge. I saw them, I watched them step on and then.... nothing. There was no flash of light, no morphing of my vision at all, they just simply vanished. Being eight I was curious, I was always curious, so I decided I too would step onto that bridge. I slipped down the hill quickly, and jogged over to the bridge. Before I took a step on however, I stopped dead in my tracks. Something was wrong. I felt like I didn't belong, like someone stood before me, pointing in the other direction, screaming for me to walk away. But I stepped forward.

There was no lapse in time, there was no sign of anything changing at all. It was as if I still stood in that small rural town, but it turned out I was far from it. I stood on a bridge, not a measly wooden bridge used to cross over a small creek but a mighty stone bridge, one spanning for miles and miles. I shot around, surveying my new surroundings. I saw no end to the bridge, just more and more bridge until it disappeared into the horizon. To my left and my right I saw nothing but endless sea. It wasn't quiet in the least, the sounds of waves and seagulls filled the crisp air. It was bright and sunny actually, as if the sun was sitting pretty in the sky. It looked so normal.... but so irregular at the same time. Then I noticed something very peculiar. I noticed the sky had not changed, the moon and the stars filled the night sky, but it was as bright as day just underneath.

I began to walk, seeing no other alternative and then noticed, in the distance, the shadow of three figures. It must have been the teens, I told myself, and maybe an adult that could help us. I sprinted forard, eager to see another face to queltch my uneasiness. But what came into view will still haunt me to this day.

The two teens stood there, shaking violently. They stared up at the sky, not making a sound and seemingly limp, as if someone was shaking a doll of sorts. Before them stood a man adorned in an odd one-piece of white fabric that covered him from his toes to his neck and then formed a hood over his head, leaving only his face uncovered. He turned his gaze to me, and I could see three very wrong things with this man. First, his face was white. Not pale, white. Like one of those crayons from a Crayola box that no one ever uses. Second, his eyes were incredibly small, like two beads. In fact, the only other noticable thing on his face besides his average nose and mouth was a pencil thin mustache and even that was larger than his beady little eyes.

"Now what on Earth are you doing he?" He asked in a tiny squeaky voice, one that was a higher pitch than my own even then. "You shouldn't be here boy-o!". I shook my head, too frightened to give an actual response. The man giggled in response. "Well, it's not your time yet. I already have my new friends. Maybe next time eh?"

Before I could react, before I could even answer, things I had missed began falling into place. I looked onwards, past the man, past the shaking bodies, and saw hundreds upon hundreds more. All of them lifeless, all of them shaking. They covered the bridge into the horizen, I can't even tell you an estimate of how many poor souls were doomed on that bridge. Then, the man lept, smacking me hard in the head and causing me to black out.

When I awoke, my head pounding, I found myself standing at the start of the bridge. Nothing had changed. I sprinted home and, being young, neglected to tell my parents of this experience, as I was sure I'd get in trouble for sneaking out in the first place. I believe this area should not be investigated further, as a very powerful Unknown presence lurks there.

My thoughts: I can say I'm just as intrigued by this as any of you are. Again I see "the Gift" and "the Unknown" mentioned here, and I still have no idea as to what they might be. I will be transcribing another story very soon. On a side note, I have asked around to see if anyone remembers me mentioning anything about these journals in the past, but it comes at no avail. I have, however, come to the conclusion the city they are speaking of in this notebook is my own. I compiled a list of all local small towns down south, and may end up investing them.