Written for FaerieWarrior‘s mini contest in which participants had to write 1000-3000 words and present one of her recently posted paintings in the story. I chose Bridge to the Abyss.
Bling!
You take your communicator from your pocket and read the new message.
A new text post has come on Chirpon:
User: JudithReports
Date: 11/11/927
Location: City Greyhound
Title: A new reporting gig!
Our world is completely united with routes – aside from one place. A canyon, one so deep people call it “The Abyss”. No one knows why, but all attempts to form a bridge over it so that the two towns, Town Howler and Town Moon, could easily unite have failed at one point or another. Whether it is a bridge breaking the middle of the use, strange incidents and lost materials during construction, magic failing or just some strange tentacles rising from the unchartered abyss to snatch people down – that is what people say, not me! – there is someone doing their very best to keep the bridge over The Abyss non-existent.
Today, I am departing to the site of these bizarre incidents to investigate and make a reportage of it! Wish me luck, fellas!
Shares: 471
Comments: 529
Bling!
You jump awake from your nap – even though you should not be sleeping at work – and check your personal communicator – another thing you are not supposed to do at work. You have got a new message.
A new audio post has come on Chirpon:
User: JudithReports
Date: 14/11/927
Location: Town Howler Outskirts
Title: The Abyss bridge, audio log 1
“Oookay, fellas, I’m here at the outskirts of Town Howler, looking at what’s left of the latest bridge. From what I can tell, it’s been snapped in half from the middle, like… well, like those tentacles the town citizens have talked about. I think this might be sabotage by an avian, though, since this bridge is… was held together by ropes. That doesn’t explain the all the other cases, but I’ll investigate and see what I can find here. If there are saboteurs, they must have left a trace or two. I’ll try to update you as soon as I can.
“End of audio log one. JudithReports out!”
Shares: 234
Comments: 366
Bling!
You sigh. You really should change the notification sound. It has started to get annoying.
You decide to postpone it and just check what the new message is.
A new audio post has come on Chirpon:
User: JudithReports
Date: 21/11/927
Location: Town Howler
Tagged users: JakeReports
Title: The Abyss bridge, audio log 2
“Hi there, fellas! I’ve been talking to Town Howler’s folks while my colleague who’s joined me in making this reportage, JakeReports, has been talking with Town Moon’s folks about the bridge and the ways it has been sabotaged. We’ve gathered a lot of data and we’ll now proceed to cross-reference them to see if there are any patterns or similarities we should look into.
“Just wanted to give you guys an update. Make sure you check out Jake’s updates as well! Take care everyone!
“End of audio log two. JudithReports out!”
Shares: 183
Comments: 117
After checking his posts, you opt not to follow JakeReports. His posts are more meaningless jabber and less information as opposed to Judith’s more factual updates. You’ll get more out of her updates.
Bling!
You groan as the annoying notification sound wakes you up in the middle of a long nap on your free day. You change the notification sound before you forget it again and check the new message.
A new audio post has come on Chirpon:
User: JudithReports
Date: 25/11/927
Location: Town Howler Outskirts
Tagged users: JakeReports
Title: The Abyss bridge, audio log 3
“Hel-lo fellas! JakeReports and I have been cross-referencing our data and we’ve found lots of similarities. The stories about tentacles and suddenly failed magic are present on both sides of The Abyss alongside those about lost materials and breaking bridges. Whoever wants to sabotage the bridge, they are both very persistent and very resourceful.
“We’ll be looking for clues and anything we can find about these mysterious vandals. Wish me luck so that I can beat Jake to the first clue!
“End of audio log three. JudithReports out!”
Shares: 336
Comments: 264
Ba-dum-tish!
Okay, perhaps that was not the best choice of a notification sound. You make the mental note to look for a better one once you have checked the new message:
A new audio post has come on Chirpon:
User: JudithReports
Date: 4/12/927
Location: Town Howler Outskirts
Tagged users: JakeReports
Title: The Abyss bridge, audio log 4
“Hi there, fellas! Another update on the case of the bridge over The Abyss!
“Or, well…. well, it’s an update I guess. So, the thing is, JakeReports and I haven’t found, well, anything. Whoever is sabotaging the bridge is leaving no traces. Absolutely none. So, as crazy as it is, I… I guess we have to look into the tentacle thing story more seriously. As tough it is to admit.
“So, this tentacle that destroyed the previous bridge and which has taken down multiple other bridges in the past. It’s said to come from The Abyss itself, like there’s some giant octopus down there so deep we can’t see it.
“Jake and I have been talking and we’ve decided to try to descend into The Abyss to see what’s down there. No one whom we’ve consulted about the place has reported seeing anything like it, though, which is strange, but if there’s something down there, we’ll find it. Since there is scarcely anything living down there, we should be safe both on our way there and down there since there are no predators that can eat us.
“Wish us luck and hope that we can find this… whatever this thing is!
“End of audio log four. JudithReports out!”
Shares: 521
Comments: 479
Thunk!
You just can’t pick a non-annoying notification sound, can you? You check the message on your communicator to see what is going on now.
A new audio post has come on Chirpon:
User: JudithReports
Date: 6/12/927
Location: The Abyss
Tagged users: JakeReports
Title: The Abyss bridge, audio log 5
“Note: The audio post is whispered. Chirpon has boosted the volume so that you won’t have to.
“Fellas. We’re down here. And it’s scary. And dark. Like super dark. We can hardly see anything with torches or flashlights. It’s silent here.
“Note: Someone else says something. Chirpon has identified this to be user JakeReports.
“So, anyway. We can’t see anything. We’re lost. We can’t find our way back to where we climbed down. There’s no sunlight, no vegetation, no animals, no nothing.
“Fellas, I’m scared. Like super scared. We’ll run out of rations soon at this rate. Please send help. Please.
“Wha-what’s that?
“Note: Animal noise. Chirpon cannot identify the animal.
“Oh my dear lord… It’s not an octopus… it’s a… it’s a… krak-
“Note: Otherworldly screeching drowns the rest of the audio. Chirpon cannot identify its source.
“OH MY GOD HELP!
“Note: Static. Audio is cut off. Chirpon ends the audio post here. Thank you for listening to JudithReports!“
Shares: 1571
Comments: 729
Flap!
You have muted your communicator, but it still does not keep the sound of your weekly newspaper, Weekly Chirps, landing to your kitchen table through the open window from startling you. You close the window and check the news. Right on the first page, you see a huge headline:
Two reporters gone missing!
Two of our reporters, Judith and Jake Timeway, have gone missing after they descended into The Abyss while investigating the failed bridge projects meant to connect Town Howler and Town Moon despite of The Abyss separating them. Judith’s last audio post on Chirpon details that she and Jake were lost, the post ending with them being attacked by the creature presumably responsible for the failure of these bridge projects. Unfortunately, our searchers have not found anything of our missing reporters nor this creature, which Judith unfortunately was not able to identify before the audio was cut off. All we know that it is not an octopus but something that begins with “krak”, which is most likely a kraken or something like one. They all disappeared without a trace. No creatures, no bodies, no equipment left behind.
While things look dire, we hope for Judith and Jake to be alive and well. If you have any sightings of them after 6/12/927, please let the nearest authorities know right away.
However, we kindly ask all of our audience without training in searching or rescuing to abstain from traversing to The Abyss to search for our missing reporters. The last thing we want is more people gone missing there. Thank you for understanding.
Judith and Jake, we will be waiting for your return.
You put the newspaper down. A kraken in The Abyss sounds completely insane, but, as you have looked into the cases with the bridges, so do the destructions of those bridges.
You look at JudithReports’s Chirpon page. There is nothing new there.
Now you can only wait for more news and hope for the best for Judith and Jake’s sake.
WindySilver 