If the entity had a stronger concept of self it might have shown some annoyance at the local native creature that was scratching and picking at the rock around the apertures. Constantly having to shift the spatial and temporal deltas for them to prevent damage to the native’s appendages was not an action the entity had prior experience with. Still homo sapiens as a race seem intelligent enough and with the decision made to treat this native like one of the creators the entity did it. Not completely from the damage though, one of the entities’ directives was to assist the creators in their search to learn about the universe. The entity realized that eons without any contact with its creators and now interaction with the native is affecting its interpretation of its functions. Otherwise allowing the apertures to damage the tool in the natives hand would not be considered aiding in learning. In analyzing the actions and responses of the native to the damaged tools the entity determined the knowledge acquired was minimal. A more obvious interaction with an aperture would be needed to install a significant level of knowledge to the native.
* * * * *
Climbing up the cliff this time was easier. A suitable route was found after using yesterdays climb. The only change needed was making an early lateral switch-over to avoid that last piece right before the ledge. Pulling myself up and onto the ledge I reached and arm behind myself to get to the spot on y climbing harness that the paracode was attached. The thought of that the 200 hundred feet of cord hanging behind me risking the chance of it catching on a rock and snagging was a constant worry climbing up. Now that I reached the ledge the worry was gone replaced with how to secure it properly. Deciding on a quad anchor I set up two opposed locking carabiners. It was normally intended for holding the top rope of a climb with a climber’s full weight but it should work just as well for the pulley hoist.
Looking at the shelf nothing seemed to have changed. I decided to setup the hanging hammock off to the left side of the ledge. It was intended to let a climber sleep on the side of a cliff but it should work to hold the equipment I thought. Finished with getting the hammock secured I decided It was time to bring the equipment up. Running the paracord through the pulley and then securing it the rock face to another carabiner. With a quick tug to make sure it was secured I was all ready. Hauling the pack of equipment up the cliff took the rest of the morning. It kept catching on jutting rock needing me to lower it a few feet each time to clear whatever it was then lifting again. Once the equipment made it to the ledge I untied everything and stored it in the hammock. With all the equipment safely stolen I was ready to go through the list of experiments I had come up with last night.
The first thing in my investigation plan was to find and mark all the areas on the rock face that the draft was occurring. Using a handful of feathers I dug out of my poor jacket last night I started tossing them at the face intending to circle each spot they stuck with chalk. The first feather drifted over and stuck on the rock in what looked like the center point of the ledge. A bit of a coincidence I thought as I carefully drew a circle around the spot. Going on to throw more feathers up one in the time in front of other areas of the cliff none of them seemed to want to stick. Puzzled I kept trying but only that one first spot seemed to be causing a draft and pulling in the air. A worried feeling started creeping up my spine as I started thinking that the mystery might be fading away. Compared to yesterday when there was spots all over and today only one seemed left.
Getting worried the last spot would disappear as well I decided to rush my experiments along. I dug out an incense stick and lit it, holding it near the spot I watching the trail of smoke and saw that it seemed to drift right into the wall. About what I expected, the next thing I decided to try was to check the noise I heard yesterday. Taking y phone out I held the microphone port on it right next to the spot. Recording for a few minutes I put my ear buds in and played it back at the highest volume. A steady hiss could be heard, almost like a tank leaking air would sound. Looking at the list I made the next thing was a better attempt to find a hole. Pulling out a long needle I found in the kitchen that Hannah use to use for tying turkeys up I started to probe around at the spot. After a few minutes of poking around I gave up on there being a hole there.
Looking at my watch I still had plenty of time but it was edging into the afternoon and decided so time to get serious and jump to the end of my list. Grabbing a chisel and small sledge hammer I started chiseling away around the circled spot. With the soft sandstone it was quick progress and a trench around the area started to form. With an hour of hard work the rock with the chalk circle was jutting out from the surrounding stone. Looking at the shadows creeping up the mountains around me I was feeling more and more pressed needing to hurry. Deciding to go for broke I got out the large sledge hammer out from the hammock and the biggest chisel. Positioning the chisel at the base of the rock I started to slam away at it. A few good hits and with a sharp crack the rock broke away and dropped to the ledge. Looking at the rock with a chalk circle on it and the hole in the rock left behind I got that queasy feeling back thinking it might not be working anymore, whatever it was.
The broken piece now lying on the shelf looked just all the other rocks lying around with only the chalk circle on it different. Picking up the four or so inch piece by the edge I took a closer look at what it was causing the holes. Nothing appeared different about it, just a chunk of rock. It looked the same as all the other rocks knocked loose from the cliff over the ages. Carefully tapping the center with an un-pitted end of the shaft of the hammer I didn’t see any new holes appearing. With much trepidation I rubbed my thumb over the center expecting to see blood and a new wound appear on it but nothing! Taking a bigger risk, I put my whole palm on the piece covering the face of it. But nothing, not even a mark. I must have somehow destroyed whatever was causing the phenomenon.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Looking into the hole it left behind I couldn’t see anything but more rock. Using the back of my watch I tried reflecting sunlight in to get a better look at the back. Not seeing anything special I went back to checking the piece on the ground. Looking at the circle I decided to try the feather again. Holding a feather it up if front of the chalk circle I left it go. The feather drifted to the ground in front of the rock. Getting even more worried that I had destroyed the mystery I waved my hand in front of the rock trying to feel any kind of breeze. Still nothing it was just an ordinary piece of limestone now. Worried I might be overlooking something I decided to take the piece down to my camp and check it in more detail later. Remembering the pitting that happened to the pitons I decided against carrying it down in my back pack. Instead I decided to put it in a bag and just lower it down later.
Turning to the hole that was left in the cliff I looked carefully for anything unusual about it. As far as I could tell it was the same limestone as the rest of the cliff. Nothing appeared unusual in it but just to be sure I stick the handle of the hammer in and waved it around. Pulling it out I checked the end but no change, but something did seem off. After a moment of hesitation I decided to risk it and reached my hand inside checking for a breeze. I didn’t feel anything with my hand but as I took it out I thought I heard that hiss and started to begin to feel a breeze flowing into the hole. Just to make sure I decided to try another feather. Holding it right above the hole I let go and watched the feather drift inside. Getting the chalk from my pocket I watched for it to drift to a spot on the rock so I could mark it but it never made it, it just paused.
The feather had stopped drifting near the center of the hole. Leaning in I looked closer at it and it seemed to be just floating a couple of inches from the rock face at the back. My excitement built as I realized the mystery was steel going on and it was even bigger now. Tasking my small hammer I reached in with the handle and pushed the feather to the back. Pulling the hammer away I watched as the feather drift back to the same position again. I kept pushing the feather a second and third time and it kept going back to the same spot. Staring at the feather floating there I tried to think what could possibly be going on to make it behave that way. I was stumped and couldn’t think of anything that could cause it. Time to try something else then I decided.
Going through the things I had I saw my compass and thought about using it to check for magnetism. Holding the compass near the spot I moved it back and forth but the needles stayed firmly pointed at North. Following the same chain of thought I also tried my phone next to it in case there might be some kind of radio interference. Maybe not the best idea I ever had but I was running out of ways and things to test. Looking over at the rest of my equipment I saw the cheap water bottle I brought last night to replace the nice one I had stupidly damaged. It was an ugly puce color with some sports logo on it. I assume it was a team color but hard to imagine why anyone would pick it. Not my favorite color or team but the only bottle they had left at the store. Looking at it I now decided “what the heck” and grabbed it and removed the lid. It was still half empty with water but that was fine. Slowly I moved the mouth of the bottle over that spot. Reaching around the side of the bottle I managed to screw the lid back on. This has got to be the silliest thing I could ever think that would work I thought as I slowly pulled the bottle back out of the hole. Holding the bottle up it looked fine for a moment then I could see water start to slowing drip out.
Giving up for the day I decided I needed more equipment. Looking at my watch I decided if I hurried I could hike out and catch the last bus to town. Not sure what I needed or even where I could get it but I was sure nothing around here would work. There was a small work bench in the garage for my uncle’s chauffer to use but it didn’t seem to get used. His current driver preferred to get all maintenance on the cars be done at the dealership. I was not sure what was available but I assume just simple tools. A hardware store might have a few things could use but I had limited funds to spend. Either way I’ll be back tomorrow, looking back at the hole, and I will figure you out!
“Arg! Why won’t you move or do something!” I yelled, after trying over a dozen things just to get it to move, from a piece of lead foil, to a glass jar and even an electromagnet using batteries and a wire wrapped coil. All my attempts were scattered on the ledge around me. Most with pin holes in them from where my efforts to move or even just affect the strange enigma had failed. The hole in the rock face was now over a foot deep from the chiseling I did to remove the rock behind it. Nothing on the exposed rock could be found that might be projecting it, no machinery or weird lights just plain sandstone. It was so frustrating to think that for the last three days the only progress I had made in getting the enigma somewhere that I could safely investigate it was finding out all these things that wouldn’t work. To paraphrase Edison – I have not failed; I’ve just found a dozen ways that didn’t work!
I was now out of ideas; maybe it was time for me to get some outside help in figuring out what this enigma is. I didn’t really want to do bring someone else in to my discovery though. I had a very strong suspicion that if I did I would either kept out of whatever this turned out to be or put someplace that I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone about it. There was also the issue of convincing someone enough to make the trip up this cliff itself.
As a brand-new high school graduate, I fully understood that I was not qualified to be investigating anything like. There didn’t seem to be any technology involved so maybe no one really was. I had thought about talking to one of the professors at the local college but my description of it would make them think I was joking or maybe an idiot. Besides convincing them to climb up to this spot just to verify I wasn’t did seem pretty unlikely. I also didn’t want to share what I found. I don’t think I was greedy about that I just knew if anyone else found out I’d be sidelined from it. Eventually the government would find out and get involved. They would probably carve this cliff away to get at it easier. There would probably be a full military presence and research station built here as well. The last think I would want to see pristine spot.
So now I found myself miles from anywhere completely out of ideas for what to do next. At some point through the day I started cussing and screaming at it. Somehow, I knew that this old, impossible enigma in front of me would be my passport to getting that freedom I needed. Still, after two hours of trying everything I could think and I was finally out of ideas.
Frustrated I finally screamed at the spot in front of me shouting “move dame you!”.
A second later I heard a monotone voice saying ‘agreed”.