SmS

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  SMS

  by Robert C. Waggoner

  Copyright 2012 Robert C. Waggoner

  Smashwords Edition

  Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories

  Robert C. Waggoner

  2013

  Table of Contents

  1. A Bridge Never Crossed [2010]

  2. Peaceful Journey [2012]

  3. Revelations Hoodwinked [2012]

  4. Optical Delusion [2012]

  5. Sacred Treasure [2012]

  “A Bridge Never Crossed”

  Professor James T. Tompson stood, or rather leaned against the cement highway divider that prevented anyone from driving across the old bridge. Unlike the bridge, there was nothing remarkable about Professor James other the fact his head was slightly out of proportion to his body being on the voluminous size.

  With him was a graduate student working on his master’s degree in a not so common field of Strange Phenomena. Both were on a study of a strange and hard to believe tale of a bridge that led to oblivion.

  It was similar to the Devils Triangle in the respect that those who attempted to cross this bridge didn’t always make it to the other side; or if they did, no one was around to make that determination.

  “Tell me what you know Aaron, about this strange bridge, “Professor Tompson asked his student.

  Aaron at only one year from thirty took a deep breath and said, “The Bridge was built in 1942 during the war. It was built to transport supplies and such things in case the Japanese attacked our west coast. As you know the Columbia River can support a full cargo ship all the way to Portland. The government decided that this location was the narrowest and most convenient for construction. They weren't worried about the fog that was constantly hanging over the north side of the bridge. Back then they didn’t fully understand the reason the fog was always hanging over the bridge, but nowadays we know exactly why. That overhang of rock plays an important role in the weather and the main cause of the fog. The strange part is that while under construction nothing out of the ordinary happened. It wasn’t until it was finished and the first cars passed onto the bridge. It was when they never appeared on the other side was when the government stopped all traffic including foot traffic.”

  “Well, since then how many vehicles or people have disappeared?”

  “The count is not perfect, but more than fifty cars and over a hundred people have officially been missing.” Both men let it hang as they gazed at the old asphalt on the bridge that now was more weeds and green than black of old. Only a faint line could be seen down the middle and the whole rusty thing appeared to be about ready to disappear into the river. After the strange episodes the government built a route around this part of the river and simply left the bridge where it was to remind all that what happened was not the governments fault.

  The road from the other side was blocked off at the top of the outcropping, but there still is remnants of old gun emplacements with a state park to commemorate the missing people.

  Professor Tompson looked at the permanent sign telling people to pass over at their own peril. Then he said, “Do we dare cross over Aaron?”

  “I think professor that that's the only way we can determine what happened.” Aaron Fielding lived for adventure and being single felt the need to live on the edge. However, he was no fool and would use his good brain rather than do something totally foolish. His girlfriend thought he was a bit crazy with his daredevil stunts. But according to Aaron, he never did anything that was completely fool hardy. When he rock climbed, he always followed the rules of climbing. When he went hand gliding he kept an eye on the weather and knew the geography of the area. But regardless of his confidence there was something gnawing in the pit of his stomach when he looked at the bridge thinking what might be lying in wait on the other side in the dense fog; he was hesitant, but unafraid.

  On the other hand, Professor Tompson was reserved and protective of his tenured position at the University of Washington. His reputation was sound as a rock, but conservative. In other words, no way would he venture across the bridge not knowing what would be on the other side. Aaron noticed as usual the professor was dressed depicting his profession: leather patches on his corduroy sports coat, a shirt of blue stripes open at the neck with a gold necklace mixed with chest hairs, a pair of outdoor pants of a dark grey color and hiking shoes that looked like they just came out of the box. Aaron also noticed the professor was staring at the road leading across the bridge with frown lines upon his receding hair lined forehead. It wouldn’t be long Aaron thought that the good professor would need a new style to his silver hair that would soon need attention. And, he silently chuckled; a nose job wouldn’t hurt as the ski ramp look probably has haunted him since adolescence. All told, the professor wasn’t a bad sort of man. Aaron had no real complaints about his guidance in graduate school.

  Enough of that, he thought, back to business at hand, as he gazed upon the rock overhang and thought about rappelling down instead of walking across the bridge. The more he thought about it the better he liked it. He could get his girlfriend Jill on top and they could communicate with hand held radios. The more he thought about the better he liked it. Also it would take the professor off the hook and he would really like that idea.

  “Let’s go have some lunch,” the professor said. Twenty minutes later they were in a restaurant overlooking the river and the front part of the bridge was visible, but the rest of the bridge disappeared into the fog bank across the river. The professor said while eating his Caesar salad, “I can see and feel the wheels turning in your head Aaron, what do you have in mind?”

  “I’m think professor,” while he ate his vegetarian salad, “I will rappel down the rock outcropping just to the west of the bridge. I’ve been on the other side, which is a long way around but I’ve examined it quite closely using my spotting scope from this side and a firsthand look from the other side.”

  While resting his fork on the side of the plate, the professor asked, “Don’t you think that might be a little dangerous?”

  “The danger professor is not from the repealing down but what might await me when I stand on solid ground.”

  “When will you attempt the rappelling?”

  “My girlfriend will assist me and she will be available spring break. She teaches school in Snohomish. From then we will camp out at the state park and after I have finished planning and have the necessary supplies, I will do an early morning rappel. I plan on voice recording on my way down and I have a small video camera for the record once I set foot on land.”

  The professor said, “I will be on this side of the bridge with a medical team and if you think of anything else, let me know.”

  Aaron, leaning back and sipping an ice tea said, “I have no idea what's needed as this is like a trip into a black hole. I’ve made the necessary plans in case I don’t return and at the very least you'll have a voice recording. I'll secure the recorder to the rope and Jill will be on top to retrieve it.”

  It was an early morning in April when Aaron, with his back to the rock overhang ready to go, with all equipment checked and double checked. On the drive down him and Jill had a discussion about the folly of this project of Aarons and the professors. She had pointed out, rightfully so, that the professor was taking no risk and would probably profit from the subsequent book sales. And this was not to say he may never come back. Her voice was echoing in his head as the morning was calm and sunny which was rather unusual for the Pacific coast at anytime of the year. Could this be the calm before the storm, he thought.

  He again drifted back to last night sleeping in their four man tent. He tossed and turned and finally got up to take a walk. He found a picnic table and lay on top of it to meditate. A half hour later he was back in his bag asleep. H
e woke up refreshed and Jill woke up cranky. Now he was ready and he told Jill he loved her, checked his voice recorder and stepped off backwards to what awaited he knew not. Not so far away, a camera man recorded his departure.

  Aaron was busy starting his decent and when he hit the fog, he stopped and relayed a message up to Jill. He told her all was well so far and that he would take it more slowly from here on down. About all he could see was the wall in front of him the fog was so thick. Down he went and the only thing he really knew was he was going down. The fog was swirling around him and then he felt some electrically current beginning with his legs. He stopped and radioed up to Jill, with another radio, sent a message to the professor. Then Jill sent him a message that she was coming down regardless of what he said. In no time she was repelling down and caught up with him as he waited for her.

  Aaron knew it was no use arguing with her. She was here and he was silently pleased he was not alone. She said, “I can feel a tingling in my legs and now I know what you were telling me. Should we give it up or go on down,” she asked him.

  “Hell, we're committed now so let's keep on going down a few feet at a time and see what happens.” They slowly decended unknowing where the bottom was. Aaron increasingly felt the tingling slowly climbing up his legs. The silence he noticed was kind of eerie, but he thought he could hear some faint voices across the way that must have been the professor and his team of rescue people. He said to Jill, “Let’s stop for a bit and see what it feels like.”

  They hung there and the only sounds were a slight creaking of the ropes against their leather belts. Jill said softly, “I feel we're getting close and the tingling is now at my waist, how about you?”

  “Me too and let’s get this over with. I’ll go down about ten feet and see how it is and then you drop down to where I stopped.”

  Aaron dropped down and after about ten feet pulled up and hung there. Jill followed and then Aaron went on down; his feet touched the ground. He felt a pulling of some force towards the rock face. He couldn’t see the bridge nor could he tell if he was close to the bridge or not. Jill landed next to him and both stood strongly against the force that wanted to draw them towards the rock wall.

  “Aaron said, “Don’t unhook as this force is getting stronger and stronger. This is really strange and try to contact the professor by radio and tell him we are on flat ground now.”

  Jill attempted to contact the professor but all they heard was static. The pulling force was getting stronger and both Aaron and Jill were at the point where they were unable to fight the tug. Aaron said, while straining, “I think we're losing the battle Jill. Let’s unhook and see what happens. I believe,” he now shouted, “it’s too late to go back.” Both unhook from their belts and hand in hand were pulled into the rock wall. Aaron later described it as like going through a jell type substance and within a few steps found that they were in a giant cavern.

  Instead of it being in total darkness, a hazy yellow light touched all parts of the cavern. The smell and sound of the ocean could be heard but from where they were, couldn’t be seen. Jill squeezed his hand and said, “Where the hell are we and how come we're able to see. Where's the light coming from and this scares me to death!”

  “Yes, and me too, but we're still alive and if we're still alive, there's always the possibility of returning, but not sure of passing through a rock wall is the way out.”

  Aaron ran his hands over the rock wall they had passed through and found it solid rock. With his back to the open cavern he heard Jill say:

  “Here comes somebody or something walking slowly up from the direction of the ocean sounds.” Aaron turned around and walked back to Jill. They waited while the person, if a person, came close enough to be identified as a real person. It was a man of average size and of late middle age. He was smiling and when he got close enough said:

  “Welcome. It’s been a long time since we had any new arrivals. I know you have many questions and most can be answered in time. My name is Bill Parsons. I came here in late 1942 along with my wife, God rest her soul. I am very curious as to what the date is. We’ve sort of lost track of time here and if you would be so kind to enlighten me I’d like that very much.”

  “It’s April 20th in the year 2010,” said Jill. My name is Jill and this here is Aaron. We came to investigate these phenomena and were pulled in here not by choice mind you.”

  “My Lord,” said Bill, we had no idea that so many years have passed. We don’t age here as you can see that I am fifty seven when I came here and let’s see that would make me one hundred and twenty two years old. Anyway, please follow me and I’ll show you where we live and introduce you to the other members of our community.”

  Walking down the mostly rocky path that had been cleared of the bigger rocks that were placed lining the path, Jill and Aaron noticed the quiet as they looked around them. The noise of the ocean increased the closer they came to the beach. They could hear waves lapping upon the shore and hissing of the water as it ran up and then back down the beach. Soon they saw, much to their amazement, a settlement of cottages made mostly of rock and other things, either washed up on the shore or scrounged from around the area.

  The cottages were arranged in a circle with a center area for gathering. A large blacken fire pit, washed up logs for sitting and a large table completed the scene. Some smoke was seen slowly drifting up for one cottage but to both Jill and Aaron they didn’t feel cold. As a matter of fact, it was a little muggy with a temperature at around seventy or so Aaron guessed.

  As they approached the cottages the occupants came out to greet them. Aaron started counting and kind of lost tract at around ten or twelve adults with a smattering of kids shyly hiding behind their parents. Obviously, strangers were few and far in-between so no doubt the kids and adults alike would be wary of strangers. Bill hollered out that they had guests and for everyone to make themselves presentable for introductions. After all of the community members were either sitting down or standing,Bill went down the line introducing all of them by name and city or town where they came from or once lived. No way could Aaron and Jill remember all the names so at the end of the introductions Aaron said:

  “My name is Aaron Fielding and this is my lady friend Jill Landing. Jill is a school teacher in Snohomish and I am doing my graduate work at the University of Washington in Seattle. Jill is assisting me as I'm, along with a professor from the university, studying the disappearance of all of the people and your vehicles that went missing very mysteriously. Well it’s obvious that you're here inside this rock mountain and as I saw your cars off to the side, I think we have discovered the mystery, but it would appear the why is still unaccounted for. As we speak there is a rescue team across the bridge on the Oregon side, but I would surmise that's not a possibility for anyone to enter here and then leave. I hope you can enlighten us and give a proper account for the record.”

  Jill stepped up and introduced herself and went on to ask the female side of the equation such as, how do you all survive without a sun; how and what do you eat; what about medical emergencies and so on.”

  “Bill stepped up and said, “I am kind of the head man here. I was elected by the group but having never campaigned, so I guess you could say I was drafted.” That brought on a little laugher and broke the ice so to speak of a stressful encounter. “Anyway, if you two will sit down I will give you some highlights and later we can give you the details. But first I am going to shock you by saying we're being taken care of by aliens.”

  Bill was right as both Aaron and Jill were not expecting this phenomena was caused by off world aliens. Aaron said, “Go ahead Bill as you have our full attention.”

  “Like I said, I’ll give you the overview and then we can later add the details as you wish. I was not the first one here, so when Amos over, there told me we are like rats in a cage being controlled by aliens, I couldn’t believe it, but it very true. They are not harmful in any way and treat us with the upmost respect. They provi
de for all our needs and really don’t ask for anything in return. Visually they are hard to see as it has been explained to us they are in a different dimension than us. They appear blurry and as if in a floating fog of sorts. Anyway, you will see shortly and can make your own determination about what they look like. I can imagine your first question is that why don’t they let us go back to our former lives? We don’t know the answer to that question as they seem to have trouble explaining to us. We feel it's just a matter of time and even though we would like to go home, we're not unhappy living here. The cottages you see were constructed by us and the food we eat is provided by our hosts. Fish is our main protein and vegetables come from the sea. Fruit appears as to the outside season so we can imagine what time of year it is. Like now is spring time so we will have cherries first and then strawberries and so on. Fresh water comes from the mountain itself and we have a hot springs not so far from here where we can all bathe in private.”

  Now to the cavern as you can see is about twelve feet high and runs about two hundred yards from the back to ocean. It’s about three hundred yards wide. We have no idea how the light works, but as you can see we are pale but not unhealthy. No one gets sick here and it also appears we don’t age. Our watches quit a long time ago so we don’t know the exact time, but we can guess pretty close. We have twelve hours of light and twelve hours of darkness. Usually our hosts visit us about an hour before darkness and that gives us about three hours to show you around and then we can answer your questions the best we can.”

  There really was not a lot to see, but what they did see was interesting. The hot spring looked inviting as steam rose off the large pool of water. Privacy was provided by driftwood for poles and cross pieces and streams of seaweed or kelp for a type of curtain. Someone had done some work building steps down into the water and then rock seats were provided for sitting and enjoying the hot mineral water. Next they saw where a privy was built and both Aaron and Jill noticed no offensive smell came from the outdoor privy. After that they walked down to the beach where the tide was mostly out and rocks mixed with sand ran up to the high tide mark. After the high tide mark, round rocks made up the floor. Pathways through the rocks gave a walker a smooth path to and from the various places such as bath area, privy area and up to the place where the entrance was.