The Fool

“Saint Anthony said, in his solitude, he sometimes encountered devils who looked like angels, and other times he found angels who looked like devils.

When asked how he could tell the difference, the saint said that you can only tell which is which by the way you feel after the creature has left your company.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert


The skies at sea are rarely joyful. They instead show themselves in a darkened state, in which they seem to weep onto those who dare traverse its domain. In attempts to draw us away, they shoot down torrents of water, flooding and sinking our puny vessels, proving to us time and time again how much of a danger our own home presented to us. Rain is a seafarer's worst enemy and, at times, our greatest savior. It shoves us down with the wrath of a god, only to sustain us longer by providing us the water of which we humans so desperately need.

Maybe we're taking what we're given for granted; maybe we're only seeing the byproducts of its attacks as gifts to hide ourselves from the true nature of this world. A nature which beckons us ever so lovingly, enticing us to come closer and rest, only to strike at us once it finds us the most vulnerable.

A familiar voice breaks me from my trance, "Oi, [SPLIT(!)HEAD], get yerself out of the deck. You've been stargazin' enough; it's pissin rain out here."

"Oh, sorry! I'll be there in a sec." I scream to her over the rain, [SPLIT(?)HEAD] sure knows how to take me out of the moment.

I take a quick second to look around me——I really had been out of it. Rainfall was all around me, coming down to the ground quickly as it splattered on the ground heavily. On the ship's deck, random pieces of equipment on the ground were being thrown around by the roaring winds.

I take a few steps forward but stumble a bit, it was rougher than I thought out here. I lay my weight over onto the railing and make my way to the cabin, pulling myself there bit by bit.

I get myself inside and slam the door behind me, water dripping off my body and getting all over the floor. The cabin, despite not being much, is surprisingly comfy. Just a small room, two plastic benches, a couple posters (which were too weathered for me to even make out their original design) hung up lazily on the wall, a chest with various items and a decently sized cooler over on the far side of the room where we kept all of our drinks——mainly monsters and ginger ales.

Upon hearing my entry, [SPLIT(‽)HEAD] pops up from the bench, "Ay, the man of the hour! Was gettin' worried about ya out there, come over here, I'll get a towel on you."

I hobble over to him, "That'd be nice, man."

He reaches into the chest and grabs a couple of towels, wrapping them around me like I was his son that has just gotten out of the pool. [SPLIT(‽)HEAD] was sweet like that. [SPLIT(?)HEAD], on the other hand, was slumped over on the bench. Typical.

The warmth of the towels was good. It's not really something I think about, but I miss heat so much. It's not something very present on seas; instead, I'm only met by the frigid cold. I'd love to just lay down next to a nice, warm fire. My only substitutes are towels and hoodies.

I walk waltz over to the bench and fall over onto it——exhaustion washes over my body. I roll over to face the ceiling as [SPLIT(‽)HEAD] begins speaking to me.

"What kept you out there so long, [SPLIT(!)HEAD]? You had another daydream?" [SPLIT(‽)HEAD] asks mockingly.

"For your information, I was actually pondering the secrets of this universe. Ever heard of med-i-ta-tion?" I mumble, speaking out each singular syllable in a joking manner.

"Ah, of course. You truly are the next Gandhi, aren't you… Don't let me keep you up though, that surely must be draining for you. Night."

Despite knowing that [SPLIT(‽)HEAD] is just messing with me, letting me sleep is very much appreciated. I let my mind wander as I drift off into unconsciousness, toying with various ideas in my head until I think of something that would be interesting enough for me to wonder about until I fall asleep, but that act itself lulls me into slumber...


AREA OF OCCURRENCE: Level α

DATE OF OCCURRENCE: 11/21/18

NUMBER FOUND DEAD: 89

AREA FOUND: Shoreline located in the southernmost area.

CAUSE OF DEATH: Splitting caused in the frontal bone (skull) that was left unattended.

SUPPOSED REASON FOR DEATH: Unidentified phenomenon that occurs within the sea of the level.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: The M.E.G. advises to stay away from the coast whilst in Level α. Despite this, several more corpses wash up on the shore. Several agents were sent to explore this level's oceans to find the cause.


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