Beneath

Below the town, there lies a horror.

This Town is keeping a secret. It is a dark, dark secret, one devouring he town from the inside out. Nobody knows what the secret is, of course. The secret wouldn't be a secret if everybody knew about it. They don’t know what they're doing, because they aren't choosing to do it. Nobody thinks they could be getting controlled. The thought is absurd. No larger force is controlling us all.

Right?

Inside this town, there lies a mayor. This mayor is a short, squat man who is balding on top but not yet on the sides, so he looks like a monk. He grabbed this job because it sounded like a good change of pace. A way to get out of the house. He did not expect to be making such monumental decisions. He did not expect to pull the trigger himself.

He never thought he’d have to deal with something like this either. Why had so many people disappeared at the reservoir path? Did nobody realize people were dying around there? Not a single editorial, front pager, back pager, even so much as a passing notice. And why would nobody listen when he told them to keep out. To stay the hell away from it. I mean, I can’t be the only one who realizes, can I? He asks himself this many times. This will be the question he can never reconcile in his mind. Why he couldn’t close it down. Why he didn’t anyway. Why did he watch so many people die.

As if in answer, something tells him to turn off his lamp and lay down on the couch in the office. He follows the prompt.

Down the street, a mother prepares her son. He has a big morning ahead of him. He’s going to soccer, and he’s even going with his friend for a walk around the reservoir. He was so excited, she could see. She didn’t pay much attention to where they were walking. In fact, she is only a little aware of the child running around. Eventually, as she tucks him in, she finds it hard to focus on the details of his face. For a moment, she almost thought she heard his breath trail off, but looked back and saw what it wanted her to see.

She walks down the hall and gets in her bed. She was just tired. Nothing was wrong with Otis. And there was nothing wrong with her. She was invincible, and had the world in her hands. She might even get a promotion soon! Surely, nothing could be wrong with Orwell. No, no, no, Orville was perfectly ok, sleeping in his O.J sized P.J’s in his Orbach sized bed dreaming Oliver dreams.

She had some vague idea that something was progressing. She did not know what. Instead, she simply clicked off the light.

Below the town, something knew. And Below the town, something was ready for it’s day tomorrow.

Oscar was having a great morning.

Soccer was a breeze for him. Run up, kick, repeat until the ball was in the goal. He wasn’t sure where the mental disconnect for his teammates was.

On top of that, he got to see his best friend today. His name was Henry. Henry was short, had blonde hair, and Otis loved him. They could laugh all day, and have so much fun. Hank really was the best. And these paths were his favorite. He knew them so well. He was even gonna take some new ones today with Horace.

They trekked out. On the way, they talked about video games, and about the new update coming out for it. They traded tips, regaled each other with stories about their skill. Neither had noticed the glassy-eyed stare of either of their mothers, or that they had already driven away for a quiet nap. They both knew the way. Left, straight, right, short left. They were so close. They were getting quieter. They were ready.

A swamp-like area had emerged from the ground many, many years ago. They knew it hadn’t always been there. They just didn’t know where it had been.  It had many pale trees poking up from the ground, grabbing towards the air.

As they neared it, they stopped talking. They both had run out of things to say. And very shortly, they would really be out of time to say things, even if they had some to say.

Once they got within striking distance of the trees, they became aware of a rumble. An eye, as big around as a washing machine, had stuck out from the water. The trees had started to grow, as a tentacled monster sprung up from the ground. It’s eyes were massive, and their color yellow. The huge, spider-like body was huge, large enough to sit on a house. The eye was composed of shapes neither boy could comprehend, and yet had acute knowledge of. And how many eyes it had. Billions and Trillions of them, all looking in a different way, acting independantly.

The boys brains started to cave in on themselves, as it showed them things it could not explain nor comprehend, yet had a deep understanding of. Just as the brain cannot imagine it’s own non-existence, it started to comprehend these new shapes, see new colors. The eyes the monster had were all consuming, they were the only thing that mattered. They became faintly aware that someone, somewhere, was screaming. They calcified, melted, re-hardened, and became whole, and broken. They being was all consuming, it was all comprehending it was the only thing that mattered anymore because they could finally see they could finally see the truth and everything they had never seen and oh god how horrible how indifferent oh please end the suffering and save the poor the screaming it all made so so much sense oh my god it made sense-

A tentacle reached out and threw them in the gaping maw of The Old God Beneath The Town. Now, new colors and shapes mattered much, much less to them.

Beneath the town, something sleeps. It sleeps full. It sleeps well.

In the center of town, a mayor is worried, but not about the boys. He is worried about provisional tax rates on corporations making between $35,000-$40,000 a year. How ever will we fix it? Not only was it remarkably too high, it was too low as well! How could they do such a thing? The Incompetence. That was the only solution. Someone had made an error. There was nothing more important to worry about…

Something told him he was completely correct. He got his keys and drove home. Nothing bad had happened except for the tax rates. Very, very good.

Down the street, a woman prepares for bed.

This woman does not have any children that she knows of. She also does not have a husband. She has no responsibility, but she also has the world in her hands.

As she gets ready for bed, she can’t help but feel like something is wrong. Something is missing. If only she could put her finger on it....

Ah! Here it was. Her toothbrush. How could she be so careless? She had set it next to the Thomas the Train one, which she had bought to look at earlier that week. Obviously.

As she went to bed, she remarked on how well she was doing. She had brought about a good change, making her company money. She might even get a promotion! How exciting.

And as the woman passed an empty child’s bedroom, which wouldn’t be slept in tonight or ever again, something beneath the town smiled.