Chambers

New London, U.S.A., 1908.

The days were the six, seven and eight of august. Conrad, Damian, and Mr. Poe were excited to make the trip, along with myself. They had their rucksacks ready, but we had to scold Damian for bringing some hindrances. It’d take hours, maybe the whole day, so the nail clipper was rather uncalled for. Among other things.

And given the timing of it all, the paperwork, and how the folks at the quarry were rather distrustful of the whole operation, I thought the circumstances were unusual. We just had to get the chance of glimpsing between them rocks.

Strange hearings one after the other. We had about ten or nine in the last eighteen days. The chaps and lasses that would go near it, to do what it was they had to do, got sick the very next day. Conrad swore it was something with the water, maybe the chambers of gas inside those mines finally started to leak.

I told him that we had no real insight into how these operations worked and that if the water got polluted then the water got polluted. There wasn’t much else to debate. He was willing to argue, and I wasn’t. Matter of fact, he was willing to sit down and discuss the entire process of mineral extraction and cave configuration, to prove a point.

I would buy him gin if it meant calling it a day. The first day that was, I believe, the 6th of August. At that point, we had heard a lot about the quarry and the water that may or may not have been tainted.

Here in New London, it was a surprise to see a piece of news circulate for more than one week. Though the University of Obelus was the greatest and grandest thing located in that waning town, it did not act as a beacon of intelligence as one would hope. Sure, the students and professors were all dedicated to the cause, and we did the good work, but stepping outside that giant wooden complex was like entering a new world.

In New London, we had a slogan or a common “wise phrase” used by the people who’ve lived here long enough. “See a man about a dog.”

I never really understood it since no one ever said it. It was always more of a quote as if people quote the fact that it was said by others plenty of times. But that wasn’t true at all. And given the putrid smell and slurred speech of the denizens, it’s not like I could ask for an explanation.

What dog? What man? What knowledge did the man have about that dog? And why must I engage with the man to learn about the dog? Is the dog the issue at hand or was it the man? Even for someone such as myself, I couldn’t really grasp the hidden meaning. Even phrases such as “When life gives you lemons,” possesses more metaphorical significance even though it’s impossible for life to hand you lemons literally.

Damian and Conrad would also shrug. They didn’t know what it meant but they knew that everyone would say it, although they never heard anyone say it. When I asked Mr. Poe, he played it off with a joke. He swore that these popular sayings were varied and many of them were crippling old, to the point that if not lost forever, the meaning was definitely warped, so no one could figure it out.

To the decrepit and foul streets of New London. The average level of intelligence of the citizens was disappointing, to say the least. Misinformation? No, it was ignorance. And not in a malicious way, no, no, no, they were good folk at heart.

They sought to know less because it allowed them to worry less. Because they were taught that way because they were inclined to simplicity. Ignorance was indeed bliss. And learning was too much of a hassle. I told Conrad and Damian that, while we waited outside the lecture halls. Surely our comprehension of the world was profound, but it was incomplete. Did that not bother anyone? Not in the slightest?

Conrad, taking yet another opportunity to stroke his ego’s ego, claimed that the pursuit of infinite knowledge was infinitely more gratifying than anything life had to offer. Damian laughed saying that Conrad was trying too hard to emulate Sisyphus. But he and I agreed, against the physicist’s liking, that knowledge must not be infinite. Not only for the sake of life in the universe but for humanity’s future.

And also, our, admittedly limited, sanity.

He got visibly angry at our stance, and I don’t blame him. That was the issue of discussing such things without Mr. Poe’s presence. We were all too prone to get riled up and lose sight of the discussion. Conrad was a pious Christian, and, in his eyes, God was too magnificent to create a limited universe.

The grandness of Earth and the Cosmos were, by design, as beautiful as they were unreachable, as to cement the majesty of his Lord. Damian joked, and swore that he wouldn’t mind spending some time fusing with his couch and absently listening to the radio, while God ran the entire universe.

And that was exactly what I was trying to say.

We get in too deep about these conversations about the structure of our world, for the good of our minds and also for the sake of progress, but how bad would it be to wind down and be purposefully ignorant for a while?

I immediately apologize. I knew I didn’t express myself too well. And Conrad nodded understandingly, knowing with certainty, that a man like myself would not be so trivial. Before I get the chance to dwell on that topic, the students began to walk out. A wave of molding minds from the main auditory. It seems like Mr. Poe was finally finished with his lecture.

We’ve been here for quite some time, longer than any of us can remember with certainty. I’m not even sure what my position was, to begin with. I suppose that we all were equal parts students and teachers. Because we were apt to teach and educate everyone we come across. But old Mr. Poe was the only teacher to the three of us. Mr. Poe has been here the longest.

He was our philosopher and headmaster. I was but a humble Chemist, Damian our loose Biologist, and Conrad as we already know, our feverous Physicist. We have never seen the other’s house. But we have eaten together outside the union on some occasions. The most recent was 46 days ago, when the university celebrated something important. I’m not sure what was happening, but we had wine and fine cuisine to match.

After our fat dobber came out, we all head outside. It was a long walk from the lecture hall to the exit, so we had the time to discuss important matters. And that’s when Conrad brought up again, that damned quarry.

On day seven of the month of August were getting ready to see it, we had the bags, and the sketches. I told Mr. Poe to forgive us many times. Four or six times. It was all too rushed and sloppy. Conrad had some papers, and the owner of the site was at his mercy. Had some favors to get out of the way, or something.

And because of that window of opportunity, we had to see it regardless of circumstances. It rained a lot here in New London, so there was always the smell of wet concrete. Wet filth and general dampness in the air. And since we were close to the shore, the sand was awfully muddy and unpleasant. The seventh day of the eighth month was also no stranger. Leaving the murky and lacking town, was a forty-six-minute walk to the quarry.

Thankfully, we had our raincoats to protect our notes because it definitely couldn’t ease the wetness of that unending and deafening torrent. The lake and the rocks were even darker because there was no light from the town to suggest even the slightest bits of life. It was 4:06 in the morning by the time we arrived, but the darkness of the clouds suggested that it was the latest hour.

The site had some lamps and lanterns placed at strategic points, but we all followed Conrad since he was the head of this trip. We had to yell to get out thoughts across, and he said something about finding the frontman. To tell them that we had access to the place for a few hours and to lend us some guidance and equipment if the experts deemed it necessary.

After about four minutes of walking along the machines and the platforms, we noticed there wasn’t but one operator. No one was working on the excavation site that day. We promptly yell at Conrad, for getting the date wrong, but he insisted that we were at the right place, at the right time.

Mr. Poe suggested we head to the massive crack in the solid rock walls, the entrance of the cave. To shelter us from the rain, and to talk calmly. Gathering ourselves from a very unpleasant arrival, Damian said that because it was so early, the workers had yet to arrive, or that the rain was slowing them down.

Looking over the documents Conrad had, nothing was incorrect. The time, the date, the place. So, we were only left to assume that it was this somewhat abnormal downpour that got in the way of everything. But, given our presence at the cave’s maw, we dared to continue with the exploration on our own accord.

The risk of flooding was also not of concern. Since there were many other monsoons and operations continued as planned. The entrance was angled in such a way as to naturally prevent that.

When Mr. Poe heard the news, he was excited. More excited than we would guess an old philosopher of his girth to be. As we left the Academy of Olbeus, we saw a feeble-minded individual protesting on his lonesome. The gibberish was so nonsensical that none of us four paid any mind. All the attention was on Mr. Poe and how thrilled he was to learn about the quarry. Said it was “Like they say, let’s see a man about a dog.”

Strange hearings one after the other. We had about ten or twelve in the last seventeen days. The chaps and lasses that would go near it, to do what it was they had to do, would get sick the next day. Conrad said it was something with the water, maybe the chambers of gas inside those mines finally started to leak.

But Mr. Poe just had to place a few cents worth of doubt. He believed that strange phenomena were taking place. That it wasn’t the natural circumstances of the cave that were attracting so many eyes. And that as scholars, we must inebriate ourselves with this yet-to-be-found knowledge. That was, again, the day before. Conrad agreed and said that he would get it done. That in four to six days, we would be on an expedition. I told them all goodbye since we all had our own houses to be in. It was an evening, but it was the same grey around the town. A little darker, with the setting sun, but not colourful in the slightest. A quiet, safe, and rather boring town.

On the eight-ish day of the eight-ish month, I went back to the University of Olebus, and it was business as usual. But I had the increasingly intense desire to eat raw fish. I wasn’t much for Asian cuisine, let alone the, admittedly pretty, sushi rolls the Japanese were fond of. I didn’t know of a single place in New London that specialized in those kinds of dishes, but I knew that there was a fish store somewhere nearby.

I wanted to invite the others, but I couldn’t take it much longer. And since I didn’t know if they would like all the fish, I went on my own. A little earlier than allowed, before anything could happen.

Entering the cave, we had our flashlights on. Remember, the cave could not be flooded, and Conrad certified that gas leaks were not a problem either. I and Damian led the walk, with Mr. Poe and the other a little further behind. As one would expect the cave was as cave-ish as any cave. In my mind, the fact that it was day 7 of August instead of the 6 of August meant that the cave would be different.

As if it would present itself to us and reveal many zany secrets. I almost told Conrad that, maybe his enthusiasm would force him to agree, despite the fact that we saw nothing for the first forty-six minutes. Note that, what we did find was a larger chamber. A bigger, emptier space, with a few lights from the workers that used to be down here.

As we took in the grandness of the space, I witnessed a shadow escape from the corner of my eye. Hiding behind the pillars of the hollowing cavern. With my alert, Damian became fearless, it was an animal that wandered in and wanted to see it in person. We advised against it, but he went past the pillar anyway.

Fish, he said. But his voice ended unenthusiastically as if he lost the will to speak right at the end of his exclamation. Damian stood there, looking at whatever was behind the pillar, in shock, he would move but I could tell his legs became wobbly and he would soon fall over.

The three of us walk up and Conrad helps Damian settle down, I get to look in his place and become immediately conscripted with the desire to seize all of my bodily functions, collapse and die.

A humanoid fish. About the size of a short adult woman and with sloppy rubbery skin. Big, full black eyes that protruded from the skull, no nose, and a larger, deformed mouth. It was light blue and greyish, and it seemed aware of us. Looking back, I see Mr. Poe standing like a statue. His eyes were immensely wide, and his pupils dilated with terror.

From that corner of the cave, with all the pillars, was a downward slope, towards a much larger sequence of chambers, four to six times the size of what we thought was the main chamber. In the sloped, heading deeper into the cave, were more fish. There were easily more than forty. They all sat in similar positions, crouched, hugging their legs or their upper bodies as if it were shivering cold. And they became aware of my flashing light.

The smell was abhorrently horrid and acidic. As if many pregnant women were giving birth in that space and were suddenly killed and left to rot, while simultaneously continuing the birth process with equally dead and decaying fetuses. The first one, crawled towards Damian, slowly and meagrely.

We were inclined to shout and hit it, but Damian’s animal conduct knowledge came through and he composed himself. On the floor, he was face to face with the fish and tried to reason with it. Not that they could speak but they made movements with their mouths. The fish extends his arm, trying to feel Damian’s skin. We continue to speak against it, but Damian assured us that it was fine.

As he was being touched by the fish, he informed us about its behavior. It had a slow metabolism and its movements were akin to a sloth. It wasn’t pretending to move slowly; it simply couldn’t move any faster. Damian giggled and smiled at the fish, mentioning its gentleness and ticklish, slimy touch.

Looking back at the slope I see that many of them were now standing, with their arms down and their head extended forward, watching us. They had no genitals but a slit around the belly button, similar to a vagina. And the water was around their knees. I gathered that it was less parts water, and more parts defects and other fluids.

Looking behind me, I see Conrad frozen in fear, trying to rationalize things to himself in hushed murmurs. I asked him where Mr. Poe was. Said he went down the ramp, towards all the fish. He sounded like he was going to cry happy tears. But I had already seen the slope and did not see Mr. Poe. The bottom part was some four or six meters down and there wasn’t much space to walk, along all the fish.

Though I do see an opening to another chamber, past all the creatures. Since we saw the first fish, it was hard to tell the time. The smell and the sights kept making it hard to think. I tell Conrad that we should head down, to find Mr. Poe. He agrees and says to Damian that he should stay up here, with his fish.

By that point, the fish was already laying over Damian. It kept slowly moving its hands over his face and covering him with more and more slime. I don’t think he heard us.

Going down the incline, the fish continue to stare with their unsettlingly blank faces. And now that we're down two lanterns, it was hard to keep track of them all. Upon entering the pit, the water in which they stood was thick like sludge, and with tangible solid bits, some of which were harder than others and did not crumble beneath your feet.

As we thread slowly and carefully, the fish keep up with us and touch our bodies. Similar to Damian we become covered in slime and sweat. The smell became even more dreadful, and it caused Conrad to vomit. But one of the fish next to him moved dreadfully fast and shoved its arm down Conrad’s throat, keeping the vomit inside. Damian must have been fooled as well. They move as they desire.

I could see some blood, but the fish quickly surrounded Conrad and the screaming and struggle became far too loud to make sense of. The fish around me kept staring but went no further than feeling my skin, so I managed to cross that pit. Lifting myself out of the sludge into a slightly elevated chamber, I look back.

Not only was there no noise, but there was no Conrad either. All the fish resumed staring at me. So, I tread on, entering an extremely large room, with an extremely large creature, residing in it. I couldn’t describe it at first, and it was too dark.

It was then that my ears erupted. I heard a loud noise that was quickly interrupted and overtaken by absolute silence, and as if the pain weren’t already unbearable, the bleeding that I felt from my ears also came from under my nails. Now I couldn’t hear, nor feel my grip, but after that, I manage to understand, or rather, properly visualize what was ahead of me.

It occupied most of that giant room, as this being was the size of a two-story house.

Wings made of legs long grey legs. The human expression of a sleeping woman, surrounded by a slit-like hood. Long thin arms to cradle, a large gestating torso, with six flaps from which overhung small tentacles like that of a sea anemone. Its legs were completely made up of massive tentacles like that of a giant squid. And along its pale body, with many crusty skin patches like coral and protruding barnacles.

Around it, sleeping, were other fish. Though they seemed dead and larger. Their stagnation was akin to decomposition, but they were growing, instead of diminishing. Roots and barnacles, building from their skulls, and they had no eyes. Before I try to understand that metamorphosis, I see another fish being gushed out from between Mother’s large tentacles.

After it was done, it decided to open its eyes. It had its massive empty gaze on me. It knew me very well at that point. Didn’t seem like it had anything against me, though we had a mutual, unspoken agreement, about the difference in existential standings between us.

I thought I had seen enough, so I turned back and left.

On my way back up the slope, I saw Damian still on the floor. But it was hard to see him under all the slime. The fish had an umbilical cord coming from its slit, which was moved to Damian’s mouth. Like he had swallowed some kind of egg, there was a massive lump on his neck, which, was being strangled and pressed down on by the fish. It seemed like the fish wanted to keep the thing on his neck and that Damian would die and stagnate soon enough. Good for him.

Another one, reborn by the ocean of knowledge, mother’s embrace.

On August 8th, I came out of the cave, and now I had a word or two against those shadows. I head to the School of Oseaul or whatever it was called now, to do what I always do. But I had a desire to eat fish so beyond me, that I left to enter the nearest fish store. I ate all kinds of fish served with all kinds of sides. I had the whole menu, and I just couldn’t stop.

I’ve been shouting gibberish and nonsense at the gate of the school for weeks now, but the only thing people pick up is an invitation to eat fish, at the closest fish store, forty-six minutes from the school. Because leaving the world was not as tempting as eating the scraps. As the days go by, I invited other teachers to eat fish. Every day, another person eats alongside me.

One of these days, while I had more fish, a student came up to me. I remember her, she was one of my classes, top of the line. So, I invite her to eat with me. She thought it was strange that all the teachers were no longer coming to the academy. That the days seemed gloomier than normal and that everything seemed more and more empty. So, I answer her, to ease her troubled mind.

The ones I’ve seen told me something about seeing a man about a dog.

She said, what is it about a man and a dog?

I couldn’t tell. I saw the dog, but not the man.

She asked me what I meant by that.

“I don’t know. It’s just what everyone says, anyway.”