Person 1:

I happen to live on the other side of this place, you see, and I was merely out getting some supplies. When suddenly… as if the heavens opened up above… creatures unknown appeared, you see.

Now, I would try crossing, as I am not so fearful as to let my life be dictated by some organisms I have never seen before. Nor does anyone, I suppose, know the full extent of their functioning…

I, perhaps, though… do not tempt fate. That does not, at all, mean I am cowardly! I just do not seek unnecessary risk… I suppose, though, I can see how some might interpret this as fear. Not me!

If I could, just… fly over the horizon, up above them! I would, that is… such a pity we are not avian, yes? I have always wondered what it would be like to be of another species; it would be handy, here.

Also… it would be nice if I could bypass this at any point, especially a point soon in the future, for there is a certain film I would like to see, you see… such a bother it is, being subject to physical reality…

Do you reckon, perhaps, you could see into this? That is… try to, perhaps, see how I could go from here to there? Just maybe… I kind of prefer to be in front of a box watching fiction, you see…

Person 2:

I… happened to get stuck here, as I was passing by… you have no idea how they suddenly appeared, out of absolute nowhere… it was so strange, as if they materialized out of nothing, and yet not…

As in… they did not immediately appear. They, kind of… trickled? I do not quite understand why, or how, but they seemed to do so… slowly, but surely… I wonder why, and what it means…

Now, then, I seem to be trapped here… I mean, I am not even sure if they would harm me much if I tried to go down there. I do not suppose they are, as if, sharks on land… but what if they might be?

What might they, verily, be made of… though? I mean, what could something that appears to materialize out of nowhere be made of? Tiny atoms that can come apart and re-attach like puzzles?

This all makes so little sense, but what is most frustrating, to me at least, is that… well, I was scheduled for a coffee with a colleague of mine… but, no, the world and its random entropy cannot have that…

Perhaps we can all look into, in our own way, into these strange happenings, and then, possibly, combine our findings, and collage them back together? Wait, that sounds like… a puzzle. Is life a puzzle?

Person 3:

I came to see what the ruckus was about. While, as one might think, these creatures are not expected in such an environment… just because there are a few hills does not mean the rest…

That said, I am still not sure how they came about… others in Nimbus, the village beyond, have their theories… but I still am not sure they are correct. Although, in the end, no one is certain…

There have been a few other changes… which is why people are now thinking they might be connected, but as one might know… correlation is not causation. Well, at any rate…

The few scientists beyond here might tell you more about that. They do not know… either, no one has perfect knowledge… but they try to extrapolate. As for me… I am collecting various items, here…

For… of course, in examination of the physical lies the possibility of an answer. You might try to help with this, but you certainly have no obligation. I can understand if all you want is to relax…

I am just about to head in to give them what I happened to find out here, but… I wonder if anything happened to nuts around here, too… would not be too safe if one has not studied the changes, now…

Person 4:

Those creatures, outside… I assume you noticed?

What might they be…? So far, this had never happened.

Suddenly, though, as if it is a weather change, or so.

It is strange, no? For such beings to envelop us…

Could they… enter? What even prevents them?

Something in the woods, We hear its howls every night, Fear grips our village.

Person 5:

These trees… seem to have changed… recently…

In fact, how many things have changed? Outside, but…

Even if this town does not appear, on surface…

To, perhaps, change… I think it might have done so…

For, when does the external differ, but not the inside?

Dreadful is their fate, Villagers pray for mercy, But they know not why.

Person 6:

This water… is no longer pure, it so seems…

Something, lately, seems to have disturbed…

The world we live in seems to differ… why, though?

For that, perhaps you could try asking a researcher?

They are nearby if you desire… somewhere around…

Hope is all they have, As they wait for morning light, To bring a new day.

Person 7:

I know it might not seem as fancy to you as some locale with another dimension hammered on top of it, but I must say… here, there might be as much of the same quintessence of mystery as…

Ah… did that pause pique your interest…? Who am I kidding, though… only mystery is how there are so many of these trees in such a drab place… still, I suppose… this all is, regardless, part of existence…

Oh, and I do suppose that is thinking a bit too big, perhaps… speaking of which, if you desire, in a million years or so, to enter these houses here… well, I presume you can speak to someone up…

The northwest, that is… why, is it not strange how directions are often combined? As if novel concepts are not possible to be generated… seems awfully derivative to me, at any rate…

Well… I suppose, we did at least get to talk a tiny bit, a useful pause in my otherwise humdrum station… I may not be as worried as others, but reality is… reality is ever so… real…

Ah… reality… where would we be without it…? Perhaps, static as hunched arches on some ancient construction…? No, I suppose… that would still be in existence. So, never you mind anything I say…

Person 8:

This village… makes me so nervous… I mean, it kind of always did, and now with all these strange things happening… I am not sure I feel ever so safe, even… although uncertainty, so far, is present…

I suppose, uncertain is ever-present… not exactly a rare essence in life is it… and, yet, I wonder, what could these small alterations mean? Not nothing… could easily be a hint, a forewarning…

Also, while these trees provide some comfort… what are they indicating… themselves? Could it be a minor incident so far, but hopeless in the long run? I could not just be worrying needlessly?

I mean, affairs seem to have slightly altered so much… even some people on the other side seem to have started saying less, for some reason… or… perhaps, it is not technically correlated?

I just do not get any of this… even those boulders were once not there. Also… where one can fall can now, seemingly… mysteriously, as if by quantum mechanics, transport one elsewhere…

I know… glass could, theoretically, be half full, but one must realize that if it is half, then… automatically it is, also, half empty… I mean, pessimism is sort of ingrained in the very physics of reality…

Person 9:

I have been alone in this house for so long. You just arrived, though, so I assume your perception of time in this village varies from mine… yours is composed of more units, mine of wholes…

You are wondering what that could possibly mean? Well, you see, it is related to the arrow of time, and how its sense is distorted by one’s own age… and in relation to environmental experience…

In this sense one is more aware of a place the newer the experiences. So, not just one’s own age is crucial… but the spatial age too, and these two are what seems to me, as if, a local relativity…

This temporal-spatial perception, then… in a sense, is how one moves through time generally, but it also depends on how much sensory data there is, too… if deprived then it qualitatively changes…

Well, if you do excuse my ramble… I just do not meet many people I could express my thoughts to, so hopefully I did not send you to sleep too soon in the day… if I did I will try not to bore you again…

Oh, you are back? Then, I presume, I did not bore you terribly before? That is interesting to know… one can never be sure before ideas are shared, you see… but, if you are, I might tell you more…

Person 10:

I am… well, I happen to be a… colleague… one shall say, of some… people from the south of the village, although living here. I am assuming you are wondering why a few doors appear to be closed, yes?

Well… it could be that they happen to have left, perhaps as soon as some lights are switched on (being so garish), and so merely closed their doors behind them… or so. No, though, that happens not so…

In reality… they are a bit too shy. I kind of am too, but my friend over there does not mind if the door is left… perhaps… ajar. Well, either way, we might need a tiny amount of assistance, possibly…

So… in this sense, letting curious ones in would not, perhaps, be amiss… especially if these ones are curious about certain recent alterations… one quite curious difference being here, in fact…

What I am trying to say… if you are curious enough about this whole situation… let us just say… certain doors would be open to you, if, that is, you seem at all interested in collaboration, perhaps.

Well… I am still here, and around… trying to, if I can, find out anything about the very nature of these variations, these temporal anomalies… verily. Whether I succeed, or not… I attempt, in any case.

Person 11:

You, there… I assume you came to this village in an attempt to find out what suddenly seemed to cause that issue out there? Many others have done so too… as it happens. Never quite unique, no…

What seems to be, though, somewhat of an individual… happenstance is that… well… you might not believe it if I tell you as of now, so I shall preface this by saying… well, the mind is curious, no…?

What I mean is that… well… perceptions differ most times, but usually by minute quantities… they do so, presumably… due to alterations in chemistry. So… anyway, point is… a lifetime of percepts…

One might have such a long, and storied memory of… say, the dog, or cat, you had thus far shared your life with… a lifetime of impressions, and emotions… differ over time, but usually by not a lot…

One might also, of course… presume… that one can communicate with these creatures that are, actually… so expressive… that, if they ever did… talk, well, it would still be a surprise…

Ah, I am ever so puzzled about what this world has so become… why do things change? Why do they occasionally stay the same for a while, to change after? It is all such a mystery…

Dog:

‘Woof’…?

Or… it might be what you might expect a dog to sound like… but, you see, just recently I seem able to communicate with others here… which even I find peculiar… I mean, I could be physical, before…

Now, though… I can communicate these thoughts? How, ever? Makes little sense. Also, it is not like I did not have thoughts before… mind. We are just quite… different species. Why now, though…?

I shall tell you my theory, then… for, if I did not what use is being able to communicate? So… what I think might have happened is… the recent quirk… a subtle alteration, possible coincidences.

Many are claiming they have noticed differences in various things… creatures outside, water, trees… sound even… perhaps. Well, this might be another… now, I do not claim to understand it…

We might try to, though? As in, possibly… with our new method of communication? Or, perhaps, that might be hoping for too much, even at this stage… well, we shall see, verily, if… indeed, we could perceive.

I may be a canine, but I do happen to have a keen sense of smell which I might use to assist in searching for any possible sources of these changes. Although, I would not mind if I could still talk…

Sage 1:

You… really think you could do something about the creatures outside, do you? What, like, you and no one else? You seriously think you are so exclusive? You reckon, perhaps… I could not do so?

How dare one think in so closed-minded terms, verily?! Why, if I was younger…! Even now, if I could drag my colleagues… we could totally figure out what is the cause, I tell thee! Even if we are old!

Of course, my back might suffer a bit, but … alright, nevermind, I give up. What do you have planned, then? Offer them tea until they reveal their inner workings? Or coordinate with our scientists to…

Find… those elusive mechanisms of such strange creatures perhaps? Ah, might be too rational for these circumstances… how about, then, convincing villagers to form a circle, and then start to dance?

Oh… did you not know that… might… resolve our issue? No, really, the dance produces particles which disperse the creatures’ unknown chemistry through a certain osmosis. One learns every day!

All of us around here… we prefer not to socialize much. I mean, we do it among ourselves, but then we might have known each other since the womb… maybe, I kind of forgot at this juncture…

Sage 2:

Why, do you reckon, I am here asking questions? Well, one needs to ask about one’s own surroundings, of course… besides that, though; why, I tell you, and I theorize that it is something to do with…

This rock… do you know where it comes from? Where the essence of geology derives from…? Why, it is past hardened life… as with many other things fuelling current life… past makes the present…

Those… creatures, outside… truth be told as I am much older than others around here… I remember them once, long ago… I remember the loneliness that accompanied them… connected to rocks…

Why is it connected you are wondering? Well, imagine, rocks being so long-lasting and mostly unable to move themselves around… they must be so lonely. It was… at any rate, my perception when I saw…

Now, though? I do not quite know… they seem different, ever so slightly… I do not perceive similarly, but, then, I happen to be so much older than when I last saw. Science might be more objective about it.

Sometimes… no matter how objective I attempt to be… the amygdala fails me… you see. I fear, and almost panic at the thought that we are so deep inside this world’s very crust… well, not literally…

Sage 3:

We are siblings, yes… not that it makes that much difference when it concerns such existential matters as those beings outside… or getting, hypothetically, trapped within this cave…

That is… if they were, hypothetically, to surround the village outside, say, and destroy the entrance, or so, we would be trapped… and then what? Could we subsist on barely any air?

How much geology could we conduct at that point? We would, technically, have all the time in the world, but not for long; unless biology says nothing furthermore. So, you see, it is give and take…

Speaking of which, I realize I am rambling a bit too much, but then I do not see many others down here, for obvious reasons… and I do happen to speak with my brother quite often… also for obvious reasons…

So, I hope I did not bore you much with this… and, also, perhaps you could come back at some point… we might have found something in relation to rocks, and those creatures… or not, which is equally likely.

Is geology not a strange science? I mean one merely studies rocks, but does it in a way which seems like, instead of static objects, one is examining the beating heart of all existence, or such…

Sage 4:

I am guessing you cannot tell why I will not go down the ladder? Is it not obvious? This sound would obviously become too much down there, and that is not implying that it is not already so… you hear it, no?

I think it might be existence itself digging deep into the world’s crust… do you not believe me? How else do you think we have reached this point? It has been dug; should be obvious. Why am I here, though?

Well, as backup to the fellow further below… if, say, the ladders collapse… who would come to the rescue, then? Not that I care that much for my sibling… mind… but, then again, not so little…

What are we trying to retrieve, you ask? Why, the theoretical tome of the creatures’ propulsion, of course! Never heard of it? It contains the secret to what fuels them, and so might…

Just possibly, we might be able to switch off their source of movement. It is all physics, I tell you… some might be all philosophical about these creatures, but not me! I know it is all… kinetic…

The extrinsic alterations that result in such varying changes does, as it happens — and not merely, assume its position. Oh — who am I kidding, I am no scientist… I aspired to be one, but boulders were…

Sage 5:

Yes, I dare to dig into the deepest part of one’s soul! Wait… this rock… is it my soul? If it is, though, am I not hardened crust? Am I not solid, calcified magma? You are saying there are no volcanoes?

If there are none… then where doth my soul flow…? Where does it stretch like an eternal riverbed among a repetitive drone, verily? Oh how I wish I was merely rested in a bed… but even beds can be…

Shall we say… uncomfortable, just like rocks can be, I suppose… soft? Uh, wait… could that be incorrect? I think I might be going a slight bit over my head, here… one supposes… deep underground…

The mind is affected… sadly. Admittedly, I was not always perfectly perfect, per se — but I did not let the perfect become the enemy of the good, and so I traversed the land in search of this fabled tome!

All I seem able to find, though… is a… headache, sadly. Not just because my head is more vulnerable, mind! Well, it might soon be time for me to go back up… or I might have something permanent…

Does anyone ever wonder what lies within one’s innermost depth? Does one not seek it out, to know all truly about what one inhabits? Or… does fear inhibit that which rarely situates itself there…?

Scientist 1:

Ah, yes, I am one of those scientists you must have heard about, and I got some things I could convey to you, perhaps… just be mindful that this is a mere hypothesis, so it could, or not, be reality.

Well… first things first; indeed, it might be not just the creatures that happened. This seems to be more pervasive than that. Something seems to have changed the very fabric of existence, almost…

Crucially, the creatures materialized out of nowhere, but not suddenly, and so we theorize, due to their source direction being upwards, too, that… well, what ever is located thereabouts?

Indeed, it is… clouds. We hypothesize, and this is conjecture, that they formed from such a source, not too dissimilar to rain. The difference being… they coalesce. Which is… yes, also similar to…

Does one not get it? Why, it is clouds themselves… they are made out of damp that happens to build up, but this is on the ground, similar to… yes, fog. Puzzling? It might be, verily, quite… mystifying.

What I think one could do, then, if indeed one was so inclined… is to investigate the hypothetical source, the quintessential origin of these creatures… and possibly all other subtle changes, too….

Scientist 2:

Oh, yes, as it happens, I do happen to be that other scientist around here… and I might possibly have found out something else about these recent changes around here… ‘possible’ being key, here.

Well… my theory is that there is something not merely physical, here. Not just a concrete change that happened… because, one observes, this occurs after a certain psychological phenomenon…

That is, what one happens to observe… hypothetically, as to how physical changes seem to occur after a mental alteration too. It might, of course, be a mere error in causation, but…

Why would so many report such apparent coincidences? I do not, personally, give in to such flimsy connections, but when the sample size is hefty… well, it is still mere conjecture, at any rate…

One that we might test if we delve into the origin of these changes, though… why not try to get close to where the creatures might come from? I might be able to apply my psychology, then…

Do not fret, though… if we can find out what causes this, we might perhaps also realize what ails us so… existentially… maybe. Fundamentally, crucially… we could find out what rots at our souls…