UCSD Gothic: Head in the direction of Geisel.
You step through the dirt and leaves strewn about, the shining lights of Geisel acting as a beacon in the swirling fog. The air is cold, the ocean breeze giving rise to goosebumps along your arms.
You step across a rock. The fog is so thick you can barely see where you’re stepping. You hope you’re going the right way. A glance up confirms that you’re still heading towards Geisel, but you don’t seem any closer than you were before. Then you hear it.
Turning your head to the source of the noise, your eyes lock onto the one tree that doesn’t have peeling bark. The fog clears a path towards this tree, the metal paneled branches gleaming in the light of the moon.
You know this tree. You know it because of the noise that drew your gaze to it in the first place. The eerie song playing from its metal trunk, echoing around the woods and warping the mist into different shapes. It’s the singing tree.
You’re drawn to it. The fog is pushing you towards it, a gentle caress against your now bare arms. The song is calling to you, but you don’t recognize what song it is. You never do. You approach the tree. You can hear the song clearly now. It’s familiar not because you’ve heard it before, but because it’s your voice that’s singing it.
Come closer, you call to yourself. You look around, and realize you can no longer see Geisel through the fog. In fact, you can’t even see the other trees. The fog is so thick, all that’s visible is the singing tree as it calls your name. With trembling fingers, you bring a hand up to its trunk. The metal is cool against your fingertips. You look up at the top of the tree, seeing its spindly branches extending towards the invisible sky. Then, the branches are gone.
You blink, and suddenly feel cold metal touching your back. The branches wrap around you from behind, pinning you to the tree. You try to fight but it’s too strong. You can’t move your arms or legs, and when you look down, your body is gone, replaced by the metal of The Singing Tree.
You open your mouth to scream, but only a song comes out. The song that called you to it, that led you through the fog and to this refuge. You can see Geisel from here, but it’s no closer than when you started walking towards it. It will never be closer.
YOU HAVE DIED.
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