life is the monster

In the late Nineties, in a small town on the border of Washington and Canada, there was a string of unexplained disappearances. Under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 798, federal law prohibits the knowing and willful disclosure of classified information. After 25 years, a declassification review is automatic.

This is what the originating agency finally revealed.

There were a total of fifteen victims. All were never heard from again.

There were plenty of eye witnesses, but each gave a slightly different description of the creature that killed these individuals. All used the term ‘monster’ in one way or other.

It stood the height of three men and then some. It had legs, but in all other ways was described as one of those fish you see in the deep ocean. Mostly mouth. Big eyes. Long translucent teeth.

It snatched the victims with either a beam of black light or a long tongue, descriptions varied. What was clear was that you could see the outline of the victim in the creature long after it was consumed.

The most curious part of the whole thing was the reaction of the eye witnesses to the event; they seemed fine with it. Perhaps not in retrospect, but at the time.

The same seemed to go for the victims. The ‘monster’ did not leap out from the shadows but instead slowly walked up to them and seemed to give them every opportunity to escape. It was noted by many of the eye witnesses that the victims seemed not only calm before they were taken, but actually had a peaceful look on their faces. Many witnesses in their testimony used words like ‘peaceful’ and ‘clarity’ to describe the victims moments before they were consumed.

Each of the victims, both men and women, were in their forties or fifties and seemed in perfect health, which did not align with the reaction of their friends and families upon hearing of their passing. Authorities described the response of these individuals as sad but somehow grateful. As if the victims had all been suffering from some long illness and it was almost merciful that their lives finally ended.

Inspectors looked for clues that would link the victims, some undisclosed medical conditions that might have been in play, but were unable to find anything. It was only years later that their loved ones would start to mourn in earnest. They described their initial reactions as puzzling and not in any way what they would have expected to feel given the tragic circumstances.

Finally eight agents from the originating agency, the only way they are described in the transcripts, arrived on the scene to locate and terminate the creature. After a brief search they came upon it and dispatched it. Its remains were then sent to an unknown facility, whose location will remain classified for an addition 25 years, for autopsy and further study.

While there are a number of predators that use various techniques to calm or hypnotize their prey, the fact witnesses also seemed to be affected is unique in the animal kingdom. The secondary manipulation of the emotions of individuals not at the scene is also beyond our current understanding.

It should also be noted that each of the eight agents assigned to the task of killing the creature ended up committing suicide in the following twelve months.

Only one of the agents left a note. It read as follows; “This. All around us. This experience. Life is the monster.”