The Silver Tomb

It was completely untarnished when we found it, even as its surroundings appeared cracked and ancient. Indeed, even the plaque by its entrance was entirely legible. Dreyfus translated it within a few minutes: "Love and History, may it always be!" Though I'm sure he exerted some... poetic liberties, the message was still relatively believable. Perhaps it was the abode of an ancient ruler, one keen to exert their wealth and everlasting power? Nevertheless, we didn't know much at the time.

The next few hours following our discovery were spent on careful preparations of all kinds. Tamarie ensured the foundations were stable, while Dreyfus and I mapped out the surface area of the whole structure. To our surprise, it was seemingly much larger than the, already colossal, ruins that lay above and around it. When we first arrived, it had taken weeks to fully survey the surface ruins. With that in mind, I could sense a conflict in us all. If we were to delve in, we would be accepting another month or so on this job, away from those we loved most.

Still, curiosity is a firm and alluring mistress. We could deny her no longer, and our first journey inside began.

Dreyfus' Account: "First expedition into the silver structure. As soon as we entered into the dark, and surprisingly warm, enclosed space, both Tamarie and Dr Guilford declared that they had seen enough, and left. I couldn't understand why, so I immediately followed after, without seeing a thing inside. When I emerged, the two were sat by our fire, and Dr Guilford had a full beard. They seemed incredibly shocked to see me alive, but also weirdly secretive about why. After a short argument, and some unanswered questions, I returned to the silver structure. As soon as I did so, I found myself waking up slowly by its entrance, to Dr Guilford and Tamarie shaking me. They calmly declared that I had fallen over shortly after we entered. We all decided to leave after that, and regroup by the fire. End of first expedition."

Tamarie's Account: "First trek into the strange ruins. Before we could even get ourselves together, Dreyfus was eagerly running into the darkness. Dr Guilford and I tried to keep pace with him for a while, but he was too fast, and we agreed that we'd rather keep our eyes on the entrance for now. Once Dreyfus' footsteps were completely out of earshot, we took our torches out properly and had a look around. Dr Guilford noted some strange carvings on the walls. After setting our torch to a wide beam, we could see them fully. They were, in no uncertain terms, rudimentary drawings of the three of us, like those a child might create. Dr Guilford seemed extremely unsettled by this, which was understandable, but I simply assured him that it could easily be Dreyfus playing a trick, or a misunderstanding on our part. Although, I refused to mention this at the time... As I was patting his shoulders, I saw someone behind him, only by a few metres. I couldn't say, in confidence, that it wasn't Dreyfus. Still, it didn't feel like Dreyfus. I could see an outline, and the vague colour of its clothes. It refused to move. Then, when Dr Guilford started to rise to his feet, it responded in kind, and backed off into the darkness once again. I kept my mouth shut. Finally, we made our way back to the entrance, where we found Dreyfus unconscious on the floor. Thankfully, he was easily roused after some shaking, and we all left the structure together. An uncertain ending."

My Account: "Love is complex. I knew that before we entered, but I only truly felt it once we were inside. After all, it wasn't my first experience with that place. Once I was alone with Tamarie in there, I felt it all coming back. Those walls, though different in colour and location, were the same ones from my childhood bedroom. Those scents, though different in taste and origin, were the pleasant aromas of my mother's cooking. Those footsteps behind me were my father's, and I cursed Tamarie for taking me away from him."