As a kid, I watched horrifying documentaries that sensationalized the imminent dangers posed by aliens, crop-circles, Bigfoot, and blackholes. There were so many: Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe, History’s Mysteries, Sightings, Decoding the Past, and The Proof Is Out There. Looking back on that strange time in the late 90s, I noticed that of all the weird paranormal phenomena that was covered, the Bermuda Triangle was by far the biggest threat. At one point I vividly recall the Bermuda Triangle being as inevitable and devastating as a natural disaster. That it was somehow out to get us.
Now, I’m all grown up and my anxieties about the Bermuda Triangle faded into memory. I am a professional photographer and worked mostly for nature magazines. However, I still have a taste for the paranormal and sometimes took jobs investigating supposedly haunted locations. Unfortunately, despite all our fancy cameras, I never once saw anything supernatural.
Recently I saved enough money to take the trip I’d wanted to take for decades: visiting the Bermuda Triangle. Based on years of my own research, I decided the area with the most likely “supernatural” activity would be near the triangle’s centre. After dropping my cat, Spooky, off with my sister, I took a flight from Boston to Bermuda. It was late in the evening when I exited the airport. I called my friend, Dylan, who lived on a nearby island.
After an early night and a large breakfast, he took me to the main harbour near Hamilton. It was idyllic, the friendly locals, beautiful fresh skies, and the vast, sparkling ocean. I’d grown up by the sea and my family were originally fishermen, so I was confident in my boating abilities. I got in the small rental boat and inspected the engine. It was early morning and the sun was low. I heard the water slap the sides of the boat. The air was warm, and I closed my eyes as a zephyr caressed my face. I took in a deep breath. I loved being back on the ocean. “Have fun out there, Trish! Try not to get in any trouble!” Dylan shouted at me and waved as I started the engine. As I made my way into open water I checked my map again. I wouldn’t be able to go too far, but I would be satisfied if I could get as close as possible, look around, then leave.
After a few hours of gliding through the vast blue ocean, I’d already seen dolphins and whales and got some great shots. Goosebumps spread down my neck and arms as I realized: I was finally here! I was in the Bermuda Triangle! I looked around at the calm ocean. I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed. There was nothing out here but the sea. Nevertheless, I was determined to enjoy myself.
A while later, the sun disappeared behind angry, black clouds. The ocean darkened. I shivered as a cold wind whipped through my hair. I heard the distant cries of seagulls. Or was that an albatross? I was worrying about the possibility of a storm as I poured boiling hot coffee from my thermos into a tin cup. I blew on the steam and carefully took a sip. It was delicious. Just then, I noticed my compass. My eyebrow arched. I squinted in the gloom. The needle on my compass was spinning like a top. “No way,” I mumbled softly. I ran over to the ship’s controls in excitement. I tried the radio. It was dead. My head was spinning as fast as my compass. Before I could fully take in the weirdness, I noticed a large object approach out of the corner of my eye. A bright white light exploded to life above me. No way! I thought, no way! I screamed and shielded my eyes. What the hell was that? Oh my God! Is it happening? “Shut down your engines immediately! This is a restricted area! Prepare for boarding!” I heard a metallic voice boom from a loudspeaker. Two gigantic black police-boats, with enormous blaring spotlights atop each, were suddenly within spitting distance. They had come out of nowhere. Oh, shit! What the hell? There was no warning! I blinked rapidly from confusion as my heart lunged hard against my ribs. Of course, I immediately obeyed. My engine shuddered as it stopped. I didn’t feel like getting shot. I held up my arms in submission.
In less than a minute, my small boat became quite crowded. Officers in black uniforms swarmed all around me and told me to sit. I quickly explained who I was, and why I was there. They took my ID card. Soon, they were much less aggressive; it appeared whatever background test they did came back clear. “Civilians are not permitted in this area; it’s very dangerous!” I looked sheepishly up at one of the officers as I asked, “What’s out here that’s so bad?” The officers exchanged an enigmatic expression. Was it fear? “We are not at liberty to say,” he answered, handing me a hefty fine, “Consider this a warning, if we catch you out here again, we will arrest you. If you’re lucky.” My head felt full of air. Was this happening right now? For real?
In an instant, a deep rumbling sound blasted into existence. It sounded like a monstrous tuba. The noise came from all around us and was so loud I felt it in my chest. It was a deep, single note. It swelled, louder and louder. Then it stopped abruptly. The officers and agents went berserk. Immediately weapons were drawn, orders screamed. Then it got a lot weirder. The waters to our sides began to seethe. Immediately, I noticed all our boats were moving. On their own? No. There was a current! But how? I looked on in disbelief as the ocean before me swirled faster. A whirlpool formed, and before long it was a raging maelstrom. My mind had whiplash. Where was I? What the hell was going on? All around me the officers began to yell in alarm. “Shit! We have an event! Contact! Contact!”
We were swirling in a vortex of water like a paper boat caught in a circular drain. As the sea in the middle was pulled apart, I saw what lay below. My breathing stopped. That same horrible sound thundered out again. I felt my chest vibrate as the sound roared out so loud, we all clamped our ears in pain. The sound came from something beneath the water. It was large and circular, with many lights peppered throughout its bulk. What the fuck was that? A city? A space-ship? I couldn’t tell. The boat whirled and shook. Soon we would capsize! The wind burned with cold as it whirled around me. Then I looked up and gasped. We had already been pulled deep into the whirlpool. The sky was a shrinking circle of purple clouds above us. The officers leapt into the water, trying to escape. I jumped in too and immediately fell into frigid darkness.
When I woke up, I was not surprised to find myself cold and shaking. However, I was very surprised when I realized I was dry, lying naked on a cold metal table. I screamed and sat up. The room around me was brightly lit, small and empty. The air stank of copper and sterile iodine. The walls and floor were made from dull metal. Sweat beaded my forehead, and my heart was hammering hard. Where the hell was I? It was then, while inspecting my aching head with my fingertips, that I felt something. A chill rolled down my back. Oh God, what was that? I leapt up and looked for a mirror. When I found none, I squinted into the reflective surface of the wall. In my right temple there was a small piece of something silvery. It was cool and smooth. In an instant I was cursing and looking for an exit, and when I saw one, I ran out as fast as I could. My mind whirled. I had a horrifying suspicion I knew exactly what was going on. The exit I ran through led me to a maze of long metallic tunnels. As I sprinted, I glanced through multiple doorways. Within many rooms were the remnants of old boats, submarines, and I even saw an old Spitfire airplane! They were all in states of partial dissection; their gears and parts neatly organized on the floor. I don’t know how many doorways I tried, but eventually I came to one much larger than the others.
I froze. I stood in a massive room at least a mile long! There, stretched out before me, were rows of people! My eyes nearly popped out of my head. They were all floating in glass tanks. All of them had that same metal implant in their heads, only theirs were all blinking rapidly with a red light. I panted from exhaustion and walked in disbelief towards the nearest tank. Just like all the others, a naked person floated gently within a transparent fluid. I looked at the monitor next to the tank. It displayed some language I’d never seen before. Suddenly, I heard a noise. Were those footsteps? Claustrophobic panic sent a surge of adrenaline through me and immediately I was running. Before I could even begin to process this experience, I stopped again. I nearly vomited. The pods I was running by no longer held bodies. Instead, they held brains. Human brains. I stared at them. Transfixed by terror. It was then that I realized I had waited too long. They were right behind me!
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
It was the unmistakable sound of metal on metal. Then the footsteps stopped. I felt a cold trickle of sweat run down my back. I held my breath. I spun around. I can't know for certain what I saw behind me. In my nightmares, I think I see them. Humanoid. Partly organic. Partly machine. But I can’t know for sure that’s really what I saw. I didn’t manage to look at them long. Almost immediately after I turned, I heard a beep come from my prosthetic and I’m sure, if I could have seen it, I would have noticed a little blinking red-light flicker to life too.
Suddenly I was back on my boat like nothing had happened. I shook my head in disbelief. My hands trembled. I was clothed again! How? What? At first, I could not understand what had happened. Of course, I tried the radio immediately. And, of course, it did not work. Then I looked for my supplies. These were missing. Without thinking further, I started my engine and charted a course for the harbour. Hours ticked by. My heart beat harder and harder. Sweat trickled down my arms and forehead. I yelled in frustration. Where was the land? At first, I thought my compass must be wrong. Could I be lost now in the middle of the ocean? That’s when I noticed for the first time: the sun wasn’t moving. It seemed no closer to setting now than it had hours before. Panic flooded my blood. I had to get out of here!
I must have travelled for millions of miles across the ocean. I can’t get back to land. It never comes back. The sun never sets. A few times I leapt into the ocean and swam as deep down as I could. There’s nothing down there. Not just no land. There’s no dolphins, sharks, whales, fish or crustaceans of any kind. No birds in the sky. No other boats. Not even one single bit of plankton. The boat never changes. Even after I’ve beaten it in frustration, as soon as I turn, it magically repairs itself. Is my real body or brain in some tank now? Is this a punishment? Are they studying me?
I don’t know how much time has progressed. I must have been here for centuries. I cannot remember the smell of dirt. Did such a thing as “night” ever exist? Will they ever let me go? Will I ever know why? When I dream, I dream of conversation, of Dylan and my sister, of petrichor, of popcorn at the cinema, of beer and sex, of petting Spooky one last time. All I do is scream in rage and hunger, and sail alone. I’ve tried suicide, but all that happens is I wake up again on this fucking boat! Have they left my brain on some shelf? Am I forgotten?
I knew I was in a simulation. But it’s been so long. Can I be sure? Was there ever such a person as “me”? Or was I a dream? Was this always my real life? The truth matters little. There is nothing now but the sun and the flat endless sea.