After the Wave

Chapter 10
Antarctica and the Strawberry Recap

Chapter Description: More clues are revealed as to the potential origins of the Wave. And there's a brief recap of a story you may have missed, which is relevant to the next chapter.

Chapter X: Antarctica and the Strawberry Recap

While it’s true that the cause of the Wave still hasn’t been identified after 36 years, its source -- that is to say, the location from whence it came -- has tentatively been agreed upon by the world’s leading scientists to be the Geographic South Pole in Antarctica. Of course, kids, this is merely educated speculation, but let’s look at the facts:

One. The United States Government built a scientific research facility, the Amunsden-Scott South Pole Station, at that exact location in November 1956. It was continuously staffed by dozens of talented researchers until November 9th, 2014, when all of them suddenly vanished. All radio and wireless communications were lost. Teams of knowledgeable scientists, followed by squads of highly-trained military personnel, were sent in to investigate. Only one radio transmission was received by the Pentagon -- it sounded like “...no...corpses...” Not a single individual returned; not a single body was recovered. Within days, people simply refused to go. The facility gained the nickname Ogoljen, after the Bohemian vampire who could only be killed by burying it at a crossroads.

Two. NASA satellites took detailed photographs of the base and the areas surrounding it. The pictures were crystal-clear... except for the areas depicting the facility itself, which resembled television static from the late 20th century. One perfectly-functioning photographic satellite snapped a shot of South Pole Station and promptly exploded in low orbit.

Three. This is what I find to be the most damning. Should the scientists’ theory regarding the geographical origin of the Wave be correct, that means it would have spread out in all directions at an equal velocity, wrapping itself longitudinally across Earth’s surface as if covering the innards of a golf ball, finally meeting at the Geographic North Pole. While obviously not doing so at the speed of light, it would have managed a very close second. The whole world was smacked in the face pretty much simultaneously.

(Though the Wave at least had the “common courtesy,” if you could call it that, to delay its effects on schools across America for Monday the 17th. Tyler Jetter no doubt appreciated that. But, as with the fraternity pledges who emerged entirely unscathed, these little flourishes cause one to wonder just how much of an accident the Wave could have been.)

I apologize for the aside, kids -- I do tend to ramble -- but it does go a long way in explaining the events in the East of England. Things were happening across the pond. Things were happening everywhere.

Now, you might remember an urban legend that was going around in the early 2010s. If not, it’s probably still in the Cloud-- everything is. Microverizogoogle it if you like, but while we’re here, let me give you a brief refresher.

So the story goes: Jared was in a bad place. He was 30 years of age and locked in a pattern of self-destruction... intentionally bombing dates, masturbating into ex-flames’ panties and tossing them upon the floor, and smoking like a chimney (if you’re curious, you can look up “cigarette” in the Cloud while you’re at it). All because of Alex, a 16-year-old science student Jared had met in a London pub. She dumped him two years later after having helped fill them with memories.

But he couldn’t let go. He kept getting sicker and sicker, more and more depressed. His favorite memory of Alex, of all things, was a pair of cotton panties she wore just to tease him: pink-trimmed waistband and a little strawberry embroidered into the corner. Jared had called them the “strawberry pair.” So when Alex, seemingly apropos of nothing, sent him that exact pair in the mail, Jared was ecstatic. It was scented with an odd perfume, but he didn’t care. He was sniffing them, rubbing them all over himself, and jacking off into them immediately.

Although, each time he had an orgasm, he got younger. And hornier. So the process began anew... and he got younger. And hornier. This went on until he had become a two-year-old toddler; Alex walked into the room, explained the regressive significance of the perfume, regressed him further, and brought him back into her womb. (Check with your doctor before exploring this treatment for depression.)

Jared’s best friend Devon had given Alex the key to the apartment. He’d been more worried about Jared’s well-being than anyone.

Gotta be honest with you, kids. As plausible as something like this is -- I myself had heard of something similar happening right here in the States to a young man named Cam Singleton, minus the unbirthing -- I have my doubts. Oh, don’t get me wrong; a story like Jared’s is entirely possible... it’s just that I heard a different version of events. One set three years later and with the Wave directly responsible.