Jake

Not to grab. To touch. Its hand pressed against my chest and I swear to you. Everything went silent. Not just sound. My heartbeat. My breath. My thoughts. Gone. In that moment, I didn't see memories. I didn't see light. I saw roots. Miles of them. Thick black. pulsing with a slow, oily rhythm, wrapping around bones, skulls, ribcages, femurs, all buried beneath us.

Not to grab. To touch. Its hand pressed against my chest and I swear to you. Everything went silent. Not just sound. My heartbeat. My breath. My thoughts. Gone. In that moment, I didn't see memories. I didn't see light. I saw roots. Miles of them. Thick black. pulsing with a slow, oily rhythm, wrapping around bones, skulls, ribcages, femurs, all buried beneath us.

And deeper still, I saw something else. A mouth, not a face, not a head, just a mouth, wider than a cave, ringed with teeth carved from stone and bone and something still moving. It was asleep, but it was dreaming. And in that dream, it had already swallowed us whole. I don't remember what happened after that. I woke up three weeks later on the side of a rural road near Cougar, Washington.

And deeper still, I saw something else. A mouth, not a face, not a head, just a mouth, wider than a cave, ringed with teeth carved from stone and bone and something still moving. It was asleep, but it was dreaming. And in that dream, it had already swallowed us whole. I don't remember what happened after that. I woke up three weeks later on the side of a rural road near Cougar, Washington.

Covered in mud, half naked, 30 pounds lighter, no gear, no camera, just Fred Beck's notebook stuffed in my jacket pocket. I don't talk about what happened to authorities. What could I say? They never found Molly. Or Jess. Or David. Or Aaron. They found no trace. My YouTube channel. Wiped. Every file gone. Every backup corrupted. But the worst part?

Covered in mud, half naked, 30 pounds lighter, no gear, no camera, just Fred Beck's notebook stuffed in my jacket pocket. I don't talk about what happened to authorities. What could I say? They never found Molly. Or Jess. Or David. Or Aaron. They found no trace. My YouTube channel. Wiped. Every file gone. Every backup corrupted. But the worst part?

Sometimes, late at night, when everything's quiet, I hear three knocks on my bedroom window. Always three. Never four. And sometimes when I'm dreaming, I'm back in that canyon. I see Molly, standing in front of the stone slit. She turns, smiles, and says, We never needed the sun. My name is Sarah Branch.

Sometimes, late at night, when everything's quiet, I hear three knocks on my bedroom window. Always three. Never four. And sometimes when I'm dreaming, I'm back in that canyon. I see Molly, standing in front of the stone slit. She turns, smiles, and says, We never needed the sun. My name is Sarah Branch.

A few years ago, when I was 24 years old, I had left my home state of Utah and moved abroad to work as an English language teacher in Vietnam. Having just graduated from BYU and earned my degree in teaching, I suddenly realized I needed so much more from my life. I always wanted to travel, embrace other cultures, and most of all, have memorable and life-changing experiences.

A few years ago, when I was 24 years old, I had left my home state of Utah and moved abroad to work as an English language teacher in Vietnam. Having just graduated from BYU and earned my degree in teaching, I suddenly realized I needed so much more from my life. I always wanted to travel, embrace other cultures, and most of all, have memorable and life-changing experiences.

Feeling trapped in my normal, everyday life outside of Salt Lake City, where winters are cold and summers always far away, I decided I was no longer going to live the life that others had chosen for me. and instead choose my own path in life, a life of fulfillment and few regrets.

Feeling trapped in my normal, everyday life outside of Salt Lake City, where winters are cold and summers always far away, I decided I was no longer going to live the life that others had chosen for me. and instead choose my own path in life, a life of fulfillment and few regrets.

Already attaining my degree in teaching, I realized that if I gained a further ESL certification, teaching English as a second language, I could finally achieve my lifelong dream of traveling the world to far away and exotic places, all the while working for a reasonable income. There were so many places I dreamed of going, maybe somewhere in South America or Far East Asia.

Already attaining my degree in teaching, I realized that if I gained a further ESL certification, teaching English as a second language, I could finally achieve my lifelong dream of traveling the world to far away and exotic places, all the while working for a reasonable income. There were so many places I dreamed of going, maybe somewhere in South America or Far East Asia.

As long as the weather was warm and there were beautiful beaches for me to soak up the sun, I honestly did not mind. Scanning my finger over a map of the world, rotating from one hemisphere to the other, I eventually put my finger down on a narrow, little country called Vietnam. This was by no means a random choice.

As long as the weather was warm and there were beautiful beaches for me to soak up the sun, I honestly did not mind. Scanning my finger over a map of the world, rotating from one hemisphere to the other, I eventually put my finger down on a narrow, little country called Vietnam. This was by no means a random choice.

I had always wanted to travel to Vietnam because... I'm actually one-quarter Vietnamese. Not that you can tell or anything. My hair is brown and my skin is rather fair. But I figured, if I wanted to go where the sun was always shining, and there was an endless supply of tropical beaches, Vietnam would be the perfect destination. Furthermore, I'd finally get the chance to explore my heritage.

I had always wanted to travel to Vietnam because... I'm actually one-quarter Vietnamese. Not that you can tell or anything. My hair is brown and my skin is rather fair. But I figured, if I wanted to go where the sun was always shining, and there was an endless supply of tropical beaches, Vietnam would be the perfect destination. Furthermore, I'd finally get the chance to explore my heritage.

Fortunately enough for me, it turned out Vietnam had a huge demand for English language teachers. They did prefer it if you were teaching in the country already. But after a few online interviews and some visa complications later, I packed up my things in Utah and moved across the world to the land of the blue dragon.

Fortunately enough for me, it turned out Vietnam had a huge demand for English language teachers. They did prefer it if you were teaching in the country already. But after a few online interviews and some visa complications later, I packed up my things in Utah and moved across the world to the land of the blue dragon.