Decemystery (2020) 7: Mokèlé-mbèmbé

This story is dedicated to my friend Marcus. Sorry it took so long to get around to covering this.

Howdy, this is RMS Vertigo and we’re sailing down a river. Mud and dirt is being torn up because we’re about thirty-five times the legal size for a small river and there are a ton of really pissed off hippos chewing at the steel hull of this bad boy. We’re committing illegal acts of sailing the likes of which we haven’t seen since the era of the pirates and I feel perfectly fine.

You see, dear reader, in this world: I can be whatever I want. I can be an astronaut dancing on Venus as the immense heat makes my flesh melt off. I can be the King of Arcadia and on my way to Atlantis. I can also be an author who doesn’t sit on his bed typing out write-ups that about five people read on the daily.

Lucky for me, I am none of those things and am instead sitting here eagerly awaiting to tell you this story. It’s one that I’ve had on my to-do list for almost as long as the Somerton Man, though I never got around to it more out of pure laziness rather than time constraints or anything of that sort. I feel a great sense of disappointment not having tried to slot it into the last two days of that failed May series I did, but alas, emotional distress overtakes all—even the determination to make something out of the Cookie Monster.

Anyways, what is this fiendish cryptid? Well, It’s a relatively famous cryptid that’s been featured in films like 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters and on shows such as Destination Truth. Its legacy is up there with the likes of the J’ba Fofi in the way of local legend, but its real selling point is that it’s a living dinosaur. Yes, Jurassic Park is real and if we all go to Africa and bless the rains, we too can have the RMS Vertigo crash into a living fossil. Woo-hoo!

Okay, well, let’s finally get to it. This cryptid is known as Mokèlé-mbèmbé and its reputation is as long as its neck. So come, let’s continue on down river and get trampled on like a Wal-Mart employee on Black Friday. Awooooooooogaaaaah.

Decemystery (2020) 6: The Akashic Records

Hello dear reader! It’s another day in the wonderful month of December and that means it’s time for a new entry in this year’s Decemystery. Today’s story is that of the Akashic Records, a story I’ve been meaning to cover for a fairly long time now. So come along, let’s open up the doorway to the new age Book of Life. Tally-ho!

Decemystery (2020) 5: What Comes After The End of the Universe?

The concept of “eternity” is a pretty fantastical one. Within our eyes, we can think ahead a few days, weeks, or months. Get to the realm of thinking ahead a year or two and it feels like forever—at least in my eyes. Granted, as you grow older, we all tend to think ahead in the long term, but for anyone who’s on the younger side: thinking ahead to a year like 2025 probably feels like an impossibility—or at least inconceivable.

Though what if we’re to think ahead, say, 1,000 years. That’s unfathomable; none of us will be around to bear witness to the turn of the millennium. I mean, who even knows what awaits us when that time comes. Could Earth have plunged into chaos? Will we be on Mars? The possibilities are endless and they’re equal parts exciting and terrifying to think about.

That, however, is small in scale when it comes to thinking ahead. With this write-up, we’re going to have to think in the longest sense of “long term”. For where we’re going, we need to head to the point when time runs out—forever. Lights out, baby! Time’s up. Pun goes here.

You see, on this delightful day, we’re going to accelerate this introduction by a lot—billions of years—from what would be a beginning to the end. You see, when I was putting this Decemystery together, I wanted a write-up that would stick out in a way that would make it shine like the last star as the Universe ends. Coincidentally, the idea that came to me was asking—and trying to answer—the question: what comes after the Universe ends? A scary thought for sure, but could we possibly answer it? Well, let’s try just that.

Decemystery (2020) 4: Carroll A. Deering

 

This story is dedicated to my dear friend Katie.

How goes it, dearest of readers? Today’s a very special day—it’s the annual Decemystery maritime mystery. Indeed, we’re headed to the high seas to bear witness to what the grandiose waters that make up the vast majority of our planet have in store for us. You know, besides rogue waves, tsunamis, sharks, the Kraken/Sidney Powell, and a lot of salt.

Indeed, the sea has a lot of things that you can find and enjoy. Though nothing quite says “December” and “sea” here on Limitless Possibilities like “ship without a crew”. It’s become a tradition and that tradition must remain if we’re to survive in the harsh reality known as, well, reality! It’s the law of the land—at least it is in my eyes.

Originally, I was going to cover the U.S.S. Cyclops—one of the many ships lost in what’s known as the Bermuda Triangle. However, I opted to save that for some time in the future when I decide to cover that megalithic mystery. It was then that I realized that I’d have to to scour the Internet for something equally as fascinating, and that was no easy task. There was The Kaz II that seemed alluring, but it didn’t quite fit the bill. It was then that I contemplated bringing back the Cyclops, but not before doing one last sweep for a story.

And by “one last sweep”, I mean just browse some lists and hope for the best. Look, I’m not exactly Sherlock Holmes when it comes to looking for things, I’m a 24-year-old guy who sits in his bedroom and writes while pretending that he has a readerbase and that he can one day make it in this world. If you want to judge me for my lack of credentials, I would kindly direct you to the comments section (which I’m always open to feedback as a little FYI).

Ahem, well, anyways: as luck would have it, I did manage to find a story; the story of the ship known as the Carroll A. Deering. While not as widely talked about as the Cyclops (at least in my eyes), it’s as simple as it is strange. So let’s head back in time to discuss a North American maritime mystery once more.

Decemystery (2020) 3: London After Midnight

 

Hello, hello dearest dear reader. Today is a very unique, special, and exciting day. You see, today is a day unlike any other. We won’t be taking a trip to see if we can solve an unsolved crime, identify an unidentified person, seek out an enigmatic cryptid, solve a legendary haunting, or see what will happen after the Universe meets Death. No, we’ll be headed over to Hollywood. So come along, let’s get into the Little Bastard and crash into the first lamppost we see.

Okay, so one unaffordable hospital bill later, we’re just going to walk there. So come, let’s go from New York to Hollywood. Don’t worry, it’s for a good cause. What do you mean your legs hurt? Come on, let’s go! Ugh, fine, we’ll just take a plane there.

Well, one flight later and a whole lot of Xanax later, we’ve arrived. Ah, Hollywood. It’s a place of filth, degeneracy, magic, and Andy Dick. Man that guy’s a dick. Seriously, ever heard the stories of him? He’s a weirdo. Anyways, since we’re here, I’ve got something for you. I brought along two magnifying glasses, two detective hats, a pipe, and some 1800s clothing. You see, we’re going to play the role of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Indeed, we’re going to be real detectives. Though why? We’ll be detectives this entire month! What makes this day so much more special?

Simple: we’re going to be looking for a lost film—arguably the most famous in history. It’s coveted, sought after my many, and today, we’re going to talk about it. It’s known as London After Midnight and it’s beyond legendary when it comes to fans of classic horror. Seriously, if there was ever a Holy Grail of lost horror films, let alone lost films in general, this film would take the gold medal by default. So come along dear reader, we’re headed into Hollywood to seek out this legendary piece of cinema together!

Decemystery (2020) 2: St. Augustine Lighthouse

 

Good day/afternoon/evening, dear reader. So kind of you to join me in this spooky old lighthouse. It got a bit too creepy for me; my footsteps echoed throughout the building and my EMF reader was off the charts. So come, join me around this makeshift table I made out of sticks, stones, and unsold copies of “Using A Ouija Board For Dummies”. You see, we’re going to use a Ouija Board to get in contact with the old lighthouse keeper who drank a few too many beers and fell down the staircase.

Ah, but what’s this? When we put our hands on the board, it bursts into flames and our hands are charred. Owie, hellfire sure is hot. Almost as hot as hot sauce on a hot dog. Oh well, no big deal, how about we talk about a mystery instead? Yeah, that sounds like a lot more fun and in no way is a chance for me to amend for not having covered something last year when I told myself time and again I would do it.

Like, seriously, I told myself in December of last year. Then March of this year. Then May. Then June. Then July. Then—you know what, I told myself every day I would cover it, but I never got around to it. It’s like J376, only it’s a haunted lighthouse, there are no zombies, and it’s nothing like J376, but this isn’t the only story I will egregiously compare to that shambling corpse of a story.

So anyways, let’s move onward from the nonsensical rambling and celebrate for today is the day we cover this horrifyingly haunted lighthouse; yay, haunted lighthouses! You see, ole’ sport, in the state of Florida, there’s a foreboding beacon of hope for sailors far and wide. I’ve always been enraptured by. It’s a lighthouse, not unlike the one we’re pretending to be in right now and is known as St. Augustine Lighthouse. It’s widely regarded as one of the most haunted lighthouses in the United States. So come along, let’s snoop around in a ghost-infested home for those who watch over the sea. Just make sure you don’t fall down the staircase!

Decemystery (2020) 1: Jack the Stripper

 

This story is dedicated to my friend Maya. Thanks for helping me pick this story out.

Hello, dear reader! It’s that glorious time of the year again; December. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this month ever since New Year’s Day. Why exactly? Well, I’ve had numerous great ideas for what I suspect will be the most exciting, interesting, and unique Decemystery to date.

For starters, I didn’t want any conspiracy theories like last year. Sure, some of this year’s mysteries will have conspiratorial elements, but we won’t be having anything silly like Lord of the Rings being true or Project Blue Beam. Rather, we’ll have a lot more down-to-earth stories that will make for something a lot more enticing and even spooky.

Now, when deciding on what to do for the first story, I wanted something nobody would see coming; a story that could kick start something truly memorable. After consulting the friend I dedicated this story to, the victor was the humorously named Jack the Stripper—though the official name for the case is the Hammersmith Nude Murders. So come, let us begin to round out the year with some good old fashioned mysteries. Decemystery 2020 begins now!