Hi! A full-time single dad here that has his kid 90% of the time, is almost always tired and mostly surviving on some kind of caffeine related energy drink or sheer willpower to force myself through the day, currently trying to find some company whilst I enjoy a much needed chilled Sunday after too many hours drinking in the sun yesterday.
If you look past the chaos though I'm a pretty normal bloke working a government job and into what most people would call fairly normal stuff. I'll watch almost any film going, mostly to escape reality to be honest, listen to mainly rock/metal and pop punk music as a standard alongside some totally tragic 90's pop here and there, add in a very small dose of gaming (not that I have time for that now),a slightly less than healthy obsession with a football team that will give me a heart attack one day and some long hair and you have me in a nutshell.
So if after reading all of that you're still interested then please come say hello and lets see what happens.

Yesterday, the front wire on my removable retainer broke. My bottom teeth are very prone to shifting. The orthodontist who made me the retainer is across the country; I live somewhere new. I haven’t been happy with my bottom teeth for a while, so I have been considering invisible aligners, and have talked with the orthodontist in my town about making that happen. The orthodontist comes to my town one day a month. My dentist also talked to me about becoming a new Invisalign patient. It is my understanding that invisible retainers could take weeks to come in, and I’m sure my teeth would shift between the initial scan and the trays arriving.
What can I do? Will moldable night guards keep my teeth from shifting, at all? Can I try to melt the metal wire of my retainer back together, as a temporary fix?
**I plan to visit my orthodontist/dentist ASAP to get a new retainer or invisible aligner made, but what can I do in the mean time? I don’t have orthodontic insurance, and am worried a new temporary retainer will be $500 and my teeth will be messed up by the time it arrives. Help!

Since it seems to be a popular format, let me chime in with my own ideas for potential reworks, new features etc.

Part 1: space combat

space combat is just not very fun right now, there's mainly 2 issues.
first, getting breached in a full health ship doesn not feel fair at all, taking any large ship into raid is just begging for trouble as half the map will try to breach into your ship, completely nullifying their utility.
the second issue i have with the current state of space combat is how unrewarding it feels in most cases.
i will not talk about ship and weapon balance as i'm sure the devs have heard everything there is to be said and balancing is forever a WIP.

breaching:
there's been a lot of ideas to "fix" breaching on this sub, the most talked about one is to make it impossible to breach ships until they are damaged enough. a similar but more flexible approach IMO would be to make breaching take time based on the amout of hull left in the ship and it's tier. the players inside the ship would hear a loud drilling sound at the breach spot giving them enough time to prepare an ambush. it might take 20s-30s to breach a full health heavy frigate, or 2s to breach a 15% hp rustbucket. this would achieve the following:

yoloing around the map and breaching a full health ship becomes all but a death sentence.
The magnitude of a dogfight's victory now matters, if you win without taking much damage, you are pretty much safe from the losers podding into you immediately , however, if you barely win you're still in danger.
It opens the possibility to add different types of breachpods to different ships, or ship customization if it comes back such as pods that drill faster, pods that drill silently, pods that drop a flash or a nade seconds before breaching etc...
as a mainly solo player i often leave the periscope just after getting breached, wich means i have zero sound info on breach location, while my opponent knows exactly where i am, this reverses that.
synchronized breaching from a team remains a threat, but a diminished one.
zero impact on breaching disabled ships.
it gives solos a chance to fight against the disgusting strat of 1 breacher, 1 shooter by hopefully giving us time to deal with the ship before the breacher makes it in.

unrewarding dogfights:
winning a dogfights usually results in the ship still standing pelting the downed ship until the players in it pod out, there's really 4 options here:

they pod out and breach you (see above)
they pod out and leave (x fewer players to worry about)
they pod out and you kill them (best case scenario atm)
they stay in. this is the part that currently feels really wrong.

after shooting their ship for an appropriate amount of time, you have to:

leave commands
run to the pods, sit through the animation
find their ship, get there, breach it
optionnaly die because they were wearing heavy pilot armor, went through a whole pharmacy and ambushed you at the breach point
otherwise, run around until you find their bodies
loot what you can, usually ship gear, occasionally good gear you can't really carry
run to the pods, sit through the animation
find your ship if it's still here and intact, get there, breach it
run back to the commands

overall this takes forever, is incredibly dangerous, and you might only get a luger and some 9mm for it. the xp for disabling ships is very low as well.

my solution:
Allow us to destroy downed ships. After depleting "hull integrity", give us a second health bar of "system integrity", when it reaches 0, a horn blares in the ship before it blows up killing everyone inside. this achieves the following:

it is no longer possible to wait forever inside a burning destroyed ship to ambush the winner of a dogfight.
you can get your spoils much faster and safer by simply salvaging the ship
you can add some material rewards to space combat by adding to the salvage crates some materials based on the destroyed ship craft cost.

part 2: QOL

obviously the game is very buggy and fixes are a priority, but i'm not going to get into that here.
vertical audio pls x)
zero to hero need some adjusting in places but since every second thread is "sas captain where?" i guess the devs are aware of that.
lots of small ergonomics changes to inventory management are needed. filling a large containers with meds takes way longer than it should. i made some suggestions here.
more post raid info would be really nice.
stacking meds. seriously, please allow us to stack meds. so much space is taken by meds, i can hardly loot anything :'(
prestige cost rebalance, 10 prestiges worth of Ps for a 6th hangar bay, is this a joke?
zero to hero probably shouldn't reset on prestige.

part 3: base upgrades, "kits" and supergear

this part is 100% imaginary features, i'm just spitballing ideas here.

Kits:
Kits are packages that may contain any combination and amount of any kind of gear. the default kit is the classic "p08 pouch rig box of 9mm", more kits can be unlocked through questing, fulfilling trade requests, crafting base upgrades, achievements, prestige unlocks, whatever...
In the play screen, under the ship card and above the crew box, add a box for kit selection, with the default kit selected by default every raid.
Every kit outside of the default one costs money.
In raid, on the shelf where you would normally find free gear, you have a box instead that contains your selected kit.
most likely, kits would only be available to the crew's host.
there would be essentially 3 tiers of kits:
low tiers would contain cheap gear, maybe better than the current ship gear, might include sack bags, cheap helmets and a couple bandages, innefective weapons such as the sten, m1a1, various sidearms etc, these would be most useful for early prestige, noobs and broke players with some money in the bank, they would cost between 50-80% of their combined price.
mid tier would contain the better weapons and armors available for sale by the various traders, maybe some modded guns such as the m50, tommy, svt, ppsh, uzis etc, there are more useful for established players who want the convenience, they would cost 150-200% of their combined price.
high tier would contain endgame loadouts for VERY HIGH prices, these would act amongst other things as a cash sink for players currently accumulating millions with nothing to spend it on. is a kit containing a 12-12rig, radio full of meds and a modded bar slightly broken? yes, but what if it cost $750k?

base upgrades:
these would act as a ressource sink and long term goal to work toward.
have a bunch of stations and upgrades be craftable and upgradable, with low tiers beeing various degrees of very cheap, and high tiers beeing various degrees of extremely expensive.
workbench would gate the crafting of most weapons/armors/bags
chem lab for explosives and meds
ammo dump, med cabinet, gun racks, armor racks, hangar bays, crafting chest... would add new tabs in the gear menu, between player inventory and stash inventory, leading to unique stashes designed to store large amount of specific items.
for instance, the ammo dump would, at tier 1 be able to store 600 of every large ammo and 1200 of small ones. double that at tier 2, double again at tier 3.

treasures, treasure mats and supergear:
this is my problem: nothing in this game feels all that rare or valuable, gold bullions, meh, nukes, meh, supply crates, meh... the vaults are kinda worthless, the supply depots are full of crafting mats but i'm not excited about anything craftable.
this is my solution: treasures.
add a new tool, the breaching charge, used to get inside a secure chest found in every vault. that tool however is uncraftable and reasonably rare. (single use obv)
in this chest, have a decent chance to spawn 1-2 items from the trasure lootlist, amongst other high tier gear.
these treasures would include valuables worth A LOT, collectibles that might lead to achievments/quests/insert other features, and most importantly treasure mats.
treasure mats would be combined with a ton of regular materials to craft extremely high end gear that would outperform regular stuff, with the caveat that they would be NON REPAIRABLE.
for instance, say you open a secure chest and find a superpanzer rig blueprint, combine it with 12 reinforced metal, 15 fabric and 20 synthetic scrap to get a 15 armor rig with 3 2*2 pockets and 150-200 durability.
this might sound completely op but it really gets you from 5 bodyshots with an stg to 6 and it does fuck all for you if you get shot in the face or legs.
this achieves the following:

makes high loot area high loot again
killing that one superchad makes you feel like a kid at christmas
ressource sink due to very high crafting cost
get back those "i HAVE to make it out alive" moments
possibility to add true gg gear without it ending up everywhere immediately due to high crafting cost and high rarity of the treasure mats

anyway, that's all for now, thanks for reading and let me know what you think.

Hello All -
Have some cool stuff for sale today, gold and silver of different sizes and shapes
Please comment on this post before sending me a chat (or PM ok too)

https://imgur.com/yDtpOJv

SILVER:
5oz Monarch Metals Poured Ripple bar, not the standard/common Monarch pour you usually see on here - $154
10oz Round with eagle, I believe this is SilverTowne, looks like "ST" marked below the Eagle - $274
5 oz 2019 Year of the Pig (RARE, hard to find comps, let me know if you find one) - $194
250g St. Helena Bar. East India Company, plastic is cracking a bit and there is a ding in one of the corners, which is exceedingly common on these bars - $224
10 oz Wall Street Mint bar - $279
2013 - P Proof Kookaburra High Relief PF69 PCGS Slab (girthy, thicker than standard slab) - $64

GOLD:
1999 George Washington $5 Commemorative PCGS MS69 (8.36 grams, 90% gold) - $594
1864 Italy 20 Lire (.1867 AGW) - $380
1917 Netherlands 10 Gulden (0.1947 AGW) - $404

Open to reasonable offers, especially if youre buying multiple or have recent price comps
Payment - Zelle preferred, also Venmo, Cashapp and PPFF
Shipping - $6 First Class or $10 priority flat rate small box, dependent on weight and/or buyers choice

Thanks and enjoy your day !

Alright I'm not gonna exaggerate and make my fiancee sound like she's legit trying to be a manly man-girl. She does work out, she has some muscles, but not Arnold Schwarzenegger muscles, she likes to wear hoodies when cold, Calvin Klein sports bra/tanktop when hot, and she is taller than me, almost towers my dad. But she has long dark hair, looks beautiful in whatever dress she wears. She is still a lady. And always will be. With that being said, whenever she gets angry Belle becomes Beast. I don't want you guys to think I'm constantly being harrassed or bullied like some soap opera but on occasions there times you come across someone who just feels tearing you down for mo other reason except, they fucking felt like it. I think I may have told this story in comments but here's a recap. Fiancee and I went to the gym, and because I don't exercise that often I just stick treadmill, planks, and spot my girl when she's lifting weights. Anyway, I'm on the treadmill listening to a video when a girl who looked like she just came from a Concentration Camp (no disrespect intended I'm just emphasizing how skinny this girl was if you still have a problem with it let me know and I'll edit it I mean no disrespect) some anorexic chick comes up to the treadmill, leans against it and attempts to make small talk with me. I say hi, trying to be polite as I could even though I couldn't really hear because I had my headphones on. Then I see my girl confronting her, this serious look on her face, the skinny girl backing away like she had a gun infront of her then ran out the building. Apparently the girl was trying to flirt with me and not only is it against the rules at the gym to flirt(applies to guys and girls) but I'm my girl's man. No one should be flirting with me unless they are immune to being bashed in the head lol. So here's another story, this was last year so she was still just my girlfriend before we got engaged so just know I'm mentioning the same significant other. My girlfriend and I are getting ready to get on a plane to Florida, we were going to visit Weeki Waaci (a mermaid water park) then DisneyWorld because it was a rough week, we, or I needed a vacation. We're walking through the airport, once again we're dealing with who should carry the luggage. Most of it is our clothes. The other suitcase has personal stuff like her business laptop, books. And my Cheshire Cat themed bag she got me for my birthday with a couple of notebooks and my phone, charger cord, headphones. This isn't a legit full blown argument but it usually consists of her being, "No, honeybunny, only I should carry the stuff, you just bring your beautiful face"(She would say the loving yet cheesiest shit ever lol) and me going, "Babe it's not for you to carry everything, let me carry something otherwise I feel like an asshole." "Nope. I will not put my little prince through such labor" "Can I at least carry my Cheshire Cat bag. Its light." "Actually hon can you carry the Chesire Cat bag?" "If you insist babygirl." Y'all probably thinking "You're exaggerating because this is the rolereversal subreddit" but I'm not lol. This legit what I experience 24/7 with this goofball. God I love her. Anyway so we arrive at our gate. We have at least one hour before we board so we have time to sit and chill. I am very uneasy on flights so I take an advil and tylenol pill(half of a tylenol because I don't wanna be drowsy) so it'll calm my nerves. My girlfriend grabs me tea from a nearby McDonald's, sit me on her lap, I swallow them down and so we kill an hour snuggling on the seat. "Flight blah blah bloo to Orlando Florida now boarding". We get our stuff ready, girlfriend hands me my ticket, window seat😁, and we get in line. So we're just standing around waiting for our turn, when this dude (I gave him the name, Mr. Obnoxious Cougher)stands next to us and he starts coughing. I understand that we have the vaccine now so the idea of maybe getting stick shouldn't be as risky as it would've been back in 2020. But guys, please understand, we are taught in kindergarten to cover your mouth when your body releases bodily fluids like salvia or snot. Its fucking common curtsey. This 40 something year old is coughing like he's auditioning for "Cough The Musical". He is just doing the complete most. I start distancing myself from him but, and I shit you not, he came closer. "What the hell?" It went from a dude having a genuine respiratory issue to doing it on purpose to be obnoxious. He looks forty but hes standing there with his mouth open, coughing like a two year old. So my girlfriend and I just chatting trying to ignore him. I noticed a dude ahead of us with these sweet look shoes. They were Nikes, black bottom, and metallic top. They looked sick. "Hey do you think you could get me those?" "Yeah babe just remind me later" "Yeah yeah. Damn they look beautiful." Suddenly as if I feel like something had sprayed windex in my direction this guy starts coughing in my face. I was freaking livid. "Yo what the fuck?" "Oh sorry." He was standing little inches away from me and coughing right into my face. I actually began to angry cry(you know when you get so mad tears start falling but you're not necessarily sobbing) a millisecond later my girlfriend rushes at Mr. Cougher and actually pins him to the wall, her arm squeezing his throat. She's shouting loud enough for everyone to hear. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU DISGUSTING PIECE OF COW FODDER?!" "S-s-sorry I'm ha-ha-having trouble breath-" "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF YOU'RE CHOKING ON YOUR BLOOD! COVER YOUR MOUTH! YOU DON'T COUGH ON NOBODY LIKE SOMR DAMN 2 YEAR OLD!!" I'm just standing there, wiping my face, almost no reaction while everyone else is like😮😲😬😳 "IF YOU EVER DO THAT CRAP AGAIN, YOU BETTER PRAY TO CHRIST YOU'RE NOT ON THE SAME FLIGHT OR I WILL BREAK YOUR NECK!!" She let's him go as his face starting to turn blue then returned to her place in line beside me. But not before giving the dude a nice knee to the crotch sending him down to the floor. Yeah, she does have a real short temper and was once attending anger management classes before she and I met. But she never gets angry at me because I'm the prince in the relationship. That and I'm fairly easy going so we don't have so different of opinions that we'd get into an argument (Yes I'm aware that its healty to have arguments we are our own person, different perspectives and ideas, I'm just saying I'm not the type of person who is eager to convince everyone that their way deserves more of a look into)unless you count the luggage lol. The only time I remember her being actually irritated with me is one time we went shopping and I would constantly let go of her hand just to rile her up. But thats a story for another time. For those who go to airports you know how the separate lines, right, "Now boarding line 1-5, now boarding line 1-5." We're in line 5-9 they now announce our line and we board our plane. My girl has a very successful career so I've only flown first class since having this girl in my life, hell yeah. So we get to our seat, I managed to snatch her carry on bags, and with speed lifted them into the cabinets above our seats before she was able to react. I had a look of triumph on my face as I took my seat near the window, meanwhile she had a slightly annoyed look on her face. Guess I have a lot to learn about being a little prince lol. So we get comfortable, we fasten our seatbelts and await for the plane to fill up. The armtray between our seats is moveable, so my girlfriend lifted it and put her arm around me as she usually does incase there are times I get anxious and need a snuggle. I nuzzled into chest, her arms wrapped around me and whispered, "My hero." since earlier and rewarded my maiden in shining armor with a kiss. The plane fills up and we're basically ready to get this bird across the runway. Until we see a stewardess and a familiar face beside her, its Mr. Obnoxious Cougher. "Attention passengers, our flight is full and we're look for volunteers who willingly give up their seats and be bumped for a l as ter flight for 200 dollars" Ironic enough we were flying American Airlines. If this was Spirits I'd wind up like that doctor. No one moved. In general my girlfriend and I wouldn't be the first people to give up seats because why ruin our trip because of someone else's problems. But because of what happened earlier with this person, there was no pity in my eyes. I was just chilling, enjoying snuggling with my girlfriend, but something told me that she was looking at the dude with fire in her eyes. It was unanimous that no one was moving so the stewardess had to escort Cougher out. Everyone could literally hear him throwing an absolute tantrum as he walked back down to terminal. He was swearing and screaming just running his mouth. It was quite amusing. The pilot went over the safety instructions, I turned on a inflight movie, and we relaxed as our flight got ready to take off. It wouldn't be the last time my girl had to bust some heads in order to make sure I was good and safe and God bless her for it. She's like my big sister, my best friend, girlfriend and now fiancee and I can't wait to spend time rest of my life with her.

For sale here is a set that I hope to send off to a beginner as a set for people to try out different nibs and different kinds of filling systems. You will have a lever filler, a aerometric filler, and a c/c filler. The nibs are hooded, open, and also a smaller open but differently designed nib. All of these pens are not in perfect aesthetic conditions, they all write well but they dont look the greatest due to age and general use.

The first pen is a simple lever filler from Platignum that is a clearly a clone of a the Waterman Taperite which was Watermans answer to the Parker 51. The style of the pen is out of the late 1940s and 1950s when the Parker 51 started taking over and pens had to take design cues from Parker. These metal caps came into style from then on and it hasnt stopped. This pen is in D condition and has seen better days with some marks on the body, and the section. The cap has a little bit of plating loss as well. Nothing takes away from the use of the pen but it can be better looking aesthetically. The interesting thing about this pen is definitely the section, there is one LONG piece of ebonite running up the section to the sac nipple and the nib is a small piece of metal. The design is pretty uncommon. The nib is an okay medium nib which is smooth but nothing to write home about. There is no flex and you should not push this nib as I see a mark on the nib where it looks like someone has pressed on it however it has not affected use. The pen has been restored with a new sac and will last a long time if you dont abuse the pen. I think that this would make a great starter pen for someone who was interested in lever filling and its priced for it as well.
The second pen here is the pressmatic red platignum with an aerometric filler. Platignum is known for second pens and there are not many models out there that people really buy or collect outside of their cheaper italic nibbed pens which are typically sac fillers. One series of pens that people do collect are these Pressmatic fountain pens. On the higher end models, the pens have gold nibs and on the low end, they have steel nibs. This one is a little bit of a mystery to me because its a hooded nib which I havent seen online before. The pen is in good condition, with no brassing on the cap. The paint on the section is in alright condition but you can tell there is some wear. The sac guard also has a spot of oxidation on it and the sac is colored blue. The barrel is in excellent condition and the imprint is strong. The aerometric filler is also intact and working well, the tube is not damaged or dislodged. The nib is a smooth medium nib. The nib is also a question for me because I dont know the material, it is gold colored so it can either be gold or it can be gold plated. I want to say theres some color difference so it should be gold plated steel? The nib is a smooth medium nib. Depending on the ink, it sometimes appears as a fine. The capping mechanism is a slip cap that you can pull off very easily. and there is no issue with the capping. I would rate this a B.
The third pen here is a Hongdian A3 - This pen came out several years ago and I carried it around to test and you can see significant paint loss on the pen. There is significant loss of black on the pen all around from the body to the cap to the section. The original nib has been swapped out for this fine gold plated nib. This pen is a workhorse c/c pen and it is rated D. The pen will work like a workhorse but is not pretty. The nib is a#5 and this makes a great pen to test some nibs. You can see that body is not in good condition as the plating/color came off while it was carried in a pocket.

Together with these pens is a 50% filled bottle of LAMY Blue, a very reliable everyday use blue ink. This bottle will come with the blotting papper on the bottom. I used this ink to test pens however I have moved onto Parker washable blue as it is easier to get out of pens. LAMY blue is a very reliable well behaved ink in pens and can be used with these pens.
SHIPPING INCLUDED IN CONUS - $30
Verification - https://imgur.com/a/Mc4Lbzf

One hundred and forty-nine stairs. That’s how many there are to get up to the fire tower I’m posted at. I used to think getting up there meant safety. Now, I’m hoping it just means survival.
Climbing one hundred and forty-nine steps when you’re healthy is no small feat. When one of your legs has been torn to shreds, you’re bleeding from many places and you’re trying to get up there to wrap it, hoping there’s enough bandages so you don’t bleed to death, it’s a lot more difficult.
Then there are the stairs themselves which also count as a hazard when you have to hop up each one, causing pain to shoot through your injured leg. The stairs are skinny enough as they are, but the closer you get to the top, the smaller they get.
How do I know the exact number of steps? I counted them. I also counted which ones I miscalculated my jump, or brushed my foot against the step, or did something else that nearly sent me sailing over the rickety railing to my untimely death. The first time was one step number three, then fifteen, thirty-seven was a bad one, fifty-two, one oh seven, one-twenty, and finally one-forty-three. I guess it’s a good thing I’m deathly afraid of heights.
By now you may have figured out, I’m a park ranger. How did I end up playing this deadly game of hopscotch? It started a week ago when I got the job.
I was super excited, because I love working alone, and I love nature. What other job blends those two so well?
That excitement waned quite a bit when I arrived at the tower on my first day and looked up at those tiny metal steps I would have to climb to get to my job. The whole thing looked about as sturdy as if someone had built it with an erector set. I mean honestly, seeing surface rust on stairs that have to support your weight is terrifying, and I had to wonder how much I would be swaying when the wind really kicked up.
I wanted to close my eyes and just run up, but I didn’t dare. I paid attention to every single step, watching the metal bow under the weight of my foot, white-knuckling the railings as I went.
Finally, I reached the top and knocked on the trapdoor that had to be opened to let me in. I met the ranger who would be training me. His name was Bob, and he looked every bit how I envision a park ranger would look. Tall and thin, wiry but not scrawny, with a five o’clock shadow because he never had the time to shave properly.
Bob was one of those guys who seemed to always have a smirk on their face like they’ve just been told the greatest joke of all time, but they don’t want to let you in on it.
He spent the entire shift showing me around and then boring me to tears with all the little details of working in a fire tower. The place wasn’t bad. I was expecting an empty room with a card table and a radio, but this was nice. It reminded me of a small apartment or the inside of a small RV. There was a kitchenette with a microwave, sink, and minifridge. There was a couch and a couple of chairs, and most importantly, there was a bathroom.
At one point I thought there would be an outhouse at the base of the tower I would have to use. The thought of going down all those steps while holding number one or especially number two was something I didn’t even want to have nightmares about.
Just before the end of the shift, the next ranger came up. His name was Toby.
Toby looked nothing like I envisioned rangers looking like. He was overweight but made up for it by being under tall. He had a look of mischief in his eyes like a seventh grader who had just dropped a cherry bomb down the toilet and was trying to walk away looking nonchalant.
He smiled and shook my hand.
“So did Bob bore you to tears?” he said.
“Not quite to tears,” I said.
“Hey, I’m a good trainer,” Bob said looking offended yet still wearing that grin.
“Did you tell him everything?” Toby said.
“Pretty sure,” Bob said.
“Did you tell him about?” Toby leaned closer and whispered something in Bob’s ear that I couldn’t hear.
Bob’s grin grew.
“No, I didn’t tell him about that.”
“Maybe we should wait until he’s done training,” Toby said.
“What?” I said looking back and forth between them.
“We’ll tell you once you’re done job shadowing,” Bob said with that infuriating grin.
When we left, I was so focused on what they weren’t telling me, I nearly missed the first step and plunged to my death.
“Yeah, you’re gonna want to focus on those steps,” Bob said. “We had a coworker get hurt really bad because of them.”
“Is he ok now?”
Bob looked away.
Toby came over and volunteered, “He’s dead.”
That was definitely what I wanted to hear.
The next few days were a blur. Between total boredom with reading the procedure book and Bob grinning all the while refusing to tell me the big secret, I was getting super frustrated. I couldn’t wait for my first night working alone.
At least I had brought some supplies up to keep in the tower. Some snacks, a few books, and a tablet to make some notes on if I started writing a story.
Finally, the night came. I was working on my own for the first time. Surprisingly, Bob’s smile vanished as he told me.
“Did you ever read anything off of Reddit?” he said.
I shrugged.
“I don’t really read much other than books.”
“Sign up for Reddit, then go to the nosleep subreddit and look for a story called, ‘I was a park ranger stationed in a fire tower. It had a strange set of rules.’ Read that. It’ll tell you what to do.”
“Ok,” I said. “That’s the big secret? Read someone’s made-up story?”
“It might seem made up,” he said. “But trust me, follow the rules.”
I tried to read his expression to see if he was messing with me or not. In the five days I’d known him, there was never a time he wasn’t wearing that stupid grin, until now. His face was serious as a heart attack.
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll look it up later on my phone.”
“You really should do it as soon as I leave.”
“Ok.”
“Good luck.”
He stepped over to the door and went down the stairs. A few minutes later I heard his truck drive away.
“What the hell was that about?”
I stood in the middle of the room looking out at the beautiful trees, but not even seeing them. My mind was occupied by what Bob had said.
“It has to be a prank,” I said to the empty room. “Bob and Toby cooked this up to scare me on my first night. Well, I’m not falling for it.”
I did my first round of walking around on the outside walkway, looking for any sign of fires. We worked twelve-hour shifts, so I was working from seven am to seven pm. It was late summer and still warm enough to go without a jacket, at least on my first round. By the time I got to my fourth round, there was a chill in the air. I started doing my rounds from the inside and made a mental note to bring a jacket with me tomorrow.
It seemed odd to be talking about a jacket in late summer, but in the forest, the temperatures can vary wildly. It could be thirty degrees at night and eighty during the day.
I stepped back inside and saw my phone had lit up with a text message. I looked at it and it was Bob.
‘Did you read the rules yet?’
‘No,’ I texted back.
‘You don’t have much time.’
I knew this was a joke, it had to be a joke. The old timers pulling a fast one on the new guy, jerking his chain a little.
‘I’ll get right on it,’ I texted.
‘You better.’
I put my phone down and looked at the clock. It was ten minutes after ten. Outside was now completely dark, creating a very disconcerting illusion where when I would look outside, all I saw was my reflection. I decided to turn some lights off and go with just the bare minimum. That reduced the reflection some and I could see some trees outside.
I did a slow pan around, then grabbed a bag of chips and a soda, sat down, and worked on a crossword puzzle. That only lasted a half hour until I was bored with it. I picked up a book and started to read.
I woke sometime later, with my head resting on the back of the chair, chip crumbs all over my shirt, and the book laying on the floor.
I stretched and looked over at the clock. It read two-thirteen.
I jumped up, flinging the bag of chips to the floor, realizing I’d missed several checks, then ran around the room staring out at the trees. After my quick lap, I took a breath and did another slower lap to make sure there was no smoke. Thank God, there was none.
I chided myself for falling asleep on duty like that as I cleaned up my mess. I decided I should set an hourly alarm on my phone so that wouldn’t happen again.
When I picked up the phone I noticed there was a series of texts from Bob.
‘Did you read it yet?’
‘Why aren’t you answering?’
‘Are you alright?’
‘Don’t open the door for any reason.’
The last one sent chills down my spine.
Why would I open the door in the middle of the night?
As I was thinking this, another text came in.
‘For the love of God, read it!’
What the hell was wrong with this guy? Was he seriously losing sleep for a stupid joke?
I decided I would humor him and read the story. I opened my phone and went to the Reddit site. I had just signed up and put my information in when I heard static over the radio. I stepped to the receiver and checked it. Static blared out of it, making me jump as I heard a faint voice in it.
“Tower seven, do you read me?” I heard from a voice I could barely hear through the static.
I hesitated for a moment trying to remember if this was tower seven or not.
“Tower seven do you read me?” the voice said sounding a little more desperate.
I picked up the mic and keyed it.
“This is tower seven, go ahead.”
“It’s good to hear you tower seven,” the voice said suddenly clear. “I didn’t think you would answer.”
“Well, here I am, awake and alert, answering you,” I said. “What did you need?”
“I already have what I need,” the voice said sounding like it was chuckling. “I’d like to come visit if that’s alright.”
“Tower seven, this is base, who are you talking to?”
“I don’t know, someone on the radio,” I said into the mic.
“Seven, there’s no one else on this channel,” base said.
I got chills for a moment. What did that mean? How was I hearing someone that base couldn’t? Why would someone be calling now? Then it hit me that the base dispatcher was probably in on the joke too.
“Ok, base, maybe it was just some random transmission.”
“Tower seven,” the voice said. “Am I alright to come from a visit?”
I hesitated for a moment. What if it wasn’t a joke? Who the hell is walking through the forest at two thirty in the morning?
“Maybe we’ll do that visit another time,” I said.
“Visit?” base said. “What visit? Seven, you know it’s against policy to have visitors.”
“Yeah, sorry, base, I won’t be letting anyone visit.”
More static came over the radio. I could swear I could hear someone say something in the middle of it.
It sounded like, “We’ll see.”
I put down the mic and picked up my phone to read the story when I saw something off in the distance. It was a light, but it was hovering, like a helicopter. I switched my phone to camera mode, zoomed in, and took a picture. It was weird because the light was blue. I didn’t think helicopters had blue lights on them. Also, this light wasn’t flashing, it was solid the whole time. It came closer and I took another picture.
It floated even closer. It was mesmerizing. There was no sound. No hum, no whirring of tiny blades keeping it afloat like a drone, nothing. It was about the size of a basketball and glowing the most brilliant blue I’d ever seen. I reached out for it and it backed away from my hand. I took a step closer to the edge of the walkway, reaching out as far as my arm could stretch.
It backed away a few inches, just out of reach. I stood on my tiptoes, pushing against the railing trying to touch it. It moved away another inch.
I reached the tipping point and pinwheeled my arms to regain my balance and shove back against the railing.
I fell onto the walkway, landing hard on my backside and hitting the back of my head against the window. I looked up and the light was gone.
I shook my head, painfully stood up, and went back inside. I didn’t want to do a patrol but figured I’d better. After a slow walk around, I collapsed in the chair and set my alarm to go off in an hour.
After sitting there for a few minutes I could feel myself nodding off, so I opened my phone and started reading the story. After about ten minutes, I lowered my phone, eyes wide, hands shaking.
“It can’t be real,” I whispered. “It’s just a joke.”
I scrolled back through the story and re-read the rules.

Never, under any circumstances, leave the fire tower until you are relieved.
Turn off all lights between the hours of 2 and 3 am.
If you receive a radio transmission or phone call between those hours, do not answer.
If anyone knocks on the trapdoor during those hours tell them they’ll have to wait until morning. Do not open the door.
If you see a glowing object floating toward the tower, don’t look at it. Cover your eyes and count to 50. When you open your eyes it should be gone. If not, cover and count to 50 again.
If animals surround the tower don’t go down to look. Fire your flare gun into the air twice one minute apart, then lock yourself in the bathroom and hope for the best.
My skepticism started to waver. How could they have known about those things, unless…

There was a powerful banging at the trapdoor that made me jump.
“Who is it?” I said.
No one answered.
I minute later, the pounding resumed. I searched for anything I could use as a weapon. Digging through the silverware drawer and finding an old, dull, paring knife, I backed as far away from the trapdoor as possible while staying inside. The pounding repeated. Somehow through the fear that coursed through my veins, I found my voice.
“You’ll have to come back in the morning,” I said.
“But I’m here now tower,” said the voice from the radio. “Let… me… in... ”
The last three words changed from asking to demanding. The voice also became deeper and more menacing.
I didn’t answer. I just slid down to the floor and hugged my knees holding the knife in front of me, silently searching through the story on my phone to see if there was something I missed, some way I could remedy the situation. But there was nothing, and the end of the story didn’t give me much hope.
I covered my ears and closed my eyes as the pounding continued now mixed with the voice that was going back and forth between pleading and threatening. It whispered then it screamed. It sound like a young boy, then it sounded demonic.
I rocked back and forth trying to keep some measure of sanity as the assault continued. I began to wonder how long the trapdoor would hold before whatever it was broke through.
Then suddenly it stopped.
As happy as I was that there was no more pounding and yelling, I didn’t trust it. My entire body was on pins and needles. It felt like the calm before the storm.
The fire tower shook. It felt like an earthquake, only different. I stood and went out to the walkway to see what was happening. When I looked down, I couldn’t believe it. The tower was surrounded by animals of all kinds. Deer, squirrels, bears, moose, any forest animal you could imagine, and even a couple I couldn’t and didn’t want to identify.
As I leaned over watching this strange menagerie, a moose rammed into one of the tower’s legs. It sent a shockwave through the entire metal framework. By the time it got up to me the tower was shaking so hard it made me lose my balance.
I toppled over the edge and fell. I threw my arm out attempting to catch the rail, but only touched it with my fingertips.
I knew I was falling to my death, there was no doubt. The wind rushing in my ears didn’t drown out the sound of my screaming. It sounded odd like I was listening to someone else scream. I closed my eyes, not wanting to know when the end was coming.
Suddenly something hit me hard in the ribs. I looked and I had hit a tree limb, but it didn’t stop me. The branch broke sending me falling again until I hit another branch. This one tore a gash on my leg as I flipped head over heels and fell again. The next branch grazed my head and made me see stars. I bounced off another branch hitting my shoulder, then took one to the knee, and landed flat on my back on the ground.
I lay there dazed, injured, but alive and surprised to be so. As I tried to regain my bearings, I saw the animals rushing over to me. I doubted they wanted me to pet them while they licked my wounds and cared for me while singing Disney songs.
I jumped up as pain rocked my body from more places than I wanted to think about. I hopped over to the tower steps and began my long arduous journey, just a half step away from a bunch of animals that seemed dead set on my destruction.
About halfway up I realized there was no more pursuit, so I slowed trying to conserve energy.
I got to the top, unlocked the hatch and tried to push it open. It took several tries to get enough strength while balancing on one leg standing on the tiniest of all the tiny steps. As soon as I got it open, I turned and slammed it shut, locking it.
I hobbled into the room, found the first aid box and struggled to get to the couch. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and forget this day ever happened.
I tried to easily lay myself down, but ended up collapsing in an excruciating heap.
Once down, I focused on bandaging the leg since it was losing the most blood. Once done, I proceeded to bandage all the rest of the areas that needed.
“How are you feeling, tower seven?” I heard the voice say over the radio.
I didn’t answer.
“Oh, come on now tower, don’t be like that,” it said. “Talk to me. Let me in and we’ll have a conversation.”
I lay there trying to think of anything other than pain and this voice.
“There has to be punishment for disobeying the rules.”
My blood ran cold. How did that thing know about the rules?
I reached into my pocket and was astonished that my phone was there. It had a cracked screen, but was usable. I texted Bob.
‘I’m alive, somehow. I broke half the rules without knowing it because I read the story too late.’
‘Are you alright?’
I took pictures of my bandaged leg that was wrapped but blood was still seeping through. I took pictures of my battered face, and my bruised ribs. I sent them all to Bob.
‘Good Lord, man, what did you do?’
‘I fell out of the tower.’
‘You did what?’
‘Was leaning over the edge of the walkway when one of the animals smashed into the support leg and shook the tower, knocking me over.’
‘How are you alive?’
‘Tree caught me.’
‘I’ll call the paramedics and come in early to relieve you.’
‘I’ll be laying here on the couch, bleeding.’
Then I added, ‘I’ll follow the rules from now on.’
There was static on the radio and a faint voice said, “You’d better.”
***
When Bob unlocked the hatch and led the EMTs in, he didn’t have that grin on his face.
“You ok, kid?” he said.
“Hunky dory, how about you?” I said laying on the cushions that were soaked in my own blood.
“He might be in shock,” one of the EMTs said.
My rescue was an adventure in itself. When they examined me they informed me that my leg was broken. I was sweating trying to go back down those steps with a splint on. I could just see me slipping near the top and falling again. There didn’t seem to be any trees close enough to catch me on this side.
Apparently, the EMTs seemed to be thinking the same thing. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of tying me to a backboard and trying to carry me down the steps. After two EMTs nearly fell, they decided to tie it to a rope and lower me like a sack of potatoes.
They rigged up a rope around one of the support poles for the walkway. Watching the rope scrape along the edges of the wood, fraying as it went was probably more terrifying than anything I’d experienced last night.
Floating in the air, spinning slowly didn’t help my fear of heights any. I decided to close my eyes and try to stay as still as possible so the balance wouldn’t be disturbed and slide me out of the end to fall to my death.
I was extremely grateful when the board hit the ground. My adrenaline finally crashed and I fell into a deep sleep as they loaded me into the ambulance.
***
Truth be told, I’m absolutely terrified to go back to the tower. It’s not like I have a lot of choices. Park ranger is a good paying job and sitting around watching for fires is about the easiest job I’ve ever heard of.
If you take away the supernatural voices, bizarre wildlife, strange lights, and the stairs of death.
I’m hoping paying attention to the rules will keep me safe.
I’m posting this as a warning. If your job has some strange rules, make sure you follow them, no matter how stupid you think they might be.

I started working in 2018 as HoloLens developer after an internship in a company where I develop an DICOM viewer for HTC Vive.
First of all, let me tell you, there’s a lot of potential users for the Apple’s MR headset. We have a lot of industrial users that uses the HoloLens to visualize data over physical elements, the most common scenario is to overlap CAD 3D models over their real-world counterpart.
What I think the Apple headset need to learn about the HoloLens mistakes an errors if Apple wants their device to success:
· Good documentation: Since the beginning trying to know how to do something in the HoloLens is a pain in the ass.
· Several development frameworks, In the early days of the HoloLens 1, the only way to create an App was doing your own 3D engine from scratch using Direct11 and C++, and as was really hard due the bad documentation and the small number of examples, so you had to spent weeks just trying to implement your implementation of a button, then Unity released an extension to use Unity3D to develop, but there was no guidelines about good UX, so you still need to take care of the behaviors and placement of the Holograms. Then Microsoft released MRTK (Mixed Reality Toolkit) a UI/UX framework with UI components: Buttons, Sliders, panels, and consistent behaviors. Finally 3 years ago with the announcement of the HoloLens 2 there was finally Unreal engine support.
· Take care of the legacy development. When Microsoft launched HoloLens 2, almost any app made for HoloLens 1 did not work due the architecture (from x86 to ARM64) and because almost all API changed drastically. Apps made with Unity were a little bit easier to port to HoloLens 2 but as dev, you needed to wait for Microsoft and Unity updating their plug-ins for the engine.
· Bring access to the device’s sensors to anyone, in HoloLens you can’t access to the Infrared cameras, depth sensors, accelerometer and gyroscope without enabling some developer options in the device and the apps that have access to these sensors cannot be published on the store. We have a lot of users that requested features that requires the infrared cameras but they are unwilling to enabled the developer mode in their $3k USD device with the risk of damaging the OS.
· Wired connectivity, maybe the most controversial point in this bullet list, but at least in my experience, a lot of our clients use a USB cable or an ethernet to USB type C adapter to connect the HoloLens to the local network, this for security reasons, they load confidential models/CADs and with the wired network they ensure nothing leaks over the WiFi or internet.
· Shaking medica capture, if you record a video or start streaming from the HoloLens to show someone else what the HoloLens user is seeing, the video is really shaky (just look for any HoloLens app video on YouTube) and the FoV is really small, making the product quality seems really bad, sharing what is happening in the device to other persons easily is an excellent way to publicize your app and therefore the Hardware you run the app.
What I need to learn to make my own holographic apps?
Well, depending on what is gonna be presented tomorrow, the things I suggest learning:
· AR Kit
· Apple Metal https://developer.apple.com/documentation/metal
· A shading language: MSL (Metal Shading Language): This is a “must” if you want to create advance apps, knowing the bases of shading will let you create almost visual effect you have in mind and optimize what you achieve.
· Unity3D, I’m pretty sure Unity will be one of the first non-apple development environments that will support Apple’s MR headset, if you know how to use unity you can save a lot of time creating good apps and games.
· A lot of math: Geometry and some Calculus are used everyday if you want to create your own behaviors.
In the company I work for we are gonna skip the day to see the Apple event and take decisions about how we will migrate the app we have to the new headset.

One hundred and forty-nine stairs. That’s how many there are to get up to the fire tower I’m posted at. I used to think getting up there meant safety. Now, I’m hoping it just means survival.
Climbing one hundred and forty-nine steps when you’re healthy is no small feat. When one of your legs has been torn to shreds, you’re bleeding from many places and you’re trying to get up there to wrap it, hoping there’s enough bandages so you don’t bleed to death, it’s a lot more difficult.
Then there are the stairs themselves which also count as a hazard when you have to hop up each one, causing pain to shoot through your injured leg. The stairs are skinny enough as they are, but the closer you get to the top, the smaller they get.
How do I know the exact number of steps? I counted them. I also counted which ones I miscalculated my jump, or brushed my foot against the step, or did something else that nearly sent me sailing over the rickety railing to my untimely death. The first time was one step number three, then fifteen, thirty-seven was a bad one, fifty-two, one oh seven, one-twenty, and finally one-forty-three. I guess it’s a good thing I’m deathly afraid of heights.
By now you may have figured out, I’m a park ranger. How did I end up playing this deadly game of hopscotch? It started a week ago when I got the job.
I was super excited, because I love working alone, and I love nature. What other job blends those two so well?
That excitement waned quite a bit when I arrived at the tower on my first day and looked up at those tiny metal steps I would have to climb to get to my job. The whole thing looked about as sturdy as if someone had built it with an erector set. I mean honestly, seeing surface rust on stairs that have to support your weight is terrifying, and I had to wonder how much I would be swaying when the wind really kicked up.
I wanted to close my eyes and just run up, but I didn’t dare. I paid attention to every single step, watching the metal bow under the weight of my foot, white-knuckling the railings as I went.
Finally, I reached the top and knocked on the trapdoor that had to be opened to let me in. I met the ranger who would be training me. His name was Bob, and he looked every bit how I envision a park ranger would look. Tall and thin, wiry but not scrawny, with a five o’clock shadow because he never had the time to shave properly.
Bob was one of those guys who seemed to always have a smirk on their face like they’ve just been told the greatest joke of all time, but they don’t want to let you in on it.
He spent the entire shift showing me around and then boring me to tears with all the little details of working in a fire tower. The place wasn’t bad. I was expecting an empty room with a card table and a radio, but this was nice. It reminded me of a small apartment or the inside of a small RV. There was a kitchenette with a microwave, sink, and minifridge. There was a couch and a couple of chairs, and most importantly, there was a bathroom.
At one point I thought there would be an outhouse at the base of the tower I would have to use. The thought of going down all those steps while holding number one or especially number two was something I didn’t even want to have nightmares about.
Just before the end of the shift, the next ranger came up. His name was Toby.
Toby looked nothing like I envisioned rangers looking like. He was overweight but made up for it by being under tall. He had a look of mischief in his eyes like a seventh grader who had just dropped a cherry bomb down the toilet and was trying to walk away looking nonchalant.
He smiled and shook my hand.
“So did Bob bore you to tears?” he said.
“Not quite to tears,” I said.
“Hey, I’m a good trainer,” Bob said looking offended yet still wearing that grin.
“Did you tell him everything?” Toby said.
“Pretty sure,” Bob said.
“Did you tell him about?” Toby leaned closer and whispered something in Bob’s ear that I couldn’t hear.
Bob’s grin grew.
“No, I didn’t tell him about that.”
“Maybe we should wait until he’s done training,” Toby said.
“What?” I said looking back and forth between them.
“We’ll tell you once you’re done job shadowing,” Bob said with that infuriating grin.
When we left, I was so focused on what they weren’t telling me, I nearly missed the first step and plunged to my death.
“Yeah, you’re gonna want to focus on those steps,” Bob said. “We had a coworker get hurt really bad because of them.”
“Is he ok now?”
Bob looked away.
Toby came over and volunteered, “He’s dead.”
That was definitely what I wanted to hear.
The next few days were a blur. Between total boredom with reading the procedure book and Bob grinning all the while refusing to tell me the big secret, I was getting super frustrated. I couldn’t wait for my first night working alone.
At least I had brought some supplies up to keep in the tower. Some snacks, a few books, and a tablet to make some notes on if I started writing a story.
Finally, the night came. I was working on my own for the first time. Surprisingly, Bob’s smile vanished as he told me.
“Did you ever read anything off of Reddit?” he said.
I shrugged.
“I don’t really read much other than books.”
“Sign up for Reddit, then go to the nosleep subreddit and look for a story called, ‘I was a park ranger stationed in a fire tower. It had a strange set of rules.’ Read that. It’ll tell you what to do.”
“Ok,” I said. “That’s the big secret? Read someone’s made-up story?”
“It might seem made up,” he said. “But trust me, follow the rules.”
I tried to read his expression to see if he was messing with me or not. In the five days I’d known him, there was never a time he wasn’t wearing that stupid grin, until now. His face was serious as a heart attack.
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll look it up later on my phone.”
“You really should do it as soon as I leave.”
“Ok.”
“Good luck.”
He stepped over to the door and went down the stairs. A few minutes later I heard his truck drive away.
“What the hell was that about?”
I stood in the middle of the room looking out at the beautiful trees, but not even seeing them. My mind was occupied by what Bob had said.
“It has to be a prank,” I said to the empty room. “Bob and Toby cooked this up to scare me on my first night. Well, I’m not falling for it.”
I did my first round of walking around on the outside walkway, looking for any sign of fires. We worked twelve-hour shifts, so I was working from seven am to seven pm. It was late summer and still warm enough to go without a jacket, at least on my first round. By the time I got to my fourth round, there was a chill in the air. I started doing my rounds from the inside and made a mental note to bring a jacket with me tomorrow.
It seemed odd to be talking about a jacket in late summer, but in the forest, the temperatures can vary wildly. It could be thirty degrees at night and eighty during the day.
I stepped back inside and saw my phone had lit up with a text message. I looked at it and it was Bob.
‘Did you read the rules yet?’
‘No,’ I texted back.
‘You don’t have much time.’
I knew this was a joke, it had to be a joke. The old timers pulling a fast one on the new guy, jerking his chain a little.
‘I’ll get right on it,’ I texted.
‘You better.’
I put my phone down and looked at the clock. It was ten minutes after ten. Outside was now completely dark, creating a very disconcerting illusion where when I would look outside, all I saw was my reflection. I decided to turn some lights off and go with just the bare minimum. That reduced the reflection some and I could see some trees outside.
I did a slow pan around, then grabbed a bag of chips and a soda, sat down, and worked on a crossword puzzle. That only lasted a half hour until I was bored with it. I picked up a book and started to read.
I woke sometime later, with my head resting on the back of the chair, chip crumbs all over my shirt, and the book laying on the floor.
I stretched and looked over at the clock. It read two-thirteen.
I jumped up, flinging the bag of chips to the floor, realizing I’d missed several checks, then ran around the room staring out at the trees. After my quick lap, I took a breath and did another slower lap to make sure there was no smoke. Thank God, there was none.
I chided myself for falling asleep on duty like that as I cleaned up my mess. I decided I should set an hourly alarm on my phone so that wouldn’t happen again.
When I picked up the phone I noticed there was a series of texts from Bob.
‘Did you read it yet?’
‘Why aren’t you answering?’
‘Are you alright?’
‘Don’t open the door for any reason.’
The last one sent chills down my spine.
Why would I open the door in the middle of the night?
As I was thinking this, another text came in.
‘For the love of God, read it!’
What the hell was wrong with this guy? Was he seriously losing sleep for a stupid joke?
I decided I would humor him and read the story. I opened my phone and went to the Reddit site. I had just signed up and put my information in when I heard static over the radio. I stepped to the receiver and checked it. Static blared out of it, making me jump as I heard a faint voice in it.
“Tower seven, do you read me?” I heard from a voice I could barely hear through the static.
I hesitated for a moment trying to remember if this was tower seven or not.
“Tower seven do you read me?” the voice said sounding a little more desperate.
I picked up the mic and keyed it.
“This is tower seven, go ahead.”
“It’s good to hear you tower seven,” the voice said suddenly clear. “I didn’t think you would answer.”
“Well, here I am, awake and alert, answering you,” I said. “What did you need?”
“I already have what I need,” the voice said sounding like it was chuckling. “I’d like to come visit if that’s alright.”
“Tower seven, this is base, who are you talking to?”
“I don’t know, someone on the radio,” I said into the mic.
“Seven, there’s no one else on this channel,” base said.
I got chills for a moment. What did that mean? How was I hearing someone that base couldn’t? Why would someone be calling now? Then it hit me that the base dispatcher was probably in on the joke too.
“Ok, base, maybe it was just some random transmission.”
“Tower seven,” the voice said. “Am I alright to come from a visit?”
I hesitated for a moment. What if it wasn’t a joke? Who the hell is walking through the forest at two thirty in the morning?
“Maybe we’ll do that visit another time,” I said.
“Visit?” base said. “What visit? Seven, you know it’s against policy to have visitors.”
“Yeah, sorry, base, I won’t be letting anyone visit.”
More static came over the radio. I could swear I could hear someone say something in the middle of it.
It sounded like, “We’ll see.”
I put down the mic and picked up my phone to read the story when I saw something off in the distance. It was a light, but it was hovering, like a helicopter. I switched my phone to camera mode, zoomed in, and took a picture. It was weird because the light was blue. I didn’t think helicopters had blue lights on them. Also, this light wasn’t flashing, it was solid the whole time. It came closer and I took another picture.
It floated even closer. It was mesmerizing. There was no sound. No hum, no whirring of tiny blades keeping it afloat like a drone, nothing. It was about the size of a basketball and glowing the most brilliant blue I’d ever seen. I reached out for it and it backed away from my hand. I took a step closer to the edge of the walkway, reaching out as far as my arm could stretch.
It backed away a few inches, just out of reach. I stood on my tiptoes, pushing against the railing trying to touch it. It moved away another inch.
I reached the tipping point and pinwheeled my arms to regain my balance and shove back against the railing.
I fell onto the walkway, landing hard on my backside and hitting the back of my head against the window. I looked up and the light was gone.
I shook my head, painfully stood up, and went back inside. I didn’t want to do a patrol but figured I’d better. After a slow walk around, I collapsed in the chair and set my alarm to go off in an hour.
After sitting there for a few minutes I could feel myself nodding off, so I opened my phone and started reading the story. After about ten minutes, I lowered my phone, eyes wide, hands shaking.
“It can’t be real,” I whispered. “It’s just a joke.”
I scrolled back through the story and re-read the rules.

Never, under any circumstances, leave the fire tower until you are relieved.
Turn off all lights between the hours of 2 and 3 am.
If you receive a radio transmission or phone call between those hours, do not answer.
If anyone knocks on the trapdoor during those hours tell them they’ll have to wait until morning. Do not open the door.
If you see a glowing object floating toward the tower, don’t look at it. Cover your eyes and count to 50. When you open your eyes it should be gone. If not, cover and count to 50 again.
If animals surround the tower don’t go down to look. Fire your flare gun into the air twice one minute apart, then lock yourself in the bathroom and hope for the best.
My skepticism started to waver. How could they have known about those things, unless…

There was a powerful banging at the trapdoor that made me jump.
“Who is it?” I said.
No one answered.
I minute later, the pounding resumed. I searched for anything I could use as a weapon. Digging through the silverware drawer and finding an old, dull, paring knife, I backed as far away from the trapdoor as possible while staying inside. The pounding repeated. Somehow through the fear that coursed through my veins, I found my voice.
“You’ll have to come back in the morning,” I said.
“But I’m here now tower,” said the voice from the radio. “Let… me… in... ”
The last three words changed from asking to demanding. The voice also became deeper and more menacing.
I didn’t answer. I just slid down to the floor and hugged my knees holding the knife in front of me, silently searching through the story on my phone to see if there was something I missed, some way I could remedy the situation. But there was nothing, and the end of the story didn’t give me much hope.
I covered my ears and closed my eyes as the pounding continued now mixed with the voice that was going back and forth between pleading and threatening. It whispered then it screamed. It sound like a young boy, then it sounded demonic.
I rocked back and forth trying to keep some measure of sanity as the assault continued. I began to wonder how long the trapdoor would hold before whatever it was broke through.
Then suddenly it stopped.
As happy as I was that there was no more pounding and yelling, I didn’t trust it. My entire body was on pins and needles. It felt like the calm before the storm.
The fire tower shook. It felt like an earthquake, only different. I stood and went out to the walkway to see what was happening. When I looked down, I couldn’t believe it. The tower was surrounded by animals of all kinds. Deer, squirrels, bears, moose, any forest animal you could imagine, and even a couple I couldn’t and didn’t want to identify.
As I leaned over watching this strange menagerie, a moose rammed into one of the tower’s legs. It sent a shockwave through the entire metal framework. By the time it got up to me the tower was shaking so hard it made me lose my balance.
I toppled over the edge and fell. I threw my arm out attempting to catch the rail, but only touched it with my fingertips.
I knew I was falling to my death, there was no doubt. The wind rushing in my ears didn’t drown out the sound of my screaming. It sounded odd like I was listening to someone else scream. I closed my eyes, not wanting to know when the end was coming.
Suddenly something hit me hard in the ribs. I looked and I had hit a tree limb, but it didn’t stop me. The branch broke sending me falling again until I hit another branch. This one tore a gash on my leg as I flipped head over heels and fell again. The next branch grazed my head and made me see stars. I bounced off another branch hitting my shoulder, then took one to the knee, and landed flat on my back on the ground.
I lay there dazed, injured, but alive and surprised to be so. As I tried to regain my bearings, I saw the animals rushing over to me. I doubted they wanted me to pet them while they licked my wounds and cared for me while singing Disney songs.
I jumped up as pain rocked my body from more places than I wanted to think about. I hopped over to the tower steps and began my long arduous journey, just a half step away from a bunch of animals that seemed dead set on my destruction.
About halfway up I realized there was no more pursuit, so I slowed trying to conserve energy.
I got to the top, unlocked the hatch and tried to push it open. It took several tries to get enough strength while balancing on one leg standing on the tiniest of all the tiny steps. As soon as I got it open, I turned and slammed it shut, locking it.
I hobbled into the room, found the first aid box and struggled to get to the couch. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and forget this day ever happened.
I tried to easily lay myself down, but ended up collapsing in an excruciating heap.
Once down, I focused on bandaging the leg since it was losing the most blood. Once done, I proceeded to bandage all the rest of the areas that needed.
“How are you feeling, tower seven?” I heard the voice say over the radio.
I didn’t answer.
“Oh, come on now tower, don’t be like that,” it said. “Talk to me. Let me in and we’ll have a conversation.”
I lay there trying to think of anything other than pain and this voice.
“There has to be punishment for disobeying the rules.”
My blood ran cold. How did that thing know about the rules?
I reached into my pocket and was astonished that my phone was there. It had a cracked screen, but was usable. I texted Bob.
‘I’m alive, somehow. I broke half the rules without knowing it because I read the story too late.’
‘Are you alright?’
I took pictures of my bandaged leg that was wrapped but blood was still seeping through. I took pictures of my battered face, and my bruised ribs. I sent them all to Bob.
‘Good Lord, man, what did you do?’
‘I fell out of the tower.’
‘You did what?’
‘Was leaning over the edge of the walkway when one of the animals smashed into the support leg and shook the tower, knocking me over.’
‘How are you alive?’
‘Tree caught me.’
‘I’ll call the paramedics and come in early to relieve you.’
‘I’ll be laying here on the couch, bleeding.’
Then I added, ‘I’ll follow the rules from now on.’
There was static on the radio and a faint voice said, “You’d better.”
***
When Bob unlocked the hatch and led the EMTs in, he didn’t have that grin on his face.
“You ok, kid?” he said.
“Hunky dory, how about you?” I said laying on the cushions that were soaked in my own blood.
“He might be in shock,” one of the EMTs said.
My rescue was an adventure in itself. When they examined me they informed me that my leg was broken. I was sweating trying to go back down those steps with a splint on. I could just see me slipping near the top and falling again. There didn’t seem to be any trees close enough to catch me on this side.
Apparently, the EMTs seemed to be thinking the same thing. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of tying me to a backboard and trying to carry me down the steps. After two EMTs nearly fell, they decided to tie it to a rope and lower me like a sack of potatoes.
They rigged up a rope around one of the support poles for the walkway. Watching the rope scrape along the edges of the wood, fraying as it went was probably more terrifying than anything I’d experienced last night.
Floating in the air, spinning slowly didn’t help my fear of heights any. I decided to close my eyes and try to stay as still as possible so the balance wouldn’t be disturbed and slide me out of the end to fall to my death.
I was extremely grateful when the board hit the ground. My adrenaline finally crashed and I fell into a deep sleep as they loaded me into the ambulance.
***
Truth be told, I’m absolutely terrified to go back to the tower. It’s not like I have a lot of choices. Park ranger is a good paying job and sitting around watching for fires is about the easiest job I’ve ever heard of.
If you take away the supernatural voices, bizarre wildlife, strange lights, and the stairs of death.
I’m hoping paying attention to the rules will keep me safe.
I’m posting this as a warning. If your job has some strange rules, make sure you follow them, no matter how stupid you think they might be.

One hundred and forty-nine stairs. That’s how many there are to get up to the fire tower I’m posted at. I used to think getting up there meant safety. Now, I’m hoping it just means survival.
Climbing one hundred and forty-nine steps when you’re healthy is no small feat. When one of your legs has been torn to shreds, you’re bleeding from many places and you’re trying to get up there to wrap it, hoping there’s enough bandages so you don’t bleed to death, it’s a lot more difficult.
Then there are the stairs themselves which also count as a hazard when you have to hop up each one, causing pain to shoot through your injured leg. The stairs are skinny enough as they are, but the closer you get to the top, the smaller they get.
How do I know the exact number of steps? I counted them. I also counted which ones I miscalculated my jump, or brushed my foot against the step, or did something else that nearly sent me sailing over the rickety railing to my untimely death. The first time was one step number three, then fifteen, thirty-seven was a bad one, fifty-two, one oh seven, one-twenty, and finally one-forty-three. I guess it’s a good thing I’m deathly afraid of heights.
By now you may have figured out, I’m a park ranger. How did I end up playing this deadly game of hopscotch? It started a week ago when I got the job.
I was super excited, because I love working alone, and I love nature. What other job blends those two so well?
That excitement waned quite a bit when I arrived at the tower on my first day and looked up at those tiny metal steps I would have to climb to get to my job. The whole thing looked about as sturdy as if someone had built it with an erector set. I mean honestly, seeing surface rust on stairs that have to support your weight is terrifying, and I had to wonder how much I would be swaying when the wind really kicked up.
I wanted to close my eyes and just run up, but I didn’t dare. I paid attention to every single step, watching the metal bow under the weight of my foot, white-knuckling the railings as I went.
Finally, I reached the top and knocked on the trapdoor that had to be opened to let me in. I met the ranger who would be training me. His name was Bob, and he looked every bit how I envision a park ranger would look. Tall and thin, wiry but not scrawny, with a five o’clock shadow because he never had the time to shave properly.
Bob was one of those guys who seemed to always have a smirk on their face like they’ve just been told the greatest joke of all time, but they don’t want to let you in on it.
He spent the entire shift showing me around and then boring me to tears with all the little details of working in a fire tower. The place wasn’t bad. I was expecting an empty room with a card table and a radio, but this was nice. It reminded me of a small apartment or the inside of a small RV. There was a kitchenette with a microwave, sink, and minifridge. There was a couch and a couple of chairs, and most importantly, there was a bathroom.
At one point I thought there would be an outhouse at the base of the tower I would have to use. The thought of going down all those steps while holding number one or especially number two was something I didn’t even want to have nightmares about.
Just before the end of the shift, the next ranger came up. His name was Toby.
Toby looked nothing like I envisioned rangers looking like. He was overweight but made up for it by being under tall. He had a look of mischief in his eyes like a seventh grader who had just dropped a cherry bomb down the toilet and was trying to walk away looking nonchalant.
He smiled and shook my hand.
“So did Bob bore you to tears?” he said.
“Not quite to tears,” I said.
“Hey, I’m a good trainer,” Bob said looking offended yet still wearing that grin.
“Did you tell him everything?” Toby said.
“Pretty sure,” Bob said.
“Did you tell him about?” Toby leaned closer and whispered something in Bob’s ear that I couldn’t hear.
Bob’s grin grew.
“No, I didn’t tell him about that.”
“Maybe we should wait until he’s done training,” Toby said.
“What?” I said looking back and forth between them.
“We’ll tell you once you’re done job shadowing,” Bob said with that infuriating grin.
When we left, I was so focused on what they weren’t telling me, I nearly missed the first step and plunged to my death.
“Yeah, you’re gonna want to focus on those steps,” Bob said. “We had a coworker get hurt really bad because of them.”
“Is he ok now?”
Bob looked away.
Toby came over and volunteered, “He’s dead.”
That was definitely what I wanted to hear.
The next few days were a blur. Between total boredom with reading the procedure book and Bob grinning all the while refusing to tell me the big secret, I was getting super frustrated. I couldn’t wait for my first night working alone.
At least I had brought some supplies up to keep in the tower. Some snacks, a few books, and a tablet to make some notes on if I started writing a story.
Finally, the night came. I was working on my own for the first time. Surprisingly, Bob’s smile vanished as he told me.
“Did you ever read anything off of Reddit?” he said.
I shrugged.
“I don’t really read much other than books.”
“Sign up for Reddit, then go to the nosleep subreddit and look for a story called, ‘I was a park ranger stationed in a fire tower. It had a strange set of rules.’ Read that. It’ll tell you what to do.”
“Ok,” I said. “That’s the big secret? Read someone’s made-up story?”
“It might seem made up,” he said. “But trust me, follow the rules.”
I tried to read his expression to see if he was messing with me or not. In the five days I’d known him, there was never a time he wasn’t wearing that stupid grin, until now. His face was serious as a heart attack.
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll look it up later on my phone.”
“You really should do it as soon as I leave.”
“Ok.”
“Good luck.”
He stepped over to the door and went down the stairs. A few minutes later I heard his truck drive away.
“What the hell was that about?”
I stood in the middle of the room looking out at the beautiful trees, but not even seeing them. My mind was occupied by what Bob had said.
“It has to be a prank,” I said to the empty room. “Bob and Toby cooked this up to scare me on my first night. Well, I’m not falling for it.”
I did my first round of walking around on the outside walkway, looking for any sign of fires. We worked twelve-hour shifts, so I was working from seven am to seven pm. It was late summer and still warm enough to go without a jacket, at least on my first round. By the time I got to my fourth round, there was a chill in the air. I started doing my rounds from the inside and made a mental note to bring a jacket with me tomorrow.
It seemed odd to be talking about a jacket in late summer, but in the forest, the temperatures can vary wildly. It could be thirty degrees at night and eighty during the day.
I stepped back inside and saw my phone had lit up with a text message. I looked at it and it was Bob.
‘Did you read the rules yet?’
‘No,’ I texted back.
‘You don’t have much time.’
I knew this was a joke, it had to be a joke. The old timers pulling a fast one on the new guy, jerking his chain a little.
‘I’ll get right on it,’ I texted.
‘You better.’
I put my phone down and looked at the clock. It was ten minutes after ten. Outside was now completely dark, creating a very disconcerting illusion where when I would look outside, all I saw was my reflection. I decided to turn some lights off and go with just the bare minimum. That reduced the reflection some and I could see some trees outside.
I did a slow pan around, then grabbed a bag of chips and a soda, sat down, and worked on a crossword puzzle. That only lasted a half hour until I was bored with it. I picked up a book and started to read.
I woke sometime later, with my head resting on the back of the chair, chip crumbs all over my shirt, and the book laying on the floor.
I stretched and looked over at the clock. It read two-thirteen.
I jumped up, flinging the bag of chips to the floor, realizing I’d missed several checks, then ran around the room staring out at the trees. After my quick lap, I took a breath and did another slower lap to make sure there was no smoke. Thank God, there was none.
I chided myself for falling asleep on duty like that as I cleaned up my mess. I decided I should set an hourly alarm on my phone so that wouldn’t happen again.
When I picked up the phone I noticed there was a series of texts from Bob.
‘Did you read it yet?’
‘Why aren’t you answering?’
‘Are you alright?’
‘Don’t open the door for any reason.’
The last one sent chills down my spine.
Why would I open the door in the middle of the night?
As I was thinking this, another text came in.
‘For the love of God, read it!’
What the hell was wrong with this guy? Was he seriously losing sleep for a stupid joke?
I decided I would humor him and read the story. I opened my phone and went to the Reddit site. I had just signed up and put my information in when I heard static over the radio. I stepped to the receiver and checked it. Static blared out of it, making me jump as I heard a faint voice in it.
“Tower seven, do you read me?” I heard from a voice I could barely hear through the static.
I hesitated for a moment trying to remember if this was tower seven or not.
“Tower seven do you read me?” the voice said sounding a little more desperate.
I picked up the mic and keyed it.
“This is tower seven, go ahead.”
“It’s good to hear you tower seven,” the voice said suddenly clear. “I didn’t think you would answer.”
“Well, here I am, awake and alert, answering you,” I said. “What did you need?”
“I already have what I need,” the voice said sounding like it was chuckling. “I’d like to come visit if that’s alright.”
“Tower seven, this is base, who are you talking to?”
“I don’t know, someone on the radio,” I said into the mic.
“Seven, there’s no one else on this channel,” base said.
I got chills for a moment. What did that mean? How was I hearing someone that base couldn’t? Why would someone be calling now? Then it hit me that the base dispatcher was probably in on the joke too.
“Ok, base, maybe it was just some random transmission.”
“Tower seven,” the voice said. “Am I alright to come from a visit?”
I hesitated for a moment. What if it wasn’t a joke? Who the hell is walking through the forest at two thirty in the morning?
“Maybe we’ll do that visit another time,” I said.
“Visit?” base said. “What visit? Seven, you know it’s against policy to have visitors.”
“Yeah, sorry, base, I won’t be letting anyone visit.”
More static came over the radio. I could swear I could hear someone say something in the middle of it.
It sounded like, “We’ll see.”
I put down the mic and picked up my phone to read the story when I saw something off in the distance. It was a light, but it was hovering, like a helicopter. I switched my phone to camera mode, zoomed in, and took a picture. It was weird because the light was blue. I didn’t think helicopters had blue lights on them. Also, this light wasn’t flashing, it was solid the whole time. It came closer and I took another picture.
It floated even closer. It was mesmerizing. There was no sound. No hum, no whirring of tiny blades keeping it afloat like a drone, nothing. It was about the size of a basketball and glowing the most brilliant blue I’d ever seen. I reached out for it and it backed away from my hand. I took a step closer to the edge of the walkway, reaching out as far as my arm could stretch.
It backed away a few inches, just out of reach. I stood on my tiptoes, pushing against the railing trying to touch it. It moved away another inch.
I reached the tipping point and pinwheeled my arms to regain my balance and shove back against the railing.
I fell onto the walkway, landing hard on my backside and hitting the back of my head against the window. I looked up and the light was gone.
I shook my head, painfully stood up, and went back inside. I didn’t want to do a patrol but figured I’d better. After a slow walk around, I collapsed in the chair and set my alarm to go off in an hour.
After sitting there for a few minutes I could feel myself nodding off, so I opened my phone and started reading the story. After about ten minutes, I lowered my phone, eyes wide, hands shaking.
“It can’t be real,” I whispered. “It’s just a joke.”
I scrolled back through the story and re-read the rules.

Never, under any circumstances, leave the fire tower until you are relieved.
Turn off all lights between the hours of 2 and 3 am.
If you receive a radio transmission or phone call between those hours, do not answer.
If anyone knocks on the trapdoor during those hours tell them they’ll have to wait until morning. Do not open the door.
If you see a glowing object floating toward the tower, don’t look at it. Cover your eyes and count to 50. When you open your eyes it should be gone. If not, cover and count to 50 again.
If animals surround the tower don’t go down to look. Fire your flare gun into the air twice one minute apart, then lock yourself in the bathroom and hope for the best.
My skepticism started to waver. How could they have known about those things, unless…

There was a powerful banging at the trapdoor that made me jump.
“Who is it?” I said.
No one answered.
I minute later, the pounding resumed. I searched for anything I could use as a weapon. Digging through the silverware drawer and finding an old, dull, paring knife, I backed as far away from the trapdoor as possible while staying inside. The pounding repeated. Somehow through the fear that coursed through my veins, I found my voice.
“You’ll have to come back in the morning,” I said.
“But I’m here now tower,” said the voice from the radio. “Let… me… in... ”
The last three words changed from asking to demanding. The voice also became deeper and more menacing.
I didn’t answer. I just slid down to the floor and hugged my knees holding the knife in front of me, silently searching through the story on my phone to see if there was something I missed, some way I could remedy the situation. But there was nothing, and the end of the story didn’t give me much hope.
I covered my ears and closed my eyes as the pounding continued now mixed with the voice that was going back and forth between pleading and threatening. It whispered then it screamed. It sound like a young boy, then it sounded demonic.
I rocked back and forth trying to keep some measure of sanity as the assault continued. I began to wonder how long the trapdoor would hold before whatever it was broke through.
Then suddenly it stopped.
As happy as I was that there was no more pounding and yelling, I didn’t trust it. My entire body was on pins and needles. It felt like the calm before the storm.
The fire tower shook. It felt like an earthquake, only different. I stood and went out to the walkway to see what was happening. When I looked down, I couldn’t believe it. The tower was surrounded by animals of all kinds. Deer, squirrels, bears, moose, any forest animal you could imagine, and even a couple I couldn’t and didn’t want to identify.
As I leaned over watching this strange menagerie, a moose rammed into one of the tower’s legs. It sent a shockwave through the entire metal framework. By the time it got up to me the tower was shaking so hard it made me lose my balance.
I toppled over the edge and fell. I threw my arm out attempting to catch the rail, but only touched it with my fingertips.
I knew I was falling to my death, there was no doubt. The wind rushing in my ears didn’t drown out the sound of my screaming. It sounded odd like I was listening to someone else scream. I closed my eyes, not wanting to know when the end was coming.
Suddenly something hit me hard in the ribs. I looked and I had hit a tree limb, but it didn’t stop me. The branch broke sending me falling again until I hit another branch. This one tore a gash on my leg as I flipped head over heels and fell again. The next branch grazed my head and made me see stars. I bounced off another branch hitting my shoulder, then took one to the knee, and landed flat on my back on the ground.
I lay there dazed, injured, but alive and surprised to be so. As I tried to regain my bearings, I saw the animals rushing over to me. I doubted they wanted me to pet them while they licked my wounds and cared for me while singing Disney songs.
I jumped up as pain rocked my body from more places than I wanted to think about. I hopped over to the tower steps and began my long arduous journey, just a half step away from a bunch of animals that seemed dead set on my destruction.
About halfway up I realized there was no more pursuit, so I slowed trying to conserve energy.
I got to the top, unlocked the hatch and tried to push it open. It took several tries to get enough strength while balancing on one leg standing on the tiniest of all the tiny steps. As soon as I got it open, I turned and slammed it shut, locking it.
I hobbled into the room, found the first aid box and struggled to get to the couch. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and forget this day ever happened.
I tried to easily lay myself down, but ended up collapsing in an excruciating heap.
Once down, I focused on bandaging the leg since it was losing the most blood. Once done, I proceeded to bandage all the rest of the areas that needed.
“How are you feeling, tower seven?” I heard the voice say over the radio.
I didn’t answer.
“Oh, come on now tower, don’t be like that,” it said. “Talk to me. Let me in and we’ll have a conversation.”
I lay there trying to think of anything other than pain and this voice.
“There has to be punishment for disobeying the rules.”
My blood ran cold. How did that thing know about the rules?
I reached into my pocket and was astonished that my phone was there. It had a cracked screen, but was usable. I texted Bob.
‘I’m alive, somehow. I broke half the rules without knowing it because I read the story too late.’
‘Are you alright?’
I took pictures of my bandaged leg that was wrapped but blood was still seeping through. I took pictures of my battered face, and my bruised ribs. I sent them all to Bob.
‘Good Lord, man, what did you do?’
‘I fell out of the tower.’
‘You did what?’
‘Was leaning over the edge of the walkway when one of the animals smashed into the support leg and shook the tower, knocking me over.’
‘How are you alive?’
‘Tree caught me.’
‘I’ll call the paramedics and come in early to relieve you.’
‘I’ll be laying here on the couch, bleeding.’
Then I added, ‘I’ll follow the rules from now on.’
There was static on the radio and a faint voice said, “You’d better.”
***
When Bob unlocked the hatch and led the EMTs in, he didn’t have that grin on his face.
“You ok, kid?” he said.
“Hunky dory, how about you?” I said laying on the cushions that were soaked in my own blood.
“He might be in shock,” one of the EMTs said.
My rescue was an adventure in itself. When they examined me they informed me that my leg was broken. I was sweating trying to go back down those steps with a splint on. I could just see me slipping near the top and falling again. There didn’t seem to be any trees close enough to catch me on this side.
Apparently, the EMTs seemed to be thinking the same thing. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of tying me to a backboard and trying to carry me down the steps. After two EMTs nearly fell, they decided to tie it to a rope and lower me like a sack of potatoes.
They rigged up a rope around one of the support poles for the walkway. Watching the rope scrape along the edges of the wood, fraying as it went was probably more terrifying than anything I’d experienced last night.
Floating in the air, spinning slowly didn’t help my fear of heights any. I decided to close my eyes and try to stay as still as possible so the balance wouldn’t be disturbed and slide me out of the end to fall to my death.
I was extremely grateful when the board hit the ground. My adrenaline finally crashed and I fell into a deep sleep as they loaded me into the ambulance.
***
Truth be told, I’m absolutely terrified to go back to the tower. It’s not like I have a lot of choices. Park ranger is a good paying job and sitting around watching for fires is about the easiest job I’ve ever heard of.
If you take away the supernatural voices, bizarre wildlife, strange lights, and the stairs of death.
I’m hoping paying attention to the rules will keep me safe.
I’m posting this as a warning. If your job has some strange rules, make sure you follow them, no matter how stupid you think they might be.

One hundred and forty-nine stairs. That’s how many there are to get up to the fire tower I’m posted at. I used to think getting up there meant safety. Now, I’m hoping it just means survival.
Climbing one hundred and forty-nine steps when you’re healthy is no small feat. When one of your legs has been torn to shreds, you’re bleeding from many places and you’re trying to get up there to wrap it, hoping there’s enough bandages so you don’t bleed to death, it’s a lot more difficult.
Then there are the stairs themselves which also count as a hazard when you have to hop up each one, causing pain to shoot through your injured leg. The stairs are skinny enough as they are, but the closer you get to the top, the smaller they get.
How do I know the exact number of steps? I counted them. I also counted which ones I miscalculated my jump, or brushed my foot against the step, or did something else that nearly sent me sailing over the rickety railing to my untimely death. The first time was one step number three, then fifteen, thirty-seven was a bad one, fifty-two, one oh seven, one-twenty, and finally one-forty-three. I guess it’s a good thing I’m deathly afraid of heights.
By now you may have figured out, I’m a park ranger. How did I end up playing this deadly game of hopscotch? It started a week ago when I got the job.
I was super excited, because I love working alone, and I love nature. What other job blends those two so well?
That excitement waned quite a bit when I arrived at the tower on my first day and looked up at those tiny metal steps I would have to climb to get to my job. The whole thing looked about as sturdy as if someone had built it with an erector set. I mean honestly, seeing surface rust on stairs that have to support your weight is terrifying, and I had to wonder how much I would be swaying when the wind really kicked up.
I wanted to close my eyes and just run up, but I didn’t dare. I paid attention to every single step, watching the metal bow under the weight of my foot, white-knuckling the railings as I went.
Finally, I reached the top and knocked on the trapdoor that had to be opened to let me in. I met the ranger who would be training me. His name was Bob, and he looked every bit how I envision a park ranger would look. Tall and thin, wiry but not scrawny, with a five o’clock shadow because he never had the time to shave properly.
Bob was one of those guys who seemed to always have a smirk on their face like they’ve just been told the greatest joke of all time, but they don’t want to let you in on it.
He spent the entire shift showing me around and then boring me to tears with all the little details of working in a fire tower. The place wasn’t bad. I was expecting an empty room with a card table and a radio, but this was nice. It reminded me of a small apartment or the inside of a small RV. There was a kitchenette with a microwave, sink, and minifridge. There was a couch and a couple of chairs, and most importantly, there was a bathroom.
At one point I thought there would be an outhouse at the base of the tower I would have to use. The thought of going down all those steps while holding number one or especially number two was something I didn’t even want to have nightmares about.
Just before the end of the shift, the next ranger came up. His name was Toby.
Toby looked nothing like I envisioned rangers looking like. He was overweight but made up for it by being under tall. He had a look of mischief in his eyes like a seventh grader who had just dropped a cherry bomb down the toilet and was trying to walk away looking nonchalant.
He smiled and shook my hand.
“So did Bob bore you to tears?” he said.
“Not quite to tears,” I said.
“Hey, I’m a good trainer,” Bob said looking offended yet still wearing that grin.
“Did you tell him everything?” Toby said.
“Pretty sure,” Bob said.
“Did you tell him about?” Toby leaned closer and whispered something in Bob’s ear that I couldn’t hear.
Bob’s grin grew.
“No, I didn’t tell him about that.”
“Maybe we should wait until he’s done training,” Toby said.
“What?” I said looking back and forth between them.
“We’ll tell you once you’re done job shadowing,” Bob said with that infuriating grin.
When we left, I was so focused on what they weren’t telling me, I nearly missed the first step and plunged to my death.
“Yeah, you’re gonna want to focus on those steps,” Bob said. “We had a coworker get hurt really bad because of them.”
“Is he ok now?”
Bob looked away.
Toby came over and volunteered, “He’s dead.”
That was definitely what I wanted to hear.
The next few days were a blur. Between total boredom with reading the procedure book and Bob grinning all the while refusing to tell me the big secret, I was getting super frustrated. I couldn’t wait for my first night working alone.
At least I had brought some supplies up to keep in the tower. Some snacks, a few books, and a tablet to make some notes on if I started writing a story.
Finally, the night came. I was working on my own for the first time. Surprisingly, Bob’s smile vanished as he told me.
“Did you ever read anything off of Reddit?” he said.
I shrugged.
“I don’t really read much other than books.”
“Sign up for Reddit, then go to the nosleep subreddit and look for a story called, ‘I was a park ranger stationed in a fire tower. It had a strange set of rules.’ Read that. It’ll tell you what to do.”
“Ok,” I said. “That’s the big secret? Read someone’s made-up story?”
“It might seem made up,” he said. “But trust me, follow the rules.”
I tried to read his expression to see if he was messing with me or not. In the five days I’d known him, there was never a time he wasn’t wearing that stupid grin, until now. His face was serious as a heart attack.
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll look it up later on my phone.”
“You really should do it as soon as I leave.”
“Ok.”
“Good luck.”
He stepped over to the door and went down the stairs. A few minutes later I heard his truck drive away.
“What the hell was that about?”
I stood in the middle of the room looking out at the beautiful trees, but not even seeing them. My mind was occupied by what Bob had said.
“It has to be a prank,” I said to the empty room. “Bob and Toby cooked this up to scare me on my first night. Well, I’m not falling for it.”
I did my first round of walking around on the outside walkway, looking for any sign of fires. We worked twelve-hour shifts, so I was working from seven am to seven pm. It was late summer and still warm enough to go without a jacket, at least on my first round. By the time I got to my fourth round, there was a chill in the air. I started doing my rounds from the inside and made a mental note to bring a jacket with me tomorrow.
It seemed odd to be talking about a jacket in late summer, but in the forest, the temperatures can vary wildly. It could be thirty degrees at night and eighty during the day.
I stepped back inside and saw my phone had lit up with a text message. I looked at it and it was Bob.
‘Did you read the rules yet?’
‘No,’ I texted back.
‘You don’t have much time.’
I knew this was a joke, it had to be a joke. The old timers pulling a fast one on the new guy, jerking his chain a little.
‘I’ll get right on it,’ I texted.
‘You better.’
I put my phone down and looked at the clock. It was ten minutes after ten. Outside was now completely dark, creating a very disconcerting illusion where when I would look outside, all I saw was my reflection. I decided to turn some lights off and go with just the bare minimum. That reduced the reflection some and I could see some trees outside.
I did a slow pan around, then grabbed a bag of chips and a soda, sat down, and worked on a crossword puzzle. That only lasted a half hour until I was bored with it. I picked up a book and started to read.
I woke sometime later, with my head resting on the back of the chair, chip crumbs all over my shirt, and the book laying on the floor.
I stretched and looked over at the clock. It read two-thirteen.
I jumped up, flinging the bag of chips to the floor, realizing I’d missed several checks, then ran around the room staring out at the trees. After my quick lap, I took a breath and did another slower lap to make sure there was no smoke. Thank God, there was none.
I chided myself for falling asleep on duty like that as I cleaned up my mess. I decided I should set an hourly alarm on my phone so that wouldn’t happen again.
When I picked up the phone I noticed there was a series of texts from Bob.
‘Did you read it yet?’
‘Why aren’t you answering?’
‘Are you alright?’
‘Don’t open the door for any reason.’
The last one sent chills down my spine.
Why would I open the door in the middle of the night?
As I was thinking this, another text came in.
‘For the love of God, read it!’
What the hell was wrong with this guy? Was he seriously losing sleep for a stupid joke?
I decided I would humor him and read the story. I opened my phone and went to the Reddit site. I had just signed up and put my information in when I heard static over the radio. I stepped to the receiver and checked it. Static blared out of it, making me jump as I heard a faint voice in it.
“Tower seven, do you read me?” I heard from a voice I could barely hear through the static.
I hesitated for a moment trying to remember if this was tower seven or not.
“Tower seven do you read me?” the voice said sounding a little more desperate.
I picked up the mic and keyed it.
“This is tower seven, go ahead.”
“It’s good to hear you tower seven,” the voice said suddenly clear. “I didn’t think you would answer.”
“Well, here I am, awake and alert, answering you,” I said. “What did you need?”
“I already have what I need,” the voice said sounding like it was chuckling. “I’d like to come visit if that’s alright.”
“Tower seven, this is base, who are you talking to?”
“I don’t know, someone on the radio,” I said into the mic.
“Seven, there’s no one else on this channel,” base said.
I got chills for a moment. What did that mean? How was I hearing someone that base couldn’t? Why would someone be calling now? Then it hit me that the base dispatcher was probably in on the joke too.
“Ok, base, maybe it was just some random transmission.”
“Tower seven,” the voice said. “Am I alright to come from a visit?”
I hesitated for a moment. What if it wasn’t a joke? Who the hell is walking through the forest at two thirty in the morning?
“Maybe we’ll do that visit another time,” I said.
“Visit?” base said. “What visit? Seven, you know it’s against policy to have visitors.”
“Yeah, sorry, base, I won’t be letting anyone visit.”
More static came over the radio. I could swear I could hear someone say something in the middle of it.
It sounded like, “We’ll see.”
I put down the mic and picked up my phone to read the story when I saw something off in the distance. It was a light, but it was hovering, like a helicopter. I switched my phone to camera mode, zoomed in, and took a picture. It was weird because the light was blue. I didn’t think helicopters had blue lights on them. Also, this light wasn’t flashing, it was solid the whole time. It came closer and I took another picture.
It floated even closer. It was mesmerizing. There was no sound. No hum, no whirring of tiny blades keeping it afloat like a drone, nothing. It was about the size of a basketball and glowing the most brilliant blue I’d ever seen. I reached out for it and it backed away from my hand. I took a step closer to the edge of the walkway, reaching out as far as my arm could stretch.
It backed away a few inches, just out of reach. I stood on my tiptoes, pushing against the railing trying to touch it. It moved away another inch.
I reached the tipping point and pinwheeled my arms to regain my balance and shove back against the railing.
I fell onto the walkway, landing hard on my backside and hitting the back of my head against the window. I looked up and the light was gone.
I shook my head, painfully stood up, and went back inside. I didn’t want to do a patrol but figured I’d better. After a slow walk around, I collapsed in the chair and set my alarm to go off in an hour.
After sitting there for a few minutes I could feel myself nodding off, so I opened my phone and started reading the story. After about ten minutes, I lowered my phone, eyes wide, hands shaking.
“It can’t be real,” I whispered. “It’s just a joke.”
I scrolled back through the story and re-read the rules.

Never, under any circumstances, leave the fire tower until you are relieved.
Turn off all lights between the hours of 2 and 3 am.
If you receive a radio transmission or phone call between those hours, do not answer.
If anyone knocks on the trapdoor during those hours tell them they’ll have to wait until morning. Do not open the door.
If you see a glowing object floating toward the tower, don’t look at it. Cover your eyes and count to 50. When you open your eyes it should be gone. If not, cover and count to 50 again.
If animals surround the tower don’t go down to look. Fire your flare gun into the air twice one minute apart, then lock yourself in the bathroom and hope for the best.
My skepticism started to waver. How could they have known about those things, unless…

There was a powerful banging at the trapdoor that made me jump.
“Who is it?” I said.
No one answered.
I minute later, the pounding resumed. I searched for anything I could use as a weapon. Digging through the silverware drawer and finding an old, dull, paring knife, I backed as far away from the trapdoor as possible while staying inside. The pounding repeated. Somehow through the fear that coursed through my veins, I found my voice.
“You’ll have to come back in the morning,” I said.
“But I’m here now tower,” said the voice from the radio. “Let… me… in... ”
The last three words changed from asking to demanding. The voice also became deeper and more menacing.
I didn’t answer. I just slid down to the floor and hugged my knees holding the knife in front of me, silently searching through the story on my phone to see if there was something I missed, some way I could remedy the situation. But there was nothing, and the end of the story didn’t give me much hope.
I covered my ears and closed my eyes as the pounding continued now mixed with the voice that was going back and forth between pleading and threatening. It whispered then it screamed. It sound like a young boy, then it sounded demonic.
I rocked back and forth trying to keep some measure of sanity as the assault continued. I began to wonder how long the trapdoor would hold before whatever it was broke through.
Then suddenly it stopped.
As happy as I was that there was no more pounding and yelling, I didn’t trust it. My entire body was on pins and needles. It felt like the calm before the storm.
The fire tower shook. It felt like an earthquake, only different. I stood and went out to the walkway to see what was happening. When I looked down, I couldn’t believe it. The tower was surrounded by animals of all kinds. Deer, squirrels, bears, moose, any forest animal you could imagine, and even a couple I couldn’t and didn’t want to identify.
As I leaned over watching this strange menagerie, a moose rammed into one of the tower’s legs. It sent a shockwave through the entire metal framework. By the time it got up to me the tower was shaking so hard it made me lose my balance.
I toppled over the edge and fell. I threw my arm out attempting to catch the rail, but only touched it with my fingertips.
I knew I was falling to my death, there was no doubt. The wind rushing in my ears didn’t drown out the sound of my screaming. It sounded odd like I was listening to someone else scream. I closed my eyes, not wanting to know when the end was coming.
Suddenly something hit me hard in the ribs. I looked and I had hit a tree limb, but it didn’t stop me. The branch broke sending me falling again until I hit another branch. This one tore a gash on my leg as I flipped head over heels and fell again. The next branch grazed my head and made me see stars. I bounced off another branch hitting my shoulder, then took one to the knee, and landed flat on my back on the ground.
I lay there dazed, injured, but alive and surprised to be so. As I tried to regain my bearings, I saw the animals rushing over to me. I doubted they wanted me to pet them while they licked my wounds and cared for me while singing Disney songs.
I jumped up as pain rocked my body from more places than I wanted to think about. I hopped over to the tower steps and began my long arduous journey, just a half step away from a bunch of animals that seemed dead set on my destruction.
About halfway up I realized there was no more pursuit, so I slowed trying to conserve energy.
I got to the top, unlocked the hatch and tried to push it open. It took several tries to get enough strength while balancing on one leg standing on the tiniest of all the tiny steps. As soon as I got it open, I turned and slammed it shut, locking it.
I hobbled into the room, found the first aid box and struggled to get to the couch. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and forget this day ever happened.
I tried to easily lay myself down, but ended up collapsing in an excruciating heap.
Once down, I focused on bandaging the leg since it was losing the most blood. Once done, I proceeded to bandage all the rest of the areas that needed.
“How are you feeling, tower seven?” I heard the voice say over the radio.
I didn’t answer.
“Oh, come on now tower, don’t be like that,” it said. “Talk to me. Let me in and we’ll have a conversation.”
I lay there trying to think of anything other than pain and this voice.
“There has to be punishment for disobeying the rules.”
My blood ran cold. How did that thing know about the rules?
I reached into my pocket and was astonished that my phone was there. It had a cracked screen, but was usable. I texted Bob.
‘I’m alive, somehow. I broke half the rules without knowing it because I read the story too late.’
‘Are you alright?’
I took pictures of my bandaged leg that was wrapped but blood was still seeping through. I took pictures of my battered face, and my bruised ribs. I sent them all to Bob.
‘Good Lord, man, what did you do?’
‘I fell out of the tower.’
‘You did what?’
‘Was leaning over the edge of the walkway when one of the animals smashed into the support leg and shook the tower, knocking me over.’
‘How are you alive?’
‘Tree caught me.’
‘I’ll call the paramedics and come in early to relieve you.’
‘I’ll be laying here on the couch, bleeding.’
Then I added, ‘I’ll follow the rules from now on.’
There was static on the radio and a faint voice said, “You’d better.”
***
When Bob unlocked the hatch and led the EMTs in, he didn’t have that grin on his face.
“You ok, kid?” he said.
“Hunky dory, how about you?” I said laying on the cushions that were soaked in my own blood.
“He might be in shock,” one of the EMTs said.
My rescue was an adventure in itself. When they examined me they informed me that my leg was broken. I was sweating trying to go back down those steps with a splint on. I could just see me slipping near the top and falling again. There didn’t seem to be any trees close enough to catch me on this side.
Apparently, the EMTs seemed to be thinking the same thing. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of tying me to a backboard and trying to carry me down the steps. After two EMTs nearly fell, they decided to tie it to a rope and lower me like a sack of potatoes.
They rigged up a rope around one of the support poles for the walkway. Watching the rope scrape along the edges of the wood, fraying as it went was probably more terrifying than anything I’d experienced last night.
Floating in the air, spinning slowly didn’t help my fear of heights any. I decided to close my eyes and try to stay as still as possible so the balance wouldn’t be disturbed and slide me out of the end to fall to my death.
I was extremely grateful when the board hit the ground. My adrenaline finally crashed and I fell into a deep sleep as they loaded me into the ambulance.
***
Truth be told, I’m absolutely terrified to go back to the tower. It’s not like I have a lot of choices. Park ranger is a good paying job and sitting around watching for fires is about the easiest job I’ve ever heard of.
If you take away the supernatural voices, bizarre wildlife, strange lights, and the stairs of death.
I’m hoping paying attention to the rules will keep me safe.
I’m posting this as a warning. If your job has some strange rules, make sure you follow them, no matter how stupid you think they might be.

So I’m looking to get the front two windows of my Subaru forester sport 2019 tinted. I asked 3 shops in my area and I think I’m going to go to this one that has tons of great reviews. They gave me 3 options at 3 diff prices. I was considering going for the middle one. Any thoughts? Here’s what they told me:
“ATC series is comparable to carbon films (2 plies)—3 years warranty. ATC series films are non-metal, will not interfere with the signal device, will match factory glass, and will not turn purple. Recommended for those looking for a reasonable price, a good film that can block UV rays and is not too concerned about the heat. Available in 50%, 40%, 35%, 20%, 15% and 5%
For side windows and a back windshield would be $395 or 2 fronts only $110
CTX Series NANO-ceramic technology. It matches well with the factory glass. This Ceramic film is non-metal and will not interfere with signal devices—an excellent all-around film with good heat rejection. I recommend CTX if you park indoors and spend some time driving and looking to reduce heat during summer. This is an excellent all-around tint. Come with a manufacturer's nationwide lifetime warranty against peeling, bubbling, and color fading. Available in 50%, 40%, 35%, 30%, 25%, 15% and 5%
For side windows and a back windshield would be $495 or 2 fronts only $150
Llumar IRX Series Full Ceramic Nano with High IR blocking film. More layers for maximum heat rejection. It is best for EV because it provides high heat and IR rejection for reducing heat build-up, less AC work, and makes your battery work more efficiently—the best performance film for high temperatures. IR rejection is 89% and will not interfere with the signal device. This film is superior in heat rejection to any other film. Recommend this film to those who park outdoors most of the day and are looking for very high heat rejection or want the best heat rejection film. Come with a manufacturer's nationwide lifetime warranty against peeling, bubbling, and color fading. Available in Airblu80, 50%, 40%, 35%, 30%, 25%, 15% and 5%
For side windows and a back windshield would be $595 or 2 fronts only $195”

Hey there, A few things about me : Midwest home and grown!
Musically influenced. I like outdoors & camping( a introverts dream)
I'd also like to mention, that im a introvert that finds himself in his own company a lot .I like to consider myself friendly. Warm , compassionate, Laid back, well mannered.
As most people want to be treated as such . I'm more of a home body, So that's where reddit comes into play. I keep a small circle, it's been easier for me that way. Its something I take a lot if pride in doing.
I'd really enjoy a deep , consistent connection as well out of this.
I like to read & write when I'm not being a nerd or something Big on horror stories & and movies, but not all that im into . Music-related wide range there too, but metal /rock/rap/ alternative and yes( the softer stuff too) Not all metal heads are desensitized!
I'd say supernatural/ crime fiction/ mystery as well as horror books I mentioned a second ago. Audiobooks have gotten more popular with Mr lately. Creative writing is another hobby.( mostly mystery-suspense- a horror element to blend too.
Podcasts: I like listening to scare you to sleep on spotify. And Dr. No sleep.
Love to cook and try new things/ recipes even though they don't always turn out good 😋 I can kinda bake . I'm kinda basic and simple but home-style is my jam!
Interests /goals/ motivation
*playing guitar, learning drums, and well as sampling / producing music.( all goals)
*but guitar is my main interest for sure. I've recently gotten back into practicing.
*Snowboarding, getting a motorcycle ( goals/ interest)

owning a house on land ( obviously a dream)

More tattoos ( I have a little guy on my shoulder!: this is a want definitely)
I'm looking for a friendly yet rambunctious spirit to vibe with (: age range id say," mid 20's and lower 30's preferred. Ill reply to all but I'd prefer to have a girl bestie im gonna be frank with that.
I'm finally at a better place in my life

Although not looking for anything too specific but im pretty much open if we end up clicking & chatting on a regular basis. I have a few platforms to chat on if we click too also. I'm open to voice calls as well, I feel like that's important in connections.

Cause let's face it, This new Reddit chat is buggy as hell sometimes..
Please feel free to reach out , im looking to hear from you & hopefully you have a good day P.S thanks for talking the time and reading this! (:

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/E4RfT2k
Here is an album with all of the pictures!
All prices are shipped the same or the next day CONUS Paypal F&F/Venmo NO NOTES OR YOUR ORDER WILL BE REFUNDED. Feel free to shoot an offer if you think the prices are off. Dibs gets priority.

TA47 ACOG, Red Triangle, 2021 DOM $694.20 Got this on trade on here and don't really need it, just been sitting in my desk drawer. Functions flawless, pair with either mount for $750. Comes with the original box and all original stickers, carry handle mount etc. This would be PERFECT on a carry handle upper.
BOBRO Lower 1/3rd mii ACOG QD Mount $95 Comes will all original mounting hardware, low/no salt.
SLR Low (tall for carry hand ACOGs, ~1.93) mini ACOG Mount $75 Comes will all original mounting hardware, low/no salt.
Strike Industries silver mlok grip $20 Catch and release, I prefer the handbrake.
TA51 Stock ACOG Mount $15 Bit salty just sitting in my junk drawer, comes with stock screws.
Surefire Clicky Cap $20 Low/no salt.
Aimpoint LRP 39mm spacer for micros $15 Comes will all original mounting hardware, low/no salt.
2x Magpul AICS 10 round Mags $65 New, don't fit with my tikka chassis so I need metal mags >_>
OSS 762 30 cal flash hider $80 Comes with an oss MB box, I shot like 20 rounds through this, without a can basically zero salt. I swapped to a brake.
THRYM Variarc helmet rail $15 Got in a package deal and don't need it

Thank you for looking!

Hey there, A few things about me : Midwest home and grown!
Musically influenced. I like outdoors & camping( a introverts dream)
I'd also like to mention, that im a introvert that finds himself in his own company a lot .I like to consider myself friendly. Warm , compassionate, Laid back, well mannered.
As most people want to be treated as such . I'm more of a home body, So that's where reddit comes into play. I keep a small circle, it's been easier for me that way. Its something I take a lot if pride in doing.
I'd really enjoy a deep , consistent connection as well out of this.
I like to read & write when I'm not being a nerd or something Big on horror stories & and movies, but not all that im into . Music-related wide range there too, but metal /rock/rap/ alternative and yes( the softer stuff too) Not all metal heads are desensitized!
I'd say supernatural/ crime fiction/ mystery as well as horror books I mentioned a second ago. Audiobooks have gotten more popular with Mr lately. Creative writing is another hobby.( mostly mystery-suspense- a horror element to blend too.
Podcasts: I like listening to scare you to sleep on spotify. And Dr. No sleep.
Love to cook and try new things/ recipes even though they don't always turn out good 😋 I can kinda bake . I'm kinda basic and simple but home-style is my jam!
Interests /goals/ motivation
*playing guitar, learning drums, and well as sampling / producing music.( all goals)
*but guitar is my main interest for sure. I've recently gotten back into practicing.
*Snowboarding, getting a motorcycle ( goals/ interest)

owning a house on land ( obviously a dream)

More tattoos ( I have a little guy on my shoulder!: this is a want definitely)
I'm looking for a friendly yet rambunctious spirit to vibe with (: age range id say," mid 20's and lower 30's preferred. Ill reply to all but I'd prefer to have a girl bestie im gonna be frank with that.
I'm finally at a better place in my life

Although not looking for anything too specific but im pretty much open if we end up clicking & chatting on a regular basis. I have a few platforms to chat on if we click too also. I'm open to voice calls as well, I feel like that's important in connections.

Cause let's face it, This new Reddit chat is buggy as hell sometimes..
Please feel free to reach out , im looking to hear from you & hopefully you have a good day P.S thanks for talking the time and reading this! (:

Hey there, A few things about me : Midwest home and grown!
Musically influenced. I like outdoors & camping( a introverts dream)
I'd also like to mention, that im a introvert that finds himself in his own company a lot .I like to consider myself friendly. Warm , compassionate, Laid back, well mannered.
As most people want to be treated as such . I'm more of a home body, So that's where reddit comes into play. I keep a small circle, it's been easier for me that way. Its something I take a lot if pride in doing.
I'd really enjoy a deep , consistent connection as well out of this.
I like to read & write when I'm not being a nerd or something Big on horror stories & and movies, but not all that im into . Music-related wide range there too, but metal /rock/rap/ alternative and yes( the softer stuff too) Not all metal heads are desensitized!
I'd say supernatural/ crime fiction/ mystery as well as horror books I mentioned a second ago. Audiobooks have gotten more popular with Mr lately. Creative writing is another hobby.( mostly mystery-suspense- a horror element to blend too.
Podcasts: I like listening to scare you to sleep on spotify. And Dr. No sleep.
Love to cook and try new things/ recipes even though they don't always turn out good 😋 I can kinda bake . I'm kinda basic and simple but home-style is my jam!
Interests /goals/ motivation
*playing guitar, learning drums, and well as sampling / producing music.( all goals)
*but guitar is my main interest for sure. I've recently gotten back into practicing.
*Snowboarding, getting a motorcycle ( goals/ interest)

owning a house on land ( obviously a dream)

More tattoos ( I have a little guy on my shoulder!: this is a want definitely)
I'm looking for a friendly yet rambunctious spirit to vibe with (: age range id say," mid 20's and lower 30's preferred. Ill reply to all but I'd prefer to have a girl bestie im gonna be frank with that.
I'm finally at a better place in my life

Although not looking for anything too specific but im pretty much open if we end up clicking & chatting on a regular basis. I have a few platforms to chat on if we click too also. I'm open to voice calls as well, I feel like that's important in connections.

Cause let's face it, This new Reddit chat is buggy as hell sometimes..
Please feel free to reach out , im looking to hear from you & hopefully you have a good day P.S thanks for talking the time and reading this! (:

Im 23 caucasian/eastern-european. 177cm tall 77kg weight Currently on no medication,have no family history of early heart issues or blood pressure issues. Former smoker,smoked for 5 years and quit around 4 months ago. I drink alcohol very rarely,my diet is ok not too much sodium or foods that are unhealthy or that would cause blood pressure issues. I have had multiple EKG's and an echocardiogram which were good except for a minor prolapse which the echocardiogram found. Currently scheduled to have a stress test and an 24 EKG holter.My blood sugar, cholesterol and all the rest of heart relevant blood work is good. My normal resting blood pressure in the morning is 117/75,sometimes even slightly lower than that. Checked my thyroid it was also normal.
Around 3 months ago i started getting completely random huge spikes in blood pressure. Multiple incidents where my blood pressure would spike to at least 150/85 and twice to 170/90. No pattern of food or anything else that i can connect that would trigger the episodes. It always happens the same way i first start feeling a bit weak,my heart rate jumps from 70-80 to 125-140 and any physical activity becomes hard to do even something as easy as doing a single squat or even crouching to grab something and standing up. Every time i check my blood pressure in those moments its high.Also my body temperature rises slightly as well. First doctor prescribed me 10mg of propranolol to take as needed,the second suggested 12.5 of zorkaptil to lower the blood pressure also to take as needed. One of the doctors recommended a physicatrist appointment as he thought it might be panic attacks. Physicatrist prescribed xanax temporarily for a couple weeks to see if it would help but nothing really changed as the moments of high blood pressure seem random they can be gone for weeks or happen 2 days in a row. No pattern of food, activity, anxiety or anything else to suggest that that is the cause.
Does anyone have any idea what it could be or should i continue taking xanax because multiple doctors told me its most likely anxiety? Does this sound as anything possibly more serious that an EKG, echocardiogram,stress test and 24h holter,and blood work can miss? I am very concerned and would appreciate some help thanks in advance.

First / Previous / Next
Helbram stared at the image of his father, the initial ache in his heart fading the longer his eyes rested on him. His father was never a cruel nor cold man, but the warmth that was present in the image’s face was… strange, unfitting for the man that Helbram had grown up with. Familial longing was replaced by caution of the unknown, and he felt his skin grow warm as anger started to boil at the pit of his stomach.
The man raised his hands, “I see this image upsets you. My apologies,” he said, his voice light, ringing with the sounds of vibrating steel.
The image faded from his sight, leaving him alone in the darkness.
“What image would you prefer then?” the voice said, now echoing throughout the void.
“I would have you take no guise,” Helbram said. He took a cursory look around him, unable to discern a source for the voice, “My memories are my own, and I will not have you wear their skin in some attempt to appease me.”
A laugh rang through the darkness, ringing like a bell, “A man of conviction, that I can respect.”
A mote of silver light appeared before Helbram, growing until it took the shape of a humanoid figure. The light faded, leaving behind a figure clad in silver armor. A winged helmet obscured the figure’s head for a moment, but it soon reached up and removed it, revealing the face of a man. Given the man’s features, Helbram could tell that he was a human, but the man’s skin was a stark white, with silver eyes that brimmed with the sheen of silver light. There was a chiseled look to his face, with his sharp, well defined jaw that was quirked from the man’s confident smile. He was tall and broad shouldered, both slightly wider and taller than Helbram himself, which gave him a natural air of intimidation that blended with the raw power that radiated from his body. His armor was of an ancient make, a blend of chainmail and plate to cover his body, yet the runes engraved onto the plate and shape of the armor itself was far curvier than anything he’d seen before, emphasizing the man’s physique as opposed to the usual bulky armor that Helbram himself would wear.
It eventually dawned on him that he had seen the armor before, in the murals that sat above the Sword.
“So what are you, the Sword or the man that wielded it?” Helbram asked.
The man cradled his helmet right above his hip and bowed, “Sadly, my previous master has long passed from this world. Consider this form a gesture of respect to him,” he looked up to Helbram with a kind smile, “and to you.”
Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “I am not sure I’m entirely pleased to receive respect that I have not earned.”
The Sword stood upright, “Oh but you have. I have borne witness to many men who have tried to prove their worth to me, and most have been found wanting.”
“Aside from me and two others,” Helbram said.
The silver-clad man nodded, “Yes, how brimming with potential must this age be to have three such worthy individuals,” he stepped towards Helbram, who kept his distance, “but even with such a bounty of strength one must stand above them all, and I believe that you are the one to do it.”
Helbram sighed, “Then why the test? Would it not have been more expedient to have Sophia come speak to me sooner?”
The Sword’s face grew grim, “That, I am afraid, was due to urgency.”
Helbram regarded the silver haired man with a flat expression, “Explain.”
The Sword started to pace, “The murals in my shrine tell the tale of a man that made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat a great evil,” he motioned to himself, “this man, which I am sure you are well aware of, but I am afraid that despite his efforts, that very same evil remains.”
Helbram crossed his arms, “Does this evil have a name?”
“There is no direct translation from the Ancient Tongue, I am afraid, but for the purposes of giving it an identity let us call it Malice, shall we?”
Helbram nodded, but frowned, “If you were aware of its continued existence then why did you not provide warning of it beforehand?”
A sorrowful expression pulled down at The Sword’s silver eyes, “Malice has always been… subtle with its touch. That is how it began, you see. Not as the overwhelming force it eventually was, but as a subtle, insidious entity with a grasp deft enough to escape even my awareness. I had thought it gone… until I felt its corrosive nature once again.”
“Thus the test.”
The pale skinned man gave a brief nod, “Precisely. Even with three worthy candidates, it is vital that I be wielded by one who was both brave enough and competent enough to face the emerging darkness.”
Helbram’s frown deepened, “So you set them off on a test without telling them what the opponent was.”
The Sword regarded him with a blank expression, “It was a test of knowledge in addition to bravery.”
“Yes, which is why you sent a young man who has not had a lick of experience in combat against a Troll,” Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “And an opportunist, waiting until her target was weakened to strike.”
The Sword tilted his head, “What are you insinuating?”
Helbram shrugged, “If you were to choose a weilder that would help you fight off a great evil, I imagine you would have someone of more… experience and prone to self sacrifice in mind.”
“You possess such experience, do you not? And from what I can tell, your purpose for going into those woods was to save, not to slay. Such actions require a certain amount of self sacrifice,” The Sword smiled at him, “Such actions are those of a Hero.”
Helbram’s eye twitched, “Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”
“I merely speak the truth,” the sword explained, “It would be rather pointless of me to show such interest in you if it was a lie, would it not?” he motioned towards his own body, “I have been held in the possession of the finest of heroes, wieldied in battles against foes that have matched that same caliber. I know talent when I see it, feel it, and within you I sense that very same potential.”
“Do not speak to me of potential!” Helbram snapped. He let silence settle between them before rubbing his eyes and sighing, “I have spoken enough of it for a lifetime today.”
The Sword looked at him, eyes alight with curiosity, “You are very guarded when it comes to speaking of such things, though the more that I look into your memories the more I can see why…”
Helbram opened his mouth to respond, but as he did he felt his body lurch, like whatever he was standing on was pulled from under him. His vision went white as he stumbled forward, and as it returned the first thing he noticed was that he was staring at his hands.
They were covered in blood.
The pain that flared from his palms told him that it was from wounds of his own, but as he made to move them closer to examine them he found that he could not do so. His hands remained still, trembling as blood trickled down from torn skin and calluses, caking the dirt that covered them in a mess of crusted mud. He made to move them again, but stopped himself when he realized that he was again bearing witness to another memory.
One that he did not wish to recall.
He could not see his face, but the size of his hands were the same as they were in the present, possessing a softness to them that had long faded from his touch. He was an adult in this memory, a fact that only confirmed the worst for him.
He was back in the training ring in front of his house. The sky was red with the fading light of the evening sun, draped over the rock that stood in front of him. Thin lines marred its surface, countless scratches that added a shade of paleness to its darkened grain. Scattered around the rock were bits of broken metal, remnants of the swords that had been dashed upon the rock.
He heaved with each breath, eyes still focused upon the rock as his vision blurred from the sweat that fell over his eyes from his brow. He wiped his eyes with his forearm, fleeing a slight sting to them, which he ignored as he knelt down, grasping at the sword that lay at his feet. Its blade was chipped up and down its profile, but still held the vague semblance of a weapon. His hands stung as they wrapped around the handle, blood beading between his fingertips as he gripped the sword with all of his might.
The blade shook as Helbram held it in front of him, slipping into the remnants of a stance that had broken from the fatigue long ago. He tried to keep himself still, but no matter how much he tried to focus the sword continued to tremble. He reared the blade back and roared, slamming the sword into the rock.
It struck stone with a weak grinding sound that sent shivers down his spine, but still he hefted the weapon back up and struck the stone again, leaving another thin scratch across its surface.
Helbram wanted to close his eyes, but the memory did not let him. Instead he could only watch himself hit the rock over and over, feeling each shock that shivered up his hands, feeling the pain in his palms flaring as more of its skin began to tear. Still his memory self continued, striking the stone in a trance, and he could feel each desperate attempt to reach for Ether that was not there… was never there.
The pace of his swings increased, each time the grating of metal against rock cutting deeper and deeper into his mind. All attempts to reach for any Ether that he desired were abandoned, and in a chorus of rage filled yells Helbram kept striking the rock. He saw nothing but his target, felt nothing aside from the increasingly pathetic desire for the stone to yield to his attacks, a desperate attempt to run from a truth that clawed at his back.
The sword was nothing more than twisted metal when the light of the sun had faded, leaving only the pale light of a new moon sky to illuminate his surroundings. He rested his head against the rock, beating it with his bloodied fist. He eventually stopped, letting his hand rest against the stone, shivering from the cold that started to chill the sweat on his skin.
He grit his teeth and stood up, hefting the warped sword into the air with a final cry before bringing it down.
Only for his hands to be stopped as his father caught them.
“Helbram stop!”
But he didn’t, he fought his father’s grip as hard as he could, but it was to no avail. The sword was pulled from his hands with ease and thrown to the side, and when Helbram still made to break from the hold his father grabbed his arms and pinned them at his sides. In his tired state, Helbram could not fight it, and was only able to shake in place.
“Deep breaths son,” his father said, “you need to center yourself.”
“What good does that do?!” Helbram yelled. He fell to his knees, his vision blurring as he felt tears start to pool in his eyes, “What good does any of this do?”
His father looked at him with sad eyes, “Helbram, I -”
“I have tried, and tried, and tried,” Helbram said in a trembling voice, “but still it meant nothing in the end. When the time came to prove myself, it was all for naught. Still was I lacking, still I remain lacking, and no matter what I do it does not matter,” he looked down at his bloodied hands, clenching them until the sting of his torn flesh dulled the aching in his heart, “It will never matter, and try as I might to run from this truth, there is no escaping it. It is hopeless.”
The grip around his arms tightened, “It is not hopeless.”
Helbram looked up, meeting his father’s eyes and seeing the steel behind them.
“It was not for naught,” he said, “your efforts will be recognized, this I swear.”
Helbram’s vision went white, and when it returned, he was back in the void, the Sword still standing in front of him wearing the guise of the hero.
He rubbed his brow, “If you mean to convince me with visions of the past, then that was a poor choice.”
The Sword shook his head, “No, I was merely showing you the source of my understanding. Years of effort, bearing no fruit, no results. While I cannot fathom the frustration that may cause, I know that such things are not easy to deal with.”
Helbram sighed, “Do you now? I suppose that you know what happened after that little embarrassment?” He looked at the Sword, a sad smile pulling at his lips, “My father set out, seeking items, elixirs that could cure my condition. For months at a time would he disappear, marked by new scars, new wounds that told me the danger that he exposed himself to, all for my sake, all while I sat still. Time warped, with days feeling like months and months feeling like days, taking any possible cure from my father, feeling just a small spark of hope when it looked like things could be different,” he snorted, “a habit that I have been unable to shake.”
His jaw clenched, “I grew to hate it. Despite my father’s intentions I could only get angrier with each new failure. I would lash out, curse him for giving me hope only to sink back into despair once more. Yet still he left, still he would try.”
He closed his eyes as his vision blurred.
“One day, when he returned, he collapsed before he could even get through the door. Poison was in his veins, its effects slowed enough by the Ether he possessed to allow him to make his way back home,” he let go of a breathe that he wasn’t aware that he held, “With the aid of my grandfather, he recovered, but it took weeks, and each night the poison would wrack through his body.”
He clenched his fists, “I can still hear his screams, his cries as he felt pains I cannot even begin to fathom. All because his son wanted to be stronger, all because of me.”
Helbram took in a deep breath and sighed, “And so I would relieve my father of that burden. When I confirmed that the worst had passed and that he was on the mend, I left. I would not have my father suffer for my own deficiencies. If I was going to chase a dream that would never come true, then I should be the one to bear all its consequences.”
He looked back at the Sword, “So yes, it had been hard to deal with such frustrations, but for some reason that escapes me, I cannot help but continue on this fruitless endeavor.”
The Sword stepped towards him, “Your efforts have not been wasted.”
Helbram frowned at him, but let the Sword continue.
“It is true, the power that is within you is stagnant, unable to be wielded by yourself,” he explained, “but, that does not mean it has not grown.”
Helbram looked at him with questioning eyes, “Explain.”
“Refer to what I have said before, that you possess the greatest potential of all those I have seen. The power that you have trained, nurtured despite your limitations is merely dormant, waiting for a catalyst to awaken. Fifteen years of effort, your efforts, your father’s efforts, they have not been in vain.”
Before Helbram could object, the Sword grabbed his arm.
Fire lanced through his body, a burning sensation that, for a moment, was intense enough that he felt a chill over his skin for a brief moment. The sensation faded and his body felt… light, almost weightless as gooseflesh trailed down his arms. He felt more… aware of his body. The Sword’s chosen form looked more defined in his eyes, the silver glow in his eyes focused into streaks of silver that danced along his irises, the runes along his armor easier to read, though he still did not know what they meant.
More than that was the awareness of the power that suffused through him. It pulsed with each beat of his heart, a rush of strength that made him tremble the more that he felt it. A sword had appeared in his hands, brimming with a soft blue light that suffused the entire length of the blade. It was Ether… his Ether.
“This is no falsehood,” the Sword said, “this is but a spark of the power that lies within you, the result of your training, your father’s aid, just waiting to be awakened,” he placed his other hand on Helbram’s shoulder, “This is why I say that you possess the most potential, for it is the truth. You just need something to awaken it,” his voice grew soft, “I can be the one to do so.”
Helbram could not look up, the sensation of the power that ran through him entrancing his every sense. He felt his vision blur, but only slightly as he could see through the tears more clearly.
It was there, it was really there.
“Take hold, Helbram,” The Sword said, “Pull me from the tree and awaken the power that lies within, the power that you deserve, that you have earned.”
With those words, the void disappeared, leaving Helbram in front of the tree once again, his hand still on the handle of the Sword. Gone was the sensation of power that ran through him, leaving only a phantom of its traces, a sense of longing left in its wake.
He stared at the blade, its silver glint dull in comparison to the brilliance that was held in the Sword’s previous guise. He felt his hands tremble, the memory of that power fresh in his mind. His grip around the handle tightened, and he could feel the muscles in his arm tense up unconsciously.
It was right there, the key that would awaken his strength.
Fifteen years of effort, all waiting to be stirred from a long slumber.
His arm flexed, he felt the blade start to slide.
The air around him trembled as a wave of emotion washed over him. Sadness, confusion… rage that threatened to pull the very breath from his lungs. He knew this sensation, knew its source.
And it was only confirmed as a roar ripped through the air.
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Author's Note: We finally have the Sword and Helbram actually talk! This arc is all about delving into parts of Helbram's mind and I think this was a good way to expose such things about the character. Its a bit shorter, but I didn't want to include anything here that would take away from what the chapter was focusing on. Let me know how I did!
If you wish to read ahead and gain access to the audiobook version of this story, consider supporting me on Patreon. If you want to leave a donation, here is my Ko-fi. More than any of that though, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have yourself a very wonderful day! :)

Information Requested: Path of Hidden Rivers Access granted. Beginning report...
Aspects: Shadow, Force, Water, Metal Iron Body: Dauntless Iron Body Techniques: Currents of the Hidden River (enforcer), Dark Waters Lexicon (forger), Rapids' Shadow (Striker), River of A Thousand Branches (ruler) Goldsign: A ring of forged Hidden Rivers madra that hovers behind the practitioners' shoulders.
The Path of Hidden Rivers was created by sacred artist who traveled the depths of a mighty subterranean river beneath the Iceflower Continent. Their madra has properties of a dark, metal that can flow into shape like water and then become as strong as steel. The aura necessary is rare overall in Cradle, but abundant along the Hidden River, including some areas where it is potent enough to support advancement into the Lord realm. The Hidden Rivers Sect hold law and Justice as paramount, but are content to live within their own domain and rarely interact with the world above.
Dauntless Iron Body: Created to serve the needs of a people in constant danger of floods, attacks, and cave-ins, the Dauntless Body does one thing and one thing only: it is the ultimate Body for durability and resilience. Attacks from others of similar advancement usually find little purchase, and those possessing the body are known to take hits from higher advancements without serious injury. Their skin is likened to the hardness of diamonds, and more than one opponent has broken techniques and limbs against this Body's stalwart defense.
Currents of The Hidden River:
This enforcer technique provides flexibility, power, defense, and a level of obscurement to the user, complimenting their stellar defense perfectly. Users are formidable opponents in hand to hand engagements, although not as powerful physically as more strength-focused artists.
Dark Waters Lexicon:
Inspired originally by a Forger technique from the surface, this technique is the primary focus of the path as a whole. Users forge "stamps" of Hidden Rivers madra in the form of mirror images of script circles, which are then blasted into surfaces or opponents to achieve a wide variety of effects. The remaining madra left behind in the stamp's impression then fuels the script until it is depleted. Although potent in combat, this technique is most often used for erecting boundary formations, architecture, or simply long-lasting written records within the Hidden Rivers Sect.
Rapids' Shadow:
Little more than a highly compressed burst of Hidden Rivers Madras, this technique takes a different form for each practitioner. Some create simplified stamps from the Dark Waters Lexicon to etch small script circles, some create spears, and some simply fire jets of unshaped madra. It lack the development of the Path's two primary techniques, but is a serviceable technique. Notable users have managed to used the stamp form to leave small ruler "mines" around a battlefield, or carve madra-hindering scripts directly into their opponents' bodies.
River of A Thousand Branches:
This technique is a Ruler technique primarily focused on creating buildings, tunnels, aqueducts, and other practical facilities for the ever expanding and exploring Hidden Rivers Sect. In battle it is most often used to create advantageous terrain or control the enemy's line of sight. Some can control earth aura well enough to shape script circles and boundary formations directly into the earth or water around them, creating boundary fields that continually launch harrying attacks against an enemy or obfuscate the area with shadow aura.
The goldsign of the path was adopted early in the path's history specifically to compliment the Dark Waters Lexicon technique: it is essentially a portable blank slate for situationally useful script circles. Some support greater movement speeds, some help artists cycle when underwater, or achieve a thousand other niche uses. Some may be as simple as generating light.
The Path of Hidden Rivers is a powerful and versatile path, but as with all such paths, there are caveats. The aura needed is extremely specific and hard to find outside of the Hidden Rivers themselves, and some are not able to sense the proper distinction between earth and metal aura to cycle in the first place. In addition, the path demands that any practitioner be an exemplary scriptor as well as skilled sacred artist, resulting in the Sect having comparatively few experts in soulsmithing, refining, and alternate paths. The flexibility if the oath itself makes up for the majority of this lack, but when true experts are needed in these fields, Hidden Rivers is often lacking. Finally, the madra control required is exacting and the training time to learn the necessary scripts and create appropriate bindings is exhaustive. The Hidden Rivers Sect use their path daily as a part of all facets of their life, but another may have difficulty finding the time to practice the many needed skills.
Suggested topic: The Hidden Rivers Sect and the Justice Sage. View report? Denied, report complete.

I have brought this up numerous times in varying degrees, but it just lingers. I went to a one room SDA church school 1st through 7th grade. I then transferred to an SDA academy 8th through 10th grade. Both schools were predominantly white. This statement will play in later to my post. In that time, I was constantly reminded we were the one true church and non-SDA would persecute to the point of beatings and killing me if I left the circle. Throughout that time, my dad felt it appropriate to tell me if I didn't behave, he would send me to the local public school, and they would "straighten" me out. He always hovered that over me as a scare tactic like an older sibling picking on a younger one. Non-SDA kids were scarry to me...like some demonic presence in a horror movie.
Toward the end of 10th grade, the academy decided to no longer offer grades 11th and 12th. The closest to my area that offered those two grades was over the State line and far too expensive for my family to afford.
I remember my parents taking me in to register at the local public high school and I was petrified. It was almost like an out of body experience. I would plead with my parents to send me to the out of State SDA academy and I would somehow figure out how to make it work. Maybe work odd jobs to pay tuition. I reminded my parents that I will be persecuted and killed. But in hindsight, they knew that was all BS scare tactics. They also denied ever telling me they would send me to public school as a punishment.
That first day of school, I drove myself. I had my license by then. I damn near had a wreck because I was starting to have panic attacks. I just knew I was going into the pits of hell where God would test me as an Adventist. I accepted the fact that I would most likely die, and I made my peace with God.
There I was sitting in first period. My fellow classmates were NICE. They were socialable. They did not persecute me. The same with each period. One of these classes was biology. I sat, and not to sound racist, in the midst of black students. I thought, damn these are gang members, and this is where is going to happen! Nope. I sat next to the biggest guy I had ever sat next too. I think he was a football player. I was respectful to him, and he to me. Hell, I even helped him on a couple of questions on assignments.
My last class of the day. Junior English. I picked a seat and was surrounded by metal heads! Hell, this is where it going to happen. One guy had long black hair and wore a t-shirt with a skull...or maybe he had a skull earring or skull necklace. He turned to look at me. I anticipated the worst. He said, "hey what's up!" in the friendliest voice. I introduced myself, and the others introduced themselves. I was floored! I thought well, maybe tomorrow it will happen. The persecution.
I can't remember the next few days, but nothing sinister happened. That is when the anxiety attacks really kicked in. When was the persecution going to start! I can't take this shit. I got sick. I started having stomach cramps and severe constipation...sorry for the TMI. I ended up having to go on home study because I just couldn't deal with reality now.
I can't recall how long I was on home study. I may have been out the first part of the semester of 11th grade. My dad started talking to me about just dropping out and going to work for the postal service or something like that. My mom took me to a doctor. I told the doctor about all of the above, the threats of persecution and just waiting for the inevitable. My mom jumped into being and SDA apologist and said they never told me I would be persecuted nor that they would send me to public school for punishment.
I eventually went back to the public school to finish the second semester of 11th grade and 12th grade. It was like seeing colors for the first time. I went on dates. I had girlfriends. I hung out with other kids on the weekends. I had a job. Those first two years was such a massive oxytocin hit that those memories bounce around in my head daily 30 years later. Hell, I can still see images and conversations associated with this post like it happened a couple of days ago.
Now don't get me wrong. It was not a cake walk. What I did not realize, from a maturity perspective, I was emotionally behind everyone else. They had experienced things years ago that I was just now experiencing. There were social interactions I could not comprehend. Nothing catastrophic, but I wish I could have handled better. This is something not exclusive to the SDA Church. I knew a couple of girls from different denominations where one was almost 40 before getting married looking for the perfect Christian man and another, almost 50, who has never married due to the same situation. I learned this just recently, the one who is almost 50 told me she had a crush on me in high school and wanted me to ask her out. However, her Church told her no because I was of a different religion.
Religion can be very toxic regardless of the denomination. The deeper you are in, the more water above your head to swim out...and most don't realize they are drowning.
So, my point to this post, primarily for myself. Writing on this subreddit organizes my thoughts. Second, for you readers that are still in the church school system. One day you will get out. And it will hit you like a ton of bricks, but not via persecution, but the realization of the lies you were told about the outside world and the dismay of being emotionally behind everyone else...which can make new situations harder to process. My advice is to not take things too seriously and don't use Adventist doctrine as a grid for measure. Read posts such as mine and others. Third, for those who had similar experience and simply use this post as affirmation.
I could ramble on, but my smoker is running, and I have ribs, bologna, and sausages cooking.
Just one final note, my senior year I started rapidly dissociating myself with the Church itself.

Is sodium metal nonmetal or metalloid

Fusion Metal

Part 1: space combat

part 2: QOL

part 3: base upgrades, "kits" and supergear