71 lines
3.0 KiB
Plaintext
71 lines
3.0 KiB
Plaintext
We are unsure if anyone is receiving our transmissions. We
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have been stranded here for nearly 10 earth years and have
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thus far adapted successfully to life on this planet. The
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environment is similar enough to that of human evolutionary
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adaptation and it has actually been a relief after such a long
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time in open space. Thus, all our transmissions from this
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planet have not been of desperate urgency. But just recently
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we have encountered a problem that we are not certain we can
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overcome on our own.
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We are in a period of time that was celebrated as a seasonal
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holiday among a particular earth religion centuries ago. The
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crew took it as a collective hobby several years back to study
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the rituals and beliefs of that holiday, called Christmastide
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or Yuletide. During every winter season on this planet, we
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have used what resources we have to make festive meals, give
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gifts, and re-enact what we have learned from the history logs
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on the ship's computer. It has been a little silly, but a
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relief nonetheless against the isolation we have felt while
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stranded here. Until this year.
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This season was the first that one of the children born here
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has become socially active. We suspect some of his behavior
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may be the source of our problem. But as it seems so absurd,
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none dare speak it other than in jest.
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The child, just five earth years of age, has caused extra work
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for the others, breaking or misplacing tools, making loud
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noises during rest hours, and tormenting the fauna we are
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trying so hard to domesticate.
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But the boy's behavior would be tolerable if that were the
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only problem. The real problem is terrifyingly worse. The real
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problem is the appearance of a creature that seems intent on
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attacking the boy.
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It has come at dusk nearly every day for the past few weeks,
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and the crew have taken great risks to chase it away. We've
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posted extra guards at all points around our ship, and each
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day we expect at least one of them will encounter it.
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I have not seen it myself, but the others say it is a
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four-legged creature, bent over and moving itself on its two
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rear legs. It makes a horrible growling and hissing sound like
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"grahh-pssss".
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We know it wants the boy because it has kept close to the
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uncut brush and foliage at the edge of our encampment until it
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has seen him. The few times it saw him, it came forward,
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screeching and clawing at him.
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Luckily we've been able to fight him off thus far. But we've
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sustained some injuries. And the labor we've had to expend on
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defenses are causing shortfalls in meeting our other needs.
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We need help. If anyone is receiving this transmission. We
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need help!
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--
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When you perform the rituals of the past, you may awaken
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something that can't be put back to sleep until forgotten. And
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we can't forget now.
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Can it be, that the gods and demons of our species follow us
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wherever we travel in the universe?
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Can it be, that we are experiencing one of those demons from
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our Yuletide heritage? Is it possible that we are being
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attacked by Krampus?
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