Chapter 3 dead man's village
Maybe, if you're old enough, you should know about the horrors that happened in Gaedas—at least that's what the newspapers carried in those years.What happened in Gaedas shocked the world.
I was near Gaedas when the incident happened, so I was probably the first to arrive.I didn't close my eyes for two whole days and two nights, and finished the story, but it has been unable to make it public.I've been thinking about it all these years, and I figured I'd have to tell someone about it sooner or later.
The story that happened in Gaedas that day began like this...
I was working on a political story at the State Capitol that day when a wire came in.We gathered around the telegraph and watched the words on the yellow paper appear one by one: ... The small town of Gaidas in the south of Honshu became the scene of a suspected mass suicide today.When a mail van arrived in the town this morning, it found all the houses empty, and at the foot of a hundred-foot-high cliff near the town, many corpses were found lying among the rocks...
incredible.The text was still coming in, but none of us wanted to read it.Ten minutes later, we were already on our way to the south, heading straight for the town of Gaedas, eighty miles away.
It was almost night when we arrived, but the lights in the village were dark.The street and surrounding houses stood silently in the darkness.It looks like all the inhabitants have disappeared.
In a sense, it is.
We found a few people and cars on the outskirts, but unlike train wrecks or fire scenes, they didn't appear to be in silent mourning.They just stood on the edge of the cliff looking down at the rocks below.
We joined them too, and I saw what was below.In the reflection of headlights and the afterglow of the setting sun, bodies criss-crossed on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff.There are probably hundreds of people, men, women and children.I can fully imagine the scene of a giant hand blowing them to the abyss of death.
Before long, we followed the steep path to the bottom of the cliff.There was a long job ahead, so the crew set about erecting powerful lights.Among the sharp rocks piercing the sky, these bodies are piled on top of each other.
"Can you imagine someone alive?" I asked involuntarily.
"No way. A hundred feet is a long fall, especially with all these rocks down there."
"Ok……"
Crews began moving the body.An old man with a shattered skull, a girl with a broken neck...
After they removed the bodies from the rock, they lined up neatly in the clearing.After a while, only the blood-stained rocks remained.I ordered the quantity with others. "Seventy-three."
"seventy three……"
A state trooper came to the squad at the bottom of the cliff. "We searched all the houses thoroughly, and there is no living person..."
"The entire village stepped over the edge of this cliff at some point last night..."
Reporters and photographers from all over the country flocked to the scene, and Gaedas, who had never been inhabited, suddenly came back to life.These people make a lot of noise about the horrors that happened here.Seventy-three people in the town of Gaedas threw themselves off the cliff.Why?What is the motive?We all want to know the answers to these questions.
But no one can tell us.
A New York newspaper compared it to a tragedy during the Napoleonic Wars, when a party of charging knights crashed off a cliff before realizing their mistake.A national magazine has thrown up the legend of Hamelin's Pied Piper, suggesting that the incident was induced by some supernatural force.
But these are not the answers.All the houses were searched for clues, but nothing was found.In some places, food was still on the table.In other places, there were signs of making beds.Around eight o'clock, something must have happened to make the villagers leave the house.There were no messages or messages, apparently when they left for the last time they were planning to come back.
but no one came back...
I was the one who first thought of exploring the town's past, and the first night I spent almost the entire night in the town meeting house, which is now empty.There are some files kept in the room - records and memories of the past when the pioneers of the west established this village and town.The town was named after one of these people, and Gaedas developed rapidly when a nearby gold mine was discovered.
I found some ancient maps, and by studying the maps, I deduced that the location of the gold mine was the cliff where the seventy-three lives fell.
As I focused on the map, I suddenly realized I wasn't alone in this cold room.I turned around and shone my flashlight into a dark corner, and a tall figure walked out slowly. "Good evening," he said quietly.
"Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter what my name is, you can call me Simon Acker if you like."
"Simon Acker?"
"Yes," replied the stranger. "It's your turn, may I know who you are?"
"I'm a reporter, a newspaper reporter. I'm coming down from the state capitol to cover this story."
"Aha, what do you hope to find in the historical records of this village? I think so too, just like you."
The man, Simon Yaker, came closer, his face clearly visible in the light of the flashlight.He wasn't old, although there were some wrinkles on his face up close.He might be a handsome guy from a certain angle, but I can't imagine a woman being attracted to him.
"Are you a writer or?"
"No, I'm just investigating; it's my hobby to investigate everything that's strange and inexplicable in the world."
"How did you get here so soon?"
"I was on another mission and just came across the state line. I could have been faster, but the road to Gaedas is not easy."
"That's right. The village is pretty much cut off from the rest of the town. It's been pretty much a ghost village since the gold mines ran out."
"But," Simon Ark said calmly, "seventy-three people still live here. I want to know why they stay. Why don't they leave this dead place?"
"They've been gone," I said; "from the moment they stepped off the cliff."
"Yeah..." After finishing speaking, the man named Simon Yake left the old house.I followed him out, wondering where he was going next.
He is a peculiar man.Different in many ways.As he walked slowly on the dirt road leading to the center of the village of the dead, he seemed to be from another world or era.
Reporters and police have searched the houses, but he still seems to be looking for something else...
Soon, he gradually disappeared into the dark night, and I quickened my pace to follow.When I got behind him, he was bending over a black area on the ground.The moon was shining, and I could only make out the outlines by its light, but he seemed excited by the discovery.
"There's been a fire here lately," he said, as if talking to himself.He pulled something out of the embers, trying to wipe the ash off it.It looked like it might have been a book once, but it was so dark it was hard to be sure of anything else.
The night was eerily quiet, and I didn't realize it until the sound of a car in the distance.
"Someone's coming," I said.
"Strange..." A puzzled expression flashed across Simon Yake's face.
He put the charred book in his coat pocket and started back down the dirt road.
At this time, a cloud covered the moon, and the surroundings suddenly fell into darkness.Then two slow-moving headlights pierced the night.
Simon Yake walked to the front of the car and raised his hands, just like the high priest praying to the sky in ancient times.Looking at his back, a chill ran down my spine.
The light green convertible car braked suddenly, and a girl poked her head out from the driver's seat. "Are you a policeman?" she asked.
"No, I'm just an investigator. This gentleman over here is a reporter." It was the first time she noticed my existence, and the tense expression on her face relaxed.
"My name is Shirley Constance," she said. "I... used to live here."
Simon Yaker also introduced himself. "Does your family still live in Gaedas?" he asked peacefully.
"Yes...my father and brother...I...I heard what happened last night on the radio. Then I came as fast as I could."
"It's wise to stay away from here," says Simon Yaker. "Your two relatives have passed away, but the evil spirit of Gaedas, intertwined with the breath of death, is still lingering around here."
"I...I have to meet them," she said. "Where did the accident happen?"
Simon Yake led the way in the dark, towards the distant cliff. "Bodies are covered with canvas," he told the girl. "I think tomorrow they will be buried together in a mass grave on the cliffs. Most of them have no living relatives."
We walked to the edge of the cliff, and I shone my flashlight on the rocks below, but it was too far to see anything.Even so, I still took a good look at the girl next to me by the light of the flashlight.She was tall, young-looking, and a beauty.The shoulder-length blond hair framed the face well.
"Can you tell me why you left Gaedas?" I asked her on the way back.
"It's a long story," she answered, "but it may have something to do with this dreadful disaster. Come and see my . . . old house, a few minutes away, and I will tell you about it."
Simon Yake and I followed her quietly to a house on the main road.It feels weird to walk into a house that is no longer inhabited by living people.There were all kinds of things in the house: plates, books, clothes, cigars, and food, which reminded me that this place was once inhabited.On the wall is a map of the area of the gold mine, and some people were still working hard until yesterday, fantasizing about rebuilding the village's former glory.
The once warm home has now become an abandoned house. The moment she walked in, the girl couldn't bear the sadness anymore and began to sob.She sank into a large armchair, covering her face with her hands.I watched her cry.It was impossible for me to comfort a girl who was almost a complete stranger.
I found that Simon Yake, like me, let the girl cry, went straight to the dining room, and inspected a small bookcase.After hesitating for a while, I also stepped forward and glanced at the books on the bookshelf.Most of them are children's books, and some may be college textbooks.There is a very old history book with the stamp of the State University on it.
This may have reminded Simon Yake of the charred book just now.He took the book out of his pocket and examined it carefully.Some burnt confetti spilled on the ground.
"It looks like..." Simon Yake fell silent halfway through.
"What is it?"
"Oh yes, the Confessions of St. Augustine is a real masterpiece. Have you read it?"
"No, I'm not Catholic," I replied.
"This book is written by Augustine to all men," said Simon Acker slowly; "it is a very interesting discovery."
"Why would anyone burn it?"
"I might know the answer to that question, but that scares me," he replied.The fear in his voice struck me deeply.
He put the remains of the book back in his pocket, and by this time the girl was back with us. "I'm sorry," she said. "Please forgive my gaffe."
"Never mind," I reassured; "we understand."
"I'll see if I can find some coffee or something," she said, walking into the kitchen.
Soon she came out, carrying three steaming cups.Over coffee, we listened to her describe her early life in Gaedas...
"... I remember about five years ago, I left here to go to college. Of course, I would come back for the summer vacation, and everything seemed to be the same as usual for the first two years. But in the summer of the third year of college, When I got home, I noticed something had changed."
"What change?"
"Well, maybe it's hard for you to understand, because it's hard for me to articulate myself. At first it was people's attitudes to life that changed. They started talking about a man called Axides, who seemed to be talking to the villagers It has a lot of influence. You also know that Gaedas is quite far from the surrounding cities, and seventy-three villagers are forced to isolate themselves. My father and brother only go to the town once every two months. Yes For them, even a village that is gradually declining is everything in life. Some people still work in the mines and live off the little gold left. Some villagers cultivate fields in the valley. But they are all happy because Be content and be happy."
"But you belong to the category of people who are not satisfied with the status quo?"
"I'm not alone. Many young people like me have left Gaedas, especially after this man named Axides came."
Simon Yake's face sank when he heard the name Axides.
"You said that man's name was Axides?"
"Yeah, you know him?"
"I may have met him once, it was a long time ago..."
"Yeah...he's the root of all the problems, I figured that out pretty quickly. When I got home that Christmas, everyone seemed to be possessed. The only thing they talked about was Axi Des and his plan to save the villagers. He seems to have founded some new religion..."
I looked at Simon Yake, his face was stiff.Once again I felt a chill down my spine.
"I'm literally horrified that people trust him completely like a god," she continued. "He held a weekly meeting in the village council hall, and everyone came to hear him preach - even the children. He seemed to know everything that happened in the village, like a prophecy. He could tell you Those secrets that no one else can know. When I went to school, he could tell my father everything I did. People here are easily bewitched by people who are like prophets, and it happens that Axides knows that How to use this power of your own to win over people. I went to one of his sermons, and I have to admit that there is something wonderful about him."
"What does that person look like?"
"He was tall, with a white beard that hung down to his chest. His white hair was long and he wore a white robe. He stepped out from a small platform at the end of the hall and began to speak without any preparation. He disappeared as soon as the lecture was over. He was also seen around the village some times during the week, wearing that white robe. But no one knew where he lived or how he lived."
"That's incredible," I said; "sounds like some kind of life from an ancient dark world."
Simon Yake frowned.
"Yes, dark, and ancient. My only wish now is to know what you said before this happened..."
It was windy outside, and a lone wolf howled from the distant mountains.I glanced at my watch, it was past midnight.
"I don't quite understand what you mean..." asked the girl.
But before he finished speaking, Simon Yake suddenly got up from his chair and opened the door.I ran to his side and looked out the door...
A white person, or something, is rushing in the wind towards the cliff where death sleeps deep in the darkness...
We followed immediately.From the surrounding woods came the low whisper of a breeze.I saw that the girl was going to follow, and I immediately waved her to wait for us in the house.No matter what is ahead, it will definitely not be the picture she wants to see...
When there was still a distance, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, followed by rumbling thunder.It must be raining on the back of the mountain at this moment, but fortunately we are not affected by the storm here.
Still, the wind was picking up, and by the time we reached the edge it was already strong.I can't help but imagine if there was a strong enough gust of wind to blow those people down there to die.Of course, this is just my wild imagination... Maybe the real reason that caused everyone's death is even more unexpected...
"There!" Simon Yake pointed to the center of the seventy-three corpses covered by canvas under the cliff.
I saw that shadow again.
The moon, which had lighted the way before, was now hidden behind the cumulonimbus clouds, but I could still make out the clumps of white against the black background of the rocks.
"Axides?" I whispered.
"It's not too much to say that it was Satan himself," replied Simon Yaker; "perhaps I have been waiting for this moment." He walked towards the rock at the bottom of the cliff, and I followed.
The white object seemed to sense someone approaching.Suddenly, it looks faded.
"He must be hiding behind some rock," I said.
The stench of corpses lingers around us and I feel dizzy.
"I've got to find him," Simon Yark said, and he yelled something in a strange language that sounded a bit like Greek, but I knew it wasn't.
We searched every nook and cranny of the Rock until the smell of corpses was so strong that we wanted to run away.Still got nothing...
On the way back to the top of the cliff, I asked Simon Yaker what he was shouting just now.
"Ancient Egyptian," he said, "is very similar to Egyptian. I'm saying a kind of prayer..."
The sky gradually brightened, and the terror shrouded Gaedas receded slightly.After returning to the house last night, the girl had already fallen asleep, and I sat alone in the front hall of the house, while Simon Yake continued to conduct some mysterious investigations.
Knowing that I would not be able to fall asleep, I decided to record everything that happened since I arrived in Gaedas last night.But I found it impossible to write; the matter was not over, something terrible still lurked in the air around me.Maybe it won't be long before...
The light of dawn appeared on the horizon, and Simon Yake returned after a while.The sound of our conversation woke up the sleeping girl.She made us breakfast with what was left of the house, and at nine o'clock we were ready to leave.
The lack of sleep started to make me a little dizzy, but the rising sun brought me back a little bit of vitality.Simon Yark looked the same as last night, and he looked eager to get out of the village right away. "I have some imperatives to get done," he said. "In the meantime, if you'd be willing to help, there's a thing or two to check."
"Of course I would. It's excellent material."
Our conversation is interrupted by the louder sound of a truck.On the only road into town, an old mail van was coming our way.
"This must be the man whose body was found yesterday," Simon Yaker said.
Turns out he was right.It was a rather tall, middle-aged man named Joe Harris. "They haven't buried it yet, have they?" he asked us.
"No," I replied. "The bodies are still at the bottom of the cliff, covered with a canvas, not far from the rock. The funeral will be held today. I guess they will be buried there en masse, and it is unlikely that they will all be moved to other towns."
"Hey," he said, "I almost scared the hell out of me yesterday when I was driving and there were dead people down here. Why do you think they jumped off the cliff?"
"I don't know," I said. "Otherwise it must be a sensational story."
Other vehicles, large and small, drove up the road one after another, the first being a State Police car.There are also some workers with shovels, and they will immediately bury those bodies and Gaedas' fear.More photographers and journalists from all over the country want to permanently record the strange things that happened in this forgotten village.
They photographed Joe Harris and his dilapidated mail van; Shirley Constance, of course, was asked about life in the village.She recounted her experiences at length, but did not mention Axides the Odd again.I suspect that Simon Acker took special care of this part.
Throughout the morning, Simon Yake was very low-key, and he could not be found among the curious crowd who kept flocking to the scene of the accident.
It wasn't until nearly noon that the two of us were able to escape back to the car.I began to wonder how that strange man got here without a car last night, but seeing all the corpses sunk into the rectangular cemetery at the bottom of the cliff, I temporarily forgot this idea.
When the chanting of prayers came to an end, the scene fell into silence for a while.Then the whispers sounded again, and I turned around and left the village.
Simon Yake was sitting next to me, and I was secretly happy that I successfully blocked other reporters who wanted to come with me yesterday.Because I now feel that the key to solving the puzzle may be in the hands of Simon Yake, and of course, the white figure on the cliff.
We turned onto the highway heading north towards the State House. "What do you want me to do?" I asked him.
"You agree? Very good, I hope you can help find some information in the old newspapers. I want to know if any pastors or priests were killed in Gaedas in the past few years..."
I thought about this question. "Okay, I can help you find the information you want, but there is one condition. You have to tell me who you are, and who is this Axides?"
"I'm just a human being," he said unhurriedly. "A man from another time. It doesn't matter where I come from or what my mission is. All I need to tell you is that I'm looking for the ultimate evil—Satan himself. And In Gaedas, maybe I finally found it."
I sighed softly. "What about Achilles?"
"Achides is also from the past. I've known him for a long time, back in North Africa when St. Augustine wrote..."
"Are you crazy? You're not trying to convince me we're dealing with a man who's been dead for fifteen hundred years?"
"I don't know," replied Simon Acker. "But I plan to find out tonight, when we return to the village of the dead..."
An hour later, this strange fellow and I parted ways near the Houses of Parliament, and we agreed to meet again at five o'clock.It didn't take long to find the information Simon Yaker needed, and I was amazed that six months earlier a Catholic priest had been beaten to death a few miles from Gaidas.Although the police have been investigating, the killer has never been caught...
This information doesn't mean much to me, but it must mean something to Simon Yaker.
Next, I went to the public library to do some research work of my own.I am determined to solve the mystery of Axides and Geddes, and I guess the truth lies in the pages of history.
I first looked in the Encyclopedia Britannica, but couldn't find the entry for Axiides, and I read the St. Augustine section, but there was no clue.I found another thick history book, but there was still nothing in it.The name Axides could not be found in the biography dictionary.So I began to suspect that this person might never have existed.
I looked out the library window, and the golden dome of the State Capitol was gleaming.The clue must be somewhere...Axides, Saint Augustine...Augustine was a great Catholic saint, and a Catholic priest was killed near Gaedas six months ago...
I went back to the rows of bookshelves that lined the walls beyond sight.I found the Catholic Encyclopedia, turned to the index page...
A-k-si-d-s... great, here we go...
"Axides, the leader of the Secanthran sect"... I quickly found the page marked by the index of the fifth volume.
I can't wait to read it: The Secanthrans are an offshoot of the Donatus.They were a group of lawless and crazy people who robbed and killed many Catholics and priests during their wanderings in North Africa.St. Augustine spent most of his life fighting against the sect of the Secanthrans and their leader, Axiides.
The whole marvelous event began to take shape in my head...Axides...the book burned...the priest murdered...
Suddenly a line of words jumped into my eyes: "They often seek their own death, and commit suicide as a kind of martyrdom. They especially like to throw themselves under the cliff... Women are also fanatical. Those who are guilty intend to get redemption from sin by jumping off the cliff... ..."
I read on: "In a debate with the Catholic Church, the bishops of Donatu are proud of their followers. They claim that the church forbids jumping off cliffs. But in reality, the bodies of those who fell are profanely enshrined In the name of glory, the church holds a large-scale anniversary celebration every year..."
That's how it was...something 1,500 years ago extended the tentacles of death to an entire village...
Is it really?Is it true that this man named Akashides has single-handedly directed the withering of seventy-three lives?
After leaving the library, I went to a bar and drank a few strong drinks there, trying to wash away the tiredness and fear that was overwhelming me.Then, I embarked on the road to meet Simon Yake...
The car headed south again, toward the village of the dead, into the darkening twilight.I told Simon Yark all the discoveries: the stories of the murdered priest and the Selcantheran.
"I'm afraid I guessed it," he said calmly. "The priest's death confirmed one thing: the ancient Sekan Selan cultists really existed in Gaedas..."
"But . . . but this whole thing is just incredible. It couldn't have happened in the twentieth century."
"But the specific situation needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. It is an almost isolated village, eighty miles from the nearest city, which is about as far as any town of any size. The people here live completely in their own world, only leaving Once. They don't deal with anyone except the mail truck that comes every day. The road leading here is a dead end, so there will be no passing traffic. Almost everyone here lives in the past, living in the glory and fame of the past inside."
"Well," I said, "I'm starting to see..."
"Then a very evil fellow came here, and he found out that this village and its people had an opportunity. This man, Axides, took advantage of the ignorance and superstition of the villagers to establish a new religion. .This afternoon, I found out that this area is basically neglected by the national church due to its remoteness. A priest will visit here every six months, and the rest of the time it is a religious desert."
"So they all listen to Axiides."
"Yes... I guess his speech has a certain hypnotic effect, so that in the past two years, including the most stern opponents at the beginning, he is convinced that he is the savior of the village. Some bright young people, such as Xue Lee Constance, instead of fighting the demons who had gained power, chose to leave. The visiting priest must die because he discovered the truth. Perhaps others who opposed Axiides have also been killed. Because he It’s a big bet, there’s no room for loss.”
"But...how did he direct this mass suicide?"
"Same as himself or the namesake 1,500 years ago. He made people believe that suicide is a form of martyrdom, and that only by jumping off a cliff can one pay for the sins of this life. Perhaps he has been instilling this since a long time ago. It's an idea. But it wasn't until two nights ago that he suddenly called people out of the house and told everyone that it was time. People had no time to think, and certainly not to think about what a crazy thing they were doing. I'm sure the villagers really I believe it was a relief. That night, they walked off the cliff one by one, perhaps thinking that Axides would be with them. Of course, that was impossible."
"Your hypothesis is convincing," I applaud. "I agree that this religious maniac, after all these years, can convince lonely people to self-destruct, not to mention that they have no love at all. With one or two exceptions at least. What about the kids?"
"I suppose," said Simon Acker calmly, "that they were either in the arms of their mother, or held by their father."
I fell silent, and the horrific picture left a horrible impression on my mind.
"At the same time," continued Simon Ark, "Axides can easily kill anyone who opposes his will. After killing them, he is thrown off the cliff and mixed with other people."
"It still looks ... unbelievable."
"The reason why it seems incredible and absurd is because of its special time and place setting. In the American West in the twentieth century, this could not happen. But it is commonplace in North Africa in the fourth century. Who Can it be said that people must have changed since then? Times have changed and places have changed, but people's thoughts have remained, and they have suffered from the same sins and frustrations as they did fifteen hundred years ago... "
I turned the car onto the dirt road leading to the village of the dead. "But why are we coming back here tonight?"
"Because Axides will come back tonight, we must not let him escape this time."
"How did you know he'd come back?"
"Because from the very beginning, Axides has been nothing more than two identities: either he was a clever murderer who used his crazy mind to plan all this craziness; or he was the one who lived in the age of St. Augustine Axiides. The first scenario means Gaedas has what he wants, probably the gold, so he'll be back today because we scared him away last night. Same," he paused After a while, "If it is the second case, according to legends and historical records, he will come back to worship the tomb, just like he did 1,500 years ago..."
I turned on my headlights to fight the growing darkness while trying to fight off the creeping drowsiness. "Which situation do you prefer?"
"In a sense, I hope it's the second case. In that case, my long mission will come to an end. But until now, I still have a doubt in my heart."
"What is it?"
"I can't figure out why there is a mail truck coming this morning to this village full of dead people..."
Conversation terminated.
We waited among the rocks on the cliff overlooking the moonlit cemetery.We waited quietly, imagining that Augustine might have done the same thing many years ago.
The night was long and nothing happened.Other than the howling of a wolf in the distant forest and the cooing of owls nearby, it was a quiet night.
In the cemetery below us a gigantic crucifix stood temporarily until a plaque bearing the names of the dead emerged.
The moon disappears behind the clouds for a moment, but then emerges again, bathing the edge of the cliff in moonlight.
That's when I saw it!
Above us, on the very edge of the cliff, stands the girl...
"Damn it!" I whispered. "I forgot about the girl; she's still here."
But before we move, we realize she's not alone.A tall, bearded man, all white, was walking behind her.
Simon Yake jumped out of his hiding place and shouted, "Axides!"
The figure was taken aback and stopped immediately.The girl found the person behind and screamed...
What happened after was a nightmare.
I ran over the rocks toward them, and the figure, scrambling to grab the girl, reminded me of something out of a third-rate movie.But Simon Yake was faster than me. He ran ahead of me, chanting words, and I recognized that it was the same language as last time.
Axides let go of the girl's hand, and the moment she fell, I caught her.
Then, on the edge of the cliff, Simon Yake charged at the man again.Holding a strangely shaped cross with a metal ring at the top, he said in a thunderous voice, "Stand back, Axiides, back to your damn lair." He held the cross aloft overdo it. "I order you in the name of Augustine!"
Suddenly, the white figure seemed to lose its center of gravity and fell off the cliff, leaving only a series of screams echoing in the night sky...
We found him later at the base of the cliff, which should now be called the Seventy-Fourth Life.Without a doubt, beneath the gore and false white beard, we see the face of Joe Harris, the mail driver...
For all this, I think one can argue a perfectly reasonable explanation.As a mail driver, crazy Joe Harris knows the villagers inside out, which he uses to intimidate them into believing he has supernatural powers.He's been hunting for remnants of gold in old mines, while he's spent two years plotting to bring the entire village to self-destruction.
But something remains unexplained.First, how does a man like Joe Harris know the story of Axiides, and then we cannot explain why St. Augustine's book had to be burned.
This resulted in me never publishing the story.There are so many things that cannot be explained.We spent the rest of that night burying Joe Harris with seventy-three other bodies.His disappearance caused another uproar, but it was forgotten after a few weeks.
同样，除了偶尔出现在周末报纸的专题文章里，盖达斯事件也被时间的尘埃埋藏起来。
也许就这样反而更好吧……
至于那个与我们共同经历这一切的女孩雪莉·康斯坦斯，我们六个月后结了婚。和盖达斯事件不同，那个故事快乐得多。
还有西蒙·亚克……呃，那天晚上之后我再没见过他，但我总觉得他仍然在我们身边的什么地方……
Notes: ，历述自己青年时的放荡不羁与越海漂泊。
Notes: ，历述自己青年时的放荡不羁与越海漂泊。