As I put pen to paper, I find myself grappling with the unsettling knowledge that both Dr. Carell St-Pierre and Dr. Yvanne Pitre are missing.
This addendum serves as nothing more than a collection of informal observations, chronicling the progress (or lack thereof) made by the McGill research team during our sojourn to Forsythe, a remote corner of Québec's boreal forests. Originally intended as a mere supplement for our students in Montréal, recent developments have forced us to hastily vacate the area, and this note now serves as a stark warning to all who may follow in our footsteps.
Commissioned by the McGill University Foundation for our collective expertise in the fields of geology and speleology, we were a dozen-strong, comprising both seasoned researchers and promising doctoral candidates. Our aim was to spend a month delving into the intricacies of a newly discovered mineral, colloquially referred to as "flint", while also examining the potential for mining operations in the area.
As we left all our equipment behind on "Plateau 1", I have transcribed my own personal notes here, in a decidedly informal manner. It is my sincerest hope that all readers will take note of the gravity of the situation and avoid any and all attempts to explore the precise premises we visited.
March 2nd to 9th, 1971- WARNING DO NOT APPROACH THE FORSYTHE CAVE, ABSOLUTELY REFRAIN FROM PURSUING ANY SEARCHES
Pit cave, mouth of a 18.53m radius, vertical shaft mouth-to-floor pitch of 139.82m. Cause of erosion unknown. Superficial presence of other deeper caves or funneling.
As we arrived at the site, myself and five other cavers promptly plunged into the mouth and set up our Base camp, located approximately 63.43 meters from the surface, on what we had dubbed Plateau 1 - an open alcove in the shaft walls with a circular, campable floored surface measuring approximately 20 square meters. The light level at our installation site was at 81%. After we finished setting up our gear and beds, the youngest member of our group began to complain of odd vibrations in the air. A Geiger sample was taken, which concluded that the insignificant presence of radioactivity, 20 bcq/m3, could have been radon gas from the distant presence of uranium decay.
For two nights, we camped on Plateau 1, during which time we experienced no anomalies except for meagre headaches. It's possible that there was a presence of gas or aerosolic matter that we had yet to detect.
On the third day, Dr. Carell St-Pierre and Dr. Yvanne Pitre were designated to dive to "Floor 1" and extract the first samples. Upon their arrival at Floor 1, they installed their gear and began to explore the area, which was shaped like a hall-like cave, with a light level of 8.6%. It was there that they encountered the first sight of a triangle-shaped mouth leading into a narrow tunnel. The cause of the erosion was unknown, but there was a strong presence of flint in those particular premises, although we were uncertain of its degree of field. On the partitions of Floor 1, the peculiar veins of said flint were visible, leading us to vacillate on the composition and compounds of the mineral due to its unique formation.
On the third night, the horrors began jarringly. Our party of six spelunkers, myself included, were beset by horrific and vivid dreams. These were arcane and devoid of color, as if drawn from some twisted and grotesque artistic expression beyond my power to describe. Indeed, I happen to prove insufficient to comprehend the causes that could have given rise to such nightmarish imagery within my own subconscious.
What troubles me most, however, is the fact that these dreams were not unique to me alone. Each member of our crew was similarly affected, and the tempestuous nature of these visions united us in a profound and unsettling way. We struggled to find common ground, but the closest we could come was to liken our dreams to the lithographs of Jean-Paul Riopelle.
To aid in understanding the horror we endured, we have included illustrations that the crew members believe best represents the essence of their dreams:
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We were all accretive to point out the same and bizarre behaviour of our depictions. As though ventriloques, their bodies undulated as they wheezed and made guttural-like noises, though nothing close to what a human could be capable of.
The same dreams occured on the fourth night. Some of us have been waking up in utter confusion, others feeling heavy pressures on their chests. Headaches. Nausea. Fever. Momentary loss of consciousness. Even the six members on the surface manifested similar symptoms. Again, there remained complaints from the youngest of our group about the odd vibrations.
It was on the fifth night that Dr. St-Pierre and Dr. Pitre started making peculiar sounds in their slumber, as though speaking in foreign tongues and mimicking the same gruff utterances as depicted in our dreams. They proved stubborn to rouse, and when we eventually succeeded, both insisted they were "quite alright" and wished to press on with the exploration of Floor 1.
The morning of the sixth day saw Dr. St-Pierre and Dr. Pitre once again descended to the first floor. After an hour, communication was lost, and strident screams reverberated from the depths of the mine. The cries were impossible to pinpoint, sounding as if they came from a half-human source. Our abseiling gear was not suitable for the treacherous terrain below, making rescue impossible.
We quickly decided to evacuate the area. It became clear that something in this cave was not meant to be explored.
I implore all who may be tempted to satisfy their curiosity to reconsider. Whatever lies in the depths of this cave is hostile to us humans.
