THE WEEPING FIGS OF PORT MISERY

As you approach the shore a fisherman hails your attention. “Hey! You’re not going down there are you?” He nods west, towards the trees by the waterfront.

“Yes, I’m looking for cargo.”

“Fishermen have disappeared down that way,” he warns, hauling in a crate of fresh catch.

“That’s terrible, does anyone know what happened?”

“No one is entirely sure. Some say it was the trees. According to folklore the roots run deep into the murky past. They draw life from the fallen, including anyone that has drowned in these waters.”

“Sounds grim.”

“Yep, that’s why they’re known as the ‘Weeping Figs of Port Misery’. Lost souls have become a part of the trees – you might hear the creaks and groans of their limbs.”

“Well, I’m determined,” you say, despite feeling unconvinced.

The fisherman nods, “I do know someone who escaped, though. They kept raving ‘Beware of the Shadows’.”

You wouldn’t believe his story had you not already seen some odd things today. “Anything else?”

“The bell tolls to warn passers-by. Pray you don’t hear the bell,” the old man says as he waves you off.

As you draw closer to the trees, you notice that the first four Weeping Fig trees are scrawled with names. Other unsettling markings seem to claw up from the ground and amidst the central limbs of the trees.

Suddenly the bell hanging outside the Fisherman’s Memorial starts to ring, deafening.

All you can do is cover your ears until the bell falls silent. As it fades you hear a coarse voice from the direction of one of the trees.

“Please help us, we are trapped. Help us like you helped….John.”

Warnings ring in your head. “John who?” you reply.

“John…. John Smith.”

Before your eyes, the tree splits, and from the crack a series of deathly blue fingers reach out, pulling apart the trunk like curtains. Fingers become hands and hands become arms. The figure’s bald, veiny head arches up, revealing a zombified blue face. He looks at you through clouded eyes.

“Pull me from this place,” he croaks from flooded lungs. “Take my hand…please – I can help you with your quest.”

His desperation does remind you of John, and this could be a way to secure the items you need. You consider your options.

Do you: 

One – Sympathise with the individual and help pull them from the tree?

OR

Two – Step away from the trees and out of the shadows?

Select your choice by tapping the link on the screen