Chapter Text
Mothman:
- yeah he’s just… here
- the reason not to leave the lights on
- will break in and break my spine and then drain my body of all fluid
…does it eat slimes too? I mean I’m a little more gooey than most humans are so maybe instead of having my fluids drained I just get eaten
It had taken several more cans of energy drinks before the sun finally began to set, and Avery felt he could breathe again.
He’d done it.
Survived the first day.
…And hopefully the night would just be… sleep. The caffeine would probably wear off soon, meaning the slime was going to experience a caffeine crash unlike any other- those always hit harder during high stress situations.
Not that Avery felt stressed now- he kind of felt like he got this and could survive… if he wasn’t stupid. The lighthouse keeper had given him PLENTY of advice on how to survive and what to avoid.
…Maybe he could play some Minecraft before bed. It was a long day, and the slime deserved to have some fun.
…Though servers like hypixel were unavailable due to the lack of wifi, which meant that Avery’s only real option was vanilla survival Minecraft or creative, and it had been a while since Avery tried survival- maybe it’d be a nice change of pace.
The slime paused, thinking it over.
…He should probably contact the lighthouse keeper first, though. The guy had spent hours explaining everything to the green slime-
Had he thanked his mysterious colleague for that?
…The fact Avery couldn’t remember didn’t sit right with Avery, who decided that now’s as good a time as any to make sure the other knew the fire lookout was grateful.
“Hi, fire lookout here!” Avery started, smiling as he used the radio to contact the other “Just wanted to contact you to thank you for helping me out on the first night. Sorry for… all that”
...He really should apologize for being dumb on the first night. Avery just hoped that he wasn't the dumbest guy the lighthouse keeper had encountered.
There was no reply for a while, and the slime began to wonder if maybe his colleague was off doing something- it would make sense with how important of a job the other had- Maybe Avery had called in at a bad time-
“Lookout?"
Avery perked up at the familiar voice, happy to hear it.
"Sorry, I hadn’t expected you to call back so soon.”
“Ah- well I figured it’d be good to at least thank you for telling me about everything-" Avery spoke, grinning "It’s appreciated, and I’m sorry for being stupid on the first day, I promise normally I’m not that dumb.”
His teachers would argue that.
“You don’t- Don’t think you have to thank me." The lighthouse keeper sighed "This is part of my job and you’re in a really bad situation. I’ve- seen worse.”
“Well… it feels WRONG not to thank you- you basically saved my life again today” Avery spoke, a bit confused as to why he shouldn’t thank the other “I thought I saw a fire, but it was just a swarm of blaze flies.”
“Great. Good to hear those are out again-” The lighthouse keeper replied, “I told Patrick not to call things quiet, it just makes things worse.”
“NOT excited about dealing with those at night, though-” Avery smiled, feeling much more relaxed now that he was talking to someone, even if he couldn’t see them “I know you told me to check for smoke, but that’s not exactly easy to do at night, and-”
Avery paused, concerned.
“… what do you mean it makes things worse?”
“Just a jinx.” The lighthouse keeper replied “Like, don’t say things are quiet in an emergency room.”
Avery had to worry about stuff like that too!?
“I should say, it’s not an actual curse. Well. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was, but as far as I know, it’s just a superstition. Speaking of curses, are you free right now?”
Avery let out a sigh of relief- no curses he had to worry about so far- and hey if this guy didn’t know then that probably meant there were just… no curses at all.
“Uhh… yeah. I was just planning to play some Minecraft before bed after the sun fully set, but I’ve got time” Avery spoke, leaning back in his seat.
Maybe there was something else the other needed to tell him about? Like a creature he forgot to mention?
“Great. Normally you wouldn’t check these all at once, but with the binder being taken, I want to make sure all the protections are active over the look out. Is it still light out there?”
Avery perked up.
Right
Probably very important to keep those protections in place and make sure they’re well-maintained.
“The sun’s setting, but there should be enough light to do things outside.” Avery spoke, getting up “Gimme a bit to find the flashlight and I can go outside if you need me to.”
“Perfect, I appreciate it.” The voice from the radio spoke up, before reminding Avery not to spend too much time outside at night.
“First one is an easy one, you should find a willow branch on each of the inner walls, they’re a bit high up, but can you see them?”
“...yep. Was wondering about those, but they’re still there.”
“Great. We’ll move outside then. Horseshoe still over the door? You want to make sure it’s flipped with both points upright, with no signs of tarnishing. Make sure the wreath of holly is up as well.”
Everything seemed to be in place inside, Avery being confused about it though- what could a horseshoe ward off? Holly was a plant, plants naturally repel certain things, but a horseshoe?
“Around the door and windows, the frame should be painted red. Make sure the color hasn’t changed and there’s no extensive flaking or cracks. You should also see a thin silver bar set into the bottom frames as well.”
Nothing out of the ordinary- everything was still there from what Avery could tell, but… real silver? Just how much money did they get to spend on the fire lookout every year!?
“Take those off the list then. There should be a scrap of yellow paper on each of the four outer walls with a red mark on it- have they blackened or the symbol disappeared?”
It was still there- still in place with nothing seeming wrong, though Avery couldn’t help but ask if he should take pictures of it so he could replicate the symbol just in case.
“You can, they don’t like photos taken of them. Use pencil to draw it though. The kit to make more is in the brocade box under the bed. There’ll be another copy in the binder when it arrives- ah. It’s going to be another day or two before it comes in. Patrick said he can’t hike out before then.”
“Ahok, Is he… the only ranger coming out here?” The slime couldn’t help but ask.
“Usually, yes.” The lighthouse keeper confirmed “We have other rangers, but Patrick has apparently become the point person for the lookout and lighthouse. I’ve tried, but usually they argue the other rangers have other duties to handle.”
“Wow… that’s… making me wonder what those other duties are” Avery spoke, before smacking himself.
There were probably a thousand different things the rangers had to do- and that’s without corralling people away from dangerous cryptids!
“No offence there’s probably a legitimate reason as to why they can’t, but I’d really like to be able to read through that binder…” Avery quickly spoke.
Last thing he wanted was for the lighthouse keeper to think he was inconsiderate and rude.
“Most of its herding tourists from the more dangerous areas” The lighthouse keeper explained “I just had to get a group of college students away from a kelpie.”
“...Okay you know what, that DOES sound like a full-time job”
Avery spoke from experience, with how he had been a dumb college student once.
Ah. good ol days.
“Still. They shouldn’t put you at risk for that.” The lighthouse keeper replied, before going right back to telling Avery about what to check next.
“There should be another layer of protection out in the trees- you should see a black box on the trees surrounding the lookout.”
“Hang on, let me get my binoculars…”
The black boxes were still there- motion sensors probably. Or maybe trail cams?
Wonder why they had trail cams, shouldn’t the horrors remain a secret?
“...I have a dumb question”
“No dumb questions.”
“R-right I’ll just- err-”
Of course. As much as Avery enjoyed talking to the lighthouse keeper, he was still on the clock, and the other probably wanted to finish this so he could go back to his own work.
“What else do I need to check?”
“No, ask your question.”
oh.
Avery was ready to start living under a rock.
Of course the lighthouse keeper wanted him to just... ask.
“...Just wondering…” The slime started “Would it get… easier if I treat these cryptids less as monsters and more as apex predators?”
It… was a dumb theory, but…
“Could be- really is how it works for you.” The lighthouse keeper replied “I think of them more as predators. At the end of the day, they’re just… animals. Just weird ones.”
Avery let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t a dumb idea after all-
If the lighthouse keeper thought like that, and had been around for long enough to really write down everything there was about them...
“...Right. I’ll… try and stop thinking about them as some weird mythological creatures and just… apex predators that are try to kill me” Avery hummed “Like the mimic’s just a Spider-tailed horned viper if you squint… just one with legs… or maybe a jumping spider?”
Either one gave Avery the creeps, but he could… see them as normal animals instead of some eldritch horror he had to endure.
“I always thought of it as an anglerfish personally, but I could see a jumping spider.” The lighthouse keeper replied “It was, perhaps not the best first encounter. I’ve never seen it appear so early on.”
Now that got Avery’s attention.
“Wait it’s not supposed to be here yet?”
“I suppose that’s a bad way of phrasing it.” The person on the other end spoke, “After so many seasons, you notice patterns. In the past, most people encountered it when checking smoke or on trails and if they survived…. It followed them back.”
Ah.
Horrifying.
But… that DID sound like a komodo dragon… a bit.
“...Maybe it learned that there’s probably always going to be someone here at the tower at some point?” Avery spoke up “Maybe the fire lookouts are like… migratory birds to it?”
….Maybe he was taking the animal analogy a bit too far…
“I really hope not. Not to set your question aside, but do you know what vervain looks like?”
“Yeah! It’s a purple flower-”
Avery paused, feeling his knowledge of plants kick in “Wait hold on it’s not native to these parts, is it?”
“Grows like a weed here, for some reason.” The lighthouse keeper replied. “You’ll find that there’s some odd plants here.”
“...Sounds like… a lot of stuff I’ll be concerned about- wait”
Avery paused.
If… there were unusual plants growing here, then… he’d probably be able to take some home. And with how Vervain was not supposed to grow on this side of the planet…
What if there was more? What if there were really, really RARE plants out there? The slime’s apartment already looked a bit like a jungle, but….
“Are there any rules about taking plants home?”
He had to know.
“You don’t take the unnatural ones like the tree I mentioned.” The lighthouse keeper immediately replied, sounding firm “I’ll hunt you down myself if you try to take a clipping of those. Too dangerous.”
Avery understood, but that meant…
“...So what I’m hearing is; non-native but ‘natural’ plants are okay to take~?”
A long silence, and then…
“…sure. Fine. If you get to the end of your contract.”
Oh heck yes
“As a botany student, the promise of cool plants I get to take home for free may just be all the motivation I need” Avery grinned, now more determined than ever before to survive this.
He could deal with a komodo dragon anglerfish fusion if it meant cool plants!
“You’ll need the motivation.” The lighthouse keeper spoke “Anyways, there should be a small plot of vervain to the east, just beyond the tree line. Do you still see it? Does it look healthy?”
Avery rushed over to check right away, grinning as he noticed that the plot was not quite ‘small’ anymore.
“As healthy as it can be~! I definitely gotta take some of those back with me”
“Take it from the outer edges and only the younger plants” The lighthouse keeper spoke, clearly resigning themselves to the fact that Avery was going to be leaving the island with a small greenhouse worth of plants “it’s needed for protection. I… can’t think of what else could be damaged.”
“… we’re safe for tonight then?” Avery asked, curious.
“Yes, you should be safe for the night. Try to get some sleep. Nothing looks damaged. Perhaps it was my own mistake.”
“All right~! I can already feel the caffeine crash coming, so I am most definitely sleeping tonight~!”
Avery stretched, smiling as he watched the last bits of sunlight slowly fade
“…but seriously, thank you for everything, and for helping me check the safety things around here.”
“It’s nothing. It’s my job.”
Avery chuckled, rolling his eyes as he closed the door to the fire lookout, making sure it was locked.
“Just accept that you’ve saved my life twice already and have made it easier for me to keep myself safe.” The slime smiled “It’s normal to be grateful for things like those.”
“Sure. Fine. You need anything else before I sign off?”
“...Do you play Minecraft?”
Avery paused- why would he-
“I’ve never heard of that board game. Is it a new one?”
Oh.
Oh my god.
Holy heck…
“...oh my god you don’t know what Minecraft is” Avery spoke, stunned.
“Am I supposed to?”
Right… right the lighthouse keeper could be old- Keeping a lighthouse functional did kind of sound like an old person’s job, someone who had done the same thing for years on end and was knowledgeable enough to know both what the island was like and what haunted it.
“Are you… under 50 years old?” Avery asked, curious “I mean you sound like you’re around my age, but… don’t wanna assume”
“I won’t tell you my age, but, yes.”
“...under 30?”
A slightly longer pause
“I’ll give you that, yes. Is there a point to this?”
“Well you’re basically a unicorn!” Avery declared “I’ve NEVER met anyone under 30 who does NOT know what Minecraft is!”
“How many people have you met that live in a lighthouse?”
…Fair point.
“...Okay yeah you’re also the first I’ve met that lives in a lighthouse, but like- this is big!” Avery replied, still in awe “You don’t know what minecraft is!”
"So?”
“Wh- So! Err…. wait….. Wait-”
Avery grinned
“… I’ve got an idea”
“You can’t install internet out here, unfortunately.” The lighthouse keeper replied. “I’ve made inquiries but it requires too much.”
The slime pouted
“Guess that means I have to come over at the end of the season to show you myself.” Avery stated, determined “I got it installed on my laptop, so as long as I keep it charged you can play~!”
“I do not think that’s a good plan, unfortunately.” The lighthouse keeper spoke, though their voice was slightly different now “It’s fairly dangerous around the lighthouse. For your own safety, it’s best you simply leave the island at the end of the season.”
“Don’t worry, if I’m still alive by the end of the season that means I can probably handle myself, right?”
“Around the lighthouse is an entirely different matter. The area is very different from that of the lookout.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll probably be fine. “I tend to bounce back from things easily”
A blessing and a curse, especially with how the slime was already planning on showing the mysterious lighthouse keeper all sorts of things- like that seed where-
“It- You know what. Sure.” The lighthouse keeper sighed, clearly a bit tired of Avery’s antics-
Or at least that’s what Avery figured the other was feeling
“If you make it to the end of the season, I’ll come to the lookout and you can show me Minecraft.”
“All right! You better be prepared!” Avery grinned, now more than determined to survive.
He could deal with weird fauna if it meant free rare plants and getting to be there when someone plays minecraft for the first time.
“I can’t believe I’ll be the one giving you your first minecraft experience”
“I… look forward to it.”
“All right, see ya then!”
“Rest well tonight.”
“good night~!”
With that matter tended to, Avery turned off the radio, closed the curtains and decided to get himself cozy for the night.
…Which was when his mind began to wander.
…He could die here- everybody probably expected him to die here.
The slime frowned, rolling over.
…Even the lighthouse keeper seemed to believe he’d die sooner or later, and…
…Avery could see why.
For as confident as he tried to be, now that the slime was alone and without anyone to talk to… it was scary. Being alone forced Avery to really… think about what could happen to him.
…Not to mention that the previous fire lookouts probably all died- there had to be a reason why the lighthouse keeper was hesitant to meet up. Maybe because he didn’t expect Avery to survive, and if he, despite giving all that advice, still expected the slime to die…
Avery sighed, upset by the realization, but not entirely surprised by it. There were probably tons of fire lookouts that were smarter or more athletic than him, and they probably died. How was Avery, who was pretty much below average on everything except for looks, supposed to survive? The only reason he survived the mimic was dumb luck!
…but…
…maybe Avery had been onto something when he mentioned viewing the cryptids as predators rather than… cryptids. Maybe he really just needed to let go of the idea that these were mythical beings beyond understanding, and start treating them as wild animals?
Maybe that would actually make it easier for him to survive, or at least increase his odds.
The slime let out a yawn.
As much as he wanted to lay awake and think about everything that had happened the past two days, Avery was tired, and his body refused to let the slime use his brain for anything else as sleep claimed him.