| caught my first glimpse of Tahoma today as we entered a clearing 
upon a hill, and | was overwhelmed by the beauty of the tableau that 
| observed. Tahoma is not nearly the height of the famous Peak XV2 
that Sir Waugh described last year in Nepal, but unlike the great 
Himalayas it stands alone, a solitary peak towering above the 
forests of the territory, like a proud and mighty king surveying a 
kingdom encompassing all that it perceives. 


Shortly after mid-day we chanced upon a fox cub, scarcely old 
enough to hunt for itself, imprisoned in a cage of wood and hides. 
My Indian guide pointed out a clever set of machinations connected 
to the box, and informed me it was a trap laid by the Indians who 
lived in those woods, and that the unfortunate rascal had been lured 
in by a scrap of meat to be captured. He said to me that his people 
were most efficient; the beast's hide would make clothing, its teeth 
jewelry, its meat food for the children, its sinew cords and rope. Let 
there be no doubt, any who may chance to read this, that | with glee 
engaged in many a fox-hunt in the county pastures in my younger 
days. But to ride out with one's hounds is a gentleman's game; in 
this, my friend, there was no sport. | looked into the creature's eyes 
and it seemed to regard me almost as a starving beggar-child might 
regard a man of wealth; envious and jealous, but at the same time 


No energy discharge, spatial irregularity, or other ancillary 
phenomenon has been detected that explains the mechanism of the 
disappearances. Eyewitnesses and sensor recordings suggest that 
subjects simply cease to exist the moment they reach the halfway 
point atop the arch. Recording equipment carried by or attached to 
test subjects vanishes along with them, halting any transmissions. 


Local lore ascribes various supernatural properties to the arch and 
its environs. Usually the arch is depicted as a gate or bridge to 
another realm, often spiritual in nature, which must be venerated or 
guarded. Certain oral traditions state that those who cross the bridge 
are granted an audience with "Mother Sky", a local divinity figure. In 
past times of need, a messenger would brave the journey to bring 
news of her people’s plight and a gift to sway her will. Whether the 
messengers carried the gift with them or were, themselves, the gift 
varies based on the account. 


Capture summary: The “Dream Bridge” arch formation has a 
history of anomalous stories and myths related to it, but was not 
examined by the Foundation until 19 . An amateur vacation video 
filmed by Nancy of , showed a ground squirrel being 
chased by the family dog across the arch, with both vanishing in 
mid-stride at the center. The video was played on local news 
channels before being explained as a trick of the lighting and 
recovered by Foundation agents. 


Other than the aforementioned disappearances, no abnormal 
properties attributed to the site in folklore have ever been verified by 
the Foundation. 


Incident Report 854-01: On February 18th 20 , a radiolabeled 
Foundation tracking tag was intermittently detected 200 km SW of 
Nord, Greenland by satellite systems. A recovery team located and 
collected the device, which lay exposed on a remote hilltop. The 
team also collected 3 metal zippers, 35 brass buttons, a variety of 
crushed electrical components, 2 gold tooth fillings, hundreds of flint 
and obsidian axe heads, spear points, and carvings, and a pair of 
metal pet tags from the same location. The tracking device was 
identified as one used in Foundation experiments with SCP-854 in 
198 . No further items sent through SCP-854 have appeared at this 
location, perhaps due to some time delay phenomenon. 


supplicant, as if to beg me for mercy. | drew my knife and cut the 
cords holding the cage door shut, and the vulpine burst free and 
darted into the woods, fetching a brief glance at me as it ran away. 


July 8th, 1857: 

This morning we encountered a half-dozen Indians in a hunting 
party near the banks of a river. | had thought at first to call it the 
Blackwood River when we forded it, though my guide informed me it 
was known to his people as Nisqually. The Indians regarded us at 
first with suspicion. | know not if they had seen a white man before, 
and | feared the worst. But my Indian called out to them in a 
language strange to me, and they responded gleefully in the same. | 
learned that he was of the same tribe as they, and that he called 
their leader his cousin, and they received us warmly. We 
luncheoned on salmon the Indians had caught in the river, and 
traded with them for food and supplies. | was most excited to hear 
from one of the younger redskins that he had seen a Big-Foot once 
when he was young, for the porters believed this expedition to be a 
fool's errand, and with this revelation they seemed most renewed in 
their vigours. By the time we parted ways, | had managed to learn a 
few words of their language. After | have brought a Big-Foot back to 
England, | shall have to return to this land and learn more of the 
ways of these people. 


July 13th, 1857: 

| must write in haste, for my captors have not discovered this book. | 
am in darkness, alone, my feet bound, in a tent in a place | do not 
know, well guarded without by my captors. 


They came upon us two nights ago. We had encamped for the night 
in a clearing not a dozen miles from the place my Indian told me he 
had seen the Big-Foot two years hence. They must have been 
lurking in the darkness for hours, and came upon the chief porter 
unawares while he stood the night watch. Before | could reach my 
rifle, all but one of the porters and my Indian guide had been felled 
by the brutes’ arrows and hatchets. | took two of the bastards in 
reply with my rifle, and four more with my pistol, before one of them 
grabbed me from behind and knocked me out. 


When | awoke, | had been tied to a pole and two of the savages 
were carrying me deeper into the woods. | could see my Indian, and 


the last surviving porter, being carried similarly. | called out to my 
Indian and he told me that he recognized our captors as a tribe that 
had been ancient enemies of his own. They were unrepentant 
pagans and cannibals, he told me, and worshipped a strange god 
that lived in the mountain. It was said they raided the villages of the 
other tribes for sacrifices to offer to their god; surely, he said, we had 
been chosen to fulfill this onerous duty. 


It is very cold here, though the sun shines brightly through the trees 
at mid-day. | know not whether the savages have my weapons or 
not. | pray that they do, for if | cannot reach them, | will surely perish 
in this wilderness. 


July 16th, 1857 

Words cannot express the terror | have beheld this day. The 
savages have brought us to their home camp, in the foot-hills. Even 
now, in the midst of summer, clumps of snow congregate under the 
rocks and at the bases of the trees. At mid-day, the three of us were 
escorted to a snowy clearing, by the edge of a vast wood climbing 
up the mountain. Hundreds of savages formed a half-circle around 
the clearing, and our porter was loosed from his bonds and dragged 
to the center. One of the savages began beating upon a massive 
drum and singing in a bizarre language the likes of which | have 
never heard. Others joined in, and the forests were filled with the din 
of a thousand screaming savages. Suddenly, the trees at the edge 
of the clearing seemed to rustle and part way, and the throng 
silenced as it emerged. 


Big-Foot! In the flesh! The tales had not done the beast justice. It 
stood fifteen feet if it stood an inch, and it could not have weighed 
less than half a long ton3. | could scarcely discern its countenance 
beneath the matted fur that covered its face - ravenous, primal, 
caked in blood and spittle. It bore the scars of many struggles, and 
(praying that the reader will forgive my lack of modesty) displayed its 
manhood proudly. 


It set its eyes on the porter and charged at him with a speed | would 
not have expected from a brute of its size. The porter made to run, 
but the savages closed in upon him, and allowed him no egress. 
Within seconds the beast was upon him. | could hardly bear to look 
as it ripped him limb from limb, its yellowed, sharpened teeth tearing 


into his flesh, his blood running down its jaws as it greedily feasted 
upon him. 


The savages returned me to the tent afterward. | fear | am next. 


July 19th, 1857: 

| hope by now, should anyone be reading this years hence, that you 
regard me as an honest man. Throughout my many years exploring 
the unknown corners of the world, | have considered it my obligation 
to tell no less than the whole truth regarding my discoveries, that my 
fellow countrymen might know of the world that lies beyond the 
borders of our great Empire, and prepare for the day when the light 
of goodliness and peace shines around the world. | say this now, for 
the events | must now recount might seem a fantasy to you, dear 
reader. Indeed, | would find it difficult to believe myself, had | not 
seen it with my own eyes; but on my sacred honour as an 
Englishman, | assure you that every word of it is true. 


On the afternoon of the 17th, the savages offered my Indian guide 
as a sacrifice to Big-Foot as they had my porter. Yesterday, the 
18th, they prepared to do the same to me. | spent the morning in 
solemn prayer and reflection, and for the first time in my life | 
understood the sorrow of a condemned man awaiting the 
hangman's noose. | felt | had lived a good life, and | was prepared to 
do what any good Englishman would, and meet my Maker with a 
stiff upper lip and a clean conscience. 


The Indians lead me to the clearing and loosed my bonds. | strode 
calmly into the center of the clearing and closed my eyes. If | was to 
die, | intended to die with my dignity intact. The drumming and the 
screaming started, and | heard the trees rustle as Big-Foot drew 
near to claim his meal. But it was not Big-Foot's approach that 
silenced the savages; rather, | heard, distant yet remarkably near, 
the howl of a fox. 


Muffled chatter arose from the throng as a second howl answered 
the first. Soon a third animal was howling, and before long the 
woods were alive with a cacophony. Not only foxes, but | heard the 
howls of wolves, the screeching of hawks and falcons, the roar of 
the mountain cats, even the calls of pigeons. | opened my eyes as a 
hundred animals or more emerged from the woods and set upon the 


Indians. | beheld foxes and wolves, elk and deer, gulls and eagles, 
bears and raccoons, side by side like a cavalry charge as they 
knocked the wild men to the ground and tore out their throats. Every 
one of the creatures ran right past me, barely darting their eyes my 
way as | beheld the sight. Some even seemed to have markings on 
their brows, like the war paint the Indians themselves were 
decorated with. 


| chose to take advantage of the opportunity and ran. Neither man 
nor beast made any attempt to stop me as | made for the west, 
away from Tahoma and Big-Foot, towards the sea and hopefully 
some sign of civilization. By nightfall | had easily put ten miles 
between myself and the camp; but alone, hungry, bruised and 
exhausted, and in the dark, | could go no further, and curled up by a 
tree to sleep. 


When | awoke this morning, | found myself surrounded by wild 
beasts. Half a dozen deer stood in a semi-circle before me, paint on 
their faces, their horns and coats covered with savage blood, and 
two raccoons in their center. | panicked when first | saw them and 
instinctively tried to reach for my gun, for fear that they had come to 
finish me off. They stepped back in unison when they saw me 
startle, and | saw that one of the deer, upon its back, was carrying a 
large bundle - my own possessions, scavenged from the remains of 
my camp. The creature knelt to the ground and shrugged, letting it 
fall to the ground, and | eagerly examined it. Much of what | had 
brought into the woods was gone, but my rifle was intact, and my 
pistol, and a tent, and alcohol with which to clean my cuts and 
scrapes, and enough dried rations to last two weeks' time. 


| barely had time to ponder this miracle before the rest of the 
animals fell to their knees as well, and opened a path between them. 
A fox approached me - old, weathered, bearing signs of having seen 
more winters than most of its kind do. It bore an air of dignity about it 
that one rarely sees from such creatures as it approached me and 
stood before me. It seemed to examine me carefully, contemplating 
as it looked me over, before it uttered a low bark and one of the 
raccoons approached me. | noticed now something | had overlooked 
before - the raccoon had, tied to its back with a thin piece of twine, a 
rolled piece of paper. The fox gestured at the paper with its nose, 


and | reached down and drew the paper free. | unrolled it and found 
a handwritten message, in English, which | present to you below; 


We, ALARIC THE FIFTH, by the Grace of God, King of 
all the Forest, Lord of the Plains, Duke of the Grand Fir 
and the Undergrowth, Count of the Swamp, Margrave of 
the Nameless Mountain, Warden of all the Streams and 
Rivers, and Lord Protector of the Tribes of Man, 
Defender of the Faith; 


Recognizing you as a fellow Christian and a civilized 
man; 


Grateful for your rescue of our royal issue from the 
devious machinations of the pagan savages; 


Thankful that your kind have returned to this land; 


Hopeful that you will on our behalf deliver news to your 
homeland that Christendom shall have in these parts a 
steadfast ally; 


Acknowledging that in rescuing you from the false god of 
the pagans we are responsible for your welfare and safe 
passage in our lands; 


Do hereby, on this day, the nineteenth day of the 
seventh month, in the Year of Our Lord Eighteen 
Hundred and Fifty-Seven, 


Bestow upon you the rank of KNIGHT COMMANDER 
OF THE ORDER OF THE THISTLE, with all the 
privileges and responsibilities of that office; 


Command you to, from this day forward, act as a loyal 
servant of Christ and His Church, Catholic and Apostolic, 
for as long as you shall live; 


and Charge you to return to the lands of Christendom 
bearing news of our kingdom and to return with an 
embassy for the negotiation of amicable communion 
between our nations. 


TO THIS DOCUMENT WE AFFIX OUR SEAL, SACRED 
AND ROYAL. 


The paper had been "signed", so to say, with an ink stamp of what | 
assume to have been the fox's paw-print. | looked down at the 
creature, who | now saw regarded me with a gaze almost human in 
its wisdom. It raised its right paw to touch its forehead and lowered it 
to its chest and shoulders, making the sign of the cross. | repeated 
the gesture and it nodded to me. Having apparently reached an 
agreement, the fox that called itself Alaric the Fifth turned and strode 
away into the woods, its motley retinue following behind. 


September 7th, 1857 


It has been over a month since | made my escape from the forest 
and entered my convalescence here in Seattle. | wandered five days 
in the woods, and might be wandering still, if not for that by chance | 
found the same friendly tribe of Indians | had met on the banks of 
the Nisqually two weeks before. With what bits of their language | 
knew | tried to tell them of our encounter with the savages, the Big- 
Foot, and the strange group of animals that had been my salvation. | 
know not if they understood me, or if they merely thought me mad, 
but a small group of them traveled north with me and lead me back 
to town, where | have rested and healed my wounds since.