In August 1977, a man entered the Palindrome news recording studio unannounced during the live morning broadcast. He quickly pulled a rusty knife out of his pocket, and slit open his wrists with it. He’d die in under a minute. The broadcast ended early, but the ordeal was already seen by dozens of people.
This was an act that had terrified Palindrome as a whole. Everyone had seen or heard about it. Palindrome’s news station issued a live broadcast apologizing for the incident the next morning, but people were still afraid to watch any live television after what had happened. The identity of the man was investigated, but not one piece of evidence was found. Nobody on the island could recognize him. No documents or photographs of him were ever recovered.
B;
A few months after the incident, rumors spread about the man being seen around the island. He’d been dubbed as the “Phantom” by locals, as his real name still remains unknown. Some claimed to see him in their peripheral view, only for him to vanish when looked at. He was reported to be seen in the backgrounds of mirror reflections and television shows, in the corner of dimly-lit rooms, and most commonly; in dreams, spectating the sleeper from a distance.
Though the “Phantom” is dead, a mere mention of him will cause a room to go silent. He undoubtedly has a presence still; somehow still a living, bodiless entity.
C;
I, as a hobbyist investigator of this phenomenon, have had my own experiences with the “Phantom.” As far as I’m aware of, I am the only individual to be approached by the “Phantom” in a dream. We converse with each other nearly every night. He’s told me personal facts about himself, but I will not reveal them out of respect.
I’m aware of the concept of “tulpas.” However I believe that this being was not created by my mind, but is truly alive, living and moving between our world and some other. Mostly invisible, unless he chooses to be seen.
D;
Through my questioning of the “Phantom”, I was able to find what used to be his residence. I was told he’d occupied the building even after he committed suicide, and he only recently left it.
It’s an old dilapidated garage; one room, made of concrete and wood. No heat, lights or windows. One door. There is no food supply or restroom in it. There is an abundance of machine parts and papers scattered about. Quite a few computers lay dormant, some even being newer models. Most of them have been taken apart and scrapped to the point of being unusable. There are wires everywhere, covering the floor and hanging from tables and walls. Stains everywhere.
NOTABLE FINDS IN GARAGE:
I took photographs of some. I’ve gotten permission to keep these in the file, although the “Phantom” won’t give me explanations behind his ownership of any of them.
-A bucket that appears to be filled with organic material. It was filled completely to the top. There are quite a few dry, crusty smears around it. The smell is not unlike rotting flesh.
-A life-sized, semi-anatomically-correct female robot. This appears to be built entirely by hand, I am amazed by how intricate she is. I don't know how to turn it on, or how much it’s capable of doing. There is a tape player built into her chest, and a corresponding pile sits next to her. I did not listen to any of them, as the labels seemed rather personal. I’d assume he recorded these on his own to play through the robot, mimicking romantic interactions. The joints of the robot all move nicely, it was built with decent knowledge of the human body. I cannot imagine how long this must have taken to build. Her hair feels very real. It is sort of greasy… I was frightened by that.
-Quite a few books. “Advanced Personal Computer Programming”,
“Flesh and Metal, Are We Superior?”, “How to Care For Your Computer”…Some titles are in a foreign language; “Eidechsen Enzyklopädie”, “Der Menschliche Körper”, “Amerikanische Kultur”, “Videospiele!”
There are magazines as well. Some have photographs of women, the rest contain computers.
-He’d built some smaller mechanisms. One is similar to a guillotine, it’s miniature in size. There are headless beetles next to it. Nearby is a tacky spot on the floor he’d stick other insects to, mostly ants. Dead moths and a few butterflies are stuck to the wall, almost in a decorative manner. It’s interesting how long insects can last without decaying
PAPER FILES:
I received permission before confiscating these
E;
What do we truly know about this individual; and are we positive that the man who’d committed suicide and the dream-hopping entity are one in the same?
I’ve found so much, so many loose ends, but I know practically nothing about who the ‘Phantom’ was—or is—for certain. This is because neither I nor anyone else have been able to find and question him in the real, waking world.
I’ve compiled four profiles on “The Phantom” below. Believe as much or little as you choose.
Concrete facts, man from 1977:
-Caucasian man, long hair. Nearly 6 foot. Emaciated, bones visible in some places. Overall dirty and sickly.
-Wore glasses.
-Location of body unknown.
My own speculations, man from 1977:
-Had likely only arrived in Palindrome shortly before his death. Lived alone in a garage in Kayak.
-I believe his hair had changed color due to radiation exposure, as it does for most Palindrome citizens.
Concrete facts, ‘Phantom’:
-Seen by dozens of people in dreams. Described with the same features as the unidentified man.
-Never speaks or approaches anyone.
-Always obscured partially or entirely by shadows.
My personal experiences and research, ‘Phantom’:
-The same man from 1977. Not dead.
-Of German origin. Possibly lived in Germany, did not originate from America. English is his second language.
-Has a fondness for technology, and an extreme disdain for humans. I speculate his suicide had to do with this.
-Never physically left his garage, not until recently. He now resides stationary in one place. He’s been there for about a year.
-Able to manipulate the physical world through dreams, to some degree. Able to ‘will things into reality’… so to speak.
-Some degree of immortal. Prone to self harm, able to regenerate anything injured or lost.
