Alright folks, let me tell you about this wild goose chase I went on today. Title of the story? “Continue the investigation at the abandoned shrine.” Sounds spooky, right? Well, it kinda was.
It all started with a hunch. See, I’d been poking around some local lore, and this abandoned shrine kept popping up. Rumors of weird stuff happening there, disappearances, the whole shebang. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to head back. I’d been there once before, didn’t find much, but I figured I’d give it another shot with a fresh pair of eyes.
First, I geared up. Grabbed my trusty backpack, a flashlight (the place is seriously overgrown), a notepad, and a decent pair of hiking boots. Threw in some water and a protein bar, you know, in case I got stuck. Drove out to the edge of town, parked the car, and started hoofing it through the woods.
The path to the shrine is barely there anymore. Lots of overgrown bushes, fallen branches, the whole nine yards. Had to hack my way through some sections. Took about an hour to finally reach the clearing where the shrine stood. And let me tell you, it looked even creepier than I remembered.
The main structure was mostly intact, but the roof was collapsing in places. The wooden beams were rotting, and there were vines growing all over everything. Gave me the heebie-jeebies just looking at it. I started by circling the shrine, looking for any obvious signs – footprints, disturbed ground, anything out of the ordinary.
Found some animal tracks, deer mostly, but nothing else. Then, I ventured inside. It was dark and musty, the air thick with the smell of decay. Shined my flashlight around, trying to get a good look. The main altar was still there, covered in dust and cobwebs. There were some old offerings scattered around – a few coins, some withered flowers, and a small, broken ceramic doll. Nothing too exciting.
I started checking the walls, looking for any hidden compartments or markings. Found some graffiti, mostly just dumb stuff teenagers probably wrote, but nothing that seemed significant. Then, I noticed something interesting in a corner. There was a small, wooden box, tucked away behind a loose stone.
My heart started pounding. This was it, I thought. This was going to be the thing that cracked the case. I carefully pulled the box out. It was old and worn, the wood cracked and faded. I opened it up, and inside… nothing. Just a few scraps of old paper, too decayed to read. Bummer.
Disappointed, I almost gave up. But then, I decided to check underneath the altar. It was heavy, and I had to really strain to lift it up a bit. And there it was! A small, metal plate, hidden underneath. It was engraved with some kind of symbol. I couldn’t make out what it was supposed to be, but it definitely looked old and significant.
I carefully copied the symbol into my notepad. Took some pictures of the plate with my phone. Then, I replaced the altar and packed everything up. Time to head back to town and do some research. Maybe I can find out what this symbol means. Who knows, it might just be the key to unraveling the mystery of the abandoned shrine.
Anyway, that’s my adventure for today. Exhausting, a little creepy, but ultimately, kinda fun. I’ll keep you posted on what I find out about the symbol. Stay tuned!
