strange radiation: the pool of radiance archive

Adventures with an unreliable narrator.

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Aug 14 07: Today's Xenoartifact

CATALOG ID 21671104.17: Mask, apparently a single carved, pale blue stone (analysis indicates aquamarine, Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) of standard humanoid size and proportions. Found by Special Customs Investigator J. Reichl (SCI #B423976) in Artifacta Gallery (227 Tenth Avenue, New York); provenance unknown but plainly extraterrestrial.

CLASS III ARTIFACT. Not manifestly dangerous, but handle with caution (see below).

From notes of SCI J. Reichl: Special Customs office was initially contacted by NYPD, who were summoned by emergency-services call from gallery owner. Upon arrival, I found gallery staff and emergency-services personnel standing in one of the exhibition rooms, surrounding (from several feet away) a staff member who had put on the mask. She stood motionless, breathing calmly, but did not respond to the sound of her name (Dimitra Puri, USID 5894-A26-22J1). Much to the dismay of those on the scene, her face could not be seen behind the transparent stone of the mask: it was not obscured, but invisible. When standing in front of her, looking at her face through the mask, one could see the people standing behind her quite plainly. A laser pointer directed through the mask produced an obvious bright spot on the wall behind her; the same pointer could be played across the back of her head to shine on those standing in front of her.

I was assured by the paramedics on scene that their scans indicated no physical or emotional distress: heart rate normal, breathing normal, brain scans tranquil. Her lack of any respiratory difficulty was particularly remarkable, given that the mask has no breathing holes. It is a single, uninterrupted surface from forehead to chin.

Furthermore, the mask had no obvious means for adhering to her face, and yet it remained there. Attempts to remove the mask with my hands or with the aid of tongue depressors proved fruitless. A tug on the mask provoked no obvious response from Ms. Puri; she would sway gently where she stood, not actively resisting our efforts so much as shifting her weight in order to continue standing upright. We were reluctant to pull harder for fear of injuring her. The paramedics suggested she be taken to the medical unit at the local Customs and Immigration office in case the mask needed to be cut away. Before doing so, however, I played a hunch, and took Ms. Puri’s hands in my own. By positioning Ms. Puri’s hands on the edges of the mask, and pulling gently on her hands, the mask came away quite easily.

Although Ms. Puri was startled to find us standing around her, she was otherwise uninjured by her experience. She had little memory of what had transpired after putting the object on her face beyond a vague sense of emotional tranquility and of “waiting for something,” although what it was she had been waiting for she could not recall. She had no idea of the amount of time that had passed since she had put the mask on.

After dealing with the immediate situation, it was established that the mask’s import papers (see file) listed it as sculpture from Truo; this would seem to be inaccurate, as Truu sculpture displays none of the mask’s more noteworthy characteristics. I recommend an investigation up the chain of import/export entities named in the paperwork to establish its origin and status.

UPDATE 15 Mar 2168 Investigation underway. Body- and brainscans of Ms. Puri following the removal of the mask unremarkable. Initial indications that mask may be Ghao temple artifact of some considerable antiquity still being pursued. The death of SCI M. Termagary (SCI #C416993) in the line of duty during this investigation is duly noted.

Commentary

hmmm
came across this item by chance, trying to find the asbestos content in typical bluestone deposits, but this sounds much more interesting.
Where are the archives hidden to read more on this mask?

thanks!

posted by Jim, Aug 26 07 4:28 PM

There isn’t any more at present, but there may be at some point. This post is intended to be the first in a series — assuming there will be others, I’ll create a category so you can see them all at once. And thanks for stopping by!

posted by Andrew, Aug 27 07 11:26 AM

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