Biblical Monsters: a Visual Companion · 6:24am Mar 2nd, 2014
Biblical Monsters: a Visual Companion
by
Horse Voice
Note: It is possible that the images may break again at some point, so the author suggests saving this webpage if the reader wishes to see them again later. Firefox is recommended, as Chrome will not properly save the images.
One year ago today, I published the first chapter of Biblical Monsters.
I did not intend for it to be a hit. I used the idea because I thought it would be easy to write, consisting as it did of a place and subject matter I was already familiar with. "Cook Point," in all but name, was Nootka Lighthouse, where I lived for several years as a boy and as a man. Had I known Monsters would become as well-known as it has, I might have kept the original name.
For the occasion, I have decided to compile a visual companion to this story. Most of the images are my own amateur photography, from years ago. Others, I dug out of old boxes.
It's all there. The leftmost building is the senior keeper's dwelling, on the doorstep of which Twilight Sparkle appeared on that fateful December night. The house on the hilltop is that of the junior keeper, who took Twilight in for the following two days. The smaller building between them houses the tool chests, radio equipment, and engine room.
"This station doesn't have a spare dwelling," I said as we walked. "But these houses were built for families, so there's plenty of room."
[...]
My house's floor plan was much like that of Adams's, but since mine was built on a small hill, and was not quite as deep-set into the ground, my main floor afforded an excellent view of the land and sea around Cook Point.
He edged past me, and heedless of the storm, began marching toward the building that housed the generators and radio equipment.
[...]
From an outbuilding close to my house, there came a constant low rumbling, which we were now close enough to hear.
"That's the engine room," I said.
The same building (right) also used to house the fog horns, which have since been decommissioned. The noise from them used to rattle the dishes in the junior keeper's sink. Though long since retired from this line of work, I keep a few pairs of earplugs around out of habit.
The whoosh of a mighty gust came from outside, and the large double-pane window that looked out over Vargas Bay creaked around the edges. Nothing was now visible in that direction, except the orange light from the boathouse down the hill.
[...]
On the other side of Vargas Bay, north of the lighthouse, tall spruces danced wild dances in honor of the mighty west wind.
This place was actually named "Friendly Cove" by the explorer James Cook, due to his reception by the native Mowachaht people. Some details here, such as the large government-owned wharf and the house of the native land's caretakers, were left out.
The opening scene of Biblical Monsters was based on a real event. One New Year's Day, in the early morning, a half-drunk man in a boat got lost in Nootka Sound, trying to find his way back to the fish farm where he worked. He somehow made his way to Friendly Cove, where he saw the orange boathouse light I describe in the story. After tying up at the station's small stone wharf, he climbed up to the station proper and hammered on my boss's door, though he was sure the place had been de-staffed. Luckily for him, it had not.
My boss let him crash on his couch, and fed him breakfast the next morning. Then we gave him fuel and sent him on his way. He treated us like saints, but we said, "We're just doing our job, sir. Be safe."
"You might be in luck," I said. "Every year around this time, we get a period of clear, calm weather, and it's due any day now."
In this part of the world, a week or two of halcyon days arrive every winter, breaking the usually continuous wind and rain. The sunlight and abundance of evergreens bring a resemblance to summer, if one ignores the chill in the air and the snow on the mountains.
A moment later, Adams and I stood in one of the outbuildings, surrounded by various Coast Guard necessities: anemometer, radiotelephone, tool chest, the esoteric machines that made the microwave emitter work, and so forth.
Details from the interior of the light tower. When it was built, asbestos was still a common building material, so we rarely went inside without a reason, and no visitors were permitted.
Even with only eight miles' visibility, morning at Cook Point was rich with wild beauty. [...] Along the Point's eastern shore, the Pacific threw itself against rugged bedrock that underlay the outer edge of this part of the West Coast.
To the south, at the other side of Zeballos Inlet's entrance, mountains stretched from the ocean [...]
"Never mind," I said. "But, if I wanted to walk in real—pristine—wilderness, like what's out there..." —I pointed at the forest to the north— "... would Equestria have any?"
Twilight chewed twice, and swallowed. "Why would you want to do that?"
"It's not easy," I said. "I mean, this station would fall apart if it wasn't for the monthly supply runs. Which reminds me—the next one is due in about a week."
Specifically, helicopter runs bring snail mail once every week, and supplies once per month. When supplies arrive, it's the highlight of the month, because at least two weeks have passed since the keeper has had any fresh produce.
Helicopters are also used to carry staff from station to station. If you work in an airport, and a scruffy man carrying an overstuffed backpack walks in one day and asks you if his helicopter has arrived yet, he's either a crazy hobo, or a lighthouse keeper.
These deliveries are made using either Messerschmitt 105s—such as the one seen here—or Bell 212s.
Adams looked out the window, at the forest across the bay. "Regulating nature..."
My anxiousness began to reach a fever pitch again. "Weather control... terraforming... She says she wants to make this world like Equestria! No more real wilderness."
The generators were two identical masses of cylinders, plate metal, bolts, wires, ducts, guages, and more. We alternated their use month-by-month, and now, only the one on the left was running. I led Twilight toward it, and pointed out the guages, and the decals that spelled "DANGER – HOT," as well as the only external moving part: the blunt end of the crankshaft, which stuck out the engine's front, and was protected around the top and sides, but not the front, by a metal shield.
The Narrator actually describes an older model of generator, which, if I recall correctly, had been in use since the 1960s, and not replaced with the versions seen here until the mid-2000s.
In the first picture, to the right of the engines, is the rag box where a knife was hidden.
As we approached the high peninsula of Cook Point, I looked up at the station, and for the first time, felt none of the warmth or pride the sight usually afforded. The empty buildings were tombs, and the light in the tower was a judging eye that glared into my soul.
We tied up at the dock, and began to ascend the long ramp to the station proper. Halfway up, I halted. Adams didn't notice until he was a couple of meters ahead of me. He stopped, and looked back.
The zodiac boat at the bottom right is of a type commonly used by the Canadian Coast Guard, especially when helping mariners in distress. In the context of this story, the irony is obvious.
He reached the top before I did, and froze. Lost in thought, I did not notice this at first, but when I caught up and stood beside him, and looked out upon the concrete landing at the station's centre, I did the same.
Exposed to the wilderness at an early age, I soon grew familiar with death as a part of the life cycle. These whale vertebrae, buried in the pebbles of the beach about two kilometers north of the lighthouse, were uncovered by a winter storm.
Before taking these pictures, I placed the tape measure next to the bones to show that no camera trickery was used to exaggerate their size.
This was only one example of the various remains I found over the years. Considering such impressions upon my young mind, it's unsurprising that I would use bones—of both humans and animals—as a personal motif later in life.
Biblical Monsters's title originated in a dream I had years ago, while working at Nootka.
The neck of stony beach pictured above connects Nootka Island proper with the two hills on which the station is built. I was standing on it, surrounded by a luminous white fog. The sun-bleached driftwood beneath my feet was far more abundant than is pictured here, and I found myself unsure if the pieces really were wood, for the more I looked at them, the more they resembled ribs.
In this dream-place, I encountered three grotesques.
The first two resembled greyhounds in size and shape, but were quite different creatures in all other respects. Their pale, hairless flesh was covered in weeping sores and boils. Their unblinking eyes were cloudy and featureless. They spoke with human voices. I wish I could remember what they said, because I'm sure it was terrifying. But they made no hostile move against me.
Then I turned around, and saw the third beast. It was nearly twice as tall as me, and its body was huge and broad. Its pale-grey carapace, and numerous legs, and the long spines that protruded from its torso, reminded me of some of the uglier species of sea crustaceans. But its monstrous jaws, filled with sword-like teeth, more resembled those of a crocodile. Its eye-stalks, also crablike, ended in staring, clouded-over eyes like those of the hounds.
A voice told me its kind were called "The Weirding Ones".
The next day, I described the third creature to a well-read friend of mine.
"Oh," he said, "a biblical monster."
* * *
That vertebrate...whale?
Wow.
It makes it so much more pertinent, these images. Much more ... real to see where - in another world - a blow might have happened.
Really adds depth to your story, thanks for this.
BC stands for "Best Canada." It feels like I've been to some of these places, but I haven't.
1887452
Just visit BC in the summer time, go to undeveloped coastal places, and hope it's not raining.
1887496
I wish I could damn well move there - I love rainy, grey days and chill weather.
And two inches of snow shut my (major American) city down for two days ... WTF guys?
1887512
We had about 18" of snow last weekend. The whole town was screwed over for about a day or two, but we were fine after that.
1887526
As much as it must suck to deal with that, I envy you. It must be beautiful up there. You guys are lucky.
1887532
It's incredibly beautiful out here. Mountains and sea everywhere.
This was an awesome tour! It sounds like exactly the sort of life I'd fall in love with; plenty of solitude and writing time, lots of nature, and the chance to do good for people and/or start the occasional interdimensional war. How exactly does one get into this sort of career path (he idly asked, already having a pretty decent career)?
Wow, that's beautiful. But is there high-speed internet?
1887550
Decent careers may be decent, but they provide little opportunity to spark interdminesional wars.
Interestingly, the actual photos are not that far off from what I imagined the place to look like.
Wow, I'm speechless. I always thought this was a story you typed down on a whim and it got surprisingly popular. I had never dreamed you actually "lived" there as a younger person.
The depth of your story just got much more intense for me. Thank you for that.
1887627 Which is funny because my imagination was far, far away from what is shown here.
Wow, thanks for the deeper look into the story!
You made some really beautiful pictures up there. Any night/rainy photos?
Oh my. This might be the highlight of my month.
1887550
Get in touch with Coast Guard headquarters, and ask what qualifications are needed. In addition to what they tell you, you must also be good at being alone for long periods of time, and good at getting along with weird people for months or years. Be prepared to order a month's worth of supplies at a time. Have your own personal library. Be good at conserving water. Be brave enough to go out in a zodiac in the middle of a storm and save people from foundering boats. Be handy with tools. Oh, and...
1887624
...be prepared to be the last to receive new communication technologies. We didn't get land line telephones until the early '90s, and when I left the job, the internet connections still stunk. But things may have changed since then.
1887627
Then I've done my job right!
1887659
Everything in Biblical Monsters is real, except the biblical monster. But now I'm curious: What, in your mind, did the place look like?
1887762
Yes, but they look mighty awful. I guess my camera wasn't expensive enough.
1887956
1887984 Yep. Just last night I was arguing with a Canadian soldier about the rifle manual of arms. Then we realized that other than sharing a title, the two countries' Drill and Ceremonies manual is completely different. I like learning new things.
1887984
I'm glad you ask. It's actually pretty simple to describe, because the image I pictured in my head was in the booklet of a Progressive Metal album I bought a few days before reading the story (The Theory of Everything by Ayreon):
progarchy.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/ayreon-2.jpg
Ignore the mathematical stuff on the right. I'm talking about the lighthouse and the dark, foggy, and rocky coast. In comparison to that, the thing you posted here was quite anticlimactic with that in mind. :V
But I hope you can see why it made the story feel much, much darker for me than it really was. Of course, it still is pretty dark, but not as dark as I imagined. But I guess that's the magic of reading: the reader can picture the scenery however he wants.
Oh god yes this pleases me greatly.
This gave me a chill along my spine while reading, especially at your dream.
It adds a dimension of reality to the story.
This was really cool to read! It adds a lot of background to the story.
What a beautiful place. I'll have to visit it one day.
Also, this just goes to show that the best stories come from real life.
All of my YES. I know you said you were planning something different for this one, but jeez. It's like you knew I loved photography too or something!
It did seem like one of those stories that came alive primarily from personal experience. Write what you know n'all that.
That made me laugh by the way. Not entirely sure why,
Wait wait wait wait wait. So you're saying that Biblical Monsters is set in a real place?
Dude. Just, dude.
1888027
There is actually a station on this coast that looks like that: a miserable little rock called Triple Island. I am pleased to say I was never assigned there, because after a few weeks, I would probably have gnawed my own arm off.
Of course, any of these places is dark and dreary when fog rolls in. But I never saw much point in taking pictures of that.
1889304
Oh yes--give me trees, mountains and ocean, and I become quite the shutterbug. Most of these, I took years ago for no particular reason, but supposed they might come in handy someday.
1890387
If you have enough time and money, you can go there as a tourist. Just don't try and go into any buildings; you'll be kicked off the grounds.
That was really neat, and different from the grey rocky place I imagined.
Fascinating photos, it really makes me wish I live in B.C. instead of Alberta so I can look at the wonderful scenery first hand.
However, I have to ask why you choose not to incorporate these images into your story. I imagine the pictures would had succeeded in giving a good deal of immersion for a better reading experience. I can see the story worked well without out, but I'm curious and like to hear your input about it.
1896443
If I did that, it would be more difficult for readers to form their own ideas of what the place looked like. Plus, I would have suspected I was unconsciously using the photos as a crutch, instead of properly describing things.
Besides, despite the resemblance, Nootka is not Cook Point. I left out several prominent structures, which I will discuss in the second part of this companion.
Amazing stuff! While the fic certainly painted well the feeling of isolation and wilderness, seeing it in pictures certainly adds something significant to the story – specially those ramps through the trees.
And here I thought you were an East Coaster. Great post!
Maybe it's just my internet, but it looks like every single image is dead. :/
4300529
They are.
The trouble is, I keep switching to different hosts, and they keep blacklisting Fimfiction. Someday I'll find a permanent solution.
Whoa, I'd never seen this before. It's super awesome.
Wow. I didn't know this photoblog was a thing. This place looks absolutely beautiful.
4537106
It really is something else, though the catch is that it's quite beyond the fringe of proper civilization. It was a pain in the neck to get all the images working again, but I'm glad to see it was worth it. :)
I downloaded my own copy of this page in case that happened again. Note to anybody else: Chrome's "save as web page" downloads the photos as untyped files, bcoz the links to postimage.io are indirect and Chrome can't deal with them quite right. Firefox will save them as .jpg, so you can view them in your folder.
Part of me admires the beauty. Part of me wonders how much those whale vertebrae would fetch on ebay.
4537306
Good thinking. I've added a note to the top, just in case.
The funny thing is, I never considered that--meaning, I suppose, that part of me is still a savage. In any case, I wouldn't recommend buying one. Keep it indoors, and it takes up a lot of space; keep it outdoors, and it turns green. My family pack-ratted a couple of ribs and a vertebra for years, and they proved more trouble than they were worth.
incredible. not a single one of these images is left