EP.7 | The Village In The Mist

What if the causes behind human perceptual dulling were not only environmental?
What if certain conditions existed to keep the inner gate closed, allowing other senses to remain dormant indefinitely?

Ancient cultures often conveyed this idea through stories rather than explanations. One such story speaks of a village hidden deep within a valley, permanently wrapped in mist.

In its early days, the villagers were said to see far beyond the surrounding hills. They could hear underground streams, sense approaching weather, and dream of places they had never physically visited. Their awareness extended naturally beyond what was immediately visible.

One day, outsiders arrived. They brought a new kind of water, described as sweet and calming. The villagers were told it would reduce anxiety and help them rest more deeply.

They drank it.

Fear softened, but so did perception. Vision narrowed. Hearing lost its sharpness. Dreams became faint and fragmented. Over time, no one remembered what it was like to perceive beyond the valley.

Years passed. Children were born into the mist and grew up believing the valley was the entire world. The idea of seeing beyond the hills slowly faded into myth.

Only a few elders, through occasional flickers in their dreams, still glimpsed a light at the mountain’s summit. They spoke quietly of a path that once existed, and of a day when someone might find it again.

When the mist finally lifted, the village did not return to what it had been. The landscape itself felt altered. Space no longer behaved as expected. Time seemed unstable. Reality felt thinner, less solid than before.

Note: In this story, “water” is symbolic. It represents any substance, system, or influence that reduces curiosity, dulls awareness, and discourages questioning.