It's Just a Frozen Pond

"What's the situation, Captain?" Colonel Jackson asked after exiting the helicopter, walking towards the vehicle.

Captain Bryant responded, "Yesterday, construction workers were demolishing a small church built back in 1906. They cleared everything down to the cement foundation when they noticed the concrete was cold."

"Cold," The Colonel repeated, brow raised, "And why is that significant?"

"Well, sir, it was 90 degrees at midday with no clouds. With the sun beating on it, the concrete should've been hot." Captain Bryant paused as they entered the SUV. "Not knowing what was under the concrete, they carefully removed about 6 inches of cement before they saw it. They immediately knew something wasn't right, so the foreman called the City, the City called the Government."

"Wait, saw what, Captain?"

"The ice, sir."

"Ice? Beneath a church built over 100 years ago?" Colonel Jackson questioned, making sure he heard it right.

"It gets even weirder, sir. Once they cleared the cement, it left what appears to be a frozen pond. It's only about 25 feet long and 15 feet wide, but here's the weird part. It won't melt. More interesting than that, we can't break it or even cut into it. It has a temperature of -15 degrees Celsius and is harder than any substance known to man."

Colonel Jackson's demeanor changed, as Captain Bryant now had his full attention.

The Colonel looked Captain Bryant in the eyes and asked, "What exactly are you telling me, son?"

Bryant took a breath, "I'm saying, whatever that pond is, it breaks all the laws of our known universe. If it weren't for the two Goldfish visible towards the surface of the ice, I'd say it wasn't even from our planet."

"Do we know anything else about it?" Jackson said urgently.

"Without being able to get a sample from it, no, not really. However, before I left, my team set up our Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) equipment. Hopefully, we'll be able to see what's in there and how deep this thing goes."

"Captain, I want the area locked down immediately. No one in or out without level 3 clearance."

"It's already done, sir. My men have secured the property, and local police are on the street."

"Good. What do we know about the church?"

Bryant was quick to respond, "The church was called, Believers of Christ. The Pastor of the church died a few months ago. His family sold the property, and the new owners began construction a few days ago."

Colonel Jackson interrupted, "Have we spoken to any of the family members yet?"

"Yes. We got a hold of the oldest son, Mark. He is the only one who still lives in California. Officers have him in route and should be about 90 minutes behind us."

Colonel Jackson started examining the property as they pulled up but then continued, "Good work, Captain. Let's still contact the other family members, see if we can get answers from them as we question Mark here."

The moment Captain Bryant's foot hit the ground, Dr. Ross came running up, "Captain Bryant, you've got to see this."

As they hastily made their way to the Pond, Captain Bryant introduced the two, "Dr. Ross, this is Colonel Jackson. He's in charge now."

"Nice to meet you, Colonel." Dr. Ross spat out before continuing, "We're about halfway through the pond. We weren't sure if we would get clear images, but they've been great so far. We've confirmed all the plants and fish are definitely local."

Colonel Jackson walked up to the edge of the pond, "Can I touch it?"

The four other scientists looked up from what they were working on, then looked at each other, unsure how to answer the question.

"We haven't found any radiation or dangerous chemicals, so I'd say you should be okay," Dr. Ross answered, inspecting his own hand.

"It feels like a cold rock, no moisture," Colonel Jackson paused for a moment, "Can I see the images from the GPR?"

"Of course. We're actually about to get another image right now. Come on over," Dr. Ross said, standing under a canopy, waving them both over to the table where the equipment and monitors were.

Dr. Ross pressed a button. An image started populating on the screen. "So far, the depth of the pond is only 9 feet de..." Dr. Ross stopped abruptly as his heart pounded hard in his chest, "No Fucking Way."

Captain Bryant's eyes widened, mouth gaped, as the Colonel, doing his best to keep his composure, asked, "Is that what I think it is, Dr. Ross?"

"I guess that depends on what you think it is, Colonel. To me, it looks like a perfectly preserved 7 or 8-year-old little boy looking up at us in a really creepy way."

"You know what I mean, Dr. Ross. Given the circumstances, is there any chance that boy isn't human?" The Colonel asked.

"Well, out of the whole 5 seconds, I've had to examine an image of what appears to be a human boy. I'd have to say no."

After a moment, a wild thought came to him. "Although, if you're insinuating that this boy was from another universe, and when he fell into this pond, his body somehow had a chemical reaction to the water, creating this substance we have never seen before. I'd say... maybe," Dr. Ross replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's not what I was insinuating, but so far, that seems to be the only explanation we've got. Unfortunately, if there's even a tiny chance that that boy isn't human, I've got to take immediate action."

Colonel Jackson took a deep breath, his voice became stern as he continued, "Effective immediately, this is now a classified, level 5 investigation. Dr. Ross, you'll receive clearance, but your team is dismissed. Captain, make sure they are escorted off the premises."

Dr. Ross interrupted, "Hold on, Colonel. Did you not hear my sarcasm or see my shoulders shrug? I don't actually think this is an alien!"

Jackson glanced at both of them, "Captain, Doctor, regardless of the child, would you both agree that whatever this pond is, it was created by something, not of this world?"

Captain Bryant and Dr. Ross looked at each other in agreement before the Dr. whimpered, "I'd say it's more than likely."

"Right then. Captain Bryant, get me General Beltran on the phone. Also, I want a crane and a military convoy here ready to escort ASAP. The sooner we can get that pond out of the ground and on its way to Area 51, the better."

"We have a command unit out front for you, Colonel. Lieutenant Conner is standing by to take care of whatever you need. As for the crane, it was ordered this morning and is parked around the corner. I'll have it brought in right immediately," Captain Bryant said as he walked the Colonel off the property.

An hour later, Captain Bryant knocked on the Colonel's door.

Colonel Jackson opened the door. "Yes, Captain?"

"Colonel Jackson, this is Mark."

"Ah, yes. Come in."

The three men sat at the table.

"Alright, guys, I think this is where you tell me where I am and why I'm here," Mark said with a grin.

"You don't know where you are?" Jackson asked.

Mark looked around, "Should I?"

"This is where your father's Church was," Bryant answered.

Mark's face went pale, almost sick.

"How did you not know?" Jackson asked, confused.

Mark almost whispered, "We lived with my mom. She never let us come here. This place gave her the creeps."

As if embracing for a blow, he cringed, "What have you found?"

"Under the church, we found what appears to be a frozen pond, and in it, a 7 or 8-year-old little boy who has presumably been in there since 1906," Jackson answered.

Mark sprang up, found a trash can, and hurled. Bryant and Jackson glanced at each other, knowing this wasn't a good sign.

Mark wiped his mouth as he began to talk to himself, "He must not have known where it was. That's the only thing that makes sense."

Bryant responded in a calming tone, "Who are you talking about, Mark?"

"My Dad, there is no way he knew it was down there."

"Okay, there's no way he knew 'what' was down there?" Bryant urged.

Mark collected himself as he tried explaining, "Are you guys familiar with the Bible?"

They both nodded.

"Okay, well, let's just say there was supposed to be a version of the Bible where all is lost."

"A version of the Bible?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah. you guys know the Bible is just a bunch of books abridged into one, and that there were some books, referred to as the Apocrypha, that were not accepted by the church?"

"Yeah, like the book of Enoch," Bryant said.

"Right! Well, there was a book that should've been in the Old Testament, but it was stolen by a Theodelfos."

"Theodelfos?" Bryant questioned.

"In the Old Testament, Genesis 6:4, he talks about the Nephilim."

Bryant jumped in, "Yeah, half-Angel, half-human."

"Right, in Chapter 3, it states, God could only dwell with Man for 120 years. So, by the time Adam was 120, God went back to heaven. But, he left behind angels to watch over and guide man in his infancy. Instead, the angels became fond of the daughters of men and conceived children with them. The Nephilim became more powerful than the angels that created them, almost taking over this world.

"That's what this book talked about. It described how the Nephilim almost ruined God's plan for men. But more importantly, the book spoke of what would happen if a Theodelfos were to ever conceive a child."

"And what's a Theodelfos?" Bryant asked.

Mark inhaled, "According to this book, a Theodelfos is one of God's brothers.

"The book explains that the reality we live in, everything we can see, hear, or touch, is all created by our God, also referred to as the God of Gods. However, even though his brothers are all Gods of their own dimensions and realities, they can evidently come and go as they please.

"The book warns that if one of God's brothers had a human child, a Kastrephim, that child would be more powerful than anything hitherto created. Even more powerful than the God who created him. Powerful enough to destroy everyone and everything."

"Okay, and how does this relate to our situation."

"The God that stole the book ended up taking human form, fell in love with a woman, and conceived a child in 1899. He thought he could raise his son to be good and prove the book wrong. But the boy was evil. He was made up of energy that doesn't belong in this dimension. He'd gone mad.

"According to my great great grandfather, the child became so powerful, Satan himself, the creator of all witchcraft, presented the Theodelfos with a spell that could potentially trap him forever. Having no other choice, he agreed. Satan performed the spell as the Theodelfos held his son at the bottom of the pond. To complete the spell, he sacrificed himself. While his body dissolved into the water, the water began to freeze. The hallowed ground is what binds the spell. If it were ever moved, there would be no one strong enough to stop the Kastrephim."

Just then, they heard the roaring of the crane's engine. Jackson and Bryant looked at each other and shouted simultaneously, "The Crane!"

They bolted out the door, both screaming, "Stop!"

By the time they had eyes on it, the pond was 4 feet in the air. In an instant, the once frozen pond splashed to the ground. The boy, now levitating in the air as the water fell around him, turned his angry blood-red eyes to the Colonel as the Colonel whispered, "God help us."