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[sub]Rated M for mature/triggering content, including language & violence.
NO LONGER ACCEPTING.[/sub]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/jEE2jZZ.gif[/img][/center]

Monument's surface was positively buzzing with life. The sky was dappled with pinks and blues, and a light breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees. The breeze carried on its gusts the cries of several Rykes, calling to each other from across the land. It was chilly, and the water's surface rippled with the force of the draft. The goosereeds stood tall and proud, with their heads unbent, at the base of the towering structure rising from the still water. A small streambed flowed from the top of the structure and ran between the goosereeds's roots. In every direction, the still water stretched to the horizon. An ocean, of sorts – upon closer inspection, perhaps a lake. To the east was a small ridge poking toward the sky, heavily shrouded by mist. A day's walk, perhaps. However, at the center of this lake stood an imposing obelisk. It rose tall, perhaps a hundred feet or more – two poles that shot up straight and curved to meet each other at the top. In the middle was a loose latticework, decorated with occasional stained glass or painting. It was a striking white, like it had just been built. At the bottom was a rock, with a plaque on it. To the left was a smaller, simpler version of the stele. That was it – the first Monument. The plaque read, in bold lettering: 

[b]		Welcome to Monument. Do not be afraid, you are safe here. We have chosen this planet for your well-being and 
		population. You are to discover the reason for your being here by solving seven puzzles. The solution to the
		first lies in this riddle:[/b]
			[i]I have no eyes but I have a head. I do not sleep but I share my bed.
			When winter strikes I cannot die, and my silver colors cannot lie.
			Uproot me to uncover the key to find the way across the sea.[/i]

A small distance away from the monument, the water began to churn. A sharp, gritty whistle emerged from just beneath the waters surface, and the whole sea rumbled gently. The rykes stopped calling, and for a moment, everything was deathly still, leaning in to see what the Still Sea had to offer from its churning depths. Slowly, five singularities rose from the water. As the water poured off each of them, it became clear that they were boxes – approximately seven by three, sealed across the middle, and with absolutely no markings on them whatsoever. Once the boxes were elevated above the water's surface, the whistling and rumbling stopped. Nothing happened for a long while. The rykes did not call. The breeze had stopped, as if it was holding its breath for the arrival of the strange boxes. 

When she woke up, she felt her head pounding madly, as if she hadn't been breathing. She gasped, gulping in air desperately and painfully. Briefly, she wondered if she was dead. As her heart settled, her surroundings came into focus – that is to say, she noticed she was in a box. If she had been herself, she would have wondered if it were a coffin. However, all she could do was press her hands to the lid – at first, gently; then with a panicked fervor that left her pounding at it with her palms and beginning to suffocate again. Primal instinct drove her, and nothing more. She didn't know where she was, or how she got there. All she wanted was out, out, OUT ––– 

With a hiss, the box's lid slid open. Bright light spilled in, and she took a sharp breath, covering her eyes to the light. When she sat up, it took her a moment to adjust to the view. Water? Water.. It took a few seconds for everything to sink in – the fact that she didn't remember anything; that when she opened her mouth, no words would come out; that she was in a coffin, surrounded by an ocean. Abruptly, tears sprung to her eyes and welled over. In the eerie silence of the Still Sea, the first noises were the gentle sobs of her first witness.