Content Warning
This article includes references to death, and can be interpreted to reference suicide.
Hello, reader. My name is Jacob, and I am 74 years old. I would like to tell you about a place that has become very important to me during these last few months. While I first learned of its existence decades ago, I was never curious enough to visit it myself. Until now. This place has always been a hidden one, a land of myths, and I wish to keep it that way. I won't tell you its exact location; you'll have to figure that out yourself. However, I believe that if you search enough, listen carefully, and stay curious, you will eventually discover it.
In an obscure level, a river flows. The river, a subject of numerous legends and rumors, differs from other rivers by a simple detail; its water is pitch black and entirely opaque. No one knows its origin or its destination. It simply flows through the land, without ever merging into another stream or splitting. Its unchanging track cares little about the terrain, instead running uphill several times during its eternal course.
Rarely, one might find a village next to this black stream, or at least the remains of one. The inhabitants of these villages hold the river dear, as it is one of their only sources of water. While it may appear dirty, it is actually perfectly clean. However, it is not normal water. When not consumed, it seeks to return to the river, sometimes traveling miles uphill to do so. Drinking or touching it gives a slight calming sensation and can help with sleep. Breathing it in will also do so, but not cause one to drown; the substance seems to turn into oxygen upon entering one's lungs.
While the water of this river is fertile, and the vegetation around the river sprawling, no fish can be found in it. This is caused by yet another peculiar property of the river; a great upwards force is exerted on almost all objects fully submerged in it, causing them to float to the surface. However, there is a single exception; corpses are not affected and sink rapidly. One might assume that the bottom of this river is also unaffected by this force, but this would be incorrect. The river stretches down infinitely far and thus has no bottom at all.
Many stories tell about this river. They describe the black water and the mysterious spots where it flows uphill. Because of these stories, knowledge of the river has spread far and wide. However, unlike the villagers, people from outside do not know the river as something that gives life. Instead, they know it as a place where people go to die.
The stories are true. This is a place where people go to die, although it is not the river that kills them. Indeed, the river almost seems to protect the people in it; as mentioned previously, it is impossible to drown in its water. For centuries, people at the end of their life have come here to pass away peacefully. These people, coming from all around the Backrooms, gather at the stream. The calming liquid of the river makes one feel at ease and lessens the fear of death. The people spend most of their final days simply floating on the water and pondering about their past experiences. Then, they die. Some, who are lucky, die while floating on the river. Upon death, they sink into it, never to be seen again. Those who die elsewhere are not buried. Instead, they are carried into the river, their final resting place.
I have been here for a long time—I left the world where I was born when I was 25. I still remember that day clearly, even though it has been decades since then. While at first, I tried to find a way to return, I eventually had to accept my fate. I embraced this world as my new home, and indeed, it has been that for me for the last 40 years. But now, it is my time to say goodbye to the Backrooms as well.
I am very ill, and I know that things are not going to get any better. That is why I am now here, in a village by the river. For the last few months, I’ve spent most of my time on the stream, enjoying my existence to the very end. My life in the Backrooms has been hectic, but everything is so peaceful here. Now, I can finally rest.
A few times, I’ve fallen asleep while floating on the river. After waking up, I’ve felt a sense of longing, not just back asleep, but also into waters below me. Looking around has always brought a sensation of wonder, as I’ve realized that I’m just a small creature on the surface of this dark expanse. Sometimes, this river can be shockingly beautiful.
I wanted to write this and post it into the database before inevitable. I think I’ve now done that, thus propogating the legend further. However, writing has taken a toll on me, and I am feeling tired. I think I will go onto the river again.