Satan's Campfire

A VAST SPECTACLE OF HORROR: RESOLVED, OR CREATED, BY SCIENCE? There is a saying about experts: An expert is someone who knows absolutely everything about almost nothing. Keith Conrad needed expertise for a problem with the beautiful and remote cabin he had recently bought. This cabin was his family's dream home, but a seemingly electrified charge in his upstairs study was emitting an ungodly sound. It rendered the room useless. This was the most peculiar characteristic in an old cabin filled with inexplicable peculiarities. Visitors to the property went berserk or otherwise reported strange sightings. The surrounding mountains and rock outcroppings remained mute witnesses, until Keith made a bizarre discovery atop a nearby large rock spire. The first expert on scene was Calvin. He was a rogue young astrophysicist. Keith and Calvin connected as friends and allies, but Calvin had only ominous suspicions about the origin of the problem. More experts were needed on scene. They were beckoned, and they arrived: Three more elite astrophysicists, and a savvy government bureaucrat to pave the way over any and all legal and financial hurdles for the project. They were a capable and charismatic crew, and the best experts in the world for this line of inquiry. The project? Exploring the most important confirmed finding in the history of science. The undertaking was of gargantuan significance, and time was of the essence. Experiments needed to be undertaken immediately—before the media, the masses, and the military got wind of what was underway. The outcome? It will take decades to determine, as we all acclimate to the aftermath of Satan's Campfire.

A VAST SPECTACLE OF HORROR: RESOLVED, OR CREATED, BY SCIENCE? There is a saying about experts: An expert is someone who knows absolutely everything about almost nothing. Keith Conrad needed expertise for a problem with the beautiful and remote cabin he had recently bought. This cabin was his family's dream home, but a seemingly electrified charge in his upstairs study was emitting an ungodly sound. It rendered the room useless. This was the most peculiar characteristic in an old cabin filled with inexplicable peculiarities. Visitors to the property went berserk or otherwise reported strange sightings. The surrounding mountains and rock outcroppings remained mute witnesses, until Keith made a bizarre discovery atop a nearby large rock spire. The first expert on scene was Calvin. He was a rogue young astrophysicist. Keith and Calvin connected as friends and allies, but Calvin had only ominous suspicions about the origin of the problem. More experts were needed on scene. They were beckoned, and they arrived: Three more elite astrophysicists, and a savvy government bureaucrat to pave the way over any and all legal and financial hurdles for the project. They were a capable and charismatic crew, and the best experts in the world for this line of inquiry. The project? Exploring the most important confirmed finding of its type in the history of science. The undertaking was of gargantuan significance, and time was of the essence. Experiments needed to be undertaken immediately—before the media, the masses, and the military got wind of what was underway. The outcome? It will take decades to determine, as we all acclimate to the aftermath of Satan's Campfire.

Kent D. Williams practiced criminal law for thirty-one years in California. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, he decided it was finally time to retire. Since retirement, he has been revisiting several of the writing projects he wrote on weekends during his working years, and writing some new stories. He spends most of his free time traveling, riding motorcycles, and working on his old cabin in Colorado.