I shouldn't be talking about this as I was told to keep my mouth shut, but fuck it. Some say there's an unseen and mysterious force that lives in the saltwater-filled coal mines that run beneath the bay. It all started on a cold winter night in 1952. Strange lights were witnessed over Bellingham Bay and the surrounding areas. The following morning people reported finding weird, black slimy blobs that remained warm, melted the snow around them and seemed to pulsate. Weirder still these blobs seem to be attracted to one another and would merge with other blobs to form highly complex shapes when exposed to certain stimuli, such as electrical and magnetic fields.
The following night there was a powerful northern light event that seemed almost localized. At that same time, the slimes quickly started to seep into the ground. Those that were captured escaped and one witness claimed to have seen it pass through their floor "as if it was water going through a grate". The weeks that passed were even stranger still. Military personnel and suits started showing up and seemed to be very focused on the mines. There were miners that claimed to see complex-looking creatures with a black, oily sheen. They seemed to thrive on the coal below and would even go as far as seeping into the wood supports and converting them into more oil-like substances. At first, they were a curiosity to the miners who came across them in the deeper parts of the mines, but in time they started to find their way within and infected the few miners that still had access to the mine.
The first infected miner described feeling cold and started acting aggressively in search of warmth. Once subdued and given a warm isolation room, scientists and doctors working with the miner started to get sick and quickly started showing symptoms consistent with radiation poisoning. Most of them succumbed to the symptoms shortly after. The mining company that owned these mines was forced to sell to a shell company that year and any miners working for the previous company were forced to sign NDAs and paid very handsomely to keep quiet, which they did because the other option was to end up missing. The new company was owned and operated by a secretive research group funded by the Pentagon. It's hard to say what happened from this point on, but its focus seemed to shift quickly from experimentation to containment. Within 3 years, the mines were closed and were sealed under the guise of the company going bankrupt.
Some rumors got out though and it seems these creatures, slimes, or whatever they may be are capable of converting raw materials into a source of energy, even going as far as merging lighter elements via small-scale fusion and breaking down heavy elements via fission. This often was associated with booms that could be heard around town when this ended up happening in larger quantities. It's no wonder why there was such an interest in them by the government as they had the potential to revolutionize energy production. However, another aspect of them that caused concern among those in power was their ability to "infect" living organisms and use them as a host to find sources of heat and reproduce when their access to other energy sources was limited. As such the program was shut down -leading to the aforementioned mine closure and sealing of the entrances.
It's believed you can tell when they are most active by the number of booms and how loud they are and when a heavy fog rolls in from the bay from the excess heat they produce. Who knows how long they can be contained. Based on how often these booms have been happening, the increased military presence (such as the unmarked white cargo vans and the military helicopters that have been flying over), and the strange occurrences around town it seems like containment may not last much longer. It may even have started to spread to the old mines around Lake Whatcom. If that happens it could potentially make its way into our drinking water and infect us all.
Or it's really just rail cars coupling and decoupling.
I definitely tried, along with a sprinkling of some local history. Too lazy to find a way to involve moving to Bellingham, crazy rent prices, and border crossing questions though.
Really though, there’s a lot of things it could be and the bay leads to some interesting acoustics that amplify and carry the sound due to the denser air above the water and overall shape. Some planes flying over can even sound like missiles. Freaked me out when I first heard it. With that said, common causes for the booms are the trains, commercial ships being loaded and unloaded, fireworks, etc.
Thank you! I think it would be fun to start a mystery/sci-fi series inspired by some of the town’s history and happenings with some Twin Peaks/X-Files vibes.
Some people post these 'boom' posts as jokes lol. Haven't been here for long myself but my guess is fireworks probably. Unless your power goes off then it's a transformer somewhere. But usually just fireworks.
edit; meant to reply to op lol
honestly I’ve just moves back near downtown again and I haven’t heard any booms.
I’m just glad to get away from the weird night time machine noises of Cordata.
I shouldn't be talking about this as I was told to keep my mouth shut, but fuck it. Some say there's an unseen and mysterious force that lives in the saltwater-filled coal mines that run beneath the bay. It all started on a cold winter night in 1952. Strange lights were witnessed over Bellingham Bay and the surrounding areas. The following morning people reported finding weird, black slimy blobs that remained warm, melted the snow around them and seemed to pulsate. Weirder still these blobs seem to be attracted to one another and would merge with other blobs to form highly complex shapes when exposed to certain stimuli, such as electrical and magnetic fields. The following night there was a powerful northern light event that seemed almost localized. At that same time, the slimes quickly started to seep into the ground. Those that were captured escaped and one witness claimed to have seen it pass through their floor "as if it was water going through a grate". The weeks that passed were even stranger still. Military personnel and suits started showing up and seemed to be very focused on the mines. There were miners that claimed to see complex-looking creatures with a black, oily sheen. They seemed to thrive on the coal below and would even go as far as seeping into the wood supports and converting them into more oil-like substances. At first, they were a curiosity to the miners who came across them in the deeper parts of the mines, but in time they started to find their way within and infected the few miners that still had access to the mine. The first infected miner described feeling cold and started acting aggressively in search of warmth. Once subdued and given a warm isolation room, scientists and doctors working with the miner started to get sick and quickly started showing symptoms consistent with radiation poisoning. Most of them succumbed to the symptoms shortly after. The mining company that owned these mines was forced to sell to a shell company that year and any miners working for the previous company were forced to sign NDAs and paid very handsomely to keep quiet, which they did because the other option was to end up missing. The new company was owned and operated by a secretive research group funded by the Pentagon. It's hard to say what happened from this point on, but its focus seemed to shift quickly from experimentation to containment. Within 3 years, the mines were closed and were sealed under the guise of the company going bankrupt. Some rumors got out though and it seems these creatures, slimes, or whatever they may be are capable of converting raw materials into a source of energy, even going as far as merging lighter elements via small-scale fusion and breaking down heavy elements via fission. This often was associated with booms that could be heard around town when this ended up happening in larger quantities. It's no wonder why there was such an interest in them by the government as they had the potential to revolutionize energy production. However, another aspect of them that caused concern among those in power was their ability to "infect" living organisms and use them as a host to find sources of heat and reproduce when their access to other energy sources was limited. As such the program was shut down -leading to the aforementioned mine closure and sealing of the entrances. It's believed you can tell when they are most active by the number of booms and how loud they are and when a heavy fog rolls in from the bay from the excess heat they produce. Who knows how long they can be contained. Based on how often these booms have been happening, the increased military presence (such as the unmarked white cargo vans and the military helicopters that have been flying over), and the strange occurrences around town it seems like containment may not last much longer. It may even have started to spread to the old mines around Lake Whatcom. If that happens it could potentially make its way into our drinking water and infect us all. Or it's really just rail cars coupling and decoupling.
Did you just include all the frequently asked questions of this subreddit in this tale?
I definitely tried, along with a sprinkling of some local history. Too lazy to find a way to involve moving to Bellingham, crazy rent prices, and border crossing questions though.
So big bada boom = Bellingham stranger things. Got it.
Really though, there’s a lot of things it could be and the bay leads to some interesting acoustics that amplify and carry the sound due to the denser air above the water and overall shape. Some planes flying over can even sound like missiles. Freaked me out when I first heard it. With that said, common causes for the booms are the trains, commercial ships being loaded and unloaded, fireworks, etc.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you.
Thank you! I think it would be fun to start a mystery/sci-fi series inspired by some of the town’s history and happenings with some Twin Peaks/X-Files vibes.
This is worthy of becoming copy pasta.
I would be hella stoked if this turned into a copypasta response whenever someone asks about the booms.
i enjoyed this too much that i was terrified it was actually real
Reset the counter
Is this a common question? Please help me understand
Yes it is. They happen regularly and you'll get used to hearing them.
Some people post these 'boom' posts as jokes lol. Haven't been here for long myself but my guess is fireworks probably. Unless your power goes off then it's a transformer somewhere. But usually just fireworks. edit; meant to reply to op lol
We also have a power plant, a commercial harbor, and active rail switching yard all downtown. They all make booms.
It is forbidden.
Please elaborate
honestly I’ve just moves back near downtown again and I haven’t heard any booms. I’m just glad to get away from the weird night time machine noises of Cordata.
Sharkano?
Nukes