Vid_20230110_104327_222.mp4 Site

As the gate swings wide, the camera pans to the right. There, hidden by a trick of the topography and the morning mist, is a bridge. It doesn't span a river or a canyon. It sits in the middle of a flat, dusty basin, arching toward nothing, its stone pillars glowing in the weak January sun.

"You sure about the coordinates?" a voice asks from behind the camera—breath visible in the sharp air. VID_20230110_104327_222.mp4

Suddenly, the video glitches. The shadows on the ground begin to move independently of the light. The stone bridge doesn't change, but the world under it does. For a fleeting second, the dry earth beneath the arches ripples like water, reflecting a city made of glass and violet light. Elias takes a step onto the first stone. "Wait!" the camera operator shouts. As the gate swings wide, the camera pans to the right

The camera shakes slightly as the recording begins. The lens is clouded with condensation from a coat pocket. A thumb wipes it clear, revealing a stretch of empty, frost-covered highway in the high desert. It sits in the middle of a flat,

Elias turns back, a strange, peaceful smile on his face. He opens his mouth to say something—perhaps the secret of where the bridge leads—but the video cuts to black. The file ends at exactly 22 seconds, leaving the viewer wondering if he ever stepped off the other side.