[TOWER ON THE LAKE] is the fiftieth file of the Princeton Tapes, and the seventeenth file on Tape 3, which was found by Rabbit #061 (Discord user DixieWolf) in Box #7 on 31 December 2018.
Transcript[]
[Thud of heavy door]
Vince: It’s different than my dream, the- the... the table’s there, and the phone, but there’s also…[pause] another table... to my- to my left.
[Pause. He exhales softly.]
The table has a clock, with broken hands. [Pause.] And something else what’s-
[The phone on the table rings twice.]
Vince: Hello?
Patrick: Hi- Is this, uh... Vinny? Hey bud. No, you don’t have to say anything, I know it’s you, uh.. I just wanted to have a chat with you real quick. Cause I’ve seen what you’ve been doin’ and I’m likin’ it. I’m likin’ the motivation and everything like that, but- [He bursts into a sudden coughing fit.] Fuck- [He coughs more] I- uh- [He clears his throat.]
Look, Vin, I- ...I guess I’m kinda past playing games, uh... You’re lookin’ for safety. You’re lookin’ for… Vin, a Man, and you’re lookin’ for monsters, man. And they’re watching you. And I know you’re lookin’ for a way out. And, there’s gonna be a whole bunch of people that suggest you fuckin' blow your brains out, or you build some sort of fucking weapon, but... you gotta trust me, I’ve been here a long, long, time; I do what you guys do but I remember every single fuckin’ time, and... [He sighs.]
Every route leads to the same fuckin' end, and... There’s no way out. You’re not even a part of a game of chess, you’re just a-a-a fuckin' route in a game of Settlers of Cataan, or some shit, I dunno, man. You're a cog in the machine or whatever. And they like you for some reason. [Pause. He snaps his fingers.]
The other one told you- you- He said you had a sister, right? I had a brother, too. [Pause.] Meet ‘em, Vin. Another you did, in another time. He had, has, he will have...siblings. He will, eventually. But you're gonna fuck up every single time and they’re gonna die. [Pause.] And every time, you just have to figure out how to not take it personally. You’re unwilling in this, but you’re a piece of the machine. I guess it’s to your benefit that you’re good at it, though. Maybe you’ll realize that before this one ends.
[He sighs.]
I dunno man, I’m kinda jealous of you. It frustrates the fuck out of me I remember everything, and I don’t get this kinda treatment but, you... You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for.
You miss your friends, yeah? [Pause.] I don’t really need a response I guess. Rude. [pause] I think we both know you’ll see them soon, Vin. But that’s why you're caught in this fucking shitstorm. You and them. He likes you. Because you’re different from the usual bodies. You’re not like me. See, my whole fuckin’ thing is; I know they get stronger, the more that we spread the knowledge of their existence, it's- a fucking virus loop, man, it feeds them. It’s more toys in their fuckin’ toybox. Every soul you touch, every friend, family member, lover, and stranger that you interact with, willing or not, you roped them fucking into this, they’re all a part of this and they’re all trying... God dammit, man.
I guess that’s what makes us different. You’re efficient. I mean, it’s probably too good for your own safety, honestly. A squeaky wheel gets the grease, to a certain extent, I guess. [He sighs.]
You will see them again, though. They’ll be different and you’ll be different. You won’t remember. You’re all just fuel cells in, fuckin’... I dunno, do you need any more fucking analogies? I don’t think you do at this point, it sounds patronizing. [Pause.]
Alright- [stammering] Maybe you’re a mechani- no, you’re not a mechanic, Jesus Christ, I dunno, man. You’re- you’re something, you’re something, and they like you. But they’ll always change the game up and evolve. Because they will always be ahead of you. And because the end result, their spoils, it’s always the same. [He exhales.]
I guess that’s all I can give you, really. There’s someone else, uh, who’s kinda doin’ some similar shit to you, you’re both gonna lose, but... Fuck, man, I would be lying if I said I didn’t admire you trying. [Pause.]
One is going to break the machine, I guess; he’s beginning to understand it, but... Y’know, after every cycle it shifts a little bit at the end, you win a little bit more every time. So that’s gonna take... endless cycles, man. But, maybe eventually, you and I will, uh... be done with this. Or slow it down. Maybe we’ll undo this.
Actually, the one who probably will used to be your dad. Who was also another you in another time, I guess: James Corenthal. I’m pretty sure you know that name. He’s about done, though. [Pause.]
Look, the only reason I even reached out is... I guess to try and push the wheel a little further. You’re doin’ well, man, and god damn, you are... not gonna make it out of this, and that’s a bummer. But you might, eventually. I feel a desperation and... I felt the solidarity, so... [He sighs.]
Good luck, man. I mean that. I’ll s- I’ll see you around the bend.
[Ends.]
Notes[]
- The speaker on the other end of the phone is most likely Patrick from The Andersen Journals.
- In this file, Patrick expounds some key specifics about Iteration Theory; namely the following:
- Vince and his friends (Evan, Jeff and Steph) are caught in this Iteration Cycle.
- Spreading awareness of the existence of Slenderman, and also perhaps HABIT and the Rake, gives them more power and more victims (who may also potentially re-iterate).
- There is no escaping the Iteration Cycle, and that Vince will inevitably "fuck up" (fulfill his role of Voyeur in the cycle) and his friends will die in every iteration.
- The antagonists like Vince over other victims for some reason - most likely because he is the Voyeur.
- In labelling Vince the "mechanic", he makes reference to Vince fulfilling his role in the Iteration Cycle as the Voyeur, spreading knowledge of Slenderman et al and "efficiently" ending iterations.
- Patrick is also caught in the Iteration Cycle, though unlike Vince, he remembers the experiences of previous iterations' Patricks.
- It may be possible for Vince and friends to "end", "slow down", or "undo" the Iteration Cycle, as it "shifts a little bit at the end" of each cycle, though Patrick thinks James Corenthal is more likely to achieve this.
- James Corenthal was "another [Vince] in another time", so may be a previous iteration of Vince. However, this may also be referencing Corenthal assuming the role of Voyeur during the Fairmount iteration, as Vince later would himself.
- It is unclear if the "someone else, uh, who’s kinda doin’ some similar shit to you" is Patrick referring to himself or a third party.
External links[]
- YouTube Video compilation of the Tape 3 audio files.