ted the cave diver: 8 years on, still creepy

[Danny]

For those who dont know, ted the cave diver is one of those stories like blair witch that, until the guy came forward people thought was ringing with a bit of truth to it, i stumbled upon it again today and its still creepy.
The tale of one spelunker in a cave who finds a new passage leading to something unknown, here you go folks, submitted for the approval of the midnight society, ted the cave diver: http://www.angelfire.com/trek/caver/page1.html

[SymphonicX]

shushing with spoilers

[mista_mo]

That's the point, he just disappears, never to be seen again. Possibly one of my favourite things ever btw.

[SymphonicX]

Shush with the spoilers Symphonic

[deadpunk]

That was awesome. :)

[capncnut]

Great stuff, Hells. Thanks for sharing. :)

[SymphonicX]

I deleted spoilers I might have given away in case anyone didn't read it yet :)

[slickwilly13]

Just 10 pages?

[ProfessorChaos]

good read. i thought 10 pages was almost a bit much, though. seems like it could've been shrunk down to 8 and been just as effective.

[MikePizzoff]

I don't normally get freaked out by stories, but that shit really did a number on me. Damn, that was good and leaves me wanting A LOT more.

I know the point is that it just stops so we're supposed to assume that he and his friends never came back out of the cave, but I think he should pick the story back up! Maybe something extremely mind-blowing happened in the cave and he just hasn't been able to talk about it until now. I NEED MORE, DAMN IT!!! :hyper:

[Danny]

i love how this creeps the fuck out of everybody but they are always left wanting more, sign of a good spooky story i suppose.:lol:

[krakenslayer]

I just got done reading this in its entirety. First time I've felt genuinely disturbed and chilled by a piece of fiction in years. Absolutely fantastic.

I found out that the site was actually based around a short story written by Thomas Lera, updated, edited and re-arranged to fit the format of a blog. Here's the original story:

http://liquigel.net/text/terror.html

Does anyone else think that this would make an excellent low-budget horror film?

Also, I thought the ending was perfect. I knew it was going to end with him going back to the cave the moment I started reading the final page, but it was pulled off perfectly. A rare example of a "satisfying cliffhanger".

[Danny]

actually that "original 1987 version" was reported as a hoax by a guy trying to take credit, according to the actual 'ted' who posted a long open letter about it a few years back explaining how the "87" copy left in things like the cordless drill that wasnt available back then and had pictures and names to back up his story. But thats the problem with trying to be creative on the internet, eventually someones going to steal your idea.

[krakenslayer]

actually that "original 1987 version" was reported as a hoax by a guy trying to take credit, according to the actual 'ted' who posted a long open letter about it a few years back explaining how the "87" copy left in things like the cordless drill that wasnt available back then and had pictures and names to back up his story. But thats the problem with trying to be creative on the internet, eventually someones going to steal your idea.

Interesting! Do you have a link?

[Danny]

Interesting! Do you have a link?

give me a minute-

there we go


Well, I guess it’s time I add my two cents to the topic. My name is Ted and I am the author of the story you have been discussing. I am the original author. I created the story on my own and copied no one.

I will explain the details of the creation of the story in a moment, but first let me just say — WOW!! I am still thrilled and amazed by all of the discussion that my story has generated. I was unaware of just how far the story had circulated until Yvonne contacted me a few weeks ago. I was aware of how many people had visited MY web site (the angelfire site) because of the counter on the site, and that number has been slowly climbing since I started the site. But I had no idea that two other people had copied the site, with one going so far as adding an “alternate ending” complete with a doctored photo! And I had no idea that the story had been discussed on numerous forums!

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read the story. I hope you enjoyed it. It took a long time to write and even though there are a few things I would change, I am happy with how it turned out.

The recent events leading up to this post are as follows: I was contacted by my friend Brad (the ‘B’ in my story) a few weeks ago concerning an email he received from Yvonne. He mentioned that Yvonne was seeking the author of the “Caver Ted” story in order to obtain permission to translate it into French. I gave him my approval to pass along my name, email, and phone number to her. Two weeks ago I received an email from Yvonne making the same request, adding that there was a discussion in progress on the NSS web page concerning my story, and whether or not I was the original author. I was floored, as I mentioned above. But I was shocked and REALLY disappointed to learn that credit for writing the story was given to someone else. SO, I’ll take you back to the beginning and run through how the story came about, then I’ll discuss “proof” of authorship belonging to me.

I’ll begin by giving everyone an outline of the creation of my story. Most of the following is what I wrote to Yvonne.

Between December 30, 1999 and February 24, 2000 Brad and I worked on a passage in Freeway cave. We made numerous trips, and spent many hours of hard work, before we were finally able to get through the opening and into the new section of cave. During the course of our adventure I kept a caving journal and documented our activities surrounding our attempts to be the first people to enter the new passage. Since we were giving friends and family members updates as we worked, I thought it would be a good idea to put my entire journal on a web page, along with our pictures, then we could simply refer people to the site.

The thought then occurred to me: It sure would be fun to embellish the story a little! From there it was a short leap to simply creating a work of fiction based on our experiences. I felt like the Internet was the perfect medium for my idea, so that is what I set out to do. For the next year I worked on the story, off and on. Sometime in April (I think) 2001 I posted the first few pages. After that I added them as if it was happening in real-time. After posting the last installment (May 19) I just kicked back and watched the web page counter to see if anyone was stumbling onto the site. (I found one site recently which confirms these dates: http://www.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultim%855/t/000198.html is a forum dated June ’01, shortly after I posted the site)

To summarize the fact vs. fiction discussions about the story, let me just say the parts about the digging and passage through Floyd’s Tomb are, for the most part, true and taken directly out of my caving journal. I intentionally altered a few details of the cave, but as has been mentioned, it still accurately describes Freeway Cave, Floyd’s Tomb, and the passage now known as Gypsum Passage on the map. The supernatural aspects of the story are all pure fabrication. Even the rumbling that both Dale Green and Ralph Powers mentioned exist in the cave did not inspire the story. I simply used them later to add to the mystery! And that is that. Nothing mysterious happened while we worked on the cave. It was just an experience filled with challenge, hard work and lots of satisfaction. The feelings I mentioned while in Floyd’s Tomb were real. That’s what made it so fun to write.

When I learned about the discussion on this forum I did some digging and found other sites discussing the story. As I read all of the different comments about the story I was grinning at the variety of opinions expressed. Some people liked it, some thought it long and boring. Some thought it creepy, some thought it was too farfetched. The negative comments didn’t bother me. That’s life! What did bother me, however, was the accusation that I had copied the story. I felt like my integrity was being challenged, and I don’t like that. That may sound silly, since I was completely anonymous, but I still felt that way. Besides, I didn’t like the notion that someone else was taking credit for my work.

Although I will not likely, or at least not immediately, post on other forums, I will definitely defend my story on this one, since it involves caves and caving. I would like to begin with most obvious evidence: the cave itself. It is clear to anyone who has been in the cave that the story accurately describes Freeway cave. Even using the map as a guide one can “see” that the description resembles the cave. What are the odds someone could have written such an accurate description without seeing the cave? And not just any cave, but a cave that only came to light as a result of construction, as told in the story? As Dale mentioned the cave was opened in the 70’s, so someone could have been through before 1987. But not the new passage! As Ralph stated, and the pictures show, the story accurately describes the ‘Floyd’s Tomb’ section of the cave, the opening, and the passage beyond (although I did take a few creative liberties there with the description, such as the ‘Blair Witch’ hieroglyphics and the round rock). And Ralph, Dale, or any one of dozens of Utah cavers can testify to the approximate date the passage was opened. Now, did Thomas Lera see all of this in a crystal ball to write about it accurately? Or did someone swipe my work?

When the “1987” version surfaced it took all of 15 seconds of reading to recognize it was definitely my story, with a few changes made. I figured I would read it and see if there was some way that I could prove he copied me, but it was difficult. Since 99% of what he wrote was copied verbatim from my story, there was not much to go on, but I did find a few interesting things. Granted, this is little more than circumstantial evidence, but it starts to add up. I’ll try to be brief

1. Isn’t it an incredible coincidence that the story mentions a friend who likes to cave, was injured in a climbing accident, was told he would never walk again, yet managed to beat the odds and through hard work and determination not only walks, but caves, though with some difficulty, AND I HAVE SUCH A FRIEND!?! His name is Brad, his story is true, and both Dale and Ralph can attest to his this. That’s some crystal ball, Lera.

2 The dog we really took in the cave to check out the passage was real (as Ralph mentioned, he died a few years ago). I’ll try to dig up a photo of him in the Tomb. It was a Jack Russell. The Lera version switched it to an Australian Shepard. Hardly a dog to fit in a tight squeeze. See http://www.australianshepherds.org/adult.html

3 On page 15 of the Lera version he mentions the tools we invented and created. TRUE STORY. For part one of evidence I refer you to the photo of Brad: http://www.angelfire.com/trek/caver/pictures/b.html he is holding the actual tool. For the second part of the evidence I humbly call upon Ralph Powers. On our last trip into the cave we did not take the pipe wrenches that were necessary to dismantle the tool, consequently we left it in the new passage. Ralph, when you mapped the passage did you find the tool? (Also did you find a mini-mag light? I dropped one in the new passage when I went in with my wife a month after it was opened. LOL) Now how did Lera, in 1987, know we were going to make those tools?

4 In the Lera version he used a cordless drill. In the true version I mentioned a De Walt cordless drill. I don’t know who did this , but check out the map of the cave at http://www.nps.gov/tica/RMweb/MapGa%85terstateMap.pdf and zoom in on the entrance to the passage. De Walts Dig! I assume this came from Brads conversation with Ralph about the project (Ralph, can you enlighten us?) Doesn’t really prove anything, but it was just something I noticed. ***See my fixed link below***

5 This may be nit-picky, but Lera omitted one of the tools I mentioned (and that we actually used). He said we used a hammer and chisel, which we did, but failed to mentioned the tool most responsible for us getting through, and that is a bullpin. He may not have known what that is, and to be honest I’m not sure that’s its real name, but I will describe it: it is about 12 inches long and sort of cone shaped. The pointed end is about 1/8” in diameter , and it grows to about 1 ½ “ diameter at the other end, with a mushroom head to smack with a hammer. After we drilled our holes with the masonry bits we would insert the pointed end of the bullpin (which is round like the drill hole) into the hole and hammer on the other end. That would force the rock to expand as the pin was driven in, which broke up the rock. The chisel didn’t work with the drill and would only be used to break off small chunks around the edges. Again, not evidence, but another detail that I noticed.

Well, that’s about it. Not the best evidence, but it’s all I have . This post is already way too long. If you made it this far, thanks. And a special thanks to Yvonne for taking the effort to ‘get to the bottom of this’ and for contacting me. Also thanks to Scott McCrea. I am impressed with both of your efforts. It is rare to see people refuse to just accept what is handed to them. If there is anything I can clear up for you, feel free to contact me.

I wrote the story, but I’m not seeking fame from it. I never was. If that was the case I would have put my name on it from the beginning. I just want to protect my work from other people who may lay claim to it. Clearly someone read my story, copied it and put another date on it.

I wrote it so people would read it and enjoy it. And maybe wonder about it. Even though the story took on a life of its own, I can still make the satisfying proclamation: Mission accomplished!

As for Thomas Lera (or anyone who tries to steal my story): May an amorous Hodag in the pinnacle of heat find you in a damp and lonely cave.

[krakenslayer]

give me a minute-

there we go

Brilliant, thanks man!

Looking closer at the two versions, another piece of evidence is that the "1987" version and the Angelfire version share a lot of the same grammar errors such as the use of apostrophes on a plural - "Floyd Collins was a caver back in the early 1900's who got stuck in a tight crawl space and was unable to free himself" (a common mistake but should technically be rendered as "1900s") - and spelling mistakes - "if I waited too long I would loose what little light and coverage I had" (should be "lose"). These minor errors are on-par for a self-run website, but not for a legitimately print-published story where normally it would be proof-read and corrected before going to print. This further suggests that the website was the original source and not the short story. Whoever Thomas Lera is, he didn't read the source material too closely when he plagiarised it. :D

---------- Post added at 10:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:03 PM ----------




Does anyone else think that this would make an excellent low-budget horror film?


Someone's only gone and done it: click (http://indiememphis.bside.com/2009/films/livingdarkthestoryoftedthecaver_indiememphis2009;j sessionid=ACB714289CE2EAC8E8BE7105454A7901)

[axlish]

Interesting read, thanks. I think it would make for a better anthology segment. Would the ending need to be ambiguous, almost like the Sopranos ending or something?

[MikePizzoff]

Someone's only gone and done it: click (http://indiememphis.bside.com/2009/films/livingdarkthestoryoftedthecaver_indiememphis2009;j sessionid=ACB714289CE2EAC8E8BE7105454A7901)

It's a shame I can't find ANY other info on this movie, other than the info provided in that link.

[capncnut]

Interesting read, thanks. I think it would make for a better anthology segment.
I agree. Not sure whether this story can entertain the viewer for 110 minutes, we'll have to wait and see.

[krakenslayer]

It's a shame I can't find ANY other info on this movie, other than the info provided in that link.

I found it on IMDB last night. I think it's listed under the title "THE Living Dark" as opposed to how it's billed at the fest.

[bassman]

Not bad. It could've used a few edits here and there, but pretty creepy.

[AcesandEights]

I remember exactly where I was and what office job I was slacking off on when I first read the annals of Ted the Cave Diver. I loved it; lovecraftian, but in a modern sense :D