What Lies Beneath: The Allure of the Hidden and Unseen in Fiction
There’s a reason stories about secret worlds and unseen truths can endure for generations. Such a story touches on one of our most primeval interests: curiosity. What lies beneath? We were hardwired to find an answer, explore the unknown, and find out what’s hiding almost in plain sight. On the flip side, maybe that’s where that natural curiosity leads us: danger. What happens when the truth we find is too big? What if pulling back the curtain reveals truths we’re not ready to face?
From Alice in Wonderland to Stranger Things, all these stories have succeeded in holding our fascination because they suggest that there must be more to life. However, they are equally contentious, challenging us to either step in or step away: to question reality. Think of the film The Matrix: in it, the truth’s not just hidden—it is devastating. These stories of what’s lurking beneath, hiding right beneath our noses, seem sometimes to walk a thin tightrope between a state of wonder and dread as this often offers us peeks of a reality that looks both thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
What makes this trope so appealing is its universal appeal. We’ve all ever thought, “What if?” What if ghosts are real? What if there is a parallel dimension just out of reach? What if everything we think we know is a lie? Hidden-world stories don’t just entertain us; they force us to confront those questions. While some answers may be comforting, others are deeply unsettling. They ask us to look deeper, even when we’d rather turn away.
Dark Matter dives headfirst into this tension. It’s a story about what happens when you peer too far into the void—when the unseen forces that shape our reality won’t stay hidden. It begs that ultimate question: What lies beneath the surface of our world? And once you find out, can you ever go back?
The answers aren’t always comforting, but they are always compelling. If you’ve ever been drawn to the idea of a shadowy world beyond our own—or if you’ve wondered what might be waiting in the dark corners of existence—Dark Matter is the story you’ve been waiting for.
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