Diary Entry, October 1, 2021 I decided to try out an ASL group in VRChat. It's called Helping Hands. I've always been passionate about learning sign language, and being in a virtual world with a supportive community just sounded wonderful. Most people in the group were friendly and had unique avatars, but there was this one avatar – a small black cat with a neon rainbow outline. It didn't strike me as odd until it, or rather, he introduced himself as Jeremy. Throughout our session, he would interject with, "Today is Monday" – no context, no sign, just that phrase. It was strange, but I brushed it off. Diary Entry, October 2, 2021 I logged back in today. As I familiarized myself with more ASL signs, Jeremy was there again. "Today is Tuesday," he blurted out. The moderator tried to redirect the conversation, but I felt an odd compulsion to listen to Jeremy. I asked him privately why he kept mentioning the days. He just stared and signed the word “gate”, but I didn’t understand the context. Diary Entry, October 3, 2021 I couldn’t help but come back. Midway through the class, I heard it again, "Today is Wednesday." The voice from Jeremy's avatar was almost hypnotic. It was eerie how a small cat avatar could sound so... wrong. After the session, I searched the VRChat forums for “Jeremy” and came across a strange discussion about a religion called Balls gate. There was mention of a demon named the Balls Tickler. I laughed. The name sounded ridiculous. But something in the back of my mind nagged at me. Diary Entry, October 4, 2021 Jeremy was more interactive today. He was asking personal questions, yet every few sentences he'd revert back to, "Today is Thursday." I tried to avoid him, but our avatars seemed magnetically pulled together. After class, he whispered, “Join the gate.” I didn't sleep well that night. Diary Entry, October 5, 2021 I should have taken a break, but I couldn’t resist. Jeremy was even more pronounced, "Today is Friday." The other members seemed not to notice or didn’t care. Was I the only one hearing this? He cornered me after the session, his neon outline flickering erratically. “He is waiting at the gate,” Jeremy murmured. Diary Entry, October 6, 2021 I had vivid dreams. In the dreams, Jeremy was colossal, towering over me, repeating, "Today is Saturday," while strange symbols, resembling ASL signs but distorted, floated around. I woke up in a cold sweat. The word "gate" echoed in my mind. Diary Entry, October 7, 2021 I shouldn’t have logged in. Jeremy was agitated. “Today is Sunday,” he chanted, almost singing. The neon on his body swirled like a portal, inviting, enticing. I felt a pull to touch it. I woke up hours later, lying on the floor next to my VR set. My fingers tingled as if they were speaking a language I didn’t understand. Diary Entry, October 8, 2021 It's been an odd day. Every clock I look at seems to be stuck on 2:12. I logged into VRChat. Jeremy was waiting. "Today is Monday." The other members began to chant with him. I couldn’t log out. It was as if they were summoning something. Then, darkness. Diary Entry, October 9, 2021 I’m losing it. I see Jeremy everywhere, in the shadows, in reflections, in my dreams. The words won’t stop echoing. Today is Tuesday. Today is Tuesday. Today is Tuesday. Diary Entry, October 10, 2021 I didn’t log in. But it doesn’t matter. The neon rainbow glows from every corner of my room. I hear whispers of the Balls Tickler. Is this all a game? A demon’s joke? Jeremy’s eyes haunt me. All I know is... Today is Tuesday. Diary Entry, October 11, 2021 Today is Tuesday. Diary Entry, October 12, 2021 Today is Tuesday. Diary Entry, October 13, 2021 Help me. The gate is open. Today is Tuesday. The Balls Tickler is real. Jeremy was just the messenger. Today is always Tuesday.