The Obelisk - Is This Anything?

On a continent that wholly believes it’s the only landmass on the planet. In a remote fishing village on the coast. An upright obelisk can be seen on the horizon, slowly approaching the town. Several days later, it finally hits the shore, and topples over, killing several people and destroying a key building or two. And then … Nothing.

Over the next several decades, the village learns to live with it. Tourists come from all over to see it, to study it, to worship it. Some in the village welcome the people, while some resent the monument’s presence. Pop-up shops peddle cheap obelisk merch. Ongoing attempts to harvest its unknown rock/metal makeup are fruitless.

Until one day, the point at the top of the obelisk opens up and out stumbles a single person, coughing and gagging violently.