The last few months of 2020 were undoubtedly stressful -or actually, the entire year was- but it wasn’t without its quirks. One of the more mysterious, the metal triangular pillars popping up around the world known as Monoliths, has been spotted around the globe from Romania to a canyon in Utah to our very own Bastrop High School. 

The first monolith was discovered on Nov. 18 by Utah state biologists during a helicopter study of the area’s bighorn sheep. Word spread quickly over social media and people set out on treks to find the pellicular pillar. The discovery overtook the internet, with people theorizing on where it came from and why it was there. Even popular businesses such as McDonald’s and Walmart joined in on its popularity to market their company, by photoshopping the pillar to look like objects relating to their brand. 

The Monolith’s residence in the desert was short-lived,  disappearing on Nov. 27. Speculation spread by alien conspiracy theorists was quickly shut down when Sylvan Christensen and Andy Lewis claimed responsibility for removing the Monolith. “Let’s be clear: the dismantling of the Utah monolith is tragic -and if you think we’re proud- we’re not. We’re disappointed,” said Christensen and Lewis.

Fortunately, the world didn’t have to mourn the loss of their new mystery for long as the very same day a similar pillar was found in Piatra Neamt, Romania. The Mayor of Piatra Neamt did not seem very concerned about the addition. “…Some alien, cheeky and terrible teenagers left home with their parents UFO and started planting metal monoliths around the world.” Like its predecessor, it vanished a few days later Dec. 2. After the second anomaly, many monoliths appeared around the world including places like Albuquerque, New Mexico, Pine mountain, Atascadero California, and Texas’s very own Fort Worth. Though two of the three’s makers were soon revealed, the pillar appearing in California was claimed to be built by locals. Fort Worth’s was made by high school student enthusiasts who thought, “…fort worth deserved a monolith.”

Though only three cases seem to be authentic in that their creators remain anonymous along with their purpose, this hasn’t stopped the public from expressing multiple theories. Some conjectures are flawed and a few outright ridiculous, while others bring well sought after unanswered questions. Even though it isn’t the most exciting reason presented, the architect behind the monoliths still remains a mystery keeping the excitement steady, and who knows? Maybe there might be another one installed nearby soon.