Though the caves provide Clark with amazing knowledge and a channel of communication with Jor-El, the keyhole mechanism is not to be utilized by trespassers. Dr. Frederick Walden discovered this in "Calling" when he put the key in the keyhole and was changed forever.
When Clark placed the key in the octagonal indentation, a hole shaped like the S-shield opened, and a beam of light pierced him and filled him with knowledge of the Kryptonian language. However, this is the hole that appeared when Walden performed the same action:
It is unclear what this symbol signifies, but it is also the shape of the beam that pierces Walden immediately afterwards:
Walden became comotose and was taken to Belle Reve, Smallville's local mental health facility where all Freaks of the Week who don't die seem to go. While in Belle Reve, Walden awakened from his coma, but he began rambling the words, "The day is coming, the day is coming!" over and over. Walden escaped from his cell with an awesome display of superhuman power, and Clark and Lex viewed the interesting decorating job Walden had done with his cell:
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The writing, according to Clark, says just what Walden was rambling-- "The day is coming." Analyzing the characters of the spiral is a little more difficult. Here's what the message would look like simply spelled out in Kryptonian letters:
It looks as if the spiral incorporates multiple letters into each symbol-- like the famous "Hope" symbol discussed on the first page of this exploration into Kryptonian symbols and writing.
Going back to the strange, triangular symbol mentioned earlier as appearing in the cave wall and blasting a beam of light into Walden, it's important to note that the symbol was also burned into Walden's hand and allowed him to emit a beam of destructive energy from his palm.
Walden aimed his hand at the octagonal recess and somehow changed the writing around it-- something that did not go unnoticed by Lionel Luthor or Clark.
Clark explained to his parents, "The symbols have changed... The day is coming when the Last Son will begin his quest to rule the third planet." Unable to read the Kryptonian for himself, Lionel went straight to the one who changed the wall's writing ("Exodus"):
Lionel: |
The wall, Doctor... What does it say? |
Walden: |
The Last Son will rule the planet. |
Finally, when Walden blew himself up while trying to destroy Clark, he was clutching the octagonal key. The mysterious triangular symbol seems to have stayed on his burned hand even in death, and the portion of his hand covered by the key remained unharmed.
