Welcome to the next episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember.

Episode 20 – May  2016

This past week I’ve been looking at the files quite a bit to see if there was another event about to happen in the near future, but alas it was mostly for naught. Any Dee related events near me are about a month off and I would have to make my way to the US for that, New Mexico to be specific. For now I’ve tried to get all the info I can about this place, but Alvarez remains stoically silent on the Chichen Itza incident, so I’ve decided to pursue the only other avenue of inquiry I have available: the news crew that was here. They came from Cancun International, a local newspaper with their headquarters in Cancun, so I guess that’s where I’ll have to go. The reporter that I saw that day, a woman named Susan Sanchez, was listed on their site. I called her, but I couldn’t get through, and she hasn’t answered any of my emails either. I’m going to try and catch her at her office. Hopefully I won’t have to jump through hoops to get to her or see their footage of the incident; they might be videos of angry soldiers telling her to piss off for all I know.

Also been wondering about the naming… I mean Dee is a weird choice for a project name, unless it’s an abbreviation like the Funny Business Incorporated or whatever alphabet agency that might actually exist out there. The D.E.E….  

Department of Energy and Expenses?

District of Excitement and Ecstasy?

Dumb and Extraordinarily Exhausting?

Denmark Exhilarates Eels?

If it’s a name, then what’s the reference? My best guess is still John Dee, a historical figure associated with spying and dark magics. And apparently a central antagonist in a bunch of young adult books that I subsequently purchased out of sheer curiosity. Don’t think it might be relevant, but who knows. Maybe I learn something new from the books. Of course the name could refer to the lead researcher, or could have been chosen by a computer at random. But what else can I do than try and make sense of this madness, see a pattern, any pattern and try to piece my own story together; have my brain sort it all out.  

Now that I’ve stayed at the cafe for another week, I think I better get ready to leave. It’s been fine, I suppose, considering I came here with no actual plan or any real resources (not a great idea for sure). Serving tourists was fine and Alvarez has been more than generous with his time and hospitality, but just the other day he asked me nicely, when I expected to continue my journey (his words, not mine), and how he could help me along. Point taken, my good friend, point taken. This is not a hostel, but a business and you want me out of your hair.

I promised him I leave today, which he seemed very happy about; not in a negative way, but happy that I had a goal and a willingness to move forward with something. So I got my pack and left this morning. Still pretty sure he was keeping something from me, but that’s up to him. Every time I tried to broach the incident, he’d become sad and changed the subject or left the room. I left him my email address and told him to keep in touch.

So now I’m by the coast not far from Cancun, debating my options. Funny, how I ended up by the sea again, but then I started thinking that most cities and transport hubs are near rivers and oceans, hinting heavily at our dependence on in now and historically, which seemed to calm me with a sense of destiny. Anyway, it’s nice to be by the ocean again, it’s so tranquil here. Willy once mentioned that we all came from a primordial ocean an incomprehensible amount of time ago, how we adapted and overcame, even recommended some books on how we started our evolutionary journey. Life moves forward. Sometimes fast, other times painstakingly slow, but it does.  

So I realise that moving forward is my only real choice right now. I’ve made my decision to move forward with my life, looking for more information about all that’s happened and hopefully find something of value. It’s not in my nature to give up. Especially not now.

End of episode 20. 

If you like what I do and know others that would love to get a weekly dose of Archi’s Diary and the occasional post on reading, writing and life in general, then please like, share and subscribe to follow.

If you happen to be at Comic Con in London over the weekend, hit me up on Twitter on @wordsarecrooked. I’ll probably fire off the occasional tweet as well. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the next episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember.

Episode 19 – May  2016

And then life went on for a few days. Didn’t know where to go and this whole Chichen Itza event boggles my tiny mind, so I decided to stay. Alvarez is a godsend. He offered to let me stay in the cafe in exchange for helping out. He has a few tables and a basic kitchen setup and serves overpriced snacks to tourists with too much money, so I thought… sure, why not? It’s simple and straightforward enough, nothing to worry about, except burning the food during the day and mosquitos at night. There is some serenity to it.

Which is what I need right now. I feel a bit lost, with no idea of where to go now. I don’t even know why I came here, what I expected to find or why it mattered so much. The Koldberg personnel probably had some general idea of what they were sent here for, and all they found was death and pain. I had no idea what to expect, I’m just some guy with amnesia reacting to things around him. I have no past, and as things are going, probably no real future. Even a simple plan or objective would be nice, just a little hope of knowing where to go or what to do. Ever since Steve tried to kill me, it’s like an alarm went off in my head, telling me to run and never stop. I still have no real idea what I’m running from or why it’s even dangerous. I don’t like feeling like a victim of my circumstances, but I can’t help wondering why this is happening happening to me. There are simply too many questions for one guy to answer. But at the same time, do I have a choice, really?

Anyway, the blockade is now gone, so is the news crew and any sign of the disaster that happened here. Someone cleaned up the mess and left nothing to indicate any danger or the troublesome events had transpired here. I’ve been on site in Chichen Itza every day since last week and it’s like nothing happened there. Even went online on Tuesday to see if there was anything about it in the news but I couldn’t find anything, even with Alvarez’s assistance. He seemed very reluctant, like he knows more than he’s letting on, which is suspicious as hell, but I don’t know what to make of it yet. I also looked up the reporter and her crew, but couldn’t find anything about their visit. Yet I saw it very clearly that something had happened here, so this whole thing looks more and more like a cover-up. Might try and contact the news crew later. I think I should also keep an eye on Alvarez.  

I have many questions and some of them are quite scary. For now, I’ll try and distance myself from this whole mess, of everything that has been going on around me and get some perspective. Maybe dig into the files again in a while, but I want to give myself some time so I can look at it with fresh eyes. Another tourist bus is coming now, so I’ll be in the kitchen most of the day. I like making food for others. Didn’t think I would, but I actually enjoy working with my hands, it feels good to create something, even if it’s cheap and simple

End of episode 19. 

If you like what I do and know others that would love to get a weekly dose of Archi’s Diary and the occasional post on reading, writing and life in general, then please like, share and subscribe to follow. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the next episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember.

Episode 18 – May  2016

What if you were suddenly told:

“Look (*insert-fantastically-improbable-phenomenon) really exists and you will have to deal with it right now, or you might die”?

I would probably panic, at least freak out a bit, maybe run away and observe it from a distance, but most likely just run away without looking back. Luckily nothing like that happened to me. But I did find some remnants of one, I think… it’s kinda hard to tell.

It’s around midday right now and I’m sitting in a small cafe with a thatched roof by the road leading up to Chichen Itza. The owner (his name is Alvarez) saw me coming down the road and was nice enough to take me in. I must have looked like I was about to collapse from the heat (which I totally was), so he took pity on my poor dehydrated lobster-red form and gave me a meal with a cool coke on the side. Let me tell you, getting to Chichen Itza wasn’t an easy feat. I hitch-hiked part of the way here, but I had to hike the rest, since all the tourist services had cancelled their tours indefinitely. The place being “just around the corner” turned out to be 15k in the roaring sun. Lesson learned, when hiking, always bring more water than you expect you’ll need. Like thrice as much as expected. Just in case.

Anyway, I can see further up the road from here. There are uniformed guards (probably military or police) with a lot of firepower and an aggressive demeanor, and there’s a roadblock ahead. There is a local news van not far from the blockade with a small crew, but other than that the place is pretty much empty. They probably evacuated the area, whatever happened here. I probably should’ve mentioned that the sky above Chichen Itza has a purple-orange hue, like something inside the ruins is projecting lights into the sky. It’s dark, yet everything is still perfectly visible, kind of what you experience during a solar eclipse. And while fascinating, this is not the *fantastically-improbable-phenomenon* though. That would be whatever happened to the local Koldberg personnel.

Across from the cafe are three flatbed trucks parked with the remains of white Koldberg vans. I recognise the logos on the side from my time at the institute. Or rather what’s left of them. I was considering sneaking closer, but the trucks are heavily guarded. What I can see from here, they will never ever drive again. I can’t really explain it, it’s like they’ve been crushed from the inside; like some massive force was generated inside them and then pulled and pulled until they collapsed inward. Even their metal frame buckled. I try not to think much about the people inside, since I saw the dark rivulets of matter running off the wrecks, forming dark red puddles underneath the vehicles. I think I need to go to bathroom for sec, the thought alone is making me si….

Ok, I’m back. Had to take a short break, so no more food for now. I’m going to hang out at Alvarez’s for the rest of the day, see if I can spot something interesting. He has nothing to do anyway and doesn’t seem to mind the company. I’ll update if I manage to get more information.

Update one: It’s evening now. The purple/orange hue might be diminishing. It’s getting darker now and while it’s still visible, it appears to be less bright. There might not be anything left to see tomorrow. Going to try and get inside the perimeter during the night. Alvarez told me via a creative use of gestures, that he knows a back way into Chichen Itza, or he might be fond of pointing and saying “aha” a lot for no reason. I’m kinda hoping for the former.

Update two: It’s night time now. Whatever lights caused the purple/orange hue are gone. The ruins appear abandoned (like normal I suppose), but strangely there is no military presence either. The place is completely empty. In front of the main temple (is it a temple?) however, there is a roughly circular cordoned off area. Whatever happened here, happened in that space. The ground is flush with debris and remains, probably of Koldberg people that were outside the vehicles when the incident occurred. Not sure why it hasn’t been cleaned up. I mean, it’s been more than a week since the incident supposedly took place. Or maybe the date in the log is wrong. Who knows… It’s very quiet here. Completely quiet. Chichen Itza is surrounded by jungle and the jungle is not a quiet place. It’s very eerie, like the whole area is terrified of what happened here. Going to see if I can take some pictures, then get out of here. The stars should give off enough light for the pictures.

We made it back to his cafe without incident. And no, the star light does not seem to have been sufficient. I sneak back in later. Alvarez seems to be taking all this in stride, but I don’t want to freak him out. I’ll try and talk to him before I leave, he might know more about this incident, or the one from last year. Our conversations are a bit sketchy, as we don’t speak each other’s languages well. He set up a hammock for me in the back of the cafe, and I think he tried to convince me to stay. I’m considering to stay for a few days and help him out, see what I can learn from him.

Personal note; I don’t know entirely how to deal with this. People have clearly died here, but why and how? Were they looking for something or testing something? Were they observers or experimenters? Innocent bystanders even? The equipment and the remains left little for interpretation, so it’s anyone’s guess what happened. I feel all jittery, but exhausted. I really should get some sleep. Hopefully no nightmares this time. I really don’t want them back.

End of episode 18.

If you like what I do and know others that would love to get a weekly dose of Archi’s Diary and the occasional post on reading, writing and life in general, then please like, share and subscribe to follow. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the next episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember.

Episode 17 – May  2016

After my recent experiences I started thinking. How much trauma can a person endure? How much can the psyche take before you snap and lash out at someone unsuspecting, like Steve did? These last couple of months have been eventful to say the least, and I’ve had my fair share of big-time emotional traumas. Considering the circumstances I think I’m dealing with it in a constructive manner. But what about other little pains? The small everyday pinpricks of annoyance and discomfort, the tiny traumas in disguise? Stress in all its little facets, from your credit card being declined at the shop, or the barista getting your latte wrong, to someone honking at you crossing the road, for being slower than they expect. You should try and mitigate the damage, right? So you work on suppressing it a little bit every day, just to feel every new strain becoming a little more painful than the previous one. And there it is, the most painful hellhole on Earth… the airport.

This was my first encounter with airports and air travel in general and, as if the stress of navigating through the crowd and getting through security with all your limbs intact wouldn’t be enough, it’s made worse by screaming infants and people seemingly oblivious to the existence of showers. I was not entirely comfortable with the idea of getting into a large metal tube in the first place, but the whole experience now makes my eye twitch. Security appeared to be designed to get the worst out of people, passengers and security personnel alike. The queues were very long, I was subjected to inane and arbitrary rules, and they treated me like I was a criminal (technically I am, but let’s not get into that now). The guy in front of me was told to take out his tablet for inspection and then to put it away, because (and I quote) “it’s just a mini”. That doesn’t make any sense, I mean a tablet, phablet or phone all have the same capabilities from a security standpoint. Another man was yelled at for not taking his shoes off, despite the fact that another security person (do you call them guards? whatever!) told him beforehand that he doesn’t have to.

I got really stressed very quickly by all the rules, the amount of people, all the questions (which felt more like interrogation to me). At one point they took me aside (I immediately thought I was going to get arrested again), but all they wanted was to have me me walk through a body scanner (which malfunctioned spectacularly for some reason). They also asked me questions about my passport, which was held up in front of me, with the information clearly visible. They didn’t even try to hide it or anything, I could read the answers straight off the page. In a similar nonchalant attitude they asked me about my religious orientation. Not that I have any, but what’s that got to do with anything? Is religious orientation part of some profiling effort? Does it actually matter what I answer? I could just… you know, lie. Shocking, I know. Anyway, I finally got away from the smell of burning electronics and got to “pleasantly” wait for my flight..

Maybe it’s different in other airports considering I have nothing to compare this encounter to. In any case, security seems inconsistent and ineffective, more like a farce really. A theatre o,f security? Maybe it’s all designed to make people feel scrutinised, so nobody openly challenges the rules. But inspecting me in a way that borders on harassment, then tell me it’s for my own safety, seems a bit of a contradiction to me. It sure as hell didn’t make me feel safer. More annoyed? Definitely. Anyway…  As I am writing this, I’m finally out of the airport, cruising safely towards Mexico, and this part is really nice. I was hoping to get a flight out before May 1st, but anything we found was too expensive on such short notice. Kerstin finally found a late cancellation, that’s how I got on this one. I just realised it now, how much I’m going to miss her.

Not much happened in the days leading up to my departure. No dark sedans following me around, no shadowy figures lurking in corners and no breakthroughs in my research. I had a few nice conversations with my friends and a few shifts at the cafe, met a very nice puppy, a golden retriever with a splash of black across its snout, named Spot. Not that I wanted a big farewell party, but my leaving feels anticlimactic after all that’s been happening. Might even call it a bit boring. I considered going back to my (Anthony’s) house for another rummage through the place, but I didn’t want to tempt fate, just in case the place is being watched. I’m leaving the keys for that house behind, along with any stuff I won’t need on the trip; hopefully I’ll be back for it someday.

I’ll be signing off now. Turns out the plane has a somewhat stable internet connection, so I’m going to spend some time looking up local news regarding Chichen Itza. Looks like some kind of incident is happening or has taken place there. Found some footage from a few days ago, showing government troops closing down the site, and turning away tourists and news reports saying that the area will remain closed for foreseeable future. If this has anything to do with Project Dee, I might already be too late. I’ll be landing in 6 hours time, hopefully I’ll have something more concrete by then. I also need to get some sleep, glorious sleep!

End of episode 17.

Some incidents reference to in this episode are based on actual experiences I’ve had in airports around the world. Fun times all around. Sadly, no exploding body scanner though.

If you like what I do and know others that would love to get a weekly dose of Archi’s Diary and the occasional post on reading, writing and life in general, then like, share and subscribe to follow. Stay tuned!

Welcome to a new episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember.

Episode 16 – April  2016

Well, I didn’t make it back to the house in time to close the laptop, remove my research, or intercept the letter left by the authorities. So I took Kerstin and James on a picnic in the forest today to try and explain why their living room looks like Sherlock Holmes’s thinking room, why the police came to visit, and why I have weird videos of myself on my laptop.

I told them the truth. Sort of… since you don’t want to tell people, genuinely interested in your well-being and happiness, that you had to kill a human being to escape, I left out the whole Steve incident. But I dished everything else that happened up until today, including my waking up at Koldberg with an amnesia, my experiences with Willy, my escape with only a few things in my possession, the cache of files on the drive I subsequently lost, and finding the empty house with my passport in it. Naturally they had many many questions, most of which are still unanswered, as the answers are a mystery to me also.

I have to say, they took it all in strides. They had no real problem accepting my story, including my amnesia, they even insisted it might not be permanent, and I must have family and friends that miss me. A nice thought, but if the house is any indication of my prior circumstances, whatever those were, I probably wasn’t the most popular man. We even discussed the video with no real conclusion. My portal idea was dismissed outright as a special effect or some weird rendering artifact, which I couldn’t argue with. I don’t even know how it came about, so their guess is as good as mine. It raises the question though: why would someone create a false video record, what purpose would it serve?

What gave them trouble was accepting the fact that I lied to them from the start. I’m not sure what I could have said that wouldn’t have made me sound like a crazy person. I never intended to lie, and it never felt right, but after I initially placated Kerstin, the whole thing got a life on its own. Not that it matters anymore. They trusted me, and I violated that trust, so they asked me to leave as soon as I felt ready. I’m an unknown quantity, and I can’t blame them really. I can only be grateful for all they’ve done for me so far.

So I’ve decided to leave as soon as I can. Not exactly how I imagined our parting ways, but probably for the best, considering the police, or someone worse might come looking for me. Getting arrested probably didn’t go unnoticed, something must have registered somewhere, and if anyone is looking for me… I don’t know. Maybe it’s just paranoia, but ever since the arrest, I’ve been looking over my shoulder, as if Koldberg would knock on the door the next second. So far nothing happened, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there. James told me everyone feels that way, just like everyone feels a sense of existential dread or hunger from time to time. Not sure if he was serious. The point is, I don’t want to involve Kerstin and her friends any longer, they’ve risked enough as it is. They gave me a chance to get a break, which I’ll never forget, but I was deluding myself thinking I can hide here for long. I really should take some time to get my shit together. With some money in my pocket, it also feels like I finally have a fighting chance.

The files I was studying (the recurring event described in Project Dee) gave me an idea where to go next. So I’m going to take a chance at Chichen Itza. The event always happened on May 1st, so if I can get there ahead of time, I might be able to see what this event really is. Getting on a plane with my own passport is risky, but since the police didn’t arrest me for murder, I trust I’ll be able to get out of the country. Kerstin promised to help me buy a ticket today so I can fly out as soon as possible. If I’m being honest, considering other expenses, I only have enough for an outbound ticket, but I don’t really feel the need to return here anytime soon. After Chichen Itza, depending on what happens, I might spend some time exploring the Yucatan. Get some thinking done, work more with these files, get my head straight.

Side note: I might send Willy a postcard from the Yucatan. I miss him a lot. All those good nights under the moon… I feel sort of a kinship with him, like he knew me and my pain, or at least understood me better than most people I’ve encountered.

Anyway… Tonight’s to-do:

• Get ticket
• Pack for the trip
• Set goals

Later I’ll have a little going away party with James and Kerstin. Hopefully we’ll meet again when I managed to sort things out.

End of episode 16. Share, like and follow for weekly updates. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the latest episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember.

Episode 15 – April  2016

This week I got arrested. The whole handcuffed, placed in a police car, and taken into custody, arrested.. And this is a good thing! I never thought I’d say this, but this is the best thing that could have happened to me! 

When I accidentally locked myself out on Tuesday, I climbed over the back fence to get back inside. I landed heavily on my tent, which collapsed loudly and spectacularly, and went in through the back-door. Apparently a neighbour thought I was breaking and called the police. Ten mins later they knocked on the door and promptly arrested me. Since I couldn’t prove that I lived there, and I had no way of getting into contact with Kerstin or James, that was pretty much it. How is that a good thing, you ask?

They took me in and fingerprinted me. I thought I was finished, done, game over. I was convinced I would be formally charged with murder and fleeing the scene, put in jail and left to rot for the rest of my life. In a way it was kind of liberating to know I don’t have to run any more. Except what actually happened was that Chief Constable Jensen (I think his name was) came in, greeted me as Mr Ames, and quizzed me on why I was breaking into Kerstin’s house, when I have a perfectly good home in Canterbury.

I was flabbergasted. He said Mr Ames. I hadn’t provided them with any name, so they must have identified me by my fingerprints. I couldn’t believe it. As the conversation went on, it became more and more clear that I, as Anthony Ames, am not a wanted man. At least not for murder. Apparently I came across as a confused man, who should be home resting (to get rid of my assumed nasty hangover), instead of trying to break into other people’s houses, but not someone wanted for murder. My story must have been convincing enough to explain why I was trying to get inside the house and the neighbours apparently verified that they saw me coming and going recently, so they gave me a pass and drove me home. And when I say home, I mean my registered address. And here I am, right now, inside the house. The door wasn’t locked, and the uniforms promptly waited at the door until I got inside. I’m pretty sure they thought I was a drunk. Doesn’t matter now. I am inside Anthony Ames’s house now. 

I have no intention to stay here though. This little detour couldn’t have come at a better time, but I don’t want to wait for the police to come back, in case they suddenly realise I’m wanted murderer, and come back with sirens, carrying guns and a warrant for my arrest. I also don’t want Inger or someone else to show up at the door, in case the police notified Koldberg. Besides, this place is creepy. The house itself is… spartan, to say the least. Lots of warm earth colors, wear patterns on the carpets, not much in the area of decorations though. Lots of books and research papers on shelves in the living room, which is the only room with furniture, consisting of an antique style work desk, and an army cot (honest to god). And that’s it. The other rooms are almost completely empty and there’s a basement I couldn’t get into. It’s sealed by a heavy steel door and, except for the keypad with a card slot, it looks like a shelter or panic room door from the 1950s. Who knows what more secrets it holds… But everything else is just… empty. The whole place feels like a gutted family house that was left on a whim.

That said, I still looted the place. Well, not really looted it, just packed some clothes I liked and fitted me well, took a stash of cash I found (probably intended for emergencies, but  if my life doesn’t qualify as one, I don’t know what does). More importantly, I managed to find his passport. My passport.

I have to head back to Kerstin’s place as soon as possible. I managed to decipher some more files before I was interrupted by the police, but I couldn’t even close the laptop or put away the map before they took me away. I don’t really feel like explaining to Kerstin why I’m featured in scary surveillance footage, and have dozens of pages detailing a Project Dee, that seems more and more supernatural (or at least more than physical) in nature. If it comes to that I was thinking of pretending that it’s all notes for a book. Writers do that, right?

Time to go. I also took a spare set of keys I found with the passport. Might need to come back some day.

And I actually feel OK right now.

End of episode 15. Share, like and follow for weekly updates. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the next episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember. Now with a proper cover by Patrick Crooker. Go visit his website at  www.crooksandcrafts.com.

Episode 14 – April  2016

How do you keep a secret? Should you even try and keep a secret? But I’m jumping ahead of myself…

This past week has been great. Kerstin and her friends have helped me more than I could have ever expected. I have a kitchen job now (ironically, at the same cafe where I recently liberated some wallets), a safe place to stay and rest for a while. (I need lots of proper rest. Steve visited me once again this week, but it was a more amicable experience than usual. Only gave me slight night terrors and had me waking up choking on fear. No big deal, really…)

I feel ashamed that I’m keeping secrets from these wonderful people. I feel I should share what happened to me, just to tell someone… just to show them I reciprocate their trust. But how do I tell them the truth, or my version of the truth about me? Everything that happened since I left the institute sounds insane, even to me, they would probably think I lost my mind. I’m actively debating showing them the videos, but I don’t know how to introduce the whole thing… What should I say about their origin? If I lie, that’s probably worse than keeping it a secret. Besides, how do I explain my presence in the footage? And what do I tell them about the actual event? I don’t have answers, so how could I explain any of it? Besides, how do you tell someone you’ve killed? I can’t admit to murder, even if it was self-defence. Sigh…

Coming clean will have to wait in any case, as I haven’t seen Kerstin and the others since Monday. They went for a conference in Germany and then plan to travel around for a while. So they basically left me, a complete stranger, alone in their house. Fascinating and generous people, giving me this level of trust. So I decided to take care of the house as if it was my own. Pack the fridge, cook, clean and all that jazz.

I also continued working on the files from last week. I’ve managed to decipher what appears to be several independent projects that the institute is working on. I’ve also decided to refer to them as Koldberg from now on, it’s the official name after all, and it makes them more personal. It’s a way of identifying the ‘enemy’. I never thought it would come this far. I’m not even sure, if they are an enemy, although many things seem to indicate that. Let’s just say they’re people I need to learn more about. I decided to start mapping everything I discovered. Since I’m by myself, I’ve set up a little research area in the common room. The room has a large couch (don’t tell anyone that I prefer sleeping there as opposed to the tent), a TV connected to a gaming console, and a large dining table that now serves as my desk. All basic and functional.

On the wall I’ve hung a large world map I got from the bookstore, along with a bunch of post-its and markers to make notes. Some of the entries include timestamps with numbers that I believe are coordinates. So far I’ve added all those to the map and highlighted clusters of interest based on the project titles, along with any information I could easily discern. Besides Project Dee, which seems to cluster around Middle and South America, I found references to:

• Project Clarke – clustered around the UK, and certain area in the US, such as Silicon Valley, plus some areas in China. Might be some kind to technology they’re developing or testing. One incident is marked right on top of Koldberg.
• Project Jones – prevalent in Africa and the Middle East, but also to various places in Russia, Scandinavia and China. No other information on this one, could mean anything
• Project Brehm – seems to focus on areas with a lot of nature (e.g. rainforests or remote tundra). References to flora and fauna are abundant.

I tried googling some of the names like Dee and Brehm with little success. Nothing really jumped out at me. There was a John Dee, advisor to the queen, and an Alfred Brehm, a German Zoologist, but does that mean anything? Historical and literary figures aside, I still have no idea what to look for without additional information. For all I know, they could be surnames of Project Managers, scientists at Koldberg, or picked at random from a book. Also, the file seems to have dependent files with more information, but I haven’t identified those yet. Not even sure if I have them. I’ll do a deeper dive into the files over the weekend.

I should also figure out a way to add the map and all my conclusions to my diary when I’m done, which might be a bit challenging since it is now literally covered in notes and scribbles. And I mean covered. The world is 70 percent water and if you use my map as a reference you would swear that water is yellow.

The timeline is also interesting. I don’t know what the individual events represent, the references to casualties are unnerving to say the least, but some seem to repeat themselves. It took me a day to realise that at least four events are recurring. Like the Machu Picchu incident, the first entry I found, has repeated itself seven times. Its anniversary is coming up in 6 weeks time. Maybe I should go and have a look for myself. Figure out what it is and what these people are up to. I only need to figure out how to travel halfway around the world without a passport, knowledge of the local language or any money to speak of, in less than five weeks. Sigh…

At least I’ll earn a little something tonight; I got another shift in the kitchen at the cafe. My third this week. I’m told Fridays can be really busy, but the barista promised me that when they have time, they will teach me some of the tricks of the trade, like how to make proper milk foam and draw shapes using the foam, a spoon and powdered cocoa. Can’t hurt to build my skillset a bit. 🙂

I still don’t know what to do about myself, but I’ve decided that I’m done being afraid. I need answers. And I’m going to get them somehow. Did I mention I found a few folders named Tools, which seem to contain web tools of some kind? So I’ll continue the research and play with the tools after my shift when I’m buzzing on caffeine.

Questions, questions, and more questions! At least I am making some kind of progress, I just don’t know what it’s towards.

End of episode 14. Share, like and follow for weekly updates. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the next episode of Archi’s Diary, a weekly entry in my favorite amnesiac’s journal as he tries to adjust to a world he doesn’t remember. Now with a proper cover by Patrick Crooker. Go visit his website at  www.crooksandcrafts.com.

Episode 13 – April  2016

My sleep hasn’t improved this week, but at least Undead Steve and the sphere have stopped visiting me in my dreams. And I do feel a lot more positive. Kerstin, Queen of the Forest and apparent good samaritan, invited me to stay at their place today. Well… More that I could pitch my tent in her garden, use their facilities, and have permanent access to Wi-Fi. I’m still afraid to let anyone get close to me, but considering I’m also out of money and food, I’m running out of options. I would prefer not to starve AND have to hunt for a public restroom, so I decided to accept.

The offer came after I managed to run into her not once or twice, but three times this week. Must be kismet. Or I just happened to be camped next to her usual running route and I haven’t been hiding that well. We’ve talked extensively about my supposed trip, which she clearly thought was a veiled way of saying “homeless”. Technically that’s not far from the truth, so I didn’t correct her, just let her make her own conclusions.

I also learned a bit about her; she’s a college student and lives with three others (Dennis, James and Christina) in a shared house near the center of Folkestone. Apparently all 4 of them are also volunteers in the same worldwide student organisation, and thought living and working together was the best of both worlds. I’m not entirely sure what they do. Kerstin spoke so fast and with so much enthusiasm, interspersing her sentences with so many acronyms that I almost thought it was a different language. I think the organisation is called AISEK? Seems an important project for them.

I still can’t believe how incredibly generous they are. Sure, it’s just a tent in a garden but it’s also a break from my usual routine: finding public toilets, hoping my camp didn’t get ransacked, and begging/stealing to get something to eat. Had to steal again this week, which I always consider an unnecessary risk (although my technique has improved). I can’t afford to get caught, the unwanted attention could prove detrimental. So all things considered, Kerstin and her friends are providing me with some much needed leeway, which I deeply appreciate, as it’s also giving me time to think. I need to make long term plans, such as where to go, how to build a base of operations, what to do, etc.

When I was still living in the woods (and I wasn’t stealing for food) I spent a lot of time thinking about the videos. I came to a tentative conclusion on what happened, except it’s insane and scary and clearly not normal. I could also be wrong… The sphere in the video is a portal of some kind and either the sphere itself, or whatever came through it affected my brain. Maybe opening the portal disrupted or altered my brain patterns and shut me down temporarily, which would explain the amnesia. It could also account for the difference in my and Anthony’s behaviour, which is why I make everyone who knew him so sad. Or maybe what affected me was an agent of some kind (like a gas) that doesn’t appear on the video. I mean, the sphere thing is clearly there. Slightly distorted, but otherwise clear as day.

Not that this speculation is anything useful right now. It’s still just a theory, yet questions and theories keep piling up with little to no resolution. Is it really a portal? If so, where would a portal like this go to or come from? Is the Institute playing with portals? Did they actually make it or are they studying it? They deal in advanced technology, so it’s not that big of a stretch to think they’re directly involved. But to what end?

I also found a folder filled with some kind of incident reports. Except they use a ton of codewords and acronyms (more acronyms, bah!). I copied one instance.

Project: Dee

QEL: 20.684104, -88.567311

Date/time: UTC-03:44, May 1st, 2015

Type: Unknown

Casualties: 5

Notes: Arrived late. No apparent artefacts. No temporal fluctuations. Event appears to be seasonal. Other party not identifiable.

What is this project Dee? And what does all this mean? There are several similar projects, I have no idea what they mean. What the hell is the Institute into?

I don’t understand any of this, not really. And does it really matter? What if I’m I’m 100% right and the Institute is behind the sphere, whatever happened to me and who knows how many freaky experiments? I mean, what the hell can I do about it? I can’t just infiltrate the Koldberg Institute to get my answers. I’m only one man, and I don’t know anything about the place. All I’ve seen is the front door, some corridors and the kitchen, but that’s it. God, I am so confused all the time. At this point I’m not even sure I want to know what happened. I just want to be left alone. Maybe I should just drop this whole idea, be focused on getting out of here and never consider going back.

On a brighter note, I’m really looking forward to tonight, which is pizza night. Kerstin told me I need to gain some weight. I’m too skinny, which according to her makes me look unhealthy. So the pizza is her treat, which makes me feel a little bit better. Finding Kerstin does seem like a very fortuitous coincidence, but I do think this sense of joy is temporary. I can’t rely on her indefinitely, I need to learn to look after myself and get myself ready for a future. And as that future potentially includes a lot of running and hiding, I should probably take up some kind of exercise. Since my encounter with Steve I felt extremely weak and vulnerable, but I’ve also read up on the health benefits of exercise. Maybe I’ll try running or yoga. Kerstin even offered to take me on a run with her.  

My to-do for the next weeks:

• Find a way to save money
• Find a way to make money to save
• Find a way to get out of here (should have another look at the options getting out of the country. Is the eurotunnel an option?)
• Find a way to decipher those net logs
• Find a way to set up goals for the future besides being nice and generous to my new friends
• Find a way to not use the phrase “Find a way”

Phew… I think the pizza just arrived. This feels like my first real break. Going to enjoy it.

End of episode 13. Share, like and follow for weekly updates. Thank you for reading. In the coming weeks I will be uploading a few extra posts. Stay tuned!