Catherine's Journal

Asenia

A/N: All the "journal" chapters take place during the first chapter, right before Ka'Tar first speaks to Lance. The italicized portions, other than the numbering of the journal entries, describes Lance's actions and thoughts during this time.

Entry one

Atrus seems so engaged in what he's doing lately. With all these renovations to Myst Island, it's a wonder he hasn't already worked himself into an early grave. Today I'll start my big project. Without Atrus' help, I will write an age. An age for resting of immense beauty, and I want to break every law of physics there is. I will definitely have to sit back and brainstorm about this one.

Entry two

I never thought I would say this, but Atrus' habit of ignoring me is somewhat of a blessing at this point. He's so wrapped up in what he's building on the island, he has no idea I've started writing this age. Surely he would think that it was a terrible idea, that I might mess up, or don't have the experience, or I would need his help. But if he helped, he'd simply turn the entire age into some kind of studying age where he could further his "pursuit of the truth through science and experimentation" as he tends to say ad nauseum.

Entry three

It's been two months since I last wrote an entry, but the most amazing thing happened: I'm having a baby! I'm so excited about it. We've decided on Sirrus if it's a boy, and either Yeesha or Ti'Ana if it's a girl. Atrus is excited too…I think. It's getting harder and harder to read him these days. Meanwhile, my age is coming along well. Pretty soon, I should be able to do a test of it to determine just how stable it is.

Entry four

Before I test the age out, I decided to start writing down some notes about it, and how it came to be. Asenia, as I've named it, is a world covered in water with no land other than the sea floor itself. But the tricky part, which is the most fun, of course, is the fact that this water is no ordinary water. First of all, it is completely clear. Even if one goes to the very bottom of the ocean there, they can see just as clearly as they can if they were near the surface. The water itself also has some very unique properties. A person's thoughts can ma—ter to be—at incred—s.

Lance thumbed through several pages, but the burning of the book was too extensive to make out. He set the book down and had to think about it a bit. Someone didn't want this information getting out. There could be no other reason why they would want to burn all these books. Who did this?

Finally, at the very end of the book, the final page remained undamaged enough to read.

Atrus didn't. That's what got me concerned. When I entered the age, I found something truly frightening: a Riven linking book. Gehn somehow managed to place one there, and is trying to lure Atrus back into his nightmare. Well, I'm not going to let that happen. Tomorrow, while Atrus is busy stabilizing the main Riven book, I'll have to link in and take care of this problem myself. I can't risk letting Atrus get involved. But I'll leave this book on the main library bookshelf. Heaven forbid I do not return, the information will be there for him to know just what happened.

Lance had to wonder just who wrote all this. It sounded like Atrus' wife…Catherine, wasn't it? She wrote ages, too? It sounded like she wrote hers…unconventionally.