We join Strong Sad once again at his computer. He has just beaten Myst V: End of Ages, and while he had hoped that the accomplishment and subsequent ending would bring a sense of closure to the many hours he invested in the Myst series, he is left with nothing more than a feeling of emptiness. The credits have rolled. The game is over. There is nothing more to do.
He stares at the opening screen for a few more moments, sighs, and chooses to "quit game." The desktop once again appears before him.
"Oh well," he says quietly. "I guess I'll…check my email." He double-clicks on the HRMail icon and enters his login information. The blue progress bar slowly fills to 100.
The inbox appears. A dialog box informs Strong Sad that he has no new messages.
"Wow," he says. "I never get any email. This is really depressing. I've got half a mind to email Strong Mad, just to hear back from him, however incoherent and ridden with typos his reply may be." He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head as if to dislodge a foreign object. "No, what am I thinking! I really am lame and pathetic. No wonder no one ever emails me."
He tries to think of something to do. He considers making some progress in the Henry James novel he's been reading lately, but somehow this seems too productive: right now he only feels like wallowing in worthlessness.
He reaches for the CD-ROM for the original Myst.