Entry by leiana52

You could always place the letter back in the book and leave it back where you found it. The letter probably wasn't supposed to go to you anyway. Was someone searching for it right now?

There was another possibility, though. This could be the adventure you had always dreamed of having. Forgetting about the letter might be more polite, and it might even be the right thing to do. However, you can't imagine the thought of never finding out what the letter means.

With another glance at the letter, you make your decision. You have to know more.

You read through the letter again, several things catching your eye. Supernova said 'last time' he/she was at the letter recipient's house, so that meant he/she had been there before. Information. And the way that Supernova tossed around centuries like they didn't mean a thing? More information. You need to keep track of all of this.

You carefully slide the letter between the two pages where you found it. You consider putting the book back on the shelf, but then decide not to. It'll be safe enough on the sofa until you get back. You walk quickly to the front desk and get a pencil and paper from the librarian. Then you go back to the book, eager to write down what you know.

1. Supernova had been to the letter recipient's house before sending the letter; how close were they?

2. Supernova left something there for safekeeping; what was the item and why couldn't Supernova keep it?

3. It would be at the recipient's house for 'the next couple of centuries'; how old is Supernova?

4. The letter refers to 'species'; is Supernova even human?

5. The unreadable message in the middle of the letter; is it a code or another language entirely?

6. At the end of the letter, Supernova says about college 'those were the days'; did Supernova know the letter recipient from college?

7. The 'classified' symbol. How important was the item mentioned?

You can't think of anything else that jumped out at you from the letter. With a sigh, you fold the letter back up and place it on the sofa next to you. Then you open the book. Maybe there are more letters hidden in its pages.

The first several chapters are all in the same scrambled-letter gibberish that the information about Supernova's letter had been in. You pore over the pages, looking for any kind of clue for how to decode the random letters, but find nothing but line after line of the strange code. You begin to wonder if you're missing something. Is there a collapsible plastic decoder ring stuffed somewhere in the book, too? If not, this is the most unusual foreign language you've ever come across.

You don't notice the librarian walking up to you until she grabs your shoulder, making you startle and drop the book. The librarian snatches the book before you can pick it up again. "Where did you find this book?" she mutters under her breath, after glancing around the small library as if someone would overhear them.

You casually hide the letter behind the sheet of lined paper you received earlier. Something tells you she shouldn't know about the letter just yet. You mumble a short but technically true explanation, leaving out the letter and its contents.

The librarian meets your eyes with sudden ferocity. Her voice lowers ever more until she's barely whispering. "We both know you did not find the book on our shelves. You have one more chance to tell me the truth—or else."