Entry 7: A letter and some strange photos

Wow, finally got some free time again. Sorry about the wait. We found a whole bunch of microscopic photos in this old supply closet buried behind a bunch of prep lab equipment. I still smell like dust and formaldehyde.

So I dug out some pretty amazing photos from Professor Barnes' filing cabinet. I don't know how old this stuff is, but the cut-and-paste is pretty amazing.

I think I must have missed a letter somewhere because Thom talks about some "notes" that he hasn't mentioned before. He also drops all these names- Asakili, Thorn Moon, T'talatch- as if Barnes already knows what they mean.  I'll hunt through the cabinet again and see if I can find something else that talks about these notes. In the meantime, enjoy.

First, the letter:

And a transcript:

"Barnes,

Here are those pictures we talked about.  The notes I found were a huge help in identifying the scenes through the Window. 

I took these on June 15th and 16th in Boston Corner.  I wish I'd taken a few more, though.  When I came back to the swamp on the 17th, the Window had closed up.  Although the notes say that Windows cycle to a different arm on the Hub every 34 days.  If I have correctly identified the path that connects to our solar system, then the Window should cycle back to Earth in about 5-6 months.  I will see what headway I can get with these notes before it's return. I’m still trying to decide whether I want to share my discoveries with the Astarapomp. The notes seem curiously hostile towards him, though I do not yet know why.

Here are my interpretations of the photos:

1.) A view of one of the Watchers in the solar system on Arm 3.  Two large moons or planets in the foreground.  I think the larger one may be Asakili.  I believe the two brighter dots in the upper left are also planets at a greater distance.

2.) A view under the arm of the Watcher, looking at a Long World. Possibly T'talatch?  Along with two moons in the lower left

3.) A view of the Thorn Moon from above the surface of the Watcher.  I believe the rounded, white objects may be the Sleeping Mountains the notes referred to.

4.) A view from the upper atmosphere of the Long World, T'talatch, looking at the Thorn Moon.  Taken three hours after the other pictures near dusk on the 16th.  I am unclear why this is the only time where the Window has actually entered the atmosphere of a moon.

5.) Several Phantoms in what I believe to be the Valley of Il-tho. I didn’t see them when I first took the picture. God, those eyes haunt me.

6.) A view of the Window in a swamp near  Booston Corners.  Have I told you the theory about why Massachusetts really gave up Boston Corners to New York? I’m still gathering information, but we can talk about it in more detail when I see you again.

                                                                                               

                                                                                                Thomas"

And here are the photos:

Note that Thom calls these dark figures "Phantoms" in this letter and others, but on the back of this photo he calls them "Revenants".

I'll have some more letters to post soon. In the meantime, enjoy!