My mind drowsily awakens from its bout of long, replenishing sleep. I leisurely sit up on my bed.

    "How long was I asleep?" I mumble.

    Ygrene's house is peacefully quiet. I sigh.

    Eventually, I step out of the bedroom, refreshed and ready for the day.

    The house is empty; a note rests on the kitchen counter.

    "Went to the market. Be back in a half an hour or so. I Left some food in the fridge if you're hungry. From Ygrene."

    Well, I guess I will have some time for myself then.

    I observe the room around me. My eyes glide over the mini kitchen, arriving at the bean bags and the strange machine they surround. I slowly walk over to it.

    A single, shiny button protrudes from the side of the cylindrical machine. With great reluctance, I refrain from pressing it.

    "It must be some kind of hologram thing," I say to myself, "That would explain the bean bags."

    I make a mental note to ask Ygrene about the machine.

    Remembering the food in the fridge, I return to the mini kitchen and open the appliance. Inside is an assortment of curious edibles: patterned boxes with drinking spouts, wriggling, dull mush covered in plastic wrap, and pearlescent chips in a bowl.

    I laugh softly: all the food is in hilariously small portions. I remind myself of Ygrene's diminutive stature.

    Sipping out of one of the boxes, I study the unfamiliar taste, which starts off as sweetly sour before melding into a refined, metallic flavor. It was oddly delicious.

    Ygrene enters, his hands full of tiny grocery bags.

    "Ah! I see you're enjoying the yshum boxes," he remarks.

    "Yeah! Oh, Ygrene, I wanted to ask you: what's that cylindrical machine between the bean bags?"

    "It's a Holowatcher. Every household has one. Well, they might not have this exact brand, but they'll have something of the like. Most people either have a Holowatcher or an Infobox, which is their main competitor. I've seen some people with these weird 'Unigraph' things, too. They're super weird-looking. How come you've never heard of one of these things? They're practically everywhere. Are you from the Deep South or something?"

    "It's complicated," I respond hastily, "But tell me more about this Hollowatcher thing. What does it do?"

    "Oh! Well, it does a bunch of stuff. You can watch entertainment, hear the news, contact other Holowatchers, and keep a calendar. I mostly use it for movies."

    "Can we turn it on?" I suggest.

    "Sure. Just tap the button."

    I push the shiny protrusion giddily. A blue square, similar to that in the stop-and-go stations, is projected from a hole in the center of the device. The word HOLOWATCHER flashes briefly before the hologram spells out a message:

    GOOD MORNING. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW?

    A set of symbols appear on the screen.

    "What do all these icons mean?" I holler to Ygrene, who is currently stocking food in the mini-kitchen.

    "They're different modes. Just hover your finger over one," He hollers back.

    With no clue what each icon represents, I hover over the third one absentmindedly.

    The word NEWS swipes across the screen in a flashy, stylized motion. A reporter appears behind a desk.

    " You're watchayng Eccaret Mornayng News," he explains in what I am beggining to identify as a signaturely Eastern accent, "Today's top storay has bayn breaking across the Chasm: a mysterious individuayl hays entered tha Beareau af Outerchamic Speculation, claimayng his body has DNA thayt's neva been seen befah. He, aynd his partner, Professayr Wolliw Stoor, claim tha DNA hays it's roots in tha Outerchasm."

    My eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

    It's Esir!

    "A meetayng is scheduled to take place tommorow night ayt 6:15 concernayng this mattah. Howevah, tha Beareau has decided to kayp this meeting confidential.

    "In a recent interview with Proffessor Neddih Sterces, one af tha head membahs of the BOS, he explains that" -- the hologram flickers to a video of the supposed proffesor -- "'We don't want to cause any sort of mass panic. We want to ensure the information is true before anyone reacts. Once the meeting is finished and all of our members have discussed the situation, we will share everything that we possibly can with the public. Honestly, though, I'm sure this man is fake. As some of you may know, Professor Wolliw doesn't have...The cleanest history when it comes to scientific authenticity."

    My eyes blink rapidly in astoundment. What did Wolliw do in the past to earn this reputation?

    The hologram flickers back to the reporter.

    "In otha news, the DOEC hays launched a new propayganda ageynda: Confusing postahs with paradoxical messages have bayn found all ovah the outskirts af tha Uppah Province. All thays postahs share one thayng in common: the numbah 62. DOEC theorists speculate tha numbah is signifying a date, possiblay the 62nd day af this Chasmic cycle. More details soon."

    I press the button on the Holowatch. The screen blinks out of existence.

    "Crazy stuff, huh?" Ygrene says, walking out of the mini-kitchen.

    "Ygrene, that's Esir, The other person you met alongside me," I tell him concernedly.

    "No way! That's him? He's claiming to be from the Outerchasm?" Ygrene exclaims.

    "Yes. And I almost went along with him, being that we look so similar and have no memories before I snapped out of it."

    "What? You have no memories?" Ygrene shouts.

    Shoot, I shouldn't have said that.

    "Well, yeah," I say, sighing exhaustedly.

    "So that explains why you didn't know what a Holowatcher was or why you were clueless about directing a Stop-and-go station!" Ygrene announces.

    "Okay, okay! Yes, you're right. But please, Ygrene, PLEASE don't tell anyone," I plead, "The last place I want to end up is where Esir is. While he wants to call attention to his amnesia, I'd rather stay undetected and find the answers on my own time. I don't want the whole Chasm keeping their watchful eye on me."

    Ygrene stares at me in astoundment for a moment.

    "Alright," He agrees, "I won't say a word about it to anyone. But, in return for my trustworthiness, you've got to tell me about your past. What is your first memory? Where were you? Do you have any clues pertaining to your amnesia?"

    "Well," I elucidate, "The very first memory is waking up on the ground in the dark...