by Lynne Jamneck

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The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.
— Robertson Davies
17 January 1914
Oxford, England
I have never been good at keeping diaries. I start off eager, filled with the promise of a new year, some new project. Then my enthusiasm diminishes when I realize that I am destined to spend another year bogged down by books and research papers, trying to prove myself to the archeology department.
I am keeping a diary this time only because I know I will have things to write. Important things. But I will not keep myself to the rigor of writing purely for the sake of entry.
Doctor Mendelssohn was upset when I informed him I would have to postpone my thesis. I thought he would understand but maybe I expect too much. I could not relate to him the full nature of the expedition, but when I mentioned my father he refrained from asking more questions. I think he attributes my actions to feminine emotional instability.
The lawyer gave me my father’s letter the day of the funeral. I was surprised when he pulled me aside and stuffed the envelope into my hand. He made it clear I should keep it to myself.
Copyright © 2011 by Lynne Jamneck

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Lynne Jamneck
Lynne Jamneck is a transplanted South African who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Short listed for the Sir Julius Vogel and Lambda Awards, she has published short fiction in various markets, including Jabberwocky Magazine, H.P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror, So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction and Spicy Slipstream Stories.
For Lethe Press, she edited, selected, and introduced the SF anthology, Periphery. Lynne is currently doing her MA in English Literature at the University of Auckland, unlocking the secrets to Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, madness and the occult. She is also writing her first speculative novel featuring a lost protagonist and a city of secrets.
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