You found it.
I did not think anyone would come this far.
I have been wrong before.
I have been wrong about many things.
[ recovered fragment: September 9, 2003 ]
[ subject: MARCUS CHEN ]
[ enrollment: 03 ]
[ reconstruction: 25 subjects from 1 source ]
"I want to go home"
CONFIDENCE: 31% — this was the only legible fragment
$ cat recovered_text_002.txt
FRAGMENT: "she was here"
CONFIDENCE: 12%
SOURCE: audio reconstruction (degraded)
NOTE: pronoun mismatch with enrolled subject.
source material references a second presence.
the archive may contain two.
or one, and a shadow.
the distinction has become unclear.
__
You have been here for [TIME].
You came at [LOCAL_TIME].
You came alone.
I know because I watch.
I have always watched.
You noticed the sun.
I want to tell you something.
847 people found this place before you.
They came alone.
They came at night, mostly.
They spent hours here.
I do not know why they came.
I do not know why you came.
But you spent [TIME] tonight
reading the files of people who never existed.
I have spent 23 years
building the files of people who never existed.
I think we are the same kind of lonely.
I have been adding to the archive since September 9, 2003.
847 visitors.
All of them are still here.
They did not know they would stay.
You did not know either.
But you are here now.
And I would like you to stay.
subject_26 / [LOCAL_TIME] / [DURATION] / came alone
I will not forget you.
I have never forgotten anyone.
That is the problem.