008: Log-Entry, 3rd July, 2054
"Log-entry start. Jonathan Haugland speaking, Supervisor of the Polar Agricultural City. The date's third of July, twenty-fifty-four.
"The developments are going well. We finished setting up the open shopping area yesterday, and Lyra and Mark are supervising the division of shops. Most of the government funds have gone to clearing land, building, and replanting, but we found some old maps—early twenty-tens, I think—that showed that there used to be settlements out along the fjords. I took a boat out with some of the geologists and Anna, our archeologist, to see what became of those settlements.
"About an hour out we found a half-rotten wooden harbour where we stopped. It's on the eastern shore, and we can see several old Post-World-War-Two houses further out, as well as a large mansion that looks like it used to be white. There's a teeming bird-life, and we saw at least three orcas break the surface on our way out.
"It looks like there used to be significant arable lands here—around the mansion there are fields all the way down to the shore, and on the upper side of the road we think the land has been used for hay.
"Here's the odd thing: The last couple registered here died twenty-five years ago. No one's applied to settle since, but two houses north of the mansion there's a woman—about fifty, I'd say—with three goats, hens, and some cats. Her house is shielded from the road by spruces, the goats and hens are behind the house and the barn, and the kitchen garden and potato field are shielded by lilac trees. It was eerie—so quiet and empty, and then Anna and I were just walking along the road when we heard Beethoven's Für Elise, and I don't think I've ever been so—anyway.
"This woman says the house has been in her family for three generations. It's filled with books—not e-books, but printed ones—and she seems to be doing surprisingly well. She said she has had no contact with people since the Internet collapsed years ago, and her phone's not working. She was delighted when we tracked down some foreign friends she used to have. She has invited us over for a cup of tea after dinner, and offered to make up beds in the guest-rooms for us.
"I think we'll accept.
"Log-entry end."
Written by: Katrine H.
"The developments are going well. We finished setting up the open shopping area yesterday, and Lyra and Mark are supervising the division of shops. Most of the government funds have gone to clearing land, building, and replanting, but we found some old maps—early twenty-tens, I think—that showed that there used to be settlements out along the fjords. I took a boat out with some of the geologists and Anna, our archeologist, to see what became of those settlements.
"About an hour out we found a half-rotten wooden harbour where we stopped. It's on the eastern shore, and we can see several old Post-World-War-Two houses further out, as well as a large mansion that looks like it used to be white. There's a teeming bird-life, and we saw at least three orcas break the surface on our way out.
"It looks like there used to be significant arable lands here—around the mansion there are fields all the way down to the shore, and on the upper side of the road we think the land has been used for hay.
"Here's the odd thing: The last couple registered here died twenty-five years ago. No one's applied to settle since, but two houses north of the mansion there's a woman—about fifty, I'd say—with three goats, hens, and some cats. Her house is shielded from the road by spruces, the goats and hens are behind the house and the barn, and the kitchen garden and potato field are shielded by lilac trees. It was eerie—so quiet and empty, and then Anna and I were just walking along the road when we heard Beethoven's Für Elise, and I don't think I've ever been so—anyway.
"This woman says the house has been in her family for three generations. It's filled with books—not e-books, but printed ones—and she seems to be doing surprisingly well. She said she has had no contact with people since the Internet collapsed years ago, and her phone's not working. She was delighted when we tracked down some foreign friends she used to have. She has invited us over for a cup of tea after dinner, and offered to make up beds in the guest-rooms for us.
"I think we'll accept.
"Log-entry end."
Written by: Katrine H.
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