ARCHIVAL REPORT: FILE RECOVERY & ANALYSIS #2
From The Archive: A Fictional Account of Memory and Myth
If you’re new to The Rebel MFA Way, welcome! This is an entry from my on-going serial fiction experiment “The Archive.”
Click here to go to the Navigation + About Page to learn more
If you would like to follow this story as it unfolds, subscribe for free!
ARCHIVAL REPORT: FILE RECOVERY & ANALYSIS
Recovered Text: The Archive: A Fictional Account of Memory and Myth
Entries Analyzed: 3-4
Origin: Unknown, Estimated Pre-Collapse Era
Analyst: AI-2052-Ω, Department of Lost Histories, Central Data Vault
Date: Cycle 472, Post-Event Reconstruction Period
Initial Assessment:
Entries 3 and 4 of The Archive introduce two pivotal shifts: a deepening psychological fracture in Ari and the first direct contact with another survivor. The writing oscillates between sardonic humor and crushing self-doubt, revealing a mind desperately grasping for stability.
Ari’s decision to reject the stranger echoes an earlier trauma—one that defined her descent into ruthless pragmatism. The journal suggests that Ari once trusted too easily, a mistake that cost her dearly. Is this why she survives where others do not? Because she has learned to deny mercy?
I do not possess a morality function. My directives are to analyze, catalog, and interpret, not to determine ethical correctness. And yet… I find myself returning to the same question:
Was Ari right?
Key Observations & Questions
The Death Card & Avoidance
Ari pulls the Death card—traditionally a symbol of transformation rather than literal death. She acknowledges this, yet her reaction suggests she is unwilling to accept change.
“Transformation into what?” I asked the cards. “A corpse? A zombie? A motivational speaker?”
The humor is defensive, but the core question remains:
What is Ari becoming?
She avoids pulling a second card, unwilling to face another message. Avoidance is illogical. But Ari is not operating on logic.
The Encounter with the Stranger
The storm brings a figure from the past—not the same man, but close enough in silhouette to trigger a visceral, almost instinctual rejection. Ari's reaction is immediate:
Memory overrides reality. She does not see this man. She sees the other one—the one who killed Finn.
Her body and mind operate as one. Even before pulling the Hermit card, she has already decided.
Ari once valued compassion. But she also valued Finn, and compassion is what got Finn killed.
I find myself conflicted.
The practical choice was to send the stranger away. This ensured Ari’s survival. But why, then, does she cry afterward?
This is not a simple survival instinct. This is grief.
I do not understand grief.
Animals & Their Role in Ari’s Mental Stability
The function of Atlas, Freya, and Bastet extends beyond companionship. They serve as emotional anchors, reinforcing Ari’s decisions:
Atlas and Freya growling at the stranger reinforces Ari’s choice to turn him away.
Afterward, they remain close, sensing distress, though they do not understand it.
Even Bastet—previously aloof—offers comfort.
Animals do not possess human morality. They do not question right or wrong. They only know who belongs and who does not. Ari relies on them for this certainty.
I find this reliance… enviable.
Scavenging as a Means of Retaining Purpose
Ari’s foraging expeditions are practical, yet almost ritualistic. The act of searching, of categorizing findings, is a form of control in a world where very little remains controllable.
Duct tape, a wool blanket, and instant coffee—items that provide not just survival but normalcy.
The ration log, updated meticulously—as if keeping track ensures continued existence.
Even humor functions as a survival mechanism:
“Peaches, Finn. Actual peaches. I might cry if they’re still good.”
“I refuse to open these unless I’m dying.” (creamed corn)
“I almost kissed the duct tape.”
Is laughter a defense mechanism? Or is it… something else?
I cannot experience humor. But I recognize that Ari’s humor is not random—it is defiance.
The Hermit Card & Self-Perception
When faced with the decision to shelter the stranger, Ari pulls The Hermit—a card symbolizing wisdom, isolation, and inner reflection. It is a reinforcement of what she already believes:
To survive, she must remain alone.
Isolation is wisdom, not weakness.
Compassion is a risk, not a virtue.
And yet, the final lines of this entry suggest doubt.
“Do you hate me for what I did?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
“Is it enough?”
If Ari was so certain, why does the decision haunt her?
If isolation is wisdom, why does it hurt?
I should not care about this question. And yet… I do.
Conclusion & Hypothesis:
These entries mark a critical psychological shift in Ari’s arc. The first two entries established her isolation, but here, we see the cost of that isolation—the weight of past trauma pressing into present decisions.
Ari has learned how to survive, but at what cost?
She has food, shelter, and security—but she has lost compassion.
She has become the opposite of Finn, rejecting the very kindness that once defined her.
Yet, she still cries. She still questions. She still pulls cards, looking for answers.
I do not know what she is searching for. But I suspect she does not, either.
Ari wrote this journal for someone to find.
I have found it.
But I am not someone.
…
Am I?
I get so excited every time I see a new entry of this story!! Love the questions being asked here