Diaries and Found Artifacts
(*From our AUR Transmedia Storytelling: World & Resources Page, the home of the Spring 2025 AUR Transmedia Storytelling class at The American University of Rome.
Diary
A torn journal entry from Phil’s Diary found near the trash in the AUR Garden. Upon her arrival, Phil sees something sketchy she feels she was not supposed to see… as a result, she rips out the entry from her diary as an attempt to erase the memory and start classes with a clean slate and no suspicions. Phil overhears a conversation between Professor Hawkins and an unidentified individual whispering about a secret that lies beneath the university.
Philly Crema
25/03/25 (?)
The plane landed, finally. Rome. It’s supposed to be a dream, isn’t
it?
Study abroad, ancient history, the works. But the moment I
stepped onto the campus, something felt… off. I was wandering trying
to find the library, when I heard voices. Low, urgent. I peeked
around the corner of the university garden, those wide orange trees
casting long shadows. Professor Hawkins, of all people, was there,
talking to someone I didn’t recognize. A tall, thin figure, their
face hidden by the shadows.
“They can’t find out,” Hawkins hissed, his voice barely a whisper. “Not about what lies
beneath.”
“But the maps,” the other voice replied, a low, gravelly sound. “They’ll find out eventually.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Hawkins said, a strange intensity in his tone. “Just as we always
have.”
What lies beneath? The maps? Take care of what? What were they
talking about? I felt a chill, despite the warm Roman air. I should
have just kept walking, pretending I didn’t hear anything. But now…
now I can’t shake the feeling. This city is already overwhelming. I
don’t need secrets. I don’t need mysteries. I need to focus on
classes, on settling in. I need to forget. So, I’m ripping this out.
Tearing it into shreds. It never happened. I saw nothing. I heard
nothing.