Work Text:
“Dear Diary, That’s me, right?”
It was a sunny afternoon in the professor’s little study. It was another week of the show’s hiatus until another notice for an episode recording was sent.
He closed his book about Mesopotamia and walked over to the shelf nearby to return it to its place. As he returned his book, a torn old notebook caught his eye.
“I don’t remember having this” he said to himself as he got the book from its place. He walked back to his chair and blew the dust away, which made him cough in return. The name of the book was visible. It read “Professor McKinley’s Journal”.
“That name...it sounds familiar,” he commented. He knew it was wrong to peer into a private journal of a stranger but he was curious. The owner was a professor so he wondered if he could get his hands on more knowledge regardless of the field the professor specialized in.
He opened the journal and found a family picture of the supposed professor. It was a vintage photo possibly taken in the early 20th century. There was the father on the left, wearing his glasses and a suit, the mother on the right, sitting on a chair, her hair braided and wearing a lovely dress and hat, and the sons, the taller one beside his father with hooded eyes, and the younger, beside his mother with his eyes filled with curiosity.
The professor flipped to the next page. He admired the handwriting of the owner and continued reading through. It was a journal full of historical facts and there were ones more shocking than the others. There were references to the supernatural, the theory of time travel, and etc. There were also facts of various famous historical figures written that must be false. The dates weren’t lining up to each other either. One page was written on March 16, 1521 and the next was written on September 3, 1939. The professor is already convinced that the writer was crazy but enjoyed the contents set in. He continued flipping until he reached the last few pages.
It was a diary entry dated on January 10, 1987.
"I’ve been cursed by that damned genie and I’m growing blue hairs faster by the minute. I might lose my mind sooner or later. I’ve been slowly forgetting who I am and sooner or later I might as well be a lifeless puppet.
That being said, I will write who I am if I ever find this book after years.
I am Professor McKinley, a well respected history professor of a community college in Oregon. I have 2 sons named Richard and Samuel and my lovely wife, Eliza. I am expecting my third child to be born soon but I know I wouldn’t meet them.
I’ve met this genie and his lamp from a gift from one of my archeologist friends. The genie was a nice person who granted my wishes but I unknowingly signed a contract in which I would regret signing.
I hope my dear Eliza and my children are doing well. I miss them very much. "
“Poor guy” the professor felt sorry for him. “But a genie cursing him sounds way too familiar.”
He spaced out for a while until it clicked.
“Holy shit...that was me” he said in shock. “I had a family. I wrote this journal.”