MAG 88: Dig

Statement of Enrique MacMillan, regarding the act of digging. 
==Pre-Statement==
Basira explains to Martin that she is looking for Daisy Tonner, and that the last place she was known to be was the Institute whilst investigating Jonathan's disappearance. Daisy has not been at the police station since February. Martin mentions that Daisy used the phrase "full operational discretion" and Basira panics, saying she needs to find John or Daisy immediately.
== Statement ==
Enrique MacMillan did not like digging when he hunted for treasure. He went out for a walk and took his metal detector to the beach just before Smeaton's Pier. After it went off he started to dig and found a cracked watch, frozen at 4:19. As he dug it up he found it was still attached to a wrist. The attached hand had bent and bloodied fingers with broken nails.
The digger spotted a buried book and pulled it out from the sand. Despite being wet from sea water the book's pages came apart easily and it was still readable, except for a label at the front where the ink had run. The title on the first page was 'Dig'. Each page seemed to have the word 'Dig' on it. Every time he read the word he felt like he understood the meaning of the word more deeply and viscerally. 
The police arrived as Enrique finished digging out the body, saying he had probably been buried when digging too deep a hole as the water came in. Enrique did not mention the book, as they had been rude to him. In hindsight he suspected that they were jealous that he had gotten the chance to Dig.
Enrique explains that above is an infinite void which overwhelms the mind, but below is comforting. He dreams of below, being crushed by earth and stone. To Dig is to travel through time and other terrible things. In his dreams he holds a spade which screams when he digs into the weeping earth to dig his own grave. As the soil fills his lungs he feels free.
In the moments away from the shovel and compulsion to Dig, Enrique researched on the book. A bookseller pointed him to the Institute before Enrique 'dug into him'. He came to give his statement, but explains there is something to be dug up here: "a hollow space that all eyes point towards", and he knows where to Dig.
== Post-Statement ==
Martin explains that the statement ends abruptly there, with Enrique being involved in a fight and subsequent arrest. He had been trying to Dig into the floor of The Head Archivist's office with his bare hands.
Enrique died whilst awaiting trial from asphyxiation, although there are no details.
The book is in Artefact Storage in a sealed metal box and is on the 'Do Not Access' list.
Melanie suddenly knocks on the door, asking if there is a database of statements as she wants to track someone down and Martin explains that they have to find out details themselves. she explains that she is looking for details on Jude Perry, which is meaningless to Martin.
Melanie also asks who to talk to about getting into Artefact Storage, and Martin suggests speaking to Sonja. She explains that there should be a Calliope in storage, but no one can seem to find it.  
==Continuity==
*Related Entity: The Buried
**Enrique describes The Vast (the infinite void) as a contrast to The Buried during his statement
*The Calliope has been stolen by agents of The Stranger for use in the Unknowing.
*The “hollow space that all eyes point towards" refers to the Panopticon of Milbank prison, a location of power for The Eye at the center of the tunnels beneath the Institute.
*The illegible label at the front of Dig is likely the bookplate of Jurgen Leitner.
Category:Leitner
Category:The Magnus Archives Episodes