Before the experience begins, the reader passes through three gates.
The first names the date — written out in full, as language rather than notation. The second asks the reader to look up and describe the weather where they are; the system checks their description against open meteorological data and responds. The third asks what they would like to be called.
The gates are not tests. The narrator — who speaks throughout — is not checking for correct answers. They are a witness. Whether the reader’s description of the sky matches what is recorded is less important than the fact that they looked.
The narrator speaks from a long way away. They know the date. That one they know well.