Forum Thread

The sun was rising on the wide-spread land. A bird was tweeting, breaking the silence of the night and waking the first of many creatures sleeping nearby. As the sun started peeking over the horizon, it sends rays to poke at innocent eyes around the country. You feel the pull of the day dragging you to awareness and forcing your eyes open.

. . . Darkness. Everywhere you turn, head twisting back and forth, only nothingness surrounds you. Panic starts to set in, but you force yourself to calm down. Maybe something is covering your eyes? Taking a few, quick breaths, you steel yourself and move your hands.

. . . For a few centimeters. Simply trying to move your hand up, causes it to hit something only a couple of centimeters from your body. You spread your fingers, trying to get a feel of this thing above you, but it feels smooth, nothing you can hook your fingers into.

. . . Your breath quickens, feeling the panic rise. You keep moving your hand along the surface of the thing covering you, but nothing gives way. Something solid, straight and in one piece is covering you. Maybe even surrounding you, are you lying flat?

. . . Your mind is drawing a blank, no idea how you got there or how you are getting out of it. Your breath quickens even more, panic seeping in deeper and deeper. Darkness still surrounds you and with the limited space to move, you have no clue how to fix it.

. . . You scream. As a last ditch effort, you figure trying to get attention from anyone, anything, would be better than lying here. The longer you scream, the more the panic sets in. You have no idea how long you’ve been down here, but you want out NOW.

. . . You never notice the lack of a heartbeat. You never notice elongated fangs piercing your lips. You never notice the lack of blood that should be flowing from the puncture marks you cause. You never notice the lack of breath you need to take. You never notice the passage of time.



For centuries, this castle lays abandoned. Any expeditions scared away by the piercing wail filling the air. The cause of the noise remains unknown and will remain so for many more centuries to come. Bouncing of the walls and the ceilings, trapped for all eternity.

1 June, 2008

It’s my birthday today, and I turned 11! Dad gave me a cute doll which looks like it is not new, but I know we can’t afford a new doll but since dad got me this one on my birthday, I’ll keep it! Mommy got me you with all the money she had saved in the last 2 weeks. I overheard dad and mommy arguing about this but mommy convinced dad anyways. Did you know you are a beautiful sparkling green colour from the outside? It’s my favourite colour! I also received toffees from other students at school today, and the caramel flavour was the best!

Also, I have decided to call the doll, ‘Lin’, short for ‘Linda’. It’s a name of a girl in a book I read which Evan gave me on my last birthday. Evan lives next to the monastery, so I visit him almost every Sunday, when I go to the Church beside the monastery for Sunday school. He is really nice to me, and we play a lot after Sunday school!

I know we are poor but our house is big, it was built by grandpa’s great grandpa. We live quite far away from the city, and only the monastery and few other houses, probably built by the friends of grandpa’s great grandpa when they settled here after the war, are close. It creeks a lot, but we couldn’t fix them because we have to save money. Electricity is often out too. My dad has been searching for jobs for a year now, and he can’t hold on to a job for more than a month… I feel sorry for him. Mommy is a cook in the nearby monastery and so we get to fill our bellies at least once a day. Mommy also baked bread filled with cheese and corn, and made a delicious cake! It was soo yummy!

Oh, I forgot to mention -- My name is Madeline, but mommy, dad and Evan call me Maddie for short.

2 June, 2008

Lin is soo cute and pretty! I played with her all evening after I talked to you, and even kept her beside me when I slept last night. Did I mention? Oh no I didn’t. Well since I am 11, I am supposed to be grown up, so I should sleep alone in grandpa’s old room. It was a bit scary at first, but then mommy came and sang ‘Soft Kitty’ to me, after which I think I fell asleep quickly.

Nothing much has happened else, so bye for today!

5 June, 2008

Hey…

I have a good news as well as bad news.

Good news - Dad has got a job at an electronic shop at the mall in the city. He will join from Monday.

Bad news - Since the city is quite far from here, he will be staying there for weekdays, and will be back on Saturday evening, and go back on Sunday evening. I will sure miss him during the week, but he has to go to help mommy pay the bills.

8 June, 2008

Today was really boring. Typical Sunday school, and I couldn’t play with Evan because he had to go to the city for his cousin’s birthday. He is a distant cousin, maybe related 4-5 generations back. He has told me that his uncle and aunt are rich, and his family often has to borrow money from them. But, they are really rude to Evan and his mom and dad, but they have to go to his cousin’s birthday. You know what I’m trying to say, right?

Also, a Buddhist monk paid a visit to our monastery. I thought it was very strange for a Buddhist to visit a church monastery. until Ms. Hughs told us that he was a friend of the head priest of the church, and they used to live next doors to each other in their childhood. He talked to us for a good 20 minutes, and gave us advice about life, which we do get at the school. What was strange was that he stared at me for about 10 seconds longer when it was my turn to introduce myself. It spooked me a little bit, but I quickly shook it off.

Later, after the talk, he called me outside and spoke to me “You should not keep it, You should throw it away before it’s too late”. I did not respond and ran back after looking at him for a couple of seconds. I think he meant about you, but I’m not throwing you away! You cost mommy a fortune, and I will keep you with me forever! You are the only best friend I have aside Evan, and you can’t do me any harm, so why should I throw you? I think he has made a mistake.

Also, dad left this evening to report at the mall. His job starts at 7 in the morning. I almost cried when he kissed me, but restrained myself when he said that I was grown up and grown ups don’t cry.

13 June, 2008

Something strange happened today. I am pretty sure I left Lin on my bed when I went out for a walk near the pond, but when I came back, she was on the floor. I left the windows open, so I think wind knocked her down. It is still strange that even though she was knocked down, she was in sitting position, facing the door. It jump scared me, to be honest but I’m grown up, as dad says, and grown ups don’t get scared.

14 June, 2008

Dad’s back today! And guess what he brought from the city - a box of chocolates! We all ate it together and Oh! How tasty it was! I am happy that finally dad and mommy are less tensed and worried about money. Also, he said to me that I shouldn’t keep Lin on the ground facing the door, I think it scared him but he isn’t admitting it. But, Lin was in my room the whole time, and this time I remember I had closed all the windows. I think mommy played a prank on him since he’s back after a week, and placed Lin there when I was at the pond. He will go back to the city tomorrow afternoon.

18 June, 2008

It is getting stranger and stranger. Today, I went down to the kitchen to get lunch, and as I turned around the corner with the plate, there was Lin sitting on the table! I don’t remember bringing her with me downstairs, but I think I did take her there, otherwise, how can a doll walk all the way down the stairs and sit on the table? Mommy is also not at home from the monastery until evening. I think I should meditate as the monk told us to improve our memory at church the day he visited.

21 June, 2008

I don’t know how, but Lin keeps on moving all over the house, even places where I don’t even go. Yesterday, after taking a bath, I saw her propped beside the mirror on the sink in our bathroom, The day before, she was on top of the big cupboard in my room, where even dad can’t reach without a chair or something. I told mommy when she came back yesterday, and she scolded me for playing these types of pranks on her, and said I should stop playing with Evan as he is the one giving me ideas.

Also, dad is not coming this week, nor the next week because mommy said he told the old mason to inform us on his way home that he has to work extra. I thought of telling these incidents to dad so that he could look about it.

24 June, 2008

Now it’s getting weirder and weirder… Whenever I wake up, Lin is sitting on top of me, and I’m always feeling chills. It’s summer, but the mornings are so so cold. Mommy says she doesn’t even come to my room before I wake up, and told me to quit this prank I’m playing on her.

I’m not playing any pranks mommy.

25 June 2008

I don’t have much to say but if anyone finds this diary, please burn Lin if you can. I should have known - the monk said about throwing Lin! I should have heeded him and thrown her, even Evan had said that Lin gave him creeps and my room was ever so cold, I even got used to the cold that I stopped noticing it.

Lin killed mommy downstairs, I heard her screaming and telling me to run. I am shut in my room right now, and I can hear someone coming up the stairs. Oh no she is knocking the door, she is calling my name, I won’t open the door. The knocking is getting louder, and the voice is getting hoarse. I’m so scared, I wish dad was here. She is banging the door, it looks like it is going to break soon, I’m going to throw you out of the window as soon as the door opens, door’s banging louder, Lin is shouting in a voice I don’t think is human, dad help me, knocking is louder, wait it has gone all silen