From the writer's ink

Entry 3

"May 18th, 9:00 pm

Dear Maddie,

I saw him again – my dad. I look just like him; he was smiling at me. He didn't come into the house; he stood just outside my window, waving, the same way he did when he left...

I was scared because he died three years ago. Am I going crazy?

Jack's finally going to big boy school, so I'll finally get my own room instead of staying in the attic. I like it, though – maybe it's because I love the silence. Then again, I feel alone.

I heard Mom tell Jack she loves him after reading him a bedtime story, "Renegade." That was Dad's favorite book; he was always reading it. It was like his third child.

Maybe once Jack is gone, I'll finally be in the spotlight. Maybe Mom will finally see me – not that I'm going to replace you. I won't. I'm just going to keep scribbling in my worn-out leather journal that I got (stole) from Dad.

Dear Maddie, if you had friends, would you forget me?

Xoxo"

"As the young girl finished her entry, a soft smile found its way to her face, wiping away the little tear tickling down her cheek. With a sigh, she looked out the small window of the attic, gazing at the star-littered sky. The millions of twinkling lights seemed to hum a gentle tune, and she cuddled the journal closer.

'Maddie... don't leave me like they did,' she whispered, her voice barely audible, like a gentle breeze.

After safely locking the journal in her makeshift drawer, she made her way towards her bed, the silence of the attic enveloping her like a fragile blanket."