Birthday Gift

Prologue

Chiquita POV

Today was my mom's birthday, a day I had always looked forward to celebrating with her. But this year felt different. I sat in my room, staring at the walls. I should have been excited, but instead, I felt a strange emptiness inside me.

As I glanced around, my eyes landed on a gift I had pushed aside last year. It was a beautifully wrapped box, shimmering in the light.

I remembered getting it on my birthday, but I never opened it. It was from someone named L.M., who had sent me gifts every year since I was three.

Auntie Jisoo always made sure I received these gifts, whispering secrets about them, urging me to keep them hidden from my mom.

"It's from someone special," she'd say with a knowing smile, her eyes glinting with mischief.

I always wondered who L.M. was and why Auntie Jisoo wanted to keep it a secret.

With a mix of curiosity and excitement, I picked up the gift. My fingers trembled as I carefully removed the wrapping paper. Inside was a card. The front showed a detailed illustration of a door that looked almost real.

I opened the card, expecting to see a sweet message, but it was blank. Just an empty space staring back at me.

I felt disappointed at first, but then something strange happened. As I held the card in my hands, colors began to swirl inside it. I blinked, and suddenly, the blank space transformed into a picture of a diary. It looked vibrant and inviting, and I felt a pull toward it.

Then, the door to my room—my actual door—started to change. It shimmered and flickered, just like the card. My heart raced with confusion and excitement. What was going on? Was this some kind of magic?

Before I could think, I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. I stepped through and felt a rush of energy. When I crossed the threshold, I found myself back in my room, but everything felt different. The air was electric, and I could sense something important was happening.

I looked around, and the table where I had opened the gift was empty. The card was gone, but something else caught my eye. A diary lay on the table, its cover calling to me. I picked it up, my hands shaking with anticipation.

When I opened the diary, I gasped. Written inside was my mom's full name Jennie Ruby Jane Kim. My heart dropped. Why was this here? Why did I find my mom's diary in such a strange way?

Today was my mom's birthday, but it felt like I was stepping into a hidden world, one that was waiting for me to discover its secrets. I couldn't shake the feeling that this diary held the answers to questions I didn't even know I had.

As I held it in my hands, I remembered Auntie Jisoo's words

"Keep this a secret from your mom. It's from someone special."

But who was that someone? I had always wondered about the mystery of L.M. and why Auntie Jisoo had wanted to protect it.

This was just the beginning of a journey I never expected, and I knew that whatever lay ahead would change everything I thought I knew about my mom and about myself.

~ 🏃‍♀️💨 ~