“It’s a diary.” “Of who’s?”
"I swear there's a kid who stood in front of our school gates everyday three on the dot! I'm not even lying!!!! Just! Look! Please! I beg you!" The papers on the school table scattered around but then were pushed down by the one who was shouting; swearing they saw a weird kid who stands in front of the school gates.
"You saw a ghost I assume." Someone giggled while answering. "Why will a kid ever stand in front of old school gates? Look: our school gate is old like it's been there since dinosaurs were still alive. The gate has been rusted since forever, I don't think anyone will ever stand in front of it. Plus: our school isn't even that popular to be known." The person paused. "You might have seen a ghost."
"NO I DIDN'T!!!!" The voice echoed across the whole room. "There's a kid I swear!!!!" They took a step forward to argue with that person. The paper they pushed down the table now was under their foot, stepping on it without knowing what was on the paper.
"Hey Ariella, keep it down! No need to shout for it!!!!" The other one put their hand up to let her back off from them, leaving some space in between them. "Well uh, I mean I'm just joking you know?" They said while taking a step back since Ariella isn't moving back but instead, closer.
"Both of you, quiet down. Ariella, stop shouting about the kid you saw outside the school gates. And you Michale—"Michale turns to the person who is talking before the other one can continue speaking. "Ok yea, "Michale, shut yourself and stop arguing with Ariella." I get it, I get it." He said, with a sarcastic voice. "I'm not trying to argue with her TJ, I'm just joking with her. Who knows she'll act like this?" He continued on and gave a roll of his eyes to TJ.
"Ok fine." Ariella took a deep breath then slap the table hard enough to get the boys' attention—she need to defend herself about the "weird kid who stand in front of the school gates" is actually true; to prove a point that she didn't see a ghost nor did she made up the whole story (which was one of the guesses they both have for her). "We'll see about it today, it's almost three, wanna go out and give it a check? Let's bet on it." She whispered the last four words of her sentence under her breath, voice softened at the end of the sentence. She look serious (and sound serious), but too serious, and both of her friends knew the type of consequences she is giving if she's pulling out this level of seriousness: if Ariella didn't (nor never have the chance to) prove her point, she is going to be talking about it for the rest of her life (or rather annoying them about it).
Michale and TJ looked at each other, with the usual "what should we do" stare: first of all they got nowhere to escape. To be honest, escaping isn't the best plan in this situation. Secondly....they are sure interested in what Ariella is talking about: a kid in front of their school gates. Which honestly sounds weird but not at the same time (but indeed interesting). But checking it out doesn't do any harm anyways so....why not?
After the "what should we do eyes stare" between TJ and Michale lasted for around a minute, both of the boys nodded to each other, agreeing on taking the bet.
"If!" Michale looked at Ariella dead in the eye. "If it isn't true Ariella, you are going to buy us lunch and breakfast for a month."
"Make it two months." She answered with confidence, knowing deep down that the god of luck chose her instead of them.
The late afternoon sun shone through the window of the science classroom; it landed on the tables, the papers that's all over the floor, the chairs, and.....Ariella. The warm sunshine didn't make her look less serious (or more warm like the matching vibes with her red hair) but the other way around: the shine made her red hair become brighter than usual (she also looks so dead serious like she going to fight in a war); which made the sunshine not in a good timing. But TJ noticed this: Michale was frowning; he has this look whenever he feels weird or fishy in things.
"Sure, you name it."
Michale gave a "I couldn't care less" tone, but the frowning eyebrows said otherwise.
"Make it two months but if I win..." she pauses, looking at TJ and Michale with a small smirk on her face. "Send me the picture that you both were trying to hide from me. Also....a month of lunch with desserts." Michale rolled his eyes after hearing it. She hasn't given up the chance to see that stupid photo.
"Fine." TJ agreed. Michale looked at him, and couldn't understand why he agreed to that constitution (although half of the time it was TJ the one making the decision) before Michale himself had said anything. He gave him a look, but TJ didn't react. So Michale ended up compromising it.
The three of them walked out the science room that they always gathered in when there's clubs going around. The empty hall—due to people inside the classrooms to have their clubs—has lights barely working, echoing the footsteps of the three teenagers. Ariella looked out the window, and saw the kid again; standing in front of the gates, and according to the clock that was fixed last week on the upper right of the counselor's room not far from where the three of them were standing...it's three on the dot right now.
"Hey guys! Look!" She called both of the boys over, while pointing out at the window and jumping in place with excitement. "You see that blond head kid? That's him! Let's go see him in person!" Ariella grabs the arm of both Michale and TJ, dragging them all the way down to the first floor, rushing out to get to the gates. She fears, fears that she won't get the chance to let both of them see this weird blond kid.
"ARIELLA!!! CALM DOWN!!!!! WE SAW HIM!!!!'" Michale shouted with pain while trying to keep up with the speed that Ariella is going. She grabbed his arm too tight that made him feel like his arm might be ripped off in a few seconds. But on the other hand, TJ still has a straight face, acting like Ariella didn't even put any force to pull him. Michale took a peek at him and blinked: wondering in his head does this dude even feel pain in his arm at all.
"Hey!" The three of them finally made it to the gates, trying to catch their breaths due to the fast running they just did to make it on time, while Ariella tried to get the kid's attention. "Hey you! The blond kid!" The kid turns when Ariella is shouting at him (does he know she's calling him anyways???). And because of that, Michale notices he's holding a diary: an old fashioned diary that his grandmother probably has one, looks like from the 1950s (but it wasn't super obvious). Ariella is still shouting at him when Michale is observing him, figuring out what's up with this kid (that's probably the reason why he's the club leader of the Reasoning Club). While Ariella trying to make sense why is this in front of their school gates, she slowly let go of Michale and TJ's arms, took a few steps forward, walking up to the blond kid who's holding an umbrella ('why is he even holding an umbrella when there isn't any rain??'The three of them wanted to question) but Michale pulls her back.
"Hey buddy, are you ok?" Michale gave a look to Ariella, telling her not to scare the kid, then knee down to make eye contact with this blond hair kid who's holding an old diary and a fancy black umbrella that Michale can't tell the brand of. He's wearing like a "detective style" outfit: a brown deerstalker hat, with a brown cloak that's about to his elbow; a brown trench coat that matches with the hat and cloak, also with a dark black kid's size leather shoes; he's also wearing a white shirt with a black tie also can see there's a suit vest in it; he's wearing a suit pants which can be told that he's wearing a suit inside the trench coat that look quite expensive, which gives Michale the evidence that this kid is pretty rich indeed. "Or do you need anything?" Michale asked again, trying his best to sound nice but not a random weird high schooler who might kidnap a kid that's like in elementary.
Then this blond-haired kid handed him the diary that he held under his right arm (and his left hand is holding the fancy black umbrella that probably ain't cheap at all too). Michale took the diary without a second thought and he was confused: why did he take the diary? Why did this kid give HIM the diary? On the other hand TJ look at what Michale is doing (his back to be more clear) and feel like it's super hilarious: he's kneeling down on one knee; holding something (he couldn't see it from the back) with both of his hands; probably also having a confused look on his face that making him look so stupid. Ariella probably was thinking the same too due to her trying to hold back her laugh.
"Uhh, you want me to... hold it for you?" Michale asked with a questioning tone, trying to figure out what's going on. But the kid didn't answer him nor give a nod to Michale to express yes—or more so even, a no. Instead, he walked away.
"What was that?" Ariella asked again with giggles. Then finally she couldn't hold it anymore, burst into laughter. "Oh, by the way, show me the picture and remember to bring me lunch with dessert! Starting....next month!" While laughing, she remembered the bet they did not long ago inside the school building.
"Ok fine..." TJ sighs loudly. "But anyways Michale, what's the thing he gave you?" He turned and asked with an eyebrow raised, wanting to take a step closer to his childhood friend to take a peek. Ariella nodded her head even though she knows Michale can't see it.
"It's a diary."
Michale's voice suddenly is soft like the wind, both of his friends who are standing behind him barely catch what he said. He didn't mean to do that, but just somehow felt the weight of the diary that's in his hands is so heavy; he barely can breathe even holding it.
"What you said?" Ariella took a step forward and asked with full curiosity that she barely—or more so didn't even try to hide.
"It's a diary."
Michale stood up slowly while repeating his words. He turned to TJ and Ariella, took a deep breath, then started walking in the direction of his house. TJ and Ariella were confused, but they followed him anyway.
"You know what? Let's come to my house and figure out what's in this diary." MIchale said while walking but not looking back. "Like literally, this diary is old like my grandma, probably made in the 1950s or even older!" He yelled while waving his hands to show how old the diary is.
The three of them walk toward Michale's house, not knowing that the sky got dimmer with each footstep they walk, until it starts drizzling. When they finally realized it (they were half way already) the three of them started running fast, hoping that they would be inside the house before the rain gets bigger, but eventually they didn't.
"Oh my god, I'm soaking wet I HATE THIS!!!!!!!" Ariella's scream was all over the house. From the second she had stepped inside the house (which isn't so long ago), she started screaming, shouting, yelling, just to let her anger out due to getting herself wet (and how it's pouring outside when they almost got to Michale's house). "Calm down, it isn't a big deal Ariella." Michael shouted loudly at her direction, which was upstairs, the second floor guest room (but she probably can't hear him since he's in the bathroom downstairs although Michale tried his best to yell back).
Without hearing Tj's footsteps that's behind him, Michale continues drying himself in the bath room. "It's so strange, Michale." TJ's voice seems to have come out of nowhere; and since Michale didn't notice he's behind him before he spoke, which made him jump and scream.
"MY GOD! Dude, you need to walk with sounds or else I'm gonna be dead by a heart attack due to you getting behind me with a single warning signal!" Michale turned around breathing in and out heavily (with some exaggeration in it) then uses his index finger to point at TJ who's standing leaning against the door frame, holding the diary,and with a look of confusion on his face; his face is saying that the diary makes no sense at all.
"I will try next time, but that's not the point here." TJ said while standing straight. "Look, I try to figure out the things in the diary: there're some pages written with morse code, and they are translated into some weird, random things with no patterns involved." TJ turned his back to Michale. He is indeed still trying to figure out what's with the diary, but smart as his (the only freshmen in the student councilor) couldn't even find a single thing that makes sense in the diary. "And also," he continues speaking, starting from where he had left off. "It's extremely strange when someone writes with morse code in a diary. And also check this out: each two pages will have a childish handwriting of an 'actual' diary.... Any thoughts on it Michale?" Michale stares at TJ after he finished talking about his findings in the strange weird diary. He still is and will continue to be impressed by his childhood friend TJ—TJ Nemeg—who's very sensitive with solving codes, puzzles, and other brain challenging things. Michale never understands why this dude who's smart wanted to be friends with him? Michale let out a small breath and threw the thoughts he just had into the back of his brian. "And prayers TJ, prayers. We definitely need them. This diary is so strange, like come on,who writes a diary using Morse code??? Something's got to be up you know?"
"To keep privacy I guess." Ariella's voice came and became more clear as she walked down toward the bathroom where TJ is standing and Michale was in to dry his hair. "Like I would do that if I can." She adds on, also trying not to let Michale over think things.
Michale frowned. Something still seems wrong to him.
"Something still seems off..." Michale walked out the bathroom while mummering the words, trying to see through what was wrong inside all of these weird thoughts he had. "I get your point of "keeping privacy" but why do they need to?" He turns to both of his friends who now are both standing behind him. "There's other ways: putting a lock to the diary, hiding the diary, or even just leaving the diary alone, or simply burning the diary down—I'm kidding—but why, why morse code?" Michale starts overthinking things to make them complicated again. He always has this habit of overthinking which sometimes makes him more confused about the situation and more so even—can get him into some trouble he wasn't going for. Like for example, there's that one time he figured out their PE teacher was having an affair...he didn't figure it out himself but he overthink it then... somehow he just figured it out.
"You're over thinking again Michale." Ariella rolled her eyes at him.
A wet drop runs down Michale's cheek; he couldn't tell if it's his sweat or it's the rain water from a spot that he misses when he's drying his hair. He has this weird feeling: something is fishy about this diary. He couldn't brush away the feeling, it got stronger and stronger, making his stomach twist upside down. He just feels that something is off—something is wrong.
"You figure out the code?" Michale asked casually, didn't even try to sound super interested in the morse code. But the way he looked at TJ said something else: he IS interested, very interested. So when TJ caught his look (though it was just a few seconds) he nodded, knowing very well about Michale's way of expressing things: trying to make himself look cool (which sometimes doesn't really work out).
"Show us TJ." Ariella poked him with one of her fingers.
As they got out of the bathroom, TJ put his findings next to the diary to make everything more make sense.
The first page of the diary started like this:
.— .——. .—. . . .—.. / .———— . . .—— ——. .—— / .———— ————. —. . . . .———— ———. . . (April 13, 1961:)
.— — / — . . . . . / — . . —— . / —.—. ——— —— . . . . ——. .—— / — . . . . . / . . . —. ——— .—— / .—— . . .—. . .—. . / . .—. .— .—. . .—. . .—.—.— (At the time comes, the snow will fall.)
.—. . . . . .—. . / ——— .—. / —. . . .— — . . . . .—.—.— (Life or death.)
. . . . . / .—— . . .—. . .—. . / —. . . .—. . . —. ——. / . . . —. ——— .—— / .— —. —. . / .—— . . —. — . .—. .—.—.— (He will bring snow and winter.)
. .— .——. / — ——— / — . . . . . / —— ——— . .— —. — .— . . —. .—.—.— (Up to the mountain.)
.— —. —. . / . . . .——. .—. . . —. ——. / .—— . . .—. . .—. . / .—. . . .— . . .— . .—.—.— (And spring will leave.)
The next page is a normal diary of a child:
April 20, 1961:
Daddy took me to buy candies today! I got strawberry candies! (With a small drawing of a strawberry) Liya got blueberry candies! (With a small blueberry drawing on the side)
I hope daddy takes us all out again for candies! And also mommy made chicken soup for us! I had three bowls of soup! I love mommy's chicken soup!
"Ok." Michale interrupted everyone else. "Morse code, with a terrible written poem. And some kid's handwriting diary..." Michale paused and frowned. "Whose diary is it anyways??? Like hello??"
"I get you, it's so random." Ariella nodded her head, crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But it looks like a shared diary no?" She adds on.
"It does, which doesn't make sense." Michale frowned more. "Like who shares their diary with a kid??? Or which kid shares their diary with a weird dude that uses morse code??? Like this diary makes no sense."
"Which means..." Ariella said with a smirk on her face. Her eyes went on both of her friends: TJ has a straight face but clearly doesn't know what she is going for, and Michale on the other hand is frowning hard that looks like his eyebrows are tangled together with a small nod to show he understands what Ariella is talking about.
"Investigate it more. Let's meet after school in the science room to see what's the secret!" Ariella said with excitement and waving her hands in the air.
But Michale feels like something's off.
He didn't say anything, not to interrupt the excitement that Ariella has. But TJ saw his fear: fearing something that's unknown.
"It will be fine." TJ whispered in his ears.
The next few days the Reasoning Club was in the science room till five pm just to find out the information hidden inside the morse code and the childish diary. The pattern of the diary couldn't be found (except that every one page will be a morse code and the other will be a child's diary) which made the three high school freshmen want to quit.
Michale was the first one to say that.
"I don't want to do this anymore. It's so tiring, we barely have any progress, and the kid who handed us the diary hasn't come day in days...we don't have any evidence to get the information hidden in whatever it is in this diary."
The other two kept quiet.
They were indeed thinking the same too.
No progress means no new findings, no new findings means no progress. They're stuck in a loop of figuring out the "secret" or rather "mystery" under the morse code in the diary. But in the end they're just random poems that make no sense at all.
"I quit." Michale announced, putting the diary into a shelf of the science room that they made for the Reasoning Club. "I can't do this anymore."
Ariella and TJ look at each other: should they quit too? Or should they continue researching?
"I quit as well."
"Me too."
Not long after Michale announced his quitting, TJ followed and so did Ariella. The three of them left the room earlier than usual (after starting to investigate in the diary) but they missed the police who went to the principal's office just to find them.
The next day, before the first period even began, TJ, Ariella, and Michale were called to the principal's office.
There were police standing beside them, looking dead in their eyes. The three of them looked at each other, not knowing what they had done wrong.
"Where have you guys been after school ended at two forty these days?" The police started asking general questions. Trying to catch everything they said, finding errors in their wording.
"We've all been in the science room. We have a small club called 'Reasoning Club' which what we do basically is just investigating on cases that's been solved or helping out other students to find things that were missing." Michale tries to sound calm while speaking to the officer, not that he's scared due to him having done something wrong but just scared in general. "What have you been investigating on?" The officer add on to ask, showing no interest in their 'Reasoning Club' thing.
"A diary." Ariella answered. "It's an old fashioned diary that looks like it's from the 1950s." TJ added on.
Finally, one of the police officers lifted their eyes.
"An old fashioned diary that looks like it's from the 1950s? Can you show us it?" Michale nodded, asking permission to go to the science room to grab the diary.
When he came back down, he also got some data papers they were working on: the translation of the morse code, the figuration of each line of the poem, and the connection in between the poem with the childish diary.
"So, you all kids have been working on this." The officer looked at them quietly. "Do you know what's the meaning of this diary? Besides the morse code?" The three of them shook their heads.
"What's your name, young man." The officer kneels down a bit to be at the same eye level as Michale. "Michale, Michale Lieber." He answered with a soft voice and not looking up at the officer.
"I will tell you this young man, the diary itself is dangerous you hear me?" Michale nodded heavily. The police looked at his eyes for a few minutes, to check whether he understood or not: which he only found confusion and scared in Michale's eyes.
"Listen kiddo, this diary—or rather this evidence, it's from a serial killer. We need to take it. And, we need to keep the three of you safe."
Michale looked more confused.
"Wait sir, I don't understand sir, how is this..." he paused, not knowing what to say.
"Drop it off for a moment kiddo." The police officer cut off what Michale was trying to say. "Tell me young man, where did you get this diary?"
"Uh this kid.. a blond kid, who stood in front of our school gates gave it to me." The officer frowned. "Did he say anything?" Michale shook his head, not looking up. He heard the disbelief in the tone. "No sir, he didn't say anything."
"Me and TJ can prove it! We were standing right behind him! Michale was kneeling on one knee in front of this kid that is blond... I think his eyes are... blue? Green? Oh and he has these fancy black umbrellas I remember." Ariella quickly jumps into the conversation and explains basically everything needed in the person who gave them the diary. TJ listens while nodding his head from time to time to show that her words are true.
"So, you kids mean that there's a blond kid with a fancy black umbrella who gave you this diary?" The officer repeated their words.
"Yes sir, and no words are made up sir." Michale said, trying to sound fine and calm; but the slight trembling in his voice shows that he's scared: of course, he's only fifteen years old.
"Have you kids seen him after he gave you the diary?" Michale shook his head. "No sir, we didn't sir. He never came back sir."
The police nodded slowly, studying Michale's face.
"Now, kids, we're gonna keep you safe. Which means..." he paused. "We are going to take the diary."
The three high schoolers nodded with no argument made in between. They were indeed scared: fear the serial killer will come and find them, scared that they will get their family involved in it.
After the day they handed the diary to the police (with the data they've collected when having fun investigating the diary) the blond hair kid (the one who always stands in front of the school gates three on the dot with the fancy black umbrella like how Michale used to describe him with) is waiting for someone (or rather waiting for them).
Michale took a look at him, and just that one look made him regret; the kid looked back and started walking towards them—which means it isn't a good sign. Michale wants to take a step back and leave. He wants to grab the other two of his friends and run away from this weird kid. But he didn't. Instead, he froze. "So," the kid opened his mouth. It was rainy a bit earlier, so his fancy black umbrella was wet with water drops on it; his trouser legs were both wet (might be due to his pants being a bit long). And TJ who is standing next to Michale notices this: the clothes this kid is wearing actually is the uniform of their school, which made him surprised. "You gave away the diary?" His voice is cold with a questioning tone in between bouncing here and there, also with a bit of clarity toward the situation.
"Uhh, why do we have to answer you, you blond headed kid! And hey! You're the one who set us in danger with that stupid old fashioned 1950s diary!!!!" Ariella pushed the boys to the sides and shouted just in the little one's face with anger. "First: it's not from the 1950s, in fact it's actually from the 1930s. Second: my name is Pena, if you want to know my name. Third: I never set you guys in any danger: finding and figuring out the message inside the book doesn't set you into anything. And last but not least: the diary isn't stupid." The blond hair kid—Pena or rather—answers Ariella's questions (more like accuse actually) in one go. The three high schoolers look at him, then look at each other: what is this kid doing here???
"Ok Pena, do you need anything?" Michale got in front of Pena and kneel down. "Like, is the diary important to you?"
"It's a diary." Pena gave a random answer. Not willing to give a proper one to Michale. But Michale just went with him, wanting to make him say more things.
"Of who's?"
But this time, Pena didn't answer him.
