The Lost Diary of Meghan Wood

Muffled footsteps could be heard going up the stairs that lead to the attic that day. The day my older brother Tyler and I decided to play in the attic of our new house, the creepy, old one we moved in just that day. I peeked from the little opening and giggled. Spider webs covered the place and old, dusty things were scattered all around.

"Hey, what's up there? Tyler asked, climbing up just after me and rising his head up to look, Some old stuff. I replied, jumping on the wooden floor. What I had noticed first was a curious little portrait of a girl about my age, maybe my brother's, laying on the ground. It was big and the frame was fragile and seemed to have lost it's shine. A shine I had believed it had before we came here.

Who's that? My brother asked, walking right behind me and picking up the photo. He wiped the dust off of it, then turned it around to get a better look, She kind of looks like Aunt Bessie when she was younger, He laughed and threw the framed portrait across the attic, Remember when she showed us the pictures?

Yep, I nodded with each quiet little step, I sure did have quite the laugh when she put those up to our faces. The room was so silent that I could hear my own breathe. Even though our parents were just outside, it seemed as if we were all alone, adding to the scary feelings the house gave me back then. And then, just as I started to dance, my little purple skirt swinging around as I walked, I stumbled upon what seemed to be an old book and tripped.

I remember Tyler letting out a scream as the dust from the floor arose while I fell, and then later rushing to me and helping me up. We picked up the old book, and wiped the dust off of it, then sat on the old pile of things covered with white sheets in the creepy dark corner of the attic. I opened up the first entry. If I had the power to reverse time and erase one mistake from my past, I would erase that one. Who am I kidding? I would erase the whole conversation I had when I told Tyler we should go and check out the attic of the house.

Diary of Meghan Wood, 1982, January 24th, I mumbled and looked at the words written down on the page. The rest of it was a complete different story. Basically, the girl just moved into this house. The exact same house our parents just moved into, and she kept a diary. So I thought I could fish out some terrible secret about the house like it being the secret spot for a gang or something cool and dangerous like that. I was a sucker for danger and flames as a child. I regret my choice, ''Dear diary, today my step-mother and two step-sisters moved into the house. As soon as I saw it, I knew that the attic would be my favorite place. And here am I, checking it out. It's great. Like my own secret cave.'' It read.

Tyler gulped, and leaned in to read along with me. I didn't know if I felt more scared or curious at the time, but my feelings were strong and I knew I had to keep reading. Mistake number two. I looked at my brother, ''You know, maybe we shouldn't. After all, it's someone's diary. They wouldn't want two complete strangers reading it.'' I had a pure heart. But my brother was of a stubborn nature and peer pressured me into continuing.

Come on, don't be such a baby! Teased my brother, You're just too afraid to read it, aren't you? I wasn't. I was kind-hearted so I didn't want to invade someone's privacy, but at the same time, I knew I would never allow someone to call me a baby, ''Adley, you're nine, not five, right? So read it, come on, you big baby! Do it!'' He laughed and pointed. I couldn't handle the teasing so I bursted at him.

Okay, I cried and growled at him in rage, I'll read it, but don't call me a baby again. He scoffed proudly and started to repeat the words that he won and other things like that, dancing around me all the time. I almost punched him in the face, but held back as I cleared my throat and continued to read the words, ''I love it. I love it so much. It's like I'm connected to it on every level. I'll start new school in two days. I know because my step-mom told me. My step-sisters Elsie and Viviana are going too even though Viviana doesn't like school much.''

And then it began. I didn't stop reading. Like I was in a trance. My pulse got faster. Tyler got closer to the book. Spinning like a circle, the words started to roll of off my tongue like they were scripted:

"Diary of Meghan Wood, 1982, January 26th, today Elsie, Viv and me went to school together. We met a bunch of girls that didn't like us. Their names were Eliza, Margaret and Catherine. Catherine's best friend was Luke. He also called us names and pointed at us calling us witches. I don't know what we did. Viv hates them deeply and Elsie doesn't like them much. Margaret looks kind of me, so I like her only, and she was the one that kind of stood back from bullying us. I'm grateful. Other boys and girls just decided to stay away from us. They hate us. They hate us. They hate us. I know they hate us. I hate them.

I skipped over a few pages.

''Diary of Meghan Wood, 1982, February 7th, Elsie came up with a perfect plan, my dear diary. Cath, Margaret and Eli bullied us even more. Now the other kids hate us too. Elsie doesn't like Cath, Margaret and Eli. But she has a plan. She told me and Viv she wants to do something to Cath and her best friend Luke in a few days. She wants me to bring something. Elsie wants both Viv and me to bring something. Tiny, metal and sharp. Something that can cut. Cut flesh. Cut flesh. Cut flesh. What can cut flesh the best? The tiny, handy knife that I found in my step-mom's old vest.''

''Diary of Meghan Wood, 1982, February 13th, Luke and Cath are in our attic. Luke and Cath. Luke and Cath. Luke and Cath. They don't like us. But they are tied up. They don't see us. They are blindfolded. Viv put something over their eyes and tied their hands. And I, the slicer, will add the spice and take the first slice. What can the handy knife cut? Flesh, flesh, flesh. Human flesh, and Luke and Cath's necks. Dead, dead, Luke and Cath are dead. Luke and Cath are pale. Elsie hid them in the attic under the white sheets, and dead as can be, they are laying there still.''

My eyes went wide, but I couldn't stop reading now. As if my hands were tied to the book. And in capital letters were written the three words all over the page. The color of them was blood red with hints of brown, and seemed to be painted with fingers:

LUKE AND CATH ARE DEAD.

Me and Tyler wouldn't move. We just looked and stayed there. I still remember the chilling feeling, like we were paralyzed. Stuck in time.

''Diary of Meghan Wood, 1982, March 16th, Eliza and Margaret are dead. We sliced their throats, sliced their limbs in the attic, went over to their homes and fed their bodies to Eliza's goats. Laughs and giggles. Laughs and laughs. It was a happy day for everyone. Clap, clap, clap, we may now rest, Elsie, Viv and I, Meghan, the one that kills them all, the one they get to say their final goodbye to while they fade in the sky. But with us, you shall not mess, because maybe you would end up like Cath, who is dead. So stay calm and trust us or else.''

Again, letters in blood red read out the letters:

ELI AND MARGARET ARE DEAD.

''Diary of Meghan Wood, 1982, March 17th, Elsie, Viv and me got into a fight. Angry and sad, I've used up all of my might. They ended up killed, since I was too skilled. In fear of our step-mom, I put her to sleep too, and disposed of her body by throwing it out the window, and into the river of doom that was right by our room. Now scared and lonely, I hid in the attic and cried for what felt like hours. Viv and Elsie died. Step-mom died. And I remained alone, cold, suffering of sleepless nights.''

And again:

ELSIE AND VIV ARE DEAD.

''Diary of Meghan Wood, 1982, March 23rd, I got a little too mad. I got a little too sad. And with a final cry of pain, I died. I apologize, for the countless times I lied. I apologize, for the countless times I've killed. For the time I've spent as a 13 year old girl, who enjoyed looking at bodies which went limp. It started from Luke and Cath, then it ended, as I took my own life.''

MEGHAN IS DEAD.

After reading the final entry, Tyler and I ran out screaming and never found the diary again. After we read it, many things started to happen. Our dad got into a car crash. Our mom had a miscarriage. Tyler broke his leg five times during his soccer practice in a span of a couple of months. And I, nothing happened. Nothing except this strange thirst to write a diary of my own that has an ending like the one in Meghan's. An ending that fades away.

I did a little bit of research, and Meghan killed herself with her step-mom's shotgun in the middle of the attic. I've always wondered where that strange dark stain came from. It apparently said as soon as she did it, she died and fell to the ground.

So the real question is:

Who wrote, MEGHAN IS DEAD. in Meghan's blood after she had passed away?