Final Entry by Mikaela Miyamoto

Dear Dreadful Diary,

The end of my trip has come and I fear I may never be able to take another. After my discoveries about Edward’s lineage and his…. current state, I had no idea what to do or how to proceed. It seemed Fate was playing a cruel joke on me. I only wanted to have a little fun on my trip back and now I fear I’ll be locked up somewhere forever. Not only did I interfere with the living, I cast spells on another member of a prominent witch family and even cursed him with an old family amulet. All of which are pretty extreme cases of breaking the contract I signed in order for my body to reconstitute and visit for this most mystical month. I didn’t think twice about any of it because usually young ladies enjoy a romance or two, use a few spells, and have a little fun during their Living Vacation. It’s actually a bit of a tradition for our family to break a few rules and let loose a little when we get our turn to do this trip. It’s one of the few times we are permitted and encouraged to act unlike our family reputation. I mean, the whole reason I write to you here is in the hopes that my mistakes can be avoided and my tips and tricks be learned by future descendants! Of course, you already know this. You must be one of us! Unless I’ve ruined every descendant’s chance to go on this trip by making such a mess of things. I sincerely hope that’s not the case. I was able to find a loophole I could use to contact grandmother by reading through previous members entries. Through our communications I was told I must retrieve the amulet and bury it with my corpse. Only then will it release its hold on Edward’s spirit. My grandmother asked when I described the amulet. Apparently it is an old family heirloom, originally used to profess true love through eternal hardship. Edward’s and our family had actually been entangled before. That relationship and the pain that came from it is the reason why there is such disdain and distance between us now. The amulet was a gift from a great great great ancestor of mine to an ancestor of his. Our two descendants couldn’t stop their forbidden feelings for each other and so although they couldn’t be together in life, they pledged to be together in death. The amulet was a symbol of that. But as life went on, their relationship soured and so did the intention in it. Now that it had found its way back to Edward’s family again, I needed to retrieve it or his soul would be tied to mine forever. And clearly he was quite beloved if someone had gone to such lengths to preserve his body the way it had been. I had to fight Edward for it as he didn’t want to give it back at first. But eventually he conceded. I had decided to just be honest with him. I explained our family histories and why we simply couldn’t be. How I was visiting the mortal realm as a flesh and blood being. How I had to leave at the stroke of midnight. Although he was sad, he still had some hope. He handed over the amulet only after I promised that if we ran into each other in the afterlife, we could at least try to be friends. While it is a sweet sentiment, that world is so big and chaotic I doubt we’ll run into each other again. With glistening eyes, we embraced one final time before he walked out my door, waving goodbye. This time, I’m sure I appeared smaller and smaller to him as he made his way home. I revisited the place I had my picnic at, finding my family’s section. I carefully dug a small hole in the grass where my body lay and buried the amulet. I recited a small incantation in the hopes it would never cause trouble again, crossed my heart, then headed home. I packed my things, ensured all the candles had been blown out, and am now writing in this diary as the final minutes tick down the clock. Most ghouls are only allowed 3 chances to revisit this world. I can only hope I’ll still be granted that privilege after what I’ve done this time. I’ll have to learn of my punishment when I re-enter my world. I beg of you, my dear family member, do not make the same mistakes I did. Follow the rules, don’t reveal your true nature to anyone, and don’t interfere with the living. And ESPECIALLY, don’t fall for the sweet boy whom you know nothing about. At least learn his name and who his family is first. And even then, I can’t promise you won’t be heartbroken by the end. Good luck out there my friend. And I hope to see this Dreadful Diary again someday.

Love,

Luna the LOVELY (I won’t be truly live-ly for much longer)