Emily My Love

It was a beautiful day. No clouds, no rain, blue sky, just beautiful. I had recently moved from my peaceful home-city to a small town in Colorado. I was walking around the neighborhood, trying to find something interesting besides the stores east to my house. I came across another house that seemed to be abandoned. By seem to be I mean it's falling apart and on the market it wouldn't sell for jackshit. So being me, I had to go inside.
There was literally just a chair, a bedroll, some Cheez-its, Goldfish, and slightly rotten apples. I was scared, but I just thought maybe it was a homeless guys house. I looked in the back. There was a slight crack on the floor. I ran my finger down it, and the floorboard moved. What was underneath it seemed to be a Ziploc bag full of tapes. Each labeled Journal Entry #1-12. I first thought to put them back, but my curiosity got the better to me, I had to get them over to Dave's.
Dave's is a pawn shop east of my house. I met Dave on my second day in the neighborhood. Nice guy, really knows his stuff. He knows whats in his store, where it is, and what it does. I thought maybe he would have a tape recorder that could play these kind of tapes.
I walked into Dave's, and was greeted with a "Hey kid, nice to see you." I would've said something like "You too," but I had a lot more on the plate than a simple greeting.
"Dave, I found these tapes somewhere. I was wondering if you had anything that could play it."
He replied, "Well let us take a look here, we got smaller size cassettes, I got just the thing!"
He turned around and ran towards the back end of the store, I saw him rummaging through a box, and he pulled out what I guess is either a tape recorder or a smaller size off-brand walkman.
"How much?" I asked.
"It's free, if I can listen to them with you."
I smiled. "It's a deal."
We sat down behind his counter, pulled out the first tape, and put it in the recorder.
He handed it to me. "How about you do the honors?"
I pushed play.
Journal Entry #1
I'm not much of a journal guy, but I thought maybe if I were to get cancer, or amnesia, I could listen to these and hear what I actually spent my existence doing.
Anyways, my name is Griffin. When you're named Griffin, you get to be gifted with the onslaught of people calling you Gryffindor. How original of them.
I go to a very small school by a church. It's not a religious school, just poorly funded. Normally, I would hate such a place, but there is always one girl that can make me smile, one girl that can turn a bad day into an amazing one, and that girl's name is Emily.
Emily and I have been going out for a month now. I haven't kissed her yet, if you're wondering. I want to wait for a very special moment, or make a very special moment. However, we do the whole young love romance thing. Hold hands, cuddle, what you would normally do at our age.
But let me ask you this: If love is a real thing, how long does it take to know for sure?
Anyways, I have to go to bed. Big day tomorrow.
Journal Entry #2
It's been a month since I last wrote. Things have been going pretty good. Nobody is giving me any shit, nobody even notices me in the first place. I hate them all, what did I ever do to deserve such loneliness? They're all fucking idiots anyway.
Thank god for Emily, I would never be able to last in school.
Things are going pretty well with her. No major fights, no unfaithfulness, just pure romance. If it wasn't for my deadbeat father we could've been together this weekend.
Well, I need sleep. Better hit the hay.
Journal Entry #3
It's been a couple weeks. Today I have never been so angry in my life. I was at school, and my friend was talking to Emily in a flirty way. Doesn't he know she's mine and mine only? Fucking swine. He doesn't get it. He doesn't know there is punishments for an action against friendship.
Journal Entry #4
My friend died yesterday. Poor guy, I can't believe he would shoot himself in the head. He had so much to live for, maybe he felt terrible for what he did. Maybe karma caught up to him. Emily isn't doing well. After all, it was her friend too.
Journal Entry #5
Another friend of mine is flirting with Emily. I'm so tired of them, I shouldn't have any of these friends. I need to drop them. Maybe karma will catch up to him too.
Journal Entry #6
He's dead. I'm not ashamed to say I killed him. I went over to his house. He didn't know I was coming over. He was awfully surprised when I stabbed him in the chest, even more so when I cut out his heart. Now he will never be a problem again. No one will get in between me and my love. No one.
Journal Entry #7
Emily broke up with me today. After all I've done for her, she has the fucking audacity to leave me! I couldn't help it, I killed every last one of my friends at our school, didn't take me long. I just poisoned all they're lunches. It's over, they're all gone. I hope they said goodbye to their mothers before they took their last breath. I couldn't help but smile when they all choked on their own fluids, gargling and gasping for air when they knew they would never find it. I do this for you, Emily. Everything I do I do it for you.
Wherever she is, I pray she comes back to me. I already lost my friends. I can't lose her.
Journal Entry #8
I came to her house yesterday, I begged her to come back to me, and how I was lost without her. She took me back, I'm so happy. Now that all my friends are gone I don't have to worry about anyone taking her away from me.
I hear her yelling, look like she needs her dinner, I'll write tomorrow. I'll have lots to talk about.
Journal Entry #9
She tried to escape, am I not good enough for her? I fed her, she used the bathroom, she has a TV and any movie she wants, there is no fucking reason she needs to leave. She told me a while ago I was her oxygen. Well, if I am her oxygen, she is going to need it to breathe.
Journal Entry #10
This will be my last entry for I need to leave this world. All I wanted was to live happily ever after with the love of my life, but I couldn't handle the thought of her leaving me, and now I need to dig a hole. I'm so sorry, It was never supposed to end this way.
Journal Entry #11
I ran away instead. Suicide is never the option. They know it was me, but I'm long gone. I'm 5 states over, in Colorado. Lots of things happen down here, I'll have fun. Maybe I'll make some friends soon.
Journal Entry #12
So I met this girl Taylor, I can't wait to spend more time together. I have high hopes for this one.
----
Dave looked at me, "Kid, where did you find these tapes?"
"That abandoned house near at he corner of Weston." I was absolutely horrified at what I just heard.
Dave gave me that look that fathers give their kids when their worried about them. "My advice to you is to get rid of these tapes, and you never speak of them to anybody. Ever."
I shook my head. "Dave, I think I'm going to go to bed. It's getting late."
"Always nice to see you kid, take care."
As I was walking out of Dave's he said, "Hey kid, watch your back out there."
I simply replied with, "I will."
For the next three days I just kept the tapes under my bed. I would try to return them, but as soon as I walked back to the abandoned house I was too afraid to step inside. I thought about them all the time. I couldn't help but wonder why the tapes were unfinished. Did Griffin want to finish his tapes? Did he get bored? I just don't understand.
I went outside again, just to walk around town. I needed to clear my head anyway. There's a burger joint right past Dave's and I really could use some fatty foods. I ordered a burger, some fries and a large coke. Then I see this beautiful girl walk into the restaurant. You know when you're so stressed, you almost need a little love at first sight? I had to talk to her.
I walked up to her, I guess I felt confident. Maybe it was just my fear, telling me I had nothing to lose.
"Hey, I'm Alex, just moved in a month ago." I don't like my real name, so I don't really tell it to anyone, Alex is my middle name.
"Hey, welcome to the neighborhood!" she exclaimed, "I'm Taylor."
I froze. Could this be the Taylor Griffin was talking about? I put the thought down, I went outside for a reason. I needed to get away from this. I needed to get away from everything. I heard the door open, a boy, close to my age walked up from behind her and kissed her. Great, she had a boyfriend.
"Who is this?" he asked a little aggressively.
"Oh, this is Alex, he just moved in a month ago."
He smiled at me. "Hey Alex, allow me to introduce myself." He smiled wider. "I'm her boyfriend Griffin." He leaned in very close to my ear and whispered, "But I bet you already knew that."
"Well it was nice meeting you Griffin and Taylor, but it's getting late and I need my beauty sleep."
Griffin smiled at me again. "Sweet dreams."
I started running. I couldn't believe it. I saw him, in the flesh. He was staring right at me. A killer was staring right at me. I couldn't stop thinking about what he did to the people who flirted with Emily, even the people who just simply talked to her. I just needed to get home.
I approached my door and bolted in as quick as possible. I was too scared to even blink at this point.
"Honey? You home?" It was my mom. God was I glad to see her. I ran up to her and hugged her. At this point I was in tears. I was terrified I would never see her again.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
"Everything."
"Hey, I know what will cheer you up."
"What?"
"Well your'e already making friends! In fact, a boy came and said he was your friend and told me to give you this letter."
"Mom, did he give you a name?"
"Hmm, I think he did. I can't remember though, I'm not getting any younger."
"Mom, please try to remember."
"I think it might have been Griffin, but I can't be sure, just read the letter."
I grabbed the letter, and I walked up to my room. I sat down, and opened it.
Dear Jude,
Yes, I know your real name. I also know where you live, what you do in your spare time, your Mom and Dads name, I know a lot of things. I know you know who I really am, who I was before I arrived here. I'm willing to let it all go, if you give me my journal back.
-Griffin
There was a knock on the door.
I rushed downstairs, and opened the door. I knew dad was coming home soon. Instead, It was Griffin. I opened the door.
"Read my letter?" he said with a smile.
"I'll be back with your journal." I shut the door and locked it, and I ran up to my room and grabbed the tapes. I ran back down and opened the door.
"Here." I handed him the tapes. "Don't worry, they're in the same condition they left in."
"Thank you," he told me. As he was walking away, he said with his smile he always had on his face, "Hey, I'm willing to put the whole past behind us, maybe we could be friends. That is, if you never spoke to Taylor."
"Thanks, but I would rather be an acquaintance."
He laughed for what seemed like half a minute, then he stepped closer, and looked so deep in my eyes, I felt him in my head. He just quietly said, "Goodbye Jude."
Fortunately, that was the last I ever saw of him. I did hear though, that a pretty blonde haired girl was found at the side of the road with her throat slit. I didn't hear a name, but I could only assume that it was Taylor. But perhaps the worst part is that they never found Griffin. Wherever he is now, whoever he is now, he is someone else's problem.
Category:Mental Illness