This chapter is slightly longer than the last one, but still short. Just so you know, chapters will get longer after Chapter 4, as that's the Chapter I get into the events of Curious Village. Enjoy the chapter!


Chapter 2: Shocked Scared

Flora ran down the steps leading down to her mother's grave, with little streams of tears flowing down her face. She could hear her father calling her name, but she paid no notice. She just wanted to be alone.

Flora slowed her pace when she reached her garden. She sat down facing the statue of her mother and, trembling, brought out a small notebook that she had taken with her. This notebook served as her diary. Though it was one of her father's smaller gifts, it was one of the most meaningful to her. Not because of the cover design, but because of the memories that could be stored inside it.

Opening the notebook, Flora looked through the first few pages. Instead of having diary entries, there were simple sketches of herself and her parents. She slowly flipped through them, tears coming to her eyes as she remembered what happened on the days that she had drawn them. Flora tried to hold them back, but they finally escaped when she turned the page and found the drawing of her and her mother walking through the manor's garden. That had been a happy day. They had walked almost as if without a care, with birds chirping overhead and the sun shining down on them. But they had been unaware how long that happiness would last. They had had no idea how soon one of them would pass away, leaving the other drowning in grief.

Tears poured down even harder as Flora thought that. They fell down onto the picture, blurring the lines and leaving small spots on the page. She sniffed and wiped the tears away before flipping past all the pictures and onto a blank page. On that page, she began to write.

Dear Diary,

Who was she? What was she? I wish I knew. At first I thought it was Mama, but then Papa said her name was Lady Dahlia. At that point I had backed off, suddenly feeling scared. How could another person look so much like Mama? She had reached out to me, probably to try and comfort me, and at that moment I had run off. Looking back now, maybe I should have stayed. But now that I think about it, I'm still shocked by the meeting. I don't think I can handle going back to properly introduce myself to Lady Dahlia today or even in a few days. I'm not even sure if I'll get over it at all…

-Flora