The Black Diary

"Hail ho! They came again!" the old women beside me yelled. It seemed mystical the sun rays disappearing from the sky spreading numerous pigments of colours. It was so quite, so peaceful, the birds chirping as they moved back in herds towards the forest "My end is NEAR! I can see it...Zerebe, Zerebe!!" she cried."What's wrong grandma? is it one of those daydreams again". She told me to call mother. Our house is shady from one side and well build at the other . We're surrounded by flowers as my father loves gardening and is a florist in the town nearby, we live here in Kyoto. I heard some noise in the kitchen, the jingling of spoons. "Oka-san, is it you ?" "Yes, Zerebe it's me, do you need anything...?" said the voice . I entered inside the kitchen, the aroma of pancakes filled the room . "It's not me, grandma is asking for you... Can I have one of these ?" I asked shyly. "Don't you touch it! your father is about to come. We'll have them together... and where is mother?". I indicated that she was downstairs and struggled as my mother dragged me along with her.

"Mother is it one of those hallucinations I might be old but my senses are still sharp.. I say what i mean And mean what I say". Hallucinations, that's what everyone in Kyoto said my grandma was suffering from. We took grandma upstairs to her room for medicines. She had them with some tea and pancakes and even though mother resisted she made me have some with her . As they melted in my mouth the hot and sweet taste of it delighted me. After some time father came, my mother arranged the dinner and i went up to call my grandma who had slept. Meanwhile, my mother and my baby sister who was just about 6 years younger than me stood near the stairs gazing at me. As if I were to do something really big. The mole at my sister's brow seemed funny as she made weird faces out of curiosity because waking grandma was not an easy task and we couldn't have her skip meals or medicines. But she came out of her room opening the door really slowly. It seemed as if she had been awake the whole time. Every thing was the way it used to be but it was little more quite today.

As usual, we all went up to our beds for getting some sleep . The next morning i woke up a little early . My sleep was disturbed by mother's cry. I could hardly see my self in front of me and i hurtled downstairs wiping my eyes."Oka-san! Oka-san!" i yelled . I saw my mother collapsed in front of me... in my father's arms. He had reached before probably was about to go our shop. I heard my sister crying badly downstairs. I reached my father and mother with Juvia in my arms."Oto-san! What happened?...why are you outside grandma's door?..why is oka-san un-concious", I had so many questions inside me. I saw the door in front of me opened. Grandma was siting in the chair cozily I reached her thinking that she would answer my queries. I shook her, as my fingers touched her skin. Cold, it was so cold like ice a fear struck me. My finger didn't move anymore. I put my sister down. "Grandma!!..." I wept and wept. I could hear Juvia crying badly next to me and i along with her.

After few days, everything returned to the way it used to be. My father and mother decided to keep some of grandma's belonging and donate the rest. My mother wanted me to clear the desk while she was working at the shelf and window curtains and some of grandma's kimonos. They were pretty my mother kept three of them in grandma's memory."One for me, one for Juvia and one for your wife" she explained , in the desk i found a black diary , plain black it was. It was filled with vivid handwriting , -Usui Misaki x Haru, these words adorned in the first page of the diary. Misaki was my grandmother's name and Haru that of my grandpa's. I asked my mother if i could keep it and she said "Go ahead, you can keep it".

The following days i passed inside the room of my four walls. I read the stories written by my grandma but could hardly make any sense out of them. It seemed as if all of them were incomplete and I thought it was useless.

"Zerebe , your friend is here", my mom called for me. I hurried downstairs and didn't notice when the diary fell from my lap in the wooden furnished floor. It was "Elisa" my best friend ,she stood finest in everything ,be it studies, dance, sports or any co-curricular activities I lead her to my room. What brought you here today?. "You had cut-off yourself from us entirely...so I thought I may pay my visit".

"Had I...? Ughh...well, yes I had something keeping me busy these days...But, now it's over. Don't worry".

"Is it related to your grandma".

"Yes, it's her diary. I tried to read it but any chapter in it doesn't make any sense...so I gave up".

"May I have a look at it?", Elisa asked.

"Oh yes!...why not...(searching) now where did i put it again ...I did drew up some hints though like souls and all...(Picking it up from the floor).Here you've it" (a piece of paper falls)

"What was that Zerebe ?"

"Let's see (Zerebe picks up paper that is fell)...Another useless sheet of paper!"

"What does it say ,show it me, I wanna see to it..."

"READ BREEZE , here look (shows)".

"That's strange...it surely doesn't make any sense for someone to write two words so far and that too, in capital letters...what could've she wanted to indicate ?"

"Ughh...mm....you're right"

"Wait(notices something) bring me a pair of scissors"

"Really..?(was the look of Zerebe face)

Here(hands them over)

Elisa cuts the words at first and then does the same with the letters unscrambles them and what it formed startled me . It read , "DEAR ZEREBE"

I became rigid in a stunned figure it felt as if it had been all about me. "But what could've have she wanted me to do?" I heard the voice of my conscience.

Meanwhile Elisa searched my grandma's diary and found two pages stick together. She held it by the edge scratched it with her nails and tore both the side apart, inside was another folded sheet. What could it be now, i murmured but I could see the look in Elisa's face she was so seriously looking at it as if she was up for a great discovery. The look at her face reminded me of crazy scientist teacher my mother used to have. She often recited his tales how he used to elope and find even nonsensical things interesting.

"It.. can't be, words been thrice there! Elisa whispered " she bit her lower lip and come running towards me," Zerebe, your grandma didn't have hallucinations you might not believe it but... here , see this"(showing the unfolded piece of paper)

I didn't see much about it they were just numbers arranged in no sequence "What's about it, just some..."

"No! No....they aren't just numbers remember earlier you said that all the chapters are havoc...now read these chapters in this sequence"

Now, I understand why grandma had left that sheet of unfolded paper behind. It might sound absurd but as the chapter read, she(grandma) had been twice wrongly picked up by reaper's men and then sent back to earth. She remembered every bit of there. But father would never believe this sort of thing. So, she wrote down what she had seen.

"Death is inevitable son, but sometimes even the lord makes mistakes".

The last chapter read.

For days Elisa and I wondered what and how would've grandma felt.

I still wonder what could the reason be for her to tell me this all?

But whatsoever, she definitely was one heck of a grandma.