The Patterson Entries

Journal Entry #15

Remember those people that always told us how in the last moments of our lives..everything flashes before us? Well mine hasn't..and as i lay here, laced with splashes of my own blood up against the cold, damp, hard wall of a cave, i see only one thing. The eyes and image of my girlfriend, Jessica. The perfect replica of the stereo type of a blonde. Blue eyes..blonde hair..great smile. It's all i can think about..how i could have done things better when i last saw her..told her i loved her..kissed her one last time. By now you're thinking, why put this entry here..at the top of your journal. Why? Because now you can see how i could have done things better in the last days of my life...how i could have bought another pack of cigarettes because i'm out..and frankly i'm bored..death is going to slow. Imagine that..i'm rushing my own death...wait i see something..it's a light shining through the tree's..there's a figure coming towards me...i can........

Journal Entry #1

The aroma of morning coffee arose my zombie like form from beneath the peach faded colors of my bed. My eyes titled open, peering through the slits to see the form of my girlfriend, Jessica hovering over me with a cup of coffee in hand. She reminded me of my train appointment i had to leave for the edge of Scotland. I unfortunately had acquired a job at a local news station, immediately rushing me out to a story involving a disappearance of a local man and woman. A couple no less, looking for an adventure or romantic time out in the hills someplace. I said nothing to Jessica that day, just looked at her, staring deep into her marvelous blue eyes, like oceans that breached my shores, she took my love and pulled it back into her endless blue. No i know that not many modern people enjoy poetry but it's the only thing i could think of to describe her..up close and even through the windows of the train.

Hours passed by and nothing interesting nor worth noting occurred apart from a wonderful Scottish man who greeted me at the station. Trying to convince me to give him some money; of course i did, don't rush to conclusions before reading the next sentence dear reader. It didn't take me long to get to the location where my source was telling me to go. Tree's lined the edges of the hills, not daring to pass any further, as if a line had been drawn and they could not pass. And there i stood, camera in hand, journal in satchel and an eyebrow raised, staring out at the looming tree's before exhaling and entering their territory, completely now at their whim..and whoever lived inside.

Journal Entry #2

I broke out into my march through the seemingly endless forest with gusto, a sense of optimistic integrity about me as i leaped over broken tree limbs, only to fall flat on my face once i reached the other side. No, i wasn't that athletic, but i enjoyed the rush of air whenever i could get it, even if that meant moving my legs a bit faster than they were used to. If it wasn't for the heat, that broke through the tree line above me, i wouldn't had slowed down, especially upon seeing an unusual structure looming in front of me. It was a statue. A statue of a human like figure, reaching up into the sky with four floating objects between its hands. Instinctively i snapped a quick picture, moving around the side to get angles on it before my boot stepped on something that snapped. It wasn't an ordinary snap, no, something much more gruesome and horrible as it was followed by a splatter.

Reluctantly i peered down at what i stepped on; a hand, a human hand laid beneath my shoe. Jumping off of it, my mouth edged open as my eyes scanned over what remained of two bodies, one male and one female. Before i could completely register what i was looking at, four forms mustered up in the tree line to my left, catching the sight out of the corner of my eye. Dashing behind the statue, i peered around, staring out at the four figures as they approached the bodies. All four floated in mid air, flames engulfed one while water, air and grass did the others. All appeared to be female due to their body shape and figure. Slowly my camera crept up my side and in front of me, it's lens aiming at the figures, my right index finger hovering over the button. Then their eyes met mine, causing me to freeze in place, frozen like the statue i hid behind. Move! Move! Move damn you!

Journal Entry #3

I can't say how fast they were going, i cannot tell you how quick i turned, but i can say that i made it back to the tree's. To the cover that i thought would protect me and give me some solitude in this bitter predicament i was currently in. I could hear their screams, their battle cries echoing behind me as i continued to run. I ran so far, thinking i would never get out of this damned place, i never thought i'd hate the sight of trees or the sound of branches snapping beneath my boots. So many times my legs felt like noodles, felt like falling down, but i pressed on until i did actually fell down onto the dirt beneath me. As my face lay on the dirt, my breath lifting it up into a small cloud; for sure i thought i would die right there, lying on the bottom of the forest floor.

Then her image came to me, Jessica, why would she come in my moment of need, in possibly my last moments, "It's my life, it's now or never, i ain't going to live forever" i mumbled. Don't ask why, nor how, but it gave me the strength to get up, to continue running further through the woods until tumbling down a hole at the foot of a larger tree. There in the hole, i moved to the back, my eyes fixed on the opening i fell through, ready for them to enter. There and then i wrote one last letter, just in case.

To whom this may concern,

Do not judge me by the way my body is positioned for found..if there is any of it left to be found...no, instead, judge it about how it was used and what it went through. If this letter gets to someone with a heart then i ask only this. Give it to Jessica Rachel, she lives in London..if there is any regret i have then it is that i never got to tell her i love her. Nor tell my boss to They have dogs with no noses! off with this damned report. If you are reading this..then you already know..don't cry..don't morn my passing..i will see you soon..there's a better place for us out there Jess..a better world. And i will see you there

~Ben

Journal Entry #4

How could one sleep with the ever growing sense of safety falling apart around you, whether those things could come back at any moment? So i could do nothing but stay up the whole night, and that's what i did, until i eventually passed out and woke the next morning to the echo of a bird chirp. Curious things birds, always tending to tell us when the mornings are or when they are happy as if everyone else cares about their moods and time of day. Crawling, edging my way out of the hallowed out tree, that gave me a much needed feeling of safety that night, i slowly made my way back to civilization. But then i remembered something, i remembered the unique feeling of curiosity, how it felt and how it fueled my endeavors whenever i needed it to. And yet here i feel it once more, between the tree line, standing ideally in the middle of the forest, looking completely lost to any who looked at me.

Next thing i knew i was once more back at the alter, gazing nervously over my shoulder to see if the beings were back or coming towards me. Once i was sure i was alone, i proceeded to the front where i snapped a few pics of the inscriptions on the stone. Some sort of depiction..a pictograph describing the figures history. Of course i had no idea what it was talking about nor its significance, all i knew was there was a picture of the four figures hovering around a shinning orb of some kind, possibly the sun..or maybe something of importance. Must have been because within a flash of blinding light, the four figures were hovering behind me, each glaring down at my skinny, pale figure as i turned around to face them. With a weak and forced smile i took a picture, oh this was going to be fun..i could just tell...way to go Ben.

Journal Entry #5

The unforgiving sun beat down upon my pale skinned brow, causing sweat to stream down like a broken and loose faucet. Frozen, i could do nothing but allow it to drip down and eventually plummet to the soil beneath my feet. The four elemental figures glared at me, each peering to one another before the fire one approached my person, "You are...patterson" it hissed, i gradually found the courage to nod my head, my body however, still locked, "Those who tell come to this land..they steal...and they destroy the foundations. Go...go with this knowledge".

I stood there, pondering what i had just heard from the fire-filled being hovering feet in front of me, but upon it hovering closer, i quickly turned and ran. Who is to believe that was the last time that i'd ever see those things...and who would ever believe what i discovered when my eyes finally met the civilized horizon of London. There were momentary flashes were I forgot what happened next..the only thing i can recall past that moment is walking through the doors of my office building only to immediately be welcomed by my boss.

With his wide usual grin, he welcomed me with opened arms, "Ben! Find anything?!" he exclaimed, I nodded, "Yeah", then tucked my camera into my pocket and gazed up at him. Peering into his eyes, the grin on my Boss's face fell down to nothing but a returned glare. "There are-" I was stopped by the sudden interruption of my, now furious, boss, "I don't give a crap what they are! That land is mine! It's my families land to do what i please! If i want to chop every bleeding tree down then so be it! Who freaking cares?!". I etched on a smirk and gestured to the growing formation of people behind the boss. Turning he forced a chuckle and smile, "It's not..it's not what it looks like".

Within an hour later, that same boss was behind bars at the local jail, his cries of fury echoing throughout the surrounding buildings. Slowly but surely, that echo dissipated from thought and mind as i walked further away, a new found smile emerging on my face as i not only walked away with pride filling my gut and a promotion under my belt, now holding the job of the man whose very cries were just now fading away behind me. Life was looking up for once...