A Battered Journal

Entry 1

Great news, diary! I had a new idea tonight. It's a story about a little boy who dreams of hell. He has a great life and everything works out well for him and he's reasonably happy, but every night he dreams of hell. I was going to present it in sort of a fairy tale kind of way, a little dark - but hey, it could be fun! Might start work on it soon. I just haven't figured out how it'll end...

Entry 2

Not so great today, a few setbacks in reality that have made it hard to commit to writing anything down. Nothing major, just little stressful things. It's really killing my creative buzz. However, I did manage to start on that devil boy story, you know, the one I mentioned earlier? The beginning's nothing special, but I think the ending will be something to remember. Here's hoping.

Entry 3

I have no idea how I manage to work under the conditions I'm in! Petty little distractions, everywhere. It's getting harder and harder to commit to anything concrete. I'm worried my stories will start to look all schiziophrenic and unpolished. Still, with a bit of determination and good music, I'm about half way finished with the devil boy story. Ending still hasn't come to me, but I'm getting close.

Entry 4

No writing today. I couldn't bring myself to start. I tossed and turned in bed for twelve whole hours. Something is really screwing with my head - I think all this stress is giving me nightmares. Not to mention stomach pain. Still, taking a break from things was good for me. I got no sleep, but I went for a walk in the rain and got some fresh air, and that helped. Too tired to write anymore tonight.

Entry 5

Roadblocked. I didn't think it would happen, but I got to the end of the devil boy story and I couldn't think of anything! I didn't want him dying, but I knew the tone was too dark for everything to end happily...I just drew a blank. But that's okay, because I've come up with another idea! No point lingering on mistakes...especially because the dreams haven't gone away. I think I'm too emotionally invested in the devil boy story. Time for something new. My new idea is about a boy who gets a magic paintbrush, that allows him to set any emotion into a painting flawlessly. So he starts setting down things like boredom and anger and love into paintings and the people around him react to them. I have two endings planned, one tragic, one happy. Time will tell as to which one I use, I suppose.

Entry 6

I...I think I see it now. The problem with my devil boy story. It came to me in a dream, diary. I think my mind is trying to tell me something.
This magic paintbrush idea. I keep dreaming of myself with the paintbrush. In the story, the paintbrush tears away the veil between emotion and art. In my dream, I'm holding the paintbrush. If I can brush away that veil between emotion and narrative, if I can write the devil boy story without holding anything back...maybe I can finish it.
Finished the paintbrush story, by the way. I made it as a cautionary tale - the boy was drowned in a well. Some silly moral lesson about the foolishness of getting too emotionally attached. I'm not sure about it, to be honest. I'm sure any kid could see the value of such a paintbrush. Might set it aside from now, it needs work.

Entry 7 and Entry 8 appear to be missing entirely. Entry 9 is torn in half, with the bottom half visible. The lettering is jagged and unpleasant.

-imple really. Like moths to flame. I open the door, and the words just flow through. The dreams haven't stopped, but they aren't hurting either, so I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track. I just need to make sure that I don't hold anythi -

The next several pages are blackened, as if by fire.

Entry ???

so close. almost finished. i'm sure it can end with him surviving. everything in his life was good at first. he can realise that. he can realise that and go back to how things were. i'm sure of it. i have faith in the character. he'll realise that nobody can live if they don't seperate emotion from action. nobody can lie, nobody can -

The entry cuts off abruptly. The next few pages are blank.

Entry ???

can't sleep can't eat can't stop only the story only the story no time for fixing it no time for repairing it only time to end it it must end it must end it will be ended and then i'll be free of it

The last three pages in the book are browned and stained with a dried liquid. On the back cover, there is a single word scratched into the binding.

FREE