The Ghost's Diary 👻 ✓

46. Letters

For a second there..., it almost looked like I was seeing Dylan... no- he's right here with me. It's not possible.

A cough erupts from the double-seater and I see Ethan raising his right brow at me. Instead of my reply, he is greeted by Dylan's.

"Henry never answered two questions: What happened when he first rejected Meredith? And only one Knightley survived in 1890, not two."

Before I can process anything, Allison glides in, saying:
"There were four lines to the poem Henry cited:
'Vows shall be tested,
Bonds shall be questioned,
Friendships shall be challenged,
For only one has to toll through East of Eden to reach the gardens of heaven.'
What if those four lines refer to the four of us?"

She's been asking more questions, today. Not that it's bad, but I wonder...

The journal spirals out of from Dylan's hands and onto the coffee table at the centre. It flips throw a whirlwind of ceramic pages till it reaches the very end. I catch a glimpse of the previously placed daffodil before it reaches the very last page.

This time, Henry's writing is painted across the empty canvas.

"I'm afraid that I am only at the labour of telling two questions. One shall be left out as I am only allowed to foreshadow the future, not foretell it."

I crease my eyebrow at this, saying:
"Allowed? You actually follow someone?"

"I only follow what I have faith in, Lindsey."

"Meredith first expressed her sentiments by leaving an arbutus on my study table. I know because there was a miniscule scroll attached to it with her initials 'M. M. M'.
I answered, a few days later, with a striped carnation with my initials on the same scroll."

Everyone stares at the words before looking at me for flower symbolism explanation. I slightly shake my head and sigh,
"Arbutus symbolises I only love you while striped carnations mean rejection in the gentlest way possible."

Dylan releases a short breath while Ethan blinks a few extra times.
A small smiles plays on Allison's face before vanishing too soon.
I, on the contrary to their expressions, only lower my gaze to see new words formed on the journal.

"As for Ms Crimsom's question, yes- the poem refers to all four of you.
It is now your doing to find which line is whose.

"Also, whatever happens, no harm can come to you in Edenfield."

What?

Four lines, the four of us?

By the expression on everyone's faces, it looks like they are wondering the same.

Allison taps her right cheek with her fingers. The fingers slip themselves to the corner of her mouth.
"I guess you're not going to answer Dylan's last question, now."

The journal remains silent; no new words appear.

Dylan presses his hands together just as the grandfather clock strikes give times. Each bell lasts longer, at least for me.

What is with this clock and the number five?

"I have some stuff to do, and it's pretty late. Your parents would be worried." Dylan glances towards the cousins before straightening himself. The wooden floor echoes with his footsteps as he takes off with long strides.