DOOMSDAY DIARY CHALLENGE

Dear PENNY GENERAL,

It’s been a while since we “talked”, but I finally found a new pen during my latest scavenge. The place must have been a bookstore once upon a time, when people used to write on paper with pens and pencils. I would safely say this one was one the store had for sale, judging from the barcode reading $1,999.99. “The TRIA de Luxe… for discriminating people” … it sounds so antique and sophisticated! I bet the person who carried this pen with them wore a fancy hat with a posted feather and shiny shoes. Amazingly, this one isn’t all dried up- although, it did take a few rounds of circles to get the fluid running.

Who knew something so basic would be so difficult to come by? I remember my great-grandmother used to speak of the days as a child, reading these books and having to write something she called “book reports”. She had this tattered one on the shelf in her bedroom, The Holy Bible, next to her collection of keepsakes she accumulated over the years. I asked her, once, what her book was about. Great-grammy told me it was a book of instructions people used to live by, but that was long ago.

Thankfully, Great-Grammy gave me you, PENNY GENERAL… my one and true friend! She gave me a box of pens, too- BLIC ones- but they didn’t last, for the fluid dried up in them before I had a chance to use them up. I remember the day very clearly. “When all else fails, this is your friend.” Grammy’s cryptic words are as crisp now as they were the day she placed you into my hands.

My friend, since we are now “discriminating people”, we are allowed to pick and choose our associates. I mean, I know we don’t run into many people, but the ones we DO run into, we must discriminate against them wisely. Who knows what others may try to do to us? Like that lady a few months ago who said she was so happy she found us… happy she found us, my ass! All she wanted from us was the heart-shaped locket Grammy gave me. When we caught her rummaging through our rucksack when it was her turn to stand guard while you and I got some shut eye- oh, how I wanted to cut off her hands! Yeah, I know, I messed up ever showing her mine and Grammy’s tiny photo inside of it, and I will NEVER do that again! I know its gold could fetch us some top-tier supplies, but it is nice to be able to see with my eyes, my Grammy, instead of always having to see with my mind. I promise, though, if things get really, really, bad and we have no other option, I will swap it for the things we need. Until that time, I will keep it fastened about my neck, under my shirt and out of sight.

You and I, we have been through some rough times together, especially since we had to get rid of the last guy. Ugh... the red geyser that shot straight up though! Easily, his blood got about three feet of airtime. His heart was pumping something fierce, remember? The sight is forever burnt into my mind, and splattered upon your pages, too. I am really sorry about the splatters. I reacted on an instinct and didn’t have time to close you up to where you were protected. It was the way he would look at us. Something in his eyes felt like he was a predator, and I didn’t want to take the chance, PENNY GENERAL. I hope you will forgive me someday. The redness has faded to a mild brown, though, if it is any consolation.

It has been already 542 days since the incendiary bomb storm and the air is still smoldering. It’s as though I could whittle the layer of metal taste from my tongue with a blade- it’s that thick! What I wouldn’t give for a piece of cheesecake, but for now, I will have to settle for water a la aluminum. PENNY GENERAL, you are so lucky to not have taste buds. Thermite-tinged everything- water, air, food- it’s all gross. It’s as though flavor is magnetic anymore.

This heat can’t be good for your skin, my dear. It will age you and make your skin into a crackled mess. Living in a plastic bag, surely, is not ideal and the farthest away from fun, but it’s for your own good. You are all I have.

Oh, I forgot to tell you- I found some of that lemony, honey flavored powder stuff, like what we found last year. See? Check it out: M E R I – F L U, EXP 8/2039. Well, it’s kind of expired, but by only 13 months. Remember the last time we ate this stuff? WOO-WEE! We had the best sleep of our lives! I must admit, it was extremely irresponsible of us to fall asleep where we did. I mean, someone could have killed us and stole all our stuff without one bit of exerted effort. Lucky for us, this didn’t happen. It’s probably because of the forcefield bead I pushed forth from my chest that night. Grammy told me that anytime I felt scared or wanted to divert harm from me, all I had to do was take a deep breath and push the light from right here in my chest. She called it the solar plexus, though. I make this bubble around us every time we sleep, PENNY GENERAL. The next time we find a safe place to rest, I say we feast on this sweet powder!

I hate to have to wrap up our visit, but we must be moving along now. Who knows what creeper is out here lurking in our shadows? I do admit, my PENNY GENERAL, I always feel better after we “talk”. Well, I guess I talk, and you listen- ha! Cities come and cities go, just like the empires of the past. Let us remain fortunate of where we are today, and may we continue to shuffle our feet towards the place where we may rest a while. After all, we could have been the other ones who melted away in the nuclear blast or, if unfortunately fortunate to have survived the ordeal, who grew an arm from their forehead and big toes from their kneecaps… that could have been us, my friend, but it wasn’t. Much love to you!

‘til next time, PENNY GENERAL…

-Diane