What's In A Notebook?

The sun rose upon the pink horizon, creating a hue of rose gold throughout the sky. It was to be another day where the heat cooked the pavements outside. Native birds made their morning call as Eivor's alarm clock blared an unsynchronised sound. Rolling her eyes beyond her skull, she reached over to slap the alarm clock from the bedside table, which was covered in empty packets of chocolate. The crashing noise brought her brother, Cecil in from the living room.

"Never a morning person, are you?" Cecil chuckled as he collected the alarm clock from the bedroom floor. Placing the clock back on the table, he nudged his sister.

"Come on, it is nearly time to hit the road, before the streets get busy." Cecil pranced through to the living room. Today him and his sister Eivor were about to embark on a hiking adventure. Cecil was excited but his sister barely wanted to get up from her sleepy slumber. Eivor peered her droopy eyes open and looked at the time, stamped on her alarm clock.

"06:04" She let out a soundly grunt. Rolling herself out of her, she pulled her curtains back, revealing the sunrise as it brought in a welcoming light. As the sun glared into her eyes, they twinkled. Time to get washed up, she thought. Eivor walked into her bathroom and opened the window, to allow the steam from the shower out. Switching the shower on and stepping inside, she covered her hair in the water, letting it run down her face. As she stood there, body drenched, the room suddenly became dark. Eivor was no longer in the shower, or her home. A strange light came from in front of her eyes and appeared to be getting closer. She tried to move but her body was stuck in a locked position. No words were able to come from her lips and she started to panic. Just as the light became to shift into something, Eivor awoke. A loud thud at the bathroom door.

"Don't be too long in there Eivor!" Cecil said in an affirmative voice. Eivor wiped the water from her face, stepping out of the shower and taking the towel from the heater. Cosy, she thought. After towel drying her body and hair, she got dressed. A tank top, then a long sleeved t-shirt for over that. Woman's cargo pants with one too many pockets for all the fiddly bits she might need to take. Thick thermal socks and a pair of newly bought hiking shoes. Handling her waterproof jacket and hiking bag, she walked through to the living room, where Cecil was sat on the couch, patiently waiting.

"Ready to go now?" Cecil stood up smiling at his sister.

"Ready!" Eivor smiled back, swinging her bag over her shoulder and tying the coat around her waist. They both walked outside and stood for a second in the scorching heat. Cecil took the car keys from his pocket and opened the car. Both throwing their bags in the back, they set off for a long journey to the bottom of the mountain they were eager to climb. As they drove through the city, the sky had brushed away the golden hues and left a glorious blue colour with no clouds in sight. Sounds of city life vanished as Eivor and Cecil were leaving the area. A bitter silence was heard as they made their way through the forest. The only noises heard was the chirping of birds and the wind howling past the car as they swerved around bends in the forest road. As Cecil was driving, Eivor stared out of the window, watching the tall trees flow past her. Thinking of what she envisioned in the shower. Was that some sort of daydream, she thought. Perhaps it was her conscious warning her. Whatever it was, she decided to not let it ruin her mood for this hiking trip. Turning to Cecil she yawned.

"Can't wait to take some lovely photographs.." Cecil grinned back at her while keeping his eyes on the road.

"Ah yes, about that. I'm sure I had left it on the kitchen counter.." Cecil gave his sister a side glance. Eivor huffed back and giggled.

"Should of known you would forget." They both laughed for a moment before turning the car onto a one-way road, pathed by fallen trees. Cecil pulled the car over to a halt and checked the map. Eivor stepped out of the car to stretch her legs. The trees, which stood as tall as the heavens, towered over Eivor. Making her feel small. She turned to her brother who was flipping the map upside down. The wind started to howl a harsh call, bringing a wave of dark clouds above them. Eivor had checked the weather previously, It wasn't supposed to rain. Cecil came out of the car and stated they should start the hike here.

"It is about to rain Cecil, maybe we should head back?" Eivor swung her jacket off her hips and put it on. Cecil took their bags out of the car and locked the car doors.

"It'll be fine, a little rain won't hurt. It is all part of the adventure." Cecil put his bag onto his back and tied the front so it was secure. Eivor picked her bag up and done the same. As she looked up towards the sky, a roar of thunder could be heard from likes away. She turned around and ran to catch up with her brother. The pair walked through the dark and dainty6

. woods, keeping an eye on their compass. Cecil came across a small stream of water, along the stream was a small frog. He whispered to his sister.

"Look at this little critter." Cecil kneeled down to get a closer look. Eivor followed him, as she squinted her eyes to see the frog, her eyes caught onto the look of something else. She stood up and walked towards it, scaring the small frog away.

"You've scared it! Where are you going?" Cecil watched as his sister stared into a pile of stones.

"There is something here.." She slowly started to move the large stones away, revealing a small crate, half buried into the wet forest ground. The crate was covered in bark and had started to grow moss on the top. Eivor brushed away the soggy bark and looked up at her brother. Cecil bent down to take a closer look.

"We should leave this alone, someone has left it here for a reason, Eivor." He stood up and looked around. Eivor wasn't going to leave this crate here, with her suspicions, she packed the small crate in her hiking bag and told her brother to set up a small camp where they could sit for a while. Luckily the dark clouds had passed with no signs of rainfall, leaving the pair able to continue their adventure. Cecil and Eivor walked back near their car and set up a small fire in a safe area. It was around lunchtime, Cecil set up the blanket and placed his sandwich box in front of him, along with his large bottle of water. Eivor placed her hiking bag in front of her and stared at the crate. She needed to see what was inside, perhaps she could hand this back to the owner. Cecil glanced at her.

"Why don't we see what's inside, then put the box back where we found it." Eivor took her hand and swiped away from of the dirt and moss from the top of the crate. As she did, writing began to appear. An engraving craved onto the lid of the crate.

"1911, My dearest.." The rest of the engraving had been worn out, from years of being buried. Cecil sat closer to his sister as she carefully pried open the crate lid with her fingers. Her hands became filthy as she struggled to crack open the top. At last after moments of struggle, the crate was opened. Lifting the lid slowly, Eivor pulled back her head, as to not breathe in any old dust. The lid opened and inside was a little black notebook, along with $20,000. The siblings were in awe at their discovery. The black notebook had pages and pages of writing inside, all addressed to a former lover of the owner of this book. Deciding to take their discovery home, Cecil started to pack up their camp as Eivor started to read the love letters.

"This is so heart-breaking to read, this author lost their lover, and left them this box.." She walked towards the car while still flicking through the pages. Feeling each thin page through her fingers as she inspected every word and detail. The car was ready to go, Cecil started the engine as his sister got inside, still smiling at the book. As the pair drove away, Eivor turned to her brother.

"The money, should we keep it?"

Cecil shook his head, "We could, but would that be right?" Eivor agreed. Perhaps they could donate the money, or go around their town and help people in need. Just as they drove downhill through the forest, Cecil hit a bump in the road. As the car started to shake, it has ran over another bump.

"Watch out!" Eivor screamed as Cecil tried to stop the car, but it was too late. The vehicle had came off the road and the tires screeched as the car flipped over on it's side, rolling down the forest hill and crashing into a tree.

Smoke was seen for miles as the car sat on its front, the smell of burnt rubber coated the surrounding area as the siblings laid unconscious..

To be continued.