Journal Entry 76

The girl handed me the robes. I don’t think she had a name. She smiled at me and thanked me for bringing the change. I was confused. I didn’t bring about anything. I was a prisoner. I tried to ask what she meant by that but Tony interrupted. He kissed the girl on the forehead and gave her a gentle push out of my room. Tony insisted I change my clothes. It was time for the gathering.

People filled the front entrance of Bear Country. Everyone looked happy and content. There were smiling faces everywhere.

As Tony and I descended the stairs, everyone began to clap and call my name. The room filled with shouts of “Madie…Madie…Madie”. I had a sudden rush of adrenaline. I don’t know why but I suddenly felt important and a sense of knowing why I was there.

Tony and I walked through the crowd to the front of the room. Pete was standing on a platform behind a podium. Pete looked so very handsome in his white robes. Everyone in the room looked handsome. Tony and I stepped up on the platform. Pete smiled and handed me my pink fluffy journal. Then Pete asked the crowd to be quiet.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a cricket chirp. Tony gave me a little push until I was standing behind the podium. He asked me to read the speech I had written. I opened my journal to the bookmarked page.

Welcome to Bear Country, we have gathered here in this place to celebrate a New Beginning. No more will we fight amongst each other. No more will the smallest of us suffer from hunger. No more will the outcast struggle to survive alone in a cold and evil world. Do not be afraid of what tomorrow will bring. Today we start anew.

We have all given a small part of ourselves to be here today. Our journey to this moment has been harsh and sometimes unbearable but I say to you. Your sacrifice has not been in vain. Each one of us must continue to give of ourselves if we are to continue on this journey of enlightenment.

Journal Entry 75

There was a lot of commotion coming from the hallway. It sounded like a party or a convention of some sort. I jumped out of bed. Again, my clothes were different! I was wearing a white cotton nightgown. Another inconvenience I had to deal with. I tiptoed over to my footlocker to make a quick clothing change. I lifted the lid. It was empty. Every piece of clothing I owned was gone. I dropped the lid out of frustration. It made more noise than I had intended. I stood motionless for a few seconds and waited to see if a guard entered my room. I quietly walked over to the door and peaked thru the window out into the hallway. I watched several groups of people walk by my door. Everyone that passed by my room seemed happy and cheerful.

For a moment, I thought my two guard friends had finally abandoned me. Freedom was only one flight of stairs and an entrance lobby away. If I acted normal, I might be able to blend in and make it to the front doors. I was mistaken. I slowly opened my door to step into the hallway. Holding two pointy staffs the guards stopped my exit. I thought of making a run for it but honestly, I didn’t think I would make it very far. I closed the door.

A few moments later Tony enters my room. He is dressed in royal white robes. His cheerfulness nearly made me puke. I tried to act as if I was glad to see him. I let him kiss me on the cheek. I even leaned in for the kiss. A girl accompanied Tony into my room. She was holding a white gown and a robe across her arms very similar to the ones Tony was wearing. The girl looked familiar. I kept staring and staring. Tony asked me if there was something wrong. I said “No”. It took me a few moments to realize she was the girl from the warehouse. The one squished against the bars in the cage with the dead baby in her arms.