It was odd-thinking about the other possible lives that had come and gone in this little house. Especially one of Ayna’s own family members.

Ayna stood in front of this old,worn out house,her deep purple backpack strapped on her back and the paper with the address on it in her hand. Taking a huge breath,she walked up the stone stairs onto the porch,passing the pedestals that once held plants in it.Faint traces of the white paint still on the deck that time was still taking away. It matched the outdated tan walls of the house,giving it a comfortable vintage vibe. Ayna grabbed the post holding the porch roof up,thinking back to the diary that was deeply buried in the other memories she had placed in her bag on her way out of her old home. She closed her eyes,imagining the little girl on this porch,seventy seven years ago,writing in the diary that was in Ayna’s possession now. Brooklyn,New York must’ve looked so different back then…

Opening the front door gingerly,Ayna soberly went inside the house,looking around at the dusty emptiness,that-if she remembered correctly-was the living room. Making her way further in,she glanced around where her research told her things should have been-the couch would’ve been right there,running alongside the stairs. The chandelier was still hanging in the center of the ceiling,grey with age and a century of dust. Ayna’s eyes went instinctively to places on the walls where photos once were,now only blank spaces of wallpaper.

Sinking to the floor,she tugged the backpack off,opening it. She dug into it gently,searching for the black notebook that was the diary she had kept safe for years while her research expanded. Finally finding it and pulling it out,she opened it to the very first page,breathing in the musty smell it gave off. Once again,she read the first words the owner wrote in the diary- ‘Yvonne Justice Rogers-Carter Christmas Day,1952’. Alongside it,a note from the girl’s parents- ‘We are so proud of you doll! Keep being the tough little soldier you are! ~Mom and Dad’. Ayna smiled as she thought about how happy this family was,flipping the backpack back onto her shoulder and making her way softly upstairs,the diary still in her hands.

The hallway was small,reminding Ayna of a sleeper train car hallway,with two doors along one side. Flipping to the next page,Ayna examined the badly made map of the house,looking for Yvonne’s room. It was,according to the scribbled map,the one furthest down the hall,which meant her parents had the room closest to Ayna. Shuffling to the girl’s room,Ayna held her breath as she touched the doorknob,preparing herself to see the inside.

The room was a dark midnight blue,the ceiling slightly slanted to the right due to the roof being just above the room. A window seat brightened the whole room,making it seem rather ghostly with all the dust. Kneeling down once again,Ayna unzipped her backpack and pulled out a photograph of the room,back in the days when it still belonged to Yvonne. The picture showed a bed that was tucked into a corner of the room,bordering the window seat like the unique bookshelf that housed several rows of books and knick knacks,even though the shelf actually slanted with the roof. Ayna glanced around,thinking about how the girl must’ve spent so many years in this house-only for it to be torn away twelve years later. Tucking the picture back into her bag gingerly,she picked up the diary from where she left it on the dusty carpet,flipping to the first entry.

As she began to read,she subconsciously began to activate her powers,making the room around glow with a light blue aura,brightening the whole room. As soon as the glimmer reached parts of the room,illusions of what the room looked like before began to appear-the bed,the spindly desk that was by the door,the bookshelves. As the illusion finished processing the room,a voice began to read the diary entry out aloud,as if the former owner was reading it to Ayna. The girl in question,adorned in a t-shirt and a pair of work jeans,sat on the windowseat writing in her diary.

“Dear Diary,

I think I should probably name you…to make it feel like I’m actually talking to someone,yeah? I don’t have a lot of friends…at least,ones that stick around. I have my Mom and Dad though! They’re my best friends,they always always ALWAYS watch my back,even though they leave pretty often to go to work. But then I get to hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Jarivs! They always make the best cookies.” Almost simultaneously,Ayna and the past illusion of Yvonne giggled,both probably thinking of the babysitters the younger girl thought were so awesome. The six-year-old glanced out the window,looking out at the snow that fell outside in huge poofy clumps as the nighttime darkness highlighted their edges. Sighing contentedly at the peace that hung in the room,Ayna shifted from where she was on the now clean carpet,making herself more comfortable as the younger girl began to write again.

“Dad seemed to be really sad today-at least,I think so. He woke up really really early after he had a nightmare. I don’t think he knew I was up,maaaybe reading past my bedtime. But it was kinda his fault! The book was SO GOOD,it’s called-” The girl paused her writing to hop off her window seat,darting to the bookshelf to look for a book before returning to her original spot. “-The Lion,The Witch,and The Wardrobe. I can’t put it down! But I just got to the sixth chapter when I heard Dad walking around outside my room and I wanted a drink but when I went to go ask he was really sad and I really didn’t want to bother him,but-” Here Yvonne sighed,turning to stare out the window thoughtfully. Ayna leaned sideways,catching the younger girl’s sad expression. Silence replaced the scratching of the pencil,which Ayna almost completely forgot was what was really telling the story. A long silence ensued,with both of the girls lost in their own thoughts-Yvonne trying to think of ways to help her dad,and Anya trying to figure out Yvonne had as possible ideas.

Finally,Yvonne picked up her pencil again to write again,shocking Ayna when her innocent voice began to narrate again. “-he was so sad,I wonder if something happened? Everytime he sees snow,it seems to make him really really sad.”

  Yvonne shut her book,to return to staring out the window,leaving Ayna to retract her powers,the light blue glow sucking out of the room like a whirlpool until Ayna was back in the present room,the furnishings gone,the summer heat pouring through the window. Blinking her eyes,to adjust to the much brighter light,Ayna looked down at Yvonne’s diary on her lap,still open to the page that the girl’s first entry ended on. Flipping to the middle of the diary to a new entry,she stretched out with her powers again,closing her eyes as the glow returned to ‘send’ her into the past.

The room wasn’t very different-the bookshelf was more filled with books,the bed was puffier with updated black duvets. Yvonne was back on the window seat,now overlooking a spring view of the area beyond her home. She looked about nine now-much more serious,but still with a young kindness to her.

!!!NOT DONE YET!!!!