Katherine+5C+Winnie's+Journal

Dear Journal, What a day it has been!! I went to run away to the wood to find the glorious boy I have ever seen. He wouldn't let me drink the water I saw, and the next minute I got kidnapped! The strange thing I noticed was: I was not begging the Tucks to let me go free from their grasp. Jesse's family was trying to calm me down! I also saw the man I saw last night. Mae, the mother, told him that I was their little girl, and they were trying to teach me how to ride. Can you fancy that? That family just prevaricated to a man I had already known. For some reason, my senses did not let me alert him to rescue me. Write to you later.

Dear Journal, I'm at the Tucks' house on this steamy,humid, and scorching day. The Tucks' house is in such a disarray! Cobwebs and dust are invading the household. A mouse is even invited to live in a drawer. They will be astonished to see my perfect home. Mentioning about my house makes me think of my own family. I bet Mama,Granny, and Papa miss me. Earlier today, the "kidnappers" told me an unbelievable story about how they drank some spring water, and they never died or aged for eighty-seven years! I think I am the only person to know of this tale besides them. This story is so peculiar that if my folks had heard it, the story and the Tucks would be the talk of the town! During some moments, I think I am daydreaming because life is going too quickly. Sometimes, life can be very strange and queer.

P.S. I'm going to tell Granny that the music I heard last night was from a music box, not from elves. Mae has the music box.

Dear Journal, I just ate dinner, and eating in a parlor was quite uncomfortable. I'm used to having supper at a table in a dining room. I am beginning to remember that I got kidnapped, and the Tucks were //__not__// my dear friends. This might be rude of me, but how can the Tucks expect me to sleep in such a dirty place? After all, I am the daughter of wealthy and highly educated parents, living in a spotless cottage. Not to mention that my parents and I can get the Treegap constable to prosecute and arrest these kidnappers for doing.

Dear Journal, Angus Tuck took me out for a row after supper. He told me all about his life ever since he drank the spring water. Tuck imagines that there is a wheel of life, and the events of life and death are adjacent to each other. He gave me an example of what his family was like: a stuck rowboat. He explained to me that if he or someone else did not move the boat, it will remain still and look the same. The Tuck family is "still" in their youthful appearance. Angus wants to grow again and one day perish from the face of the Earth (die), and he would seize the opportunity to do so. "You can't pick out the pieces you like and leave the rest out" were his exact words he replied to me when I said I did not want to have death present itself to me. Since I don't want to die, I do not mind if someone announces details about the spring in public. However, I see Angus' side of view. If the world drank from the spring and later on regretted their actions, they would realize the mistake too late.

P.S. I wonder if the man in the yellow suit told my extremely worried parents where I was.

Dear Journal, The Tucks' horse got stolen! Hmmm... I wonder who stole it. Angus is not sure if the horse was stolen for a special reason or just snatched by a horse thief. I am sleeping on a lumpy and smelly davenport. I now come to a realization that I was as gay as a lark in the open world, but now, I am in such distress and misery. I am wondering if the Tucks' tale is true--it is not, am I correct? Ahhh... I can feel myself relaxing by the sounds of insects and animals.. Oh! What a surprise! Angus is asking me if I am content. I'm not content, but I guess I am fabricating. Mae just left me and now, I am feeling as if I were caught red-handed. The Tucks are criminals,yes, but they are so kind. I don't have to think harsh about them because they are criminals, right? Huh. I don't want to think negatively of them because you should think kindly of others if they are sweet to you. Well, maybe not, but... Jesse is here. He is whispering to me to drink the spring water in six years (when I am seventeen years old). I scarcely heard him say to run away with him and to even wed him. Isn't Jesse romantic?

Dear Journal, Hello... I was awoken some time ago. Miles took me out to have a ride on the antiquated rowboat. I tried to fish, but it was too difficult. Though my parents never expressed their feelings, I think they think fishing is for country people. Anyway, I took notice of the differences between Miles and Jesse:his face is thinner and paler than Jesse's, his fingers are thicker and more scrubbed-looking, and he is more muscular. As time passed, I discovered that Miles' daughter, Anna, was taught how to fish from her father. Based on Jesse's older brother, Anna was a sweet child and at that very moment, would be around eighty years old. After a brief second, I asked him quizzically why he did not lead his family into drinking the magical spring water. Well, because of Miles' father, Miles couldn't mention about the spring. To have the secret undisclosed, it would be better to tell only a few people as opposed to telling many people. It is beneficial to have fewer people to know about the secret. I thought more deeply about living forever when I said that it would be great if nothing or no one died. I then realized I made a mistake about the statement because if misquitos were to live immortally and kept having babies...oh my, that would be quite dreadful. And right in the rowboat, I decided firmly to have the secret confidental. But what would Miles do with a lot of time? The answer to that question is important to the world, and I nodded in agreement.

P.S. Miles caught a fish ,however, I could not help but save its life by ordering Miles to let the suffering fish swim free.

Dear Journal, There is not much to say. The Tucks and I had a breakfast of flapjacks. As I looked around, I came to a realization that Angus seemed to be the dearest among the family members. Isn't that surprising? No, Jesse is not the dearest, but I don't know exactly why. While we were eating, we heard a knock, and theTucks were astonished. No one ever visited them for several years. And in came the man in the yellow suit. For some reason, the man knew that Mae was Mrs.Tuck when they were not introduced to each other. Something dramatic is going to happen; I can feel it!

Dear Journal, When the man came, he told me that I was safe, now that he was there. However, I was already safe with the Tucks. They meant no harm at all when they took me away. I have a strong sense of feeling the man in the yellow suit managed to convince my parents that I was in grave danger, but he was exagerating that, too. Also, my guardians traded the wood for me!! Tuck was going to bring me back as well. The stranger was going to sell the water from the spring. In addition, the evil stranger almost forced me (child) to drink the water so that more people will be attracted to buying the spring water. Luckily, Mae hit the man with Angus' shotgun. The unfortunate news was that the constable was there at the very moment to witness all the action. He later told the Tucks and me that Mae took me against my will, not the stranger. But the constable does not know that the man was planning to harm me instead of bringing me back to my parents. I wanted and agreed to go with the Tucks. I was quite happy to oblige. Now, the constable is planning to lock Mae up in jail to be hanged the next day. I know Miles, Jesse, and Tuck are already going to figure out a way to get Mae out of truoble. I am willing to do what it takes to rescue her, too, as she did for me.

Dear Journal, I was brought home by the constable. When I told my parents and grandmother, I obediently went with the Tucks since they were kind, gentle people. Granny thinks I was bewitched by the elves. However, elves don't exist. I don't even think elves hypnotize people; they are usually helpful. Well, the wood will be ours if the man does not die. By evening, Papa, Mama, and Granny noticed that something left from me. They felt as if I were different, I really was. The man in the yellow suit must not die. No, no, he //must// die if the Tucks' story is true. If it were to be true, then the man in the yellow suit will sell the spring water. So yes, he needs to die. Uh oh, the constable will not press any kidnapping charges, but Mae will get hanged. The stranger just died, which means the wood is ours now, but Mae gets hanged. I wonder if Mae is mourning for killing the man. I have memories when I killed a wasp to avoid a sting. Soon after, I wished to see it fly again. Well, now, I am worried about Mae because she must not go to the gallows. After finding a toad, I heard Jesse's voice while I was bringing a pan of water. Jesse whispered to me about Miles' plan. Since Miles is excellent at carpenting, he is planning to pry out the nails from Mae's jail cell, and let her out. Anyway, Jesse came to me to say good-bye because he won't be able to see me for ages. He also gave me a bottle of the spring water to drink when I turn seventeen. I volunteered to take Mae's place in the cell so the constable won't know that Mae escaped with her family. At midnight, all this action will take place. I am extremely excited to go about with the plan!

Dear Journal, This day is **extremely** hot. This is a very long day because the clock ticks as slow as a snail. I drank some lemonade, and I think it is going to rain. I feel so jumpy, and I feel as if I have butterflies fluttering in my stomach. My family went to sleep early, andI have to wait three hours until I can see the Tucks again. Huhh... I will just sleep for a couple of minutes.... Did I miss my moment?? Oh, I didn't. It is five minutes till midnight. I must be very silent as I creep toward the door. Leaving the house was easy so I waited for someone to follow me. But no one did. I just opened the door to the refreshening night-time air. I thought my family would chase after me as soon as I stepped onto the first step of the staircase. Luckily, they didn't chase after me! I see Jesse now, and we are running toward the jail. A thunderstorm is coming near the jail. "//Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a// //cage//." These lines were whispered over and over again as Miles used oil to pull out the nails without noise. It took two attempts to yank the window frame of the jail cell. Mae is coming out and I am going into the cell. I wonder if Miles will put the nails and frame back. No, he will not. I hear a faint sound of the music from the music box Mae owns. My friends escaped!!!

Dear Journal, It's been about two weeks since I helped Mae escape from jail. The constable came to see if Mae was still in the jail cell, and since I was pretending to be Mae, I tried to make myself as big as I could under the cot's blankets. I didn't want to go to sleep because I might throw back the blankets on unintentionnally, and that would give me away. In addition, I dared not to cough;the consable may see I was not Mae. Anyway, in the morning I heard the constable whistling while bringing a breakfast tray with coffee and other food. He was soon shouting at me because I was a criminal since I helped a murderer escape. If I were old enough, I would have to stay in jail!! When the constable brought me home, my parents wanted to know why I did such action. I couln't hold back anything now, I just sobbed the truth out:above everything, I loved the Tucks. I'm now not allowed to go anywhere, not even with Granny or my parents. They trusted me, and I shamed my parents. I really deserve to be punished.

Well, school will resume in a couple of weeks. I don't think this year will be so dreadful because children are now talking to me over the fence. I think they are proud of me for doing something brave. They finally understood that I was not trying to be arrogant. After all, I am not to be the one to be blamed for living in an elegant cottage. Previously, the children were probably thinking that I was pretentious and too "perfect" to be a friend to anyone.

I saw the toad, today!! A dog tried to take it, but I snatched the toad before the dog could do any harm to it. I poured the spring water from Jesse's bottle so it could be safe. __**Forever**__. If I were to decide to drink the spring water when I turn seventeen, there would be more water in the wood. That is, if the Tucks were telling the truth.