Dear Diary ..

1pm

Wow! This place is so big; I really don’t think I can conquer it all in one day. I have been walking around aimlessly; there is so much to see here. Right now the flowers are all in their early spring mode, they haven’t started their full bloom yet. Some trees have small buds nestled on the edge of their branches, and others are still bare. I felt a relief to know that when I walked through the gates the garden didn’t magically come to life. I did however; feel a strong energy once inside, it radiated much stronger than when I had stood on the other side of the wall.

I sit now in what I believe is the center of it all. A long path led me here underneath a metal archway consumed with brown vines waiting to come alive.

It took me about five-minutes to finally get the courage to open the gate. My hands trembled as I placed them over the necklace. While still shaking I took the key out of the necklace, then reached for the Iron Gate searching for the key hole. This time it wasn’t hard to find a way in, I guess the key helped guide me.

I hesitated at first, but then slowly put the key in, and the gate opened without me pushing on it. I tried to get the key out, but it was holding it tight inside the keyhole. Maybe I had to wait until I left to remove the key. I guess I’d find out later.

The path I walked on under the archway was made of random stones; they sparkled every time a ray of sunlight hit the surface. Somewhere deep inside I had felt comforted by this, and the garden had given me a welcoming feeling.

At the end of the archway, which is where I am now, there is a round stone monument with a huge rose sitting in a flower pot on top; just like my dream. I am sitting on the edge of the monument, normally stone feels cold, but this had life in it like everything else in this place.

… Something strange just happened, while keeping my hand steady on the stone I felt a small crack against the side. I hopped off the side and kneeled down to check it out. The crack ran in a square, which was very unusual for a crack. It almost had looked like the outline of a brick, the stone was actually slightly different, the gray was darker then the rest. I rested my hand against the square; this is when things get weird. I could feel the stone moving to the right from underneath my hand. It made a hole the size of two bricks. I didn’t hesitate to reach my hand inside, my hand rested upon a leather object. It felt like a book. I grabbed the object and pulled it out, I guessed right; it was a beat up old black book with a leather cover and a black strap across it to keep it shut. There was no title on the book, and when I tried to open it, it wouldn’t budge.

… Wow, I am just experiencing all kinds of weird things today, that was just Cliff on the phone. He claims he got my cell from the library directory. The first day I was there, I had to sign up for a library card in case I needed to take out anything, so I guess he wasn’t lying. He said he had found a couple of books about the town’s history, and that this house had a whole chapter on its own. He made copies and was holding them for me at the front desk. My heart is pounding with joy, I think I’ll end my garden session for the day, now I have two things to do, read the history, and try to open this darn book.