Almost every night when I was younger, I would look up at the moon and talk to her. I liked to pretend the moon was my friend, Luna. When I turned 9, she started talking back.

I couldn’t see her speaking to me, but I always heard her voice. We talked about all of the homework I had and the annoying mean girls in my 3rd grade class and how I wished they could just leave me alone forever. When they started to disappear, I knew my Luna was helping me. When my brother’s mean hamster bit me, I told Luna, and the hamster disappeared, too. My brother was so sad, so I asked Luna if she could bring the hamster back. She said she couldn’t. As I grew older, Luna and I started talking less and less. She seemed tired and I felt very bad for her.

Now that my parents have gone on to live in a down-sized home, I was given the family home. I decided to sell it, as the upkeep would cost much more than I expected, even though it pained me to lose my childhood home. On the night before I moved out the last of the things from the home, I decided to sleep in my old room, for old time’s sake. At around 3am, I heard a loud thumping from upstairs. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and groggily walked to the dangling string in the hallway, pulling it to release the steps to the attic. Then I smelled it. The most terrible smell imaginable.

I gagged and almost threw up all over the hallway floor, but pulled myself together. If there was a dead animal I needed to figure it out before someone new moved in. I pinched my nose and scaled the steps, eyes watering as the smell seeped in through the crevices between my fingers and nose.

The attic was completely filled to the brim with boxes and clutter, all of it was to be donated or destroyed before the new owners moved in. I sighed as I knew this would only complicate my task of finding the dead raccoon or whatever animal it was. I searched forever for the source of the terrible smell. Then I saw it. A corpse in an extremely bad state of decomposition. Laying in a fetal position. I couldn’t even scream I was so shocked. Then I saw the diary, already open to a page.

“My sweet princess, Your home has provided me with shelter, so I vowed to provide you with safety. I have tried everything to make you happy and I hope I have done well. It is too hard for me to leave the attic anymore, so I can no longer visit you. I hope one day you find this and know how much I loved you. Sincerely,

Your Luna

P.S. Check under the shed! :D”