Even as early as 11pm, fireworks from the city shot up high, blotting the dark night sky with colored fire and embers. The dissolving flowers filling the view was my entertainment every year on my birthday on new year’s eve.

“Here you go Lulu. Tony came this morning just to give this to you.”

My grandma handed me a parcel. It was carefully wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string.

In this rural town, everyone knows each other and everyone cares for each other. So, Tony always deliver the only thing I receive from my big sister. The only thing that shows that she’s still alive, somewhere.

While the fireworks spontaneously explode, I carefully opened the parcel. It might be another souvenir from another country.

I don’t know if she’s bragging or just basically telling me where she’ve been.

“So? What’s in it?”

I haven’t gotten inside the box yet, but grandma was more excited than I was. If it’s another wooden carving or something with writings about some remote island, I don’t know what I’d do.

Carefully tearing the tape from the box, I finally opened the box. Inside wasn’t the usual obnoxious souvenirs, this time, it was something useful.

There were 3 books. One of the books was the first hard bound copy of a popular novel about a young wizard boy, while the other book was a mystery novel about the world’s amazing detective and a doctor.

“My, such contrast!”

My grandma commented at the two books that were both at the top of its genre. Then I saw the third book. It was the weirdest out of the three. It was half as thick and was bound with leather, but the weirdest part was it didn’t have any title.

I opened the book. The smell of tanned leather wafted over my nose, I remembered how mother would always say that real leather always smell this bad. Scanning the inside, I saw that the pages were empty. It was a notebook?

Then at the last page, a letter was written:

Dearest Lucas,

Happy Birthday! How’ve you been? Did you celebrate your birthday? How was it? Now that you’re starting junior high, I thought it might’ve been better to send you something that suits you age. Did you like it? I heard from grandma that you love reading.

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Do you have any idea what you want to do after school? I know it’s early, but it’s better to find the thing you really want to do before it’s too late. I heard some say that they regretted playing too much. So I hope you think about your future as well.

By the way, thank you for the present. It was wonderful, I love how it glows in the dark, it reminds me of the dragonflies back home. You know, my friend was startled when I first used it. There was a black out and the first thing we saw was the dim glow from the table.

I hope you like you like your presents. Tell me which genre you like next time so I can buy you more. This journal too, I want you to remember to write. Jot down all your ideas, dreams, hatred, everything! So you won’t forget. From now on, you’ll discover many things and I want you to remember it. So write it down and don’t forget.

Well, at least that’s what my master said before. I’m doing the same thing, so I thought it would help you too. Just be careful and not let grandma see it!

I wish you a Happy Birthday and a Happy New Year! Take care and study hard!

Loving you always,

Leila

“Big sis...”

As soon as the clock stroke twelve, fireworks from the far away city launched with a whistle than can be heard from this rural town. I watched the fireworks blot the sky with different colors while I cried silently beside my grandma.

“Rff!”

A patronizing bark came from grandma’s lap. From his pale fur and his sleepy eyes, the old lapdog that grandma kept responded to my tears.

“Cuchi said that if you’re gonna cry, try sending a reply. You have to do it sometime, you’re gifts are piling and you know how Lili misses you. I can’t keep sending them with my letters.”

I looked at the old dog begrudgingly at how relaxed it was. I wiped my tears and snot with shirt and saw how he looked down at me.

“It must be easy being a dog. You don’t have to worry about a stupid sister like mine.”

I pouted. But, I knew. Big sis worries about me as much as I worry about her.

“But grandma, sending packages are one thing, but at this age of technology, can’t we just send emails to each other? Better yet, can’t she just send me a text of give me a call? Is that so hard? What are we cavemen? Even the dog-rug can use the phone and press redial.”

Don’t tell me she went to areas with no access to the internet or electricity? What kind of work does a 15 year old do that requires her to travel the world and not have any access to technology?

“Cavemen is too far back. Maybe your sister is a technophobe like your father. But even as I had a hard time with all those personal computers and mobile phones, your father was indeed caveman-like.”

Grandma, I know you disliked father but calling him a caveman?

“Really? Was that how father like? Do tvs and pcs explode each touch?”

She laughed heartily. As the fireworks ended, she stood and walked inside with her furry pet.

“That’s too extreme but something similar happened once...”

All night, while the new year’s sun crept up from the sky, we talked about mother and father. Grandma’s memories, the memories I forgot, we talked about it all.

Maybe this was what she meant. So that I won’t forget, even with time. I won’t forget about how happy I am right now, how worried I am, how grandma is, stupid things, Cuchi’s barks, clumsy things the townspeople do, bullies, everything! I will write everything! So...

Day 1

This is my first entry and I don’t know what to write.

Whatever. It’s the New Year and I just turned 13 yesterday.

My sister, Li, is stupid and I wish she comes home soon...