Towards December of 2003, my girlfriend Maya stumbled upon a box inside a large
wooden crate in the basement of the home we were renting. Inside the unlocked box
were all the writings I have carried with me from place to place throughout the years.
The journals of hope I wrote when I was with Harmony. The second she broke that
seal, it was as though she had opened Pandora's box, and I knew the very moment
I saw those books that nothing was ever going to be the same again.



In all honesty, I spent months debating whether I should open
the Harmony journals. Finally, I would find I had no choice.

As I read and rewrote endless pages of fading penciled notes, I found
I had stopped going out at night to become a shut-in. Spending every
waking moment on that computer. Friends would come over, but as
soon as I came home from work, I would isolate myself and type. A
year later, Maya would move out, my friends would stop calling me,
and I would find myself alone; basking in the sanctity of all me and
Harmony embraced through scribbled notes and jottings.

The second I opened that book, my world would be flung out of orbit,
and it couldn't have been any worse had I drowned in a river because
whoever I was before died that day. The day Harmony returned.

The day we joined hands again in remembrance of the time we shared.

As crazy as it may seem, it was almost like she had come out of the
pages of that book itself and was with me again; to look in her eyes
again. To hold her gently in my thoughts, until I reached the end of
course, and the nightmare unfolded once more. Now, I must lose her
again. So please allow me to wallow in self-pity for a while. To self-
destruct in time, and to once again mourn her passing.

Because of these wretched woes, this book has become
more of a curse for me than a blessing.

Enjoy it, I wrote it for you.

I'll probably wind up living my days alone.
In this solitary confinement we call a human existence,
or at least until I can seal that box again.

(Figuratively speaking)

All I want is for this book to live on in the hearts and minds of those who read it.
The next breath I take will be my last, and so I must hurry. The same goes for
anyone walking the earth today, though I do not expect them to believe me.

Just look at everything in God's time, and you will understand.

Take in everything you see and feel, and know you're being judged
because in God's time. . . We're already dead.

Before we begin, it is imperative you understand this book has
been written from several journals. Not only will I be your storyteller
on this incredible journey through the past, but I will also be your guide,
your narrator, and your friend, if you let me.

So, sit back, relax, and most of all, try to keep an open mind
because this story is unlike any other you will ever read.

In adult words, I will retell a tale with accuracy. Occasionally, I may
spawn the child’s point of view, or even ponder (in an artistic sense)
the very essence of the situation as it is unfolding. Even more so,
I will create a form of prose, intricately woven to convey meanings
no child could have expressed logically at that age.

And even though some of what you will read may seem a bit far-fetched,
can you honestly tell me there has never been a moment where something
so incredible has happened that you long to express it in words? Instead,
you suppress it because no one would believe you anyway.

In theory, we all live in glass houses.

The clock is winding back.
The year is 1970.
And I am young again. . .

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                                                         This review was posted on Dec/26/23
                                                                   Reviewed by mycabajada
MC

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164) Pandora by Walter Crane - http://www.waltercrane.com/