Journal Entry No. 1: Clearing of a Conscience

Dear journal,

I very recently did something that I thought I would never do. It’s an exhilarating feeling, but I feel that I should clear my conscience. What better way to do that than to confide in a friend?

I am the perpetrator of a grave robbing.

Last night, protected by the cloak of chilly darkness, I took both a shovel and a lamp, and I entered the old graveyard. The ground was soft and littered with the headstones of many deceased. The tenants of that long-neglected community had met various fates. Some had lived long lives, and some had only seen a brief flicker of life. Sadder, still, were the ones that had never been born, a mere gleam in their parent’s eye.

I brushed past the first few levels of markers; I knew that they were not what I was searching for. I was looking for a much fresher grave. Something roughly four or five years old if memory serves. An old friend. Closing in on the area, I checked the grave markers, holding up the lamp to carefully read each one. At once, I thought I had finally found my prize.

Without hesitation, I thrust the tip of the shovel into the dark, moist earth. I was eager. Hasty, in fact. The excitement pumped adrenaline through my body with each shovelful of dirt and muck. I threw open the creaky casket, a treasure chest of bountiful booty. Yes! Yes; I immediately recognized key characteristics of the corpse! Yet, something was wrong. I examined more closely . . . No. No! It wasn’t the right grave. But, I was close . . . it was an ancestor of the body that I was searching for. The correct grave was one over. Oh, if only I hadn’t been so eager. No matter. I had lost little time, and time was plentiful . . . at least for the time being.

A little more digging, and I finally had what I came for. The casket was bigger than I had remembered it, but it posed no problem. I took it to my workshop and began clearing work space. It was going to take some work to refresh and revive my old friend, but I was up to the task. It was now early morning, but I started work right away. Oh, the excitement! This must be how Dr. Frankenstein felt when he started piecing his own creation together.

As I continue to work on it, I need to work fast. I will undoubtedly run into problems, and those will take extra time to correct. Although time isn’t a problem, per se, I am eager to release my creation (recreation?) onto the world as soon as possible, preferably within the coming weeks.

I’m nervous and anxious at the same time! What if my old friend is not the same? What if it can’t be revived? How will the world react?

In confidence,
Trader Sam