New Hightur

New Hightur

March 17, 2021 

I was told by my therapist to start writing in a diary… So where to start? I just moved to a big city in Georgia called New Hightur. I live in an old apartment. If I am not mistaken, it was made in 1910. That’s over 100 years ago. Of course, they have remodeled it a couple of times. It isn’t anything special. It’s just a small apartment building with roughly 20 rooms. It was a huge deal when it first opened. It was the first apartment to open up in this city.

March 30, 2021

I just got back from my session with Dr. Martinez. He thinks I should keep writing, even though it’s quite stupid. It doesn’t do much of anything besides make me forget about what has happened. But my therapist is rarely wrong, so I will keep an open mind, I guess. I will tell you a little about myself. 

I’m 21, and I turn 22 in August. I’m single and planning on it for the rest of my life, for reasons I won’t tell even Dr. Martinez. I am more of a loner with very little personality. Dr. Martinez says I have bipolar depression. He also believes I have anxiety. I don’t really care though. I also found a letter sitting right where I hide my journal. Weird… Luckily, I know how to read cursive.

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Letter 1

Dear sister,

How are you? I have just finished moving into my new apartment. Do you know the one that just opened? I miss you so much! How are you? I hope we can meet up soon. 

Love, Nia.

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April 1st, 2021

All of a sudden I feel a random urge of energy like I could clean the whole apartment in an hour. I’m going to try it!

It took me exactly 1 hour and 23.83 seconds. Wow! I should organize the drawers and actually go shopping. Maybe pick up some chocolate cake. I haven’t had a cake in years! Or better yet, make a chocolate cake! I haven’t felt this excited for anything in a long time.

I made chocolate cake. It tastes super salty. I'm pretty sure I added too much salt. That’s fine, my mom used to always say practice makes perfect. So I will practice until it is perfect. 

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Letter 2

Dear sister,

Everytime I write to you I feel happy. I have been dating this man named Jose. He is a friendly man, very rich. He has his own car. He took me to the theater that just opened down the road. It was a wonderful experience. We had popcorn and soda. Right after the movie he took me to a bar. I must go. Jose is calling for me.

Love, Nia.

~~~*~~~

April 5th, 2021

Dr. Martinez told me I am going through a manic episode. He gave me some pills and told me to take them. I dumped them down the toilet. I love this feeling! I know the risks but I don’t care. 

I just heard a knock on the door. I don’t know who it could be. Weird, laying on the ground in front of my door there was a card in an envelope that said, “Nia.” How do they know my name? I am a writer and use a pen name. The only people that know my name is my family, my therapist, and my landlord. The writing doesn’t look anything like my therapist or landlord’s handwriting, and my family doesn’t know where I live either since I blocked all forms of communication with them. As soon as I was 18 I ran away from home because of my family situation. Let’s just say for now it had to do with abuse. Well, time to work on my story I’m writing. I decided to throw out the pills.

April 6th, 2021

I told Dr. Martinez I threw out the pills. He said, “Why would you throw away those pills I just gave you?” 

I merely replied with, “I like this feeling.” He looked at me and gave me another prescription and forced me to promise to take them. I reluctantly agreed. 

So now I guess I will take them.

~~~*~~~

Letter 3

Dear sister,

I am writing to inform you that me and Jose are getting married. Let me know if you can come.  Even though I have only known him for a couple of months, we will be a happy family forever! We will be getting married at Hailstead Beach, on the coast of Georgia. He bought us a nice mansion home.

Love, Nia

~~~*~~~

April 10th, 2021

Reading the letters I keep getting from the other Nia, I am still honestly shocked she has the same name as me. But the three letters I have gotten from her are concerning me. There are what looks like splatters of red paint on all of them, especially the wedding one. Plus one letter of each of the letters is bolded. So far it says, “H-E-L.” It’s probably nothing, right? Maybe I should tell Dr. Martinez. Though he might think of me as insane… 

Letter 4

Dear sister,

Please send help, my husband is sleeping, I can finally tell you the truth. When I first met him he was the kindest man in the world, he is really rich. Then he started drinking. Things started happening, it started small like snapping at me. (He never did that before he was drinking.) Then it escalated to him hitting me, it happened once. He apologized instantly. Later he became dependent on alcohol. He started snapping more frequently. He started hurting me more too. I didn’t know what to do. Oh no… Bye sister, I love you…

Love, Nia

Letter Reply (Return Back to Sender, 1910)

Dear Nia,

We are sorry to inform you, your sister has passed from lung cancer. We have been told by your mother to send the letters back to you. The 4 letters you have sent to your sister are being returned; they were never opened.

Sincerely, The National US Mail Company

~~~*~~~

April 15th, 2021

What the heck did I just read... I just got back from my therapy session. I showed Dr. Martinez the letters. He looked at me confused and said, “It is just pieces of notebook paper with your handwriting.”

“What?” I said to him, stunned. I looked at it again and it was my handwriting on regular notebook paper. “What?” I whispered to myself, “But… I swear it was a letter from Nia.” He looked at me with the most concerned look on his face I had ever seen. “Your name is Nia.”