Dear Diary, I Messed Up Again

Entry One - April 15th

Dear Diary, today as I sat on the porch mending buttons a man walked past. He was tall and broad and had a black mustache. He was whistling a beautiful, cheerful tune. He waved to me as he walked by but then tripped and ruined his nice clothes in a mud puddle. I tried to help him up, but I foolishly scattered the buttons everywhere and dropped the clothes in the dirty street as I stood. When I tried to help him up, we both slipped and I ended up ruining my gown as well as giving the man a faceful of muck. He glared at me, stood up, and then gave me a curt nod. I'm almost positive he swore under his breath at me. After that, I had the job of picking up thousands of little buttons from off the sidewalk trying not to get stepped on. When that was done I had to wash the clothes again, gather eggs, milk the cows and then make lunch for Ma and Ayva. I didn't have time to bathe until nightfall. It was a horrible day. Hopefully, tomorrow brings a new start.

-Era

Entry Two - April 17th

Dear Diary, I tried finding the man from yesterday after my morning chores. I brought a small basket of Ayva's delectable orange rolls. They were sitting on the counter and made the whole house smell amazing. I asked around about the man and found out he was new to the area. I felt my face flush as I learned that he was a duke of someplace. However, this just made me more determined to give him the rolls and apologize. I found out from Leanna the baker that he was staying at Ms. Ivy's home for the time being. When I knocked on the door, Ms. Ivy's son answered, Tomas I think, and he about shut the door on me! When I told him I wanted to give some orange rolls to the duke he spit on my shoe and told me to get my poisoned rolls away and he didn't want to see any more witches coming knocking on his door. I left and munched on the orange rolls. I couldn't let them go to waste, now could I. Well as it turned out, those rolls were meant to go to the orphanage and Ayva had used the last bit of yeast for them. She instructed me to go get some more even though it was late and when I returned Ma about had a fit and made me stay up until I had finished all my afternoon chores. I worked late into the night and early into the morning, gaining some new blisters. It's only six-thirty now but I think I'll go to bed. I'm exhausted.

-Era

Entry Three- April 21st

Dear Diary, something very strange happened yesterday. As I was walking past the butcher's shop I heard a sharp hiss. There was a cat on the steps. It was so skinny I could see its ribs but it had a lovely pied coat. I crouched down and pulled a bit of fish from my basket, setting it by the cat's paws. It licked the fish up immediately and then scampered away. When I got home, a small, gnarled woman sat on our front steps, petting the cat I had fed earlier. When I approached her, she stood, thanked me for taking care of Marmalade, who I assumed was the cat, and then handed me a necklace. It was a small, silver chain with a glass amulet hanging by a hook. I had often seen the rich ladies wear necklaces like this with pressed flowers between the glass, but the one the woman gave me had a little tuft of white fur. She told me it was the fur of a rabbit's hindfoot and told me it was for good luck.

The next day I wore it around my neck when I went to the market and people were mad at me! They said I had committed a crime for killing a rabbit for a clump of its fur and told me to practice my witch-craft somewhere else. I've decided now that tomorrow I will go to the White Elk fields and try to find a four-leaf clover to replace the rabbit fur. Maybe that'll help my luck.

-Era

Entry Four - April 22nd

Dear Diary, I woke up early and finished my morning and afternoon chores by lunchtime, then went to the White Elk fields to try to find some patches of clover. I found some but none had any four-leaf clovers. I spent hours baking in the sun and now I can hardly lean down without my sun-burned back protesting with hot pain. I refuse to go outside in case of another mishap but I seem to be doing that just fine here at home too. In only a few hours I broke two plates I was washing, tipped over a newly filled pail of milk, dropped the basket of eggs I had just collected, mistaken the salt for sugar, and burned dinner. Ma scolded me something fierce and when I told her I hadn't meant to, she backhanded me and told me to get out of her sight. Ayva was kind enough to get me a cold washcloth to press against my face but the cooling effect did not last long in my boiling attic room. I am tired of this bad luck. I will do something about it.

-Era

Entry Five - May 1st

Dear Diary, I tried changing my luck around with good deeds, so today I went to the orphanage and brought some eggs with me for the children. When I walked through the gate however a small boy yelled "Look, it's the witch!" and pointed at me. I held up the basket and explained that I was just delivering some eggs. The boy tilted his head, smiled, and said thanks. I smiled back, set the basket on the ground since they clearly didn't want me any closer, and turned to leave. That's when I felt something hit my shoulder. Eggshells and slimy yolk slipped down my back and I flushed, turning around on my attackers. In less than an instant, I was pelting the kids with eggs and they were pelting me. Needless to say, Ma was not pleased when I arrived home, covered in shells, albumen, and yolk, escorted by two guards. 'Era what will I do with you?!' She had cried, tears running down her face. I had lived fourteen years without seeing her weep, but I did then and it broke my heart. I'm determined to change my luck no matter what I need to do.

-Era

Entry Six- May 7th - Last Entry

Dear Diary, today was supposed to be Era's fifteenth birthday. Reading through her diary I can see now that she had an unfortunate case of bad luck and I'm sorry for all the times I yelled at her. Now, I wish I had cherished the moments I had with her. Era was awkward and clumsy that was true, and I laughed when she had told you she gave the Duke of Waythford a mud facial, but she was also kind and lively. I will miss her a great much and wish she had taken a more moderate approach to change her luck. We'll forever love you, our dear Eranna.

-Ayva and Ma