My Diary
I like to listen to chamber music when I’m writing in my diary – it comforts and inspires me and is something I’ve been doing since I was eight years old. Writing in my diary seems to help me sort things out – as it tends to get lonely in the attic.
I know some people think of me as unfortunate….but I think I'm just misunderstood. And with my two best friends, Mouette and Bella, and my newest friend, Valentine, who can complain?
Love, Evangeline
October 18 ~ Ipswich Fog
Dear Diary,
Today was a particularly busy day at the mortuary and I was exhausted by the end of the day. It seemed like there were a lot of customers coming in but none were leaving. What a back-up! Nothing went right. Mrs. Bleasdale wanted her dearly departed husband to be buried in the same suit that he was married in; sadly, Mr. Bleasdale was at least 10 stone larger than he was back then. And then there was Mrs. Honeybourne. No matter how many times I did her makeup she still looked like a circus clown, which I don't think is what she wanted. I suppose it's because she loved carrots and ate so many that her skin had turned a pale shade of orange. Not being able to do anything with her, I finally gave up and decided to dress her up like a clown. Since I had to explain to Mr. Mort, I told him I had started a new program where each customer would be dressed up for the afterlife as something they secretly longed to be while they were here. I don't think Mr. Mort bought my plan, but I didn't care.
The work day was finally over and happily things seemed to be getting better. Just as I was leaving the mortuary, Madame Daisy popped in with a Shepherd's pie for me. Wow, I didn't have to cook! This was great as I was too out of sorts to make dinner. With immense gratitude I accepted the pie and started on my journey home. It took me longer than usual as fog had set in and it was extremely thick. I very carefully maneuvered the cobblestone streets, not wanting to trip and drop dinner.
As I made my way through the fog, I could feel the presence of someone walking behind me. I called out but there wasn't any answer. When I arrived home, Mouette, Bella, and Valentine were all sitting at the table waiting to eat. They looked like little angels (although I know they were probably up to no good today). We ate dinner (Shepherd's Pie is a favorite) and headed to bed early.
A ritual before bedtime each night is for me to read aloud from a favorite book. I would allow each of the three to select a book of their choice. Right now we're reading Bram Stokers' 'Dracula' - a favorite of Bella's. While Bella sat quietly listening, Mouette and Valentine hid under the covers, both having one ear sticking out from under the quilt. After a few chapters I decided it was late and we should all turn in for the evening.
Sometime around 2:00 a.m. I was awakened by a tapping on my forehead - it was Mouette. She thought she heard footsteps and didn't know where they were coming from - I went to investigate. I looked outside and down the staircase but the fog was so thick I couldn't see anything. Just as I was about to go back inside I heard them. It definitely sounded like footsteps but they sounded like they were going down the staircase rather than up.
I called out and as before no one answered. I raced down the stairs but couldn't see anything! The fog was still very thick and only a slight hint of moonlight could be seen. As I turned to go back up the stairs I stepped on something that made a crunching sound. I reached down and picked up a wrinkled old piece of newspaper. It was hard to see, but through the fog all I could make out was a photo of a little girl wearing a large necklace.
The article must have been from a French newspaper, as it was written in French. The piece of paper looked as if it was torn out and half of the article was missing. Not being able to do anything else, I returned to bed where Mouette, Bella, and Valentine were all sound asleep. Tomorrow I'll have to stop by Madame Daisy's and have her translate what's left of the article.
Love, Evangeline
August 18 ~ An Imaginary Life
Dear Diary,
What a day! Madame Daisy had to go out of town again and she asked if I would house sit for her. She's been doing business with a traveling sideshow and neeed me to go over and take care of a few things. So earlier today Mouette and I went to her house and watered the plants and brought in the mail.
It's no secret that I've always loved how Madame Daisy dresses. Without the Madame being home, I decided to go through her closet and take a look at her wardrobe. Mouette, always the little mother, thought it was a bad idea. I tried on all kinds of gowns and turbans, one lovelier than the last. Just as I was slipping into a beautiful long gold gown with a matching turban, there was a knock at the door. As I opened the door I came face to face with a strange man asking for Madame Daisy. He assumed I was her, so I went along with it, although Mouette was trying her best to stop me. I didn't care - I thought 'what harm could it do?'
The stranger was tall with dark hair and wearing all black. He introduced himself as Crawford Bottomside. He said that he was trying to find a long lost relative and wondered if I could be of assistance. I asked him to come in and have a seat at a table where Madame Daisy had her crystal ball. As I listened, he told a tale of death, despair, and a piece of jewelry called "The Blood Moon Amulet."
I sat completely mesmerized by the story. He spoke of a man that left Ipswich many years ago taking his family and the amulet. Mr. Bottomside would not reveal as to why he wanted this mysterious piece. What he did say was that it was of the utmost importance that he locate it.
Just as the story was coming to a climatic ending, Madame Daisy walked in unexpectedly. Madame had come home a day early because she hadn't brought enough turbans on her trip for her to wear. When Mr. Bottomside realized that I had tricked him he ran out of the house and disappeared onto the streets of Ipswich.
I told Madame of his story and confessed to what I had done. Although she seemed a little mad, she let me keep the gown and turban because I looked really good in it. Well, that and also because I had spilled chocolate sauce on it after I had made a large ice cream sundae for myself and Mouette. Oddly, Mouette didn't seem to mind that I went through Madame Daisy's icebox.
Love, Evangeline
April 24 ~ Another Birthday?
Dear Diary,
It's nearing midnight on the evening of my birthday and it seems that everyone forgot about it. Mr. Mort is away attending a mortician's convention, and Madame Daisy went to visit her sister. Even Mouette and Bella would always wish me a Happy Birthday, but not this year. I can't expect Valentine to do anything since she's new here. I even waited at home all day hoping that perhaps Mortimer might come by, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of him. Oh well - I guess I should go to bed and wait for next year.
April 25
Dear Diary,
With Mr. Mort still away Mortimer was in charge of the mortuary and so he decided to get the place organized. He asked me to start cleaning out the basement where we keep the extra coffins and other large items. It's very dark down there and a little spooky, but I kind of like it that way. As I made my way down the long, cold stone steps (this was not the day to wear my good 4" heels!) I could see a dim candle light on the other side of the coffins section. Then it hit me - they must have waited until today to secretly surprise me for my birthday! I was hoping that they had fooled me again and everyone would be down in the basement ready to surprise me. How exciting! I could barely control myself, but managed to push my way through all of the coffins. By the time I got over to the light, I was covered in dirt and cobwebs. But what I found was a candle that someone had left burning. After getting over my disappointment, I realized that this place could have burned to the ground. I threw off my shoes and headed back upstairs to give Mortimer the what for! I ran up the steps as fast as I could and flung open the door, knocking Mouette, who was standing on the other side, clear across the room only to land right into a giant birthday cake. Just then, Mr. Mort, Madame Daisy, Mouette (altough covered in icing) Valentine, Bella, and even Mortimer yelled 'SURPRISE!' There I was, barefoot, dirty, and covered in cobwebs but I didn't care because they did all remember my birthday. And with all of the excitement of the surprise party, I had forgotten about the burning candle in the basement.
Needless to say, the Ipswich fire brigade joined us for my Birthday party. This was one of my best birthdays ever ~ we literally almost set the town on fire.
Love, Evangeline
Feb 15 ~ My Valentine
Well, yesterday was a waste! I did fix up Mrs. Hastings-Noodle (which wasn’t easy as we could barely fit her into the largest coffin we had which incidentally we use for horses) and no one showed up. It seems that she wasn’t a very good matchmaker. Most of the matches she made over the years were either now divorced or dead. The dead ones didn’t end up that way naturally either. In addition to this, Mortimer didn’t say a word to me. Not even to wish me a Happy Valentine’s day. It couldn’t have been him that sent the candy. So with a sore back and broken heart I headed home to find Mouette and the new kitten, which we named Valentine, enjoying the candy. It seems as though Mouette and I found our Valentine after all.
Happy Valentine's Day?
Feb. 14
Dear Diary,
I know that I shouldn’t be this excited about it being Valentine’s Day, but I am! Earlier while putting out some milk for a small kitten I discovered prancing around my door I found a large heart shaped box of chocolates with a card that read “From an admirer”. I couldn’t believe it. This has never happened to me. I hope they’re from Mortimer. But no time now to think about this, as I have to work today. Mr. Mort came by very early this morning to let me know that he needed me today. It seems that the town Matchmaker, Mrs. Cecily Hastings-Noodle passed away. From what Mr. Mort told me, she was working on matching up the best Yorkshire pudding maker in the village, Annabelle Doohickey with Rudolph Woodholly, the village sausage maker. Neither Annabelle nor Rudolph had any money so they were paying her in sausage and Yorkshire Pudding. The match took almost two years to complete. Anyway, I don’t have to spell out how she died. This actually works to my advantage as I’ll be able to see Mortimer and maybe he’ll spill the beans on the candy. More tomorrow...
Love, Evangeline
Could it get any worse?
August 3, 1946
Did you ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? Well I recently had one of those days. It started first thing in the morning. I woke up to find that the outfit I had laid out to wear had a large stain right on the front. I suspected Mouette and Bella were playing hide and seek in it after I went to bed, but couldn't prove anything. I quickly found something else to wear but it wasn't quite right to go to work in but I had no other choice at the moment.
While crossing the street on my way to work at the mortuary, I stepped into a large puddle right up to my knees. When I finally arrived at work (wet shoes and all) I found Mr. Mort wasn't feeling well so he was staying home in bed, which left me on my own. With my petticoats still very wet I figured without Mr. Mort there, I could slip them off and go without them for a day.
I set out to keep myself busy. When lunch time rolled around (which I was so looking forward to), I fished through my purse looking for the lunch I had made that morning. That was the moment I realized I had left my lunch in the attic! All I could find at the shop were a few dried crackers. Could this day get any worse?
The answer was soon to be yes! Since we were in our slow season at the mortuary, I figured I would do some spring cleaning. I set out scrubbing floors, dusting casket samples, and cleaning just about every nook and cranny. Then I decided to turn my attention to the grounds.
I noticed the roof had a lot of leaves stuck to it from the rain, and thought I'd climb up and clean them off. So I hiked up my chiffon overskirt and tucked it into my waistband, placed a broom between my teeth, and climbed the trellis on the side of the building. Once on the roof, I swept off the leaves. Not realizing that the roof was slippery, I lost my footing and started t slide off the roof! The only thing I could do was grab onto a branch from an overhanging tree.
Needless to say, it looked to be a long way down, so I decided to climb into the tree and then down to the street. The only problem was now the streets were filled with towns people. Not wanting to make a spectacle of myself, I decided to wait until dark and then climb down. After sitting there for awhile, boredom set in and I fell asleep. Of course it rained.
When the morning sun woke me, I was damp and my dress had shrunk so tightly that you could see right through it! I really could have used those petticoats about now. I looked down to see a crowd had gathered below staring up at me. It seems that the dress I had worn was much sheerer than I had ever noticed and between the morning sun and the shrunken chiffon, it looked like I was wearing practically nothing. Of course, right in the middle of the crown was Moritmer, looking slightly horrified.
What was a girl to do? So I just sat there and waited fo someone to bring me a ladder.
Love, Evangeline
Another Year...
April 21, 1946
Well, my birthday is just around the corner and I'm still no closer to knowing anything more about my family. I decided this year not to focus on that and just enjoy my birthday. Being it's just a few days away, I thought this would be a great time to do some spring claning in the attic and go through each armoire carefully separating the things I want to keep from the items I plan to give away. I don't know why I do this? I only make more clothes and fill the armoires up again. It was about noon when I decided to take a break from this exhausting work and have some lunch. Just as I was finishing clearing out one particular armoire, I realized that there was a loose panel in the back of it. Being quite curious, I pulled the panel off and reached inside only to find...
[Help Evangeline finish her birthday diary entry and you could win some ghastly prizes! - For details, check out the My Diary Contest link in the Evangeline's Attic category on this website!]
A Christmas Story...
December 3, 1945
Christmas shopping is exhausting! After dinner I decided to get into bed and read to take my mind off of what Mortimer might get me. Once asleep, I had the strangest dream. I was lying in bed when the ghost of my mother appeared. She wanted to tell me something but she couldn't speak. Every time Mother went to speak, nothing would come out. She then took me by the hand, dragged me out of bed, and out the window we flew. Over Ipswich we flew in circles. We then took a sudden turn and headed back towards the Manor. As we approached, I could see it all lit up in the distance. I've never seen it this way! As we got nearer we started flying faster. Apparently Mother was not good at this flying thing and we flew right through a window and landed in the middle of a group of people. Oddly enough, none of them noticed. Everyone was dressed in beautiful clothing and having a good time. It was a Christmas party!
There was a large beautiful Christmas tree and a long table covered in food and lit by what seemed like hundreds of candles. This couldn't be Barkley Manor? We just left there and as usual, no one was at the manor except for me, Mouette and Bella. At first I didn't recognize anyone. As the crowd separated, I noticed a little girl sitting in a corner all alone. She seemed familiar. A pretty little pale girl with long black hair and wearing a beautiful black velvet dress all trimmed with black lace. She looked quite sad. Suddently a short, stout woman came by and took the little girl by the hand and led her out of the room. Then it hit me like a lead lined coffin! The woman was Beda, the woman who took care of me when I was small!
She still looked the same as I remember her, but only slightly younger. As the little girl me? Could Mother have brought me back to my childhood? Had I lived at Barkley Manor my whole life? Were we wealthy? Did I always wear black? I quickly followed Beda and the little girl from the grand ballroom but they disappeared. Back in the ballroom I then spotted another young girl talking to a young boy. The girl was very pretty with long blonde hair. The boy was wearing a grey suit and a large top hat. Odd for a child, but I also recognized something of the little boy. Just then Mr. Mort walked by and led the boy away. What? Mr. Mort? Was the little boy Mortimer? Did he always dress that way? Was Mr. Mort always old? Things are even more confusing now. Were Mortimer and I childhood friends? Who was the little blonde girl? Did I have a sister? The two girls looked similar, but what happened to her?
Suddenly the room started to spin and everything vanished and I found myself standing in the snow outside and Barkley Manor was dark again. Was this all a dream or did Mother really come to tell me something?
All I know is that I'll have to stop reading 'A Christmas Carol' and eating a whole turkey before going to bed. Happy Christmas!
A Day at the Circus
June 2, 1945
I just have to write about this...why, I’m not sure, but while giving Mrs. Goosebottom her here-after make-over the other day (boy she needed it), I overheard Mortimer telling his uncle that a traveling circus was coming to town and that he had bought a ticket to go. Since he didn’t ask me to accompany him (he never does) I decided to buy myself a ticket and go anyway. Of course I had to make a new outfit to wear just in case Mortimer sees me. I felt something circus-like would be appropriate. After spending hours searching the attic I found an old top hat and an Edwardian looking coat and thought I should make a long skirt to wear. The coat, although lovely, was a little plain. I added a ruffled train and large bow at the back and decorated the top hat a little.
June 3, 1945
So, today was the day of the circus. After dressing and feeding Mouette her breakfast, I set out very excited about the sights and sounds of my first circus experience. It was wonderful! There were colorful tents filled with all kinds of animals and performers. Having rained the night before the ground was a little muddy but I didn’t care, I had brought a walking stick. Since it was still a little early, I decided to buy a bag of peanuts and go feed the elephants. In hindsight maybe this was not such a good idea.
As it happened, I stood a little too close to one of them and she snatched the whole bag of peanuts from my hands. I wouldn’t have had a problem with that but when she grabbed the peanuts she also grabbed my skirt and completely ripped it off of me. Luckily I had a small ruffled slip underneath, which did elicit stares (something that I’ve grown used to). I let out a small scream which startled the elephant. This made him run towards the big tent where the show was just about to start.
I don’t know what made me do what I did next but I chased after him thinking I could stop him. There were people running in all directions and chaos ensued. The elephant not only had me running after it, but the ringmaster, at least three clowns, a couple of jugglers and various others as well. Everything was happening so fast that I didn’t realize that we all ended up right smack in the center of the ring in the tent. As luck would have it, Mortimer was sitting right in the first row and took one look at me and ran out as usual. The audience must have thought this was part of the show and started to applaud. I took a bow and left.
Love, Evangeline
April 24! My Birthday!
Dear Diary,
Well today’s the day - my Birthday! Not really having any family, I decided to stay home and celebrate with just Mouette, Bella and myself. I did the same thing I’ve done every year since I can remember and that’s get out my diary and read the page that says,
Happy Birthday Evangeline.
We will never forget you.
Love Mumsie and Dadums
And then I always write “Maybe next year?”
This year is a little different though. Around noon time Mouette found a note from Madame Daisy pinned to the door – the local psychic. The note read that she had to see me immediately and that it was very, very important. I couldn’t imagine what it was about, especially since I’ve never told anyone else my birthday. So after lunch, I went to see her with Mouette and Bella, both of whom refused to be left behind (they’re soooo nosy).
When we arrived, Madame Daisy was just about to show me something in her crystal ball when the table rose from the floor and started spinning in circles. What a hoot! When the table finally settled down a funny yellow glow started emanating from the ball and then it exploded. We all jumped to the floor and covered our heads not wanting to get hit by flying glass. When we came out from under the table there were streamers and balloons everywhere and a big cake with candles on it. A birthday cake! There was even a small box, beautifully wrapped with a tag that had my name on it. Inside there was a brooch shaped like a small rose covered in diamonds.
I couldn’t believe my luck! But how, no one knew it was my birthday. Where did it all come from? Madame Daisy was in shock. She quickly sent for Mr. Mort and Mortimer to join us. Mortimer declined the invite as usual, but even so, what a great birthday anyway! I never found out why Madame Daisy wanted me to come see her. It really didn’t matter as I finally had a birthday party and maybe even another clue to my past.
Love, Evangeline
Blue Moon - October 15, 1944
Today I woke up and felt a little blue and for the life of me I can’t figure out why? Mouette and I had our usual breakfast of tea and clotted cream (I always skip the scones) and thought this would make me feel better, but it didn’t. Then we went for a brisk morning walk thinking this would help, but it didn’t. What was the matter with me today? Then I tried sorting through my rocks, lining them up from largest to smallest something that always brings a smile to my face. It just seems that today is not going to get any better.
By the afternoon it had gotten worse and I found myself just sitting in the attic staring at the rafters. It was about dinner time when I spotted something moving around up there but couldn’t quite see what it was. It was shiny and moved when I would try to go near it. Suddenly the moon shone through the window giving a blue glow to whatever it was. Then it disappeared giving me a great idea.
October 16, 1944
I awoke so excited about my idea! I skipped breakfast (although I made sure Mouette had hers) and went right to work cutting and sewing. After hours of working, my new gown was finished. But I felt there was something missing - What was it? After pondering for a while I ran to Mr Mort’s and grabbed a bottle of hair dye that we use on the older clients, something called “Blue Rinse”. This always gives grey hair a clean shiny look. But when I used the dye on my hair it turned a bright shade of blue that actually matched the gown I had made!
It looked rather elegant and I was positive that Mortimer would surely fall for me this time. After dinner I got all dressed up and piled my hair high in a new style and went down to see Mortimer. He usually hangs out around the garbage dump after dinner playing with the mice. The Moon was big and bright and as I came over the hill towards him, Mortimer took one look at me, screamed and ran off. He’s just so shy! I guess my new look was just too much from him to take.
August 21, 1944 - Cemetery Wedding
Dear Diary,
After weeks of cutting and sewing I’ve finally finished the dress I plan to get married in. Even though Mortimer hasn’t asked me yet or for that matter asked me out on a date I know that we were meant to be together for all eternity.
Last night I dreamt about Mortimer and myself on our honeymoon. We would be married at last and be happy forever.
With this knowledge I decided to put on the gown and head down to Mr. Mort’s to show Mortimer. I knew that once he saw me he would immediately fall in love and ask me to marry him. On the way there I thought I should go by the cemetery and see my parents and tell them what I had planned. As usual they had nothing to say.
After sitting there for a while I realized that it had gotten very late and so I started to run which was not the brightest of ideas seeing that I was in high heels. Not being able to run so fast I decided to take a short cut by jumping over Great Aunt Alice’s tombstone. Stupidly I didn’t see the open grave behind her and landed right in it. I tried to climb out but even in high heels I wasn’t tall enough to do it. I had to wait until someone came along to rescue me – I hope my wedding dress isn’t ruined….[to be continued…]
June 3, 1944
Mr. Mort had a 2 for 1 sale today and asked if I would help out around the mortuary. I figured that I'd better wear something in keeping with the occasion and put on one of my favorite colors, coffin grey. Oddly enough, no one was showing up for the sale. After sitting around for most of the day talking and drinking tea, a client came in wanting to know if he would only have to pay half the sale price because he only had one person to bring in. Being a brilliant businessman, Mr. Mort said "no, you have to bring in two people to get the sale price." I still don't understand why the customer left.
March 5, 1944
It was a lovely day when I woke up so I took my pet skunk Mouette for a walk to the place I feel most at home, Ipswich cemetery. It’s nice to be surrounded by my ancestors even though they’re all dead. I like to read all the epitaphs on the tombstones. My Great, Great Aunt Alice’s epitaph reads “Too Late”. On my Great Uncle Mortimer’s tombstone it says “Much Too Late”. The last stop is usually my parents’ grave. I never get tired of reading it:
Here lies Millicent and Mervyn Ghastly
Born April 24, 1901“We haven’t got there yet”
Maybe someday I’ll understand what all of it means.
Be sure to check back for updates to Evangeline’s diary!
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