Evelyn's Notebook

An experiment using brackets to denote missing pieces of found text.

An 8 1/2 by 11 inch, ruled notebook was found in the gutter of a recent suburban housing development.  Of the eighty pages advertised on the notebook’s cover, there are only thirty three (most have apparently been ripped out), and of those, only six are written on.  Five other pages have only a few incidental marks that appear to be from testing pens.  All six of the pages written on have been torn in some way, sometimes in intricate ways, and sometimes in apparently incidental ways, like a corner torn off perhaps for a bookmark.  The cover has the name EVELYN in a thick, blocky hand in black permanent marker.  There is no date handwritten anywhere in it, but the price tag on the back says “03 02 07” under the price, $2.99.

What follows is a reconstruction of the six significant pages, including sometimes small fragments that were found between the pages of the notebook.  Missing pieces of text have been denoted with brackets.

The Queen

]disappeared[

]! You can’t just tell me that.

] I’m sorry she’s not[

]

In [

]at the moment,[

]can I take a message?

The King[

Put[

] Down [

]his sword.

]with a grunt.

It cut.

You’re tearing us to pieces.  So I’m tearing us to pieces.

I wanted to write you a [ ] poem but [ ] made that impossible--

worse than impossible,[ ] The[ ] gone.

] did you think it [ ]to me[

] you were the[ ]wrote[ ]things look how

terrible[ ] it’s useless[ ]up[ ], nothing at all.

] even that I[ ]again.  I want you to

] over again[ ]phrase by phrase repair the rent

]left.

 ]tattoo.

]

]for[

]

]

]breast.

]

]

]

]ignore someone’s phone calls while someone else responds

“yes i am sure that i will”

(ensuring “no i won’t”)

when i say to call me

Beginnings, it is said[

But endings I want only[

the middle.

Like a gardener paid pennies,[

no rust in their perfume.

If we ever get there[

With or without you[

another town.

Two is company, three[

]only to shake things up.

Dearest John,

It’s nice, I think, to hear that you are well.  You’re so far away

]There’s something

]nice

]about a letter.

]

]Send one to some

]long lost friend.

]

]Nice:

]that adjective reserved

]for nothing

]nicer to say.

 ]pious father’s[

]

]daughter[

]

]’s[

]friend murdered[

]

]her &[

]the murderer[

]’s son[

]

]

]each other[

]murdering[

]

the shredder.

Author's Note

I'm not sure what genre or type to put this under.