#the meduthenite diaries

[meduthenitediaries]

Megan - I

Dear Diary,

My name is Megan and I'm nine years old yesterday. You were one of my gifts! I don't know why people talk to their diaries like they are a real person or can understand them. Wait, can you? If you can, you have to tell me. Anyway, my mom threw me a small party. It was only mom, me, Maddie and Alyssa. Dad didn’t come. I wanted to invite my whole class but mom said that with my cough, that it was a bad idea. The sickness I have is contagious. But I was allowed to have my besties at least! We couldn't stand next to each other and I had to wear a mask the whole time. We still had fun!

We played a card game called Love Letter. It's a game where you try to win the heart of the princess by getting one of her servants or members of the royal court to give her your love letter. That's the lore of the game at least. Each round you're supposed to be that last player standing or have the highest card to win. The points are supposed to be love tokens, but they remind me of meat cubes.

For dinner, mom ordered us pizza and for dessert, she made cupcakes! Chocolate with strawberry frosting! They were so good! We ended the night watching Cats with Taylor Swift! I love her! ❤️

Sadly, Maddie and Alyssa couldn't sleep over since I was sick. That's okay, I guess.

Before going to bed, mom and I talked for a little bit about her day and work and how schools going. She’s very busy with her job so I am glad we got to talk.

Eventually, it was time to sleep.

I had a hard time falling asleep though. I kept thinking about dad. I haven’t seen him since the 4th of July last year, like a week before his birthday. I couldn't see him on his birthday so I saw him on the fourth instead. The 4th of July is one of the holidays he gets to see me since mom doesn't really like it.

We spent the day at the beach since it was the night they were doing the fireworks! I love them because how they can make shapes with them and sometimes do them to music.

I hope I see him again soon.

Anyway, I should go to bed now.

Love,

Bye,

Meg

[meduthenitediaries]

"Wish that you were here" by Florence + The Machine

[meduthenitediaries]

The Meduthenite Diaries

Do you have  a persistent cough?

Have you ever experienced the kind of heartache from a breakup that makes you question, "What went wrong?" Or the deep, grief-filled ache of losing a loved one? 

Are you experiencing any blotchy or itchy skin?

Are you being crushed by the overwhelming desire to feel loved, only to find that those around you superficially value your affection? 

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you may be experiencing Meduthenite Syndrome.

Told through separate and reflective diary entries of those caught in the throes of a heartache-fueled pandemic,  The Meduthenite Diaries  unveils a world where a fantastical disease is spreading from the magical realm to Earth, devastating the lives it brews in. 

At the heart of the story is Megan, a young girl afflicted by this disease, is whisked away by Alvimiya, a curious fae, enamored with the human world. Along the way, they are joined by Cecilia, the living doll-house who's grappling with the denial of her own symptoms; and Memafestora, a flamboyant fae who can manifest memories into physical form. Together, they confront the challenges of their afflictions and seek the origins of the disease, navigating a world where love, loss, and magical intrigue intertwine.

[meduthenitediaries]

Megan - IV

Dear Diary,

You won’t believe it, but I have a new babysitter, and she’s someone I already met! I didn’t even remember at first, but we met last year at my great aunt Carol’s funeral.

It was raining that day, but not the heavy kind, just that soft, misty rain that makes everything wet without you really noticing. Everyone was really sad, but I didn’t know Aunt Carol, so it all felt odd to me. I got up and went to explore the graves nearby.

That’s when I saw her. A woman standing by a gravestone, wearing a pretty purple cape and holding a big black umbrella. The umbrella had these gold patterns on it, but they were hard to look at. Every time I tried to focus on one part, the rest of it seemed to blur. It was weird.

Anyway, it was Ava! But I didn’t know that back then. She was crying, and I felt like I should go talk to her. I asked if she was okay, and she said no, but that she would be one day. Then she started telling me about her husband, Hal, who died young. She really missed him! 🙁

She talked about the ranch they built together and how they worked so hard on it. While she talked, I kept thinking about those strange patterns on her umbrella. It was like they were moving or something and it made it hard to concentrate.

When she finished, she thanked me for listening, and I went back to my mom. I didn’t think much about her after that.

But now, a year later, she’s my babysitter! I didn’t recognize her right away, but on the second day, it hit me - she’s the woman from the graveyard! I asked her, and she just smiled and said, “Yes,” like she was waiting for me to remember.

I really like Ava. She’s different from any babysitter I’ve ever had. She’s fun, helps me with my homework, has great taste in clothes and her stories are the best. Like this one time, she and her husband Hal rescued a little duckling that was hurt and helped it get better. That is so cute!

But guess what? Something even bigger happened yesterday. We had just finished my homework when Ava said she wanted to talk to me. She told me she was really worried about my cough from Meduthenite. She doesn’t want it to get worse, like what happens to the people they talk about on the news. They say the crystals that grow inside people from the disease can get so big that it gets hard to breathe. They can even get so big that you choke! I don’t tell my mom this, but I’m afraid that might happen to me one day.

Then Ava said something crazy. She said she’s magical. She’s a faerie! She said if I go with her to the world where the fae live, she could help me find a cure. There are lots of ways she could help me. At first, I didn’t believe her, but a part of me really wanted to. So, to prove it, she touched the couch, and it started to change right in front of me! It turned from brown leather to soft, pink velvet! And before I could even react, it switched to polka dots, then back to brown leather! She did real magic!

She said that if I went with her to get cured, no one would even know I was gone. Ava would make a copy of me. She called it a changeling, and it would take my place for a little while. It would look and act just like me! She said making it was just to be extra careful, in case anyone came looking for her, it would be there. Ava said it might not even be necessary because it shouldn’t take too long to go to Sylvoriax and try out a few of the healing options. Plus, time works differently there. One day is like 3 or 4 Earth days. I don’t totally understand that part, but she said I shouldn’t worry, and to trust her. She promised I won’t even notice the difference.

Honestly, I didn’t know how to feel. A part of me still didn’t believe it. Like, this is all so strange! But come on, she changed the couch right in front of me! Still, it feels weird and hard to believe. I’m kinda scared, but I trust her, so I said I would go. If it means I might get better, I’m willing to take the chance.

We’re leaving tomorrow morning when Ava is supposed to take me to school. After my mom leaves, we’re going to make the changeling right away and then go. Ava wants as much time as possible, and we’re hoping I’ll be back before Mom gets home from work. To make the changeling, Ava said she needed two personal things from me: something old and something new. It was a tough choice, but she promised I’d get them back, so I gave her the amethyst my dad gave me for something old, and a blank page from you, my diary, for something new.

Then she said that to make it more real and give it life, she needed to take one of my memories. It should be something I wouldn’t miss because I’d forget it afterward. So, I told her a story about a time my mom, dad, and I went to a park. As I spoke, I felt the words escape and disappear, leaving my mouth. It was hard to keep the story intact in my mind as she pulled at it, taking the memory. The sensation is difficult to describe, and I hope to never experience it again. It left me feeling confused.

When she was ready to make the changeling, Ava told me to wait in another room. She said it’d be too starteling for me to see or interact with it, and I guess she’s right. It would be really weird. Still, a part of me kinda wanted to see it. But that’s okay.

While she was busy, I packed an overnight bag. Ava said I could bring my diary, so I’m definitely taking you. She didn’t say I couldn’t bring anything else, but she suggested we travel light since we’d be back soon anyway.

Once Ava was done, I took her hand and we left the house. As she stopped to lock the door, I felt the other me watching from my bedroom window. My heart skipped a beat, and I swallowed hard before taking a peak at it. Its eyes, unblinking and empty, like dark holes, were staring right at us. A shiver ran down my spine. She said it would be fine, but now I am unsure if I want to leave. I didn’t want to leave my copy with my mom.

I reminded myself that Mom and Ava are friends. They’ve talked a lot since they met on the ferry a few months ago. I’ve heard Mom laugh with her over the phone, and they send each other messages all the time. If Mom trusts her, then I should trust her.

Ava noticed us staring at each other and gently squeezed my hand, quickly guiding me away. Before I could ask about it, she said, "Don’t worry, it won’t look like that to your mom." She explained that I only see it that way because I have the real face. That’s how I think I understood it, anyway.

Her soft reassurance made me feel better.

As Ava walked us to an old park a few blocks from my house, she chatted excitedly about how happy she was to help me. The portal was a bush of honeysuckle that had overgrown around an old metal slide. Together, they made a portal that randomly opened and closed, leading to her home world! But she knew a spell to make it open on demand. I could tell she really cared about me. I kept thinking that she should also be concerned about her cough, too.

Love,

Meg

[meduthenitediaries]

Megan - III

Dear Diary,

Something strange happened today. Mrs. Rosewood told us that Meduthenite Syndrome is getting worse. People all over the world are getting sick, and it’s spreading fast. She said its a pandemic now, and today was our last day of in-person classes. We’re all going home with laptops, and our classes will be online until further notice. She said it would only be two weeks, but it might be longer. We knew this might happen. This is not what was strange, well not completely. What is strange is how everyone acted the whole day.

I stopped paying attention after that because I started to feel scared. During her talk, some kids kept looking back at me. Were they scared of me? Or just curious? Maddie and Alyssa wouldn’t even look at me.

I already sit away from everyone as it is, that just made it more obvious.

When Mrs. Rosewood continued with the lesson, I asked for the bathroom pass and cried in the stall. I don’t remember much of the day after that. When we got our laptops, I tried to say goodbye to my friends, but it was weird. They said they’d see me around and that two weeks would go quickly, but they seemed off, like they didn’t really want to talk.

They’ve been acting like that for a while now. When I think about it, I first noticed it on Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite days of the year. I always make my cards a few days before the holiday, making sure I have the perfect ones for everyone in my class, even the teacher. I loved picking out the cutest designs and spending hours adding stickers and writing little notes to make everyone feel special. I always made the best ones for Alyssa and Maddie because they’re my best friends! We give each other small gifts with our cards, like candy or friendship bracelets, and it makes me really happy! Plus, I bring in cookies that I make with my mom. We always bake heart-shaped cookies the night before. <3

This year, though, it was different. Valentine’s Day came a few weeks after I got sick, and I noticed something had changed. I still made cards for everyone in the class, and I still brought in the cookies. But when I started handing out my cards, something felt off. The smiles I got in return didn’t seem genuine, and people avoided looking me in the eye. It was like they were trying to be polite but wanted to keep their distance.

When I was done handing out cards, I went back to my desk and looked at the small pile of cards I received. There was one from Alyssa, one from Maddie, one from Mrs. Rosewood, and one from Tyler and Jordan. But they gave cards to everyone, so it didn’t feel special/

I thought there might be something wrong but tried not to dwell on it. The next few days were mostly normal, but now with today’s news, it feels like everything is changing, and I won’t even get to see them.

They sent us home with a letter to explain what’s going on to our parents. I know Mom spoke to the school a few times over the last few weeks about this possibly happening, so it won’t be a total surprise to her.

I set up my laptop while mom made dinner. She liked to cook on the few nights a week that we had dinner together. But when we sat down to eat, she had to take a call about a patient! I wanted to wait for her to eat but I know how those calls go. They always last longer than expected, and dinner gets cold. So I waited a few minutes before starting without her. When I was done, she was still on a call so I went to do my homework. She ate dinner on the couch after watching her show.

After my homework, I looked up  information about the pandemic because I was curious. There are almost 100,000 people sick with Meduthenite in 12 different countries. It sounds like a lot/ Almost 2,000 people have died from it already.

I already have a cough. Just the other day my throat started itching which makes the cough worse. 

I wish I wasn’t curious.

Bye,

Meg

[meduthenitediaries]

Evelyn - I

Dear Diary,

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in lockdown for a few weeks now. Each day blurs into the next, marked only by the relentless news cycles that remind us of the Meduthenite plague ravaging the world. As of today, there are over 1.2 million confirmed cases in the U.S., and more than 70,000 lives lost. They are staggering. I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by these numbers, knowing they represent real people - mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, all taken too soon. This weight just hangs over me, a constant reminder of how fragile everything really is. And while I’m taking care of so many others at work, my biggest worry is the little girl waiting at home.

It all started with a cough back in January. I brushed it off at first, thinking it was just another winter cold. Kids get coughs. But then it kept on for weeks, long enough to start making me nervous. Just as I was trying to get her checked out, right before the lockdown, she began scratching at this little patch on her neck. The doctor confirmed what I was dreading: stage one Meduthenite. This is when she had to start wearing a mask and keep her distance around others. The pain of having to explain this to her. But in her happily solemn way, she accepted it.

I know these first symptoms don’t seem like much: a cough, a little itch, but knowing what could come… 

It’s hard to keep my mind from racing through all the possibilities.

I’ve spent more time than I want to admit looking up everything I can about it, both the science and the stories. It’s like a ritual now, sitting up at night, reading about the polyps that form in the airways, wondering if her cough will settle or if it’ll turn into something worse. I already had bags under my eyes as it was, but these late nights in front of my phone screen make them worse. I can’t help imagining what comes next: the persistent coughing, the tightness in her chest, that awful mucus filling her lungs if it progresses. And there’s the part of me that considers anything to help her if it meant keeping her safe.

I’m thinking about getting her into therapy, someone she can talk to besides me. Meg is only nine, and she shouldn’t have to worry about any of this. Not about her mom or her health. She should be enjoying her life and she tries her best, really, but I know shes scared.  But I’m here when I can be, balancing hospital shifts, coming home to be Mom, while wondering if it’s all enough. I want to make more time for her. I can't believe I missed dinner with her the other night for a call I couldn’t get off, and then just plopped down in front of the tv and ate dinner while she was up stairs. I am tired of being tired. I am exhausted but that feels like an excuse. God, sometimes I feel like a bad mother even though she would argue against that. No, stop,  I am not a bad mom. I am doing my best alone with little support, even if I won’t say it out loud. I just want to be everything for her, even when I know it’s not possible.

And honestly, that’s the hardest part: knowing there’s no one else to lean on. I already feel like I’m missing so much of Meg’s life because of work, constantly trading time for security. Now, it’s not just time I’m giving up—it’s any sense of control. I’m the nurse mom who can’t treat her child. Every day, I’m watching, waiting, and there’s nothing I can do but hope and be there when she needs me. I know she feels my worry, even though I try to shield her from it. Somehow, knowing how much I’ve already missed, knowing how helpless I am now, only makes the fear dig in deeper.

But tonight, Meg’s asleep upstairs, safe and warm. I’ll focus on that for now—on the things I can protect, even in a world that feels anything but certain. At least I have Ava helping out, babysitting. Meeting her has been a real blessing. 

That’s all for now. I am going up to Meg’s room for a chat before bed. Give her a little more of my time.

Love,

Evelyn