Someone's diary Part 1

SOMEONE´S DIARY

The main character of this book has a very complex and long life’s story which is abouttostartcomingdown.

For the people around him, he’s just like any other person with a regular lifestyle, jobandfamily.

Andifwejusttakealookathislifeinthepresentthey’re…right. Ontheotherhand,hehasapastthatisanythingbutconventional.

Across the story that starts in this book, the facts of his life willslowlybeunveiled, in a confusing and mysterious way, where the reader can follow and comprehend whatgoesthroughthemindofthisoneofakindcharacter.

So, feel free to slide the pages of this book, one byone,tofindjustalittlebitmore about this special and unique life story of a man that could live across your street justlikeanyotherperson.

Last but not least, don’t forget that the past of a person might reveal a new and biggerpersonthantheoneyouthinkyouknow.

Someone’s diary

Illustrated by Luís

Ramada Secondary School

RAMADA School Press

Avenida Projectada A Est.Nacional 205, Ramada, Lisbon

Ramada Secondary School Press is a student-run publishing initiative promoting creativity, scholarship, and education within the school community.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Ramada Secondary School Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization.

Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the RightsDepartment, Ramada Secondary School Press, at the address above.

You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover, and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer

ISBN 0-7885-3348-7

Printed in Portugal Cover design by Luís Batista

For more information about RamadaSecondary School Press and our publishing, visit http://www.esramada.pt

CHAPTER 1 - NEW LIFE

I woke up,feelingdizzyandstrange.I’dlostmymemory.Iwasinsideasmallhouse lying onabedwhensheappeared.Shewasabeautifulgirl,onelikeIhadneverseen before, she was short, light skin likethesnow,longdarkhair,likeafullmoonnight. She seemed to be happy to see me awake and smiled at me in a way that left me speechless. Apparently she found me on the floor, passed out. I don't know where I'm from or who I am. I'm now in Ferney-Voltaire, a village in France. It was a strange time, but I ended up integrating into the village. It’s been 10 years, and I'm now married to the woman who saved me, Charlotte, the mother ofmysix-year-old son. I'm happier than ever, but something isn't right. I feel empty inside because I

CHAPTER 2 - MEMORIES

April 1, 1997

Itwasaround4:30p.m.whenIreturnedfromthemarket.

-You'relate,didsomethinghappen?

-Therewasahugequeueatthemarket,youshouldhaveseenthemessthere!

-Allright,putthegroceriesontheusualshelf.

I the groceries the shelf when I noticed an old box I'd never seen Swissfranccoin.

-ThoseobjectswereinyourpocketswhenIfoundyou...

-Whatdoyoumean?Whydidn'tyoutellmeaboutthembefore?!

-I'msorry!Ihadnoideatheywereimportanttoyou...

-You had no idea?! You know I've always wanted to learn about my past, these objectsmighthelpmeremembersomething!

-Alrightalright,nowyouknow.Justfinishwhatyouweredoing.

I was shocked, but my wife was indifferent. The coin was from Switzerland. I thought my past might be related to that country, but I forgot about it. I decided to relax a bit by reading a Sherlock Holmes book, whichhelpedmecalmdownalotat the beginning of my memory loss. I was at the part where the murderer in the book confesses his crime.Atthatmoment,Ihadastrangefeeling,somethingI'dneverfelt before, until I had a memory. I was running away from somewhere, I couldn't quite figure out where I was running from, but I felt I couldn't look back. Frightened by thissituation,Iquicklyclosedthebookandwenttosleep.

The following day…

I woke up, I hadn't slept very well that night, my wife kept talking about movingto thecity.Itwasthethirdtimethatweekalone.

-Pierre, imagine what it would be like if we lived in a city, like Lyon, we'd have a bighouseandoursonwouldhavebetteracademicopportunities.Inthatcity,every

corner tellsafascinatingstory,whichiswaitingtobediscovered,orinParis,thecity oflove,wecouldhaveanewlifestyle.It'sagoodidea,don'tyouthink?

Ilistenedpatientlyasmywifekepttalking,untilshesaid:

-Or maybe we could move to Switzerland, Geneva for example, any city would be betterthanlivinghere...

At that moment amemorycametome,itwasconfusing,justlikethepreviousone,I began to suspect that my past might have something to do with Switzerland, and it wasatthatmomentthatImadeabigdecision...

CHAPTER 3 - FAMILY

I decided that I was going to leave the village, something I'd never done before, I another when

Strangely, when I got there I felt familiar. AsIstartedwalkingthroughthestreets,it felt like my body was moving on its own and that it wanted to take mesomewhere. After walking for a while, I recognized a house that seemed to be abandoned. Something told me that the house was important, so I decided to investigate. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. That's when I remembered that the key I had brought with me could be useful. I tried it and it worked,thedooropened.Iwentin and it was empty, there was absolutely nothing, just dust and spider webs. I lit a lighter I had with me and found 2 small objects on the floor. A key ring and a dog collar pendant. This could be a clue. When I left the house, the key ring I had brought from the living room fell and broke, and when I picked it up there was a piece of papersaying“Imissyou”.Itwasatthatmomentthatanothermemorycame to me, but this one was complete: it was about myfamilyinGeneva.Ihadamother and a younger sister. The key ring belonged to my sister. She used to put messages on it every day so that I would never forget her. My motherwasill.Iremembereda moment when they were in danger after which I only remember murdering was... I wonder why I did it! I felt horrible, aremysisterandmother?Aretheyalive?

CHAPTER 4 - THE ESCAPE

I wasn't feeling well, so I went to a bar. I felt like I knew that place, maybeanother memory... something changed, how long hasitbeensinceI'vebeenhere?Isatdown at the first table I found. I couldn't take all this information, It was very overwhelming, I couldn't understand what these memories were... who am I actually?

A man, who noticed my struggle, sat down next to me and asked if everything was finewithme.WhenIturnedaround,helookedflabbergasted... -Lukas?Isthatyou?

-I'msorry,mynameisn'tLukas... -Ihaven'tseenyouin10years!

I couldn't work out who it was, he seemed to know me. I explained that I lost my memory and asked him to tell me how he knew me. He told me his name was Markusandthathewasmyfriend.

He explained to me that I was poor and had a job, but the salary wasn't enough to support my family and buy thenecessarymedicationformymother,soIenteredthe worldofdrugsasawayofearningmoney. Iwasintroducedtoalocaldrugkingpin,Otto,whogavemesmalldeliveryjobs. Ilivedlikethisforalongtime,untilthedayIgotintotrouble.

That day, I was on my way to deliver some goods, until I was robbed, because of this theft, Otto decided that I’d have to pay the value of the goods, but I had no money. After many death threats to my family, they decided to do it. A member of

Otto's group showed up at my house in an attempt to kill my sister, and as I was tryingtoprotectherIendedupkillinghim.

Markus also told me that I ran away from the city and that I promised to give him newswhenIwassafe.Sincethenhe'sneverseenmeagain...

-Whataboutmyfamily?Aretheyallright?

-We don't have much time, you have to get out of here, if they find you, they'll certainlykillyou!

-Whatdoyoumeanwedon'thavemuchtime?

-They're coming! I'm part of them now, just like you, I had to join them. They're here!

-But...

-If they know I'm on your side, I’ll be killed! Lukas, if you don't leave now, I'll reportyoumyself.

CHAPTER 5 - DARK THOUGHTS

I did what Markus said, I leftthebarquickly,afraidthattheywouldfindmeandkill Markus because of my appearance. I managed to escape, I went to the only place I knew, the abandoned house. Isatonthefloor,everythingwasdark,Iwasscaredand the same thoughts kept running through my head... how didIlosemymemory?Are my sister and mother fine? I miss Charlotte and my son. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I will do everything to not die. Everything! Everything for my family. I need to get out of here... I have to do it! I know I can! I'llfindaway!Myfamilyneedsme!

Lukas gets up and leaves the house

TOBECONTINUED...

About Us

Francisco Cunha, Luís Batista, Muhammad Iquibal, Salvador FaléandTomásAlves are students at Ramada Secondary School, united by their passion for creativityand storytelling.

Francisco Cunha and Salvador Falé form the backbone of our team.Francisco,with his skilled writing, brings our stories to life with precision and eloquence, while Salvador meticulously polishes every word, ensuring the quality and coherence of ourwork.

Muhammad Iquibal and Tomás Alves are the visionaries of our group. Muhammad, the meticulous planner, organizes our ideas and timelines with care, ensuring our projects flow smoothly from start to finish. Tomás, with his boundless imagination, guidesusthroughfantasticalworldsandpushestheboundariesofourcreativity.

Luis Batista stands out as our talented illustrator, creating captivating visuals that enhanceournarrativesandbringourstoriestolifeinvividdetail.

ACTIVITIES

AFTER READING

Now you…

1 - Do you think Lukas will be able to survive?

2 - What do you think he's going to do now?

3 - What do you think happened to Lukas' family?

4 - What do you think happened to Lukas for him to have lost his memory?

5 - What do you think is going to happen next?