That hadn ' t been what I was expecting at all ... I had hoped to find out more about Yang Mei but much to my disappointment , there was no further mention of her . That couldn ' t possibly be the last page . I scrambled up , desperation overcoming me as I searched for more . I overturned each box , spreading its contents across the floor . I glanced around , hoping I ' d missed one . I gasped , excitement jolting through me as I spotted a small tin container on its side- just out of reach on the top shelf . A loose ribbon barely held a stack of papers together as they spilled out , leaning over the edge .
I scurried over , jumping to grab them , but my fingers missed them by mere millimeters . Eventually , I managed to knock them off and immediately pounced on it as soon as they touched the ground , slipping and scratching my elbow in the process . I brushed it off , unraveled the faded red ribbon and began to read . This had better be worth it .
" I ' m afraid things have only gotten worse . It ' s official . As of July 7th 1937 , China and Japan are officially at war . Beijing and Tianjin have fallen to the Japanese forces and Papa has been increasingly mentioning the possibility of fleeing . It ' s risky but either way , the prominent fear of death looms over us like a thunder cloud . They had promised us there was no imminent threat but six years have passed and it has only been getting worse ... I fear for our lives as reports of the enemy troops appear to show them progressing further and further into the mainland , dangerously close to our hometown of Shanghai . Life now is nothing like it had been years ago . I miss my life , and most of all , I miss my best friend . I must hurry now , Mama is calling me .
-Chen Li Na , July 30th 1937 "
I froze in pure suspense , trying to drink it all in . This one was dated years later- what had happened in between ? These entries were so personal , so raw . It was almost felt as if I was intruding on something important . It felt so realistic yet at the same time , utterly impossible . I considered it for a while , contemplating the choices available to me . I couldn ' t stop , not now . Oh well , only one way to go now …
" Tonight is the night . It ' s finally happening . Tonight , we ' re running away . Although a part of me is completely crushed , I ' m relieved to be leaving all my problems behind . I received a letter two days ago from Yang Mei ' s address . She had passed away from an overdose . I cried for hours and hours after that . My heart has broken into a million pieces and everything once familiar to me has all come crashing down . My story shouldn ' t have to end this way . I ' m determined to make it better . I know she would ' ve wanted that for me . Wish me luck .
-Chen Li Na , August 7th 1937 "
I impatiently , I flipped the page , only to find myself at the beginning again . I twisted the paper , expecting there to be more but to no avail . I exhaled , out of breath simply from the thrill of it all . She was right ... How could her story have ended this way ? She had to have made it ... I mean , I was staring at the proof of it and my existence itself was evidence enough but it still felt incomplete . Disgruntled , I picked up the strewn ribbon and retied the papers before trudging downstairs with the package under my arm .