Jane Boolittle's LS diary

Cover
It's against the law of the jungle for you to read my diary.

07.10
Dad wants to send me to a school called Monster High. It would require that I leave the jungle. I am not happy about it. Dad believes that I need to learn to socialize with other monsters my own age. He says that hanging out at a research station with a bunch of stodgy old mad scientists and monsters is not teaching me how to unlive in the real world and that I should have the opportunity to socialize with monsters my own age. Pfffttttt... socializing is for the birds. I know, I've asked them about it.

07.15
Despite my arguing against it, I am not out of the woods yet on having to go to Monster High. I know I shouldn't be this opposed to going, it's just that I've been living at the station since Dad and Dr Moreau found me running wild through the jungle ten years ago and adopted me. It's my home and I know I'd really miss it and my dad. He was the first phantom, actually the first non-four-legged monster of any kind I could remember seeing, and he understood the language of animals as well as I did. Well, almost, his accent is a little off when he speaks Jaguar but they're too polite to point it out to him. Regardless, I argued that if I left the station they would lose an animal translator, which the mad scientists need for their research expeditions. Dad is just one phantom and can't be everywhere at once. I thought this was a pretty good argument until Dad and Dr Moreau both reminded me that expeditions are always scheduled for the dry season, which corresponds with summer break. They also said that it would be more beneficial for the research station in the long run for me to better interact with other monsters, especially since they wanted to start eco-tours to help support the station's research and they wanted me to be the lead guide. Dr M said "It won't help us if you run and hide every time you meet a new monster." I told them I would think about it.

07.25
This morning I came back from a run/climb through the jungle to find we had a visitor at the tree house, or rather two visitors. The first was a Nightmare grazing in our yard. I had never actually seen one, at least not while awake, and she raised her head and snorted "Who's there?!" before I even came out of the jungle. She must have smelled me because I am almost dead quiet when I walk. I answered back, "My name is Jane and I'm a friend." The Nightmare took a step back for a moment and turned her ears in my direction. She softly neighed "You almost act like you understand what I said... how strange." I assured her that I did understand what she was saying and she walked toward me, lowered her head and shook her mane. "Well then, I have an itch behind my left ear that I would dearly love scratched and as my rider is engaged elsewhere, would you be so kind as to scratch it for me?" I happily did so, much to her relief and enjoyment. "Tell me young one," she asked. "How is it that you understand my speech?" I told her that I didn't know, but that I could always remember being able to understand and speak with creatures and animals. "Ahh," she replied, "then you are the one my rider has come here to see. I believe she is waiting for you in your stable, err.. house." My first thought on hearing this was to head back into the jungle again. I would rather climb the tallest tree, in the strongest wind, on the darkest night, during the biggest rainstorm than meet a new monster. I've run into dragons that didn't scare me as much, but I summoned up my courage and slowly walked up the stairs. I could hear my dad telling our visitor how an ocelot told him and Dr M about a young ghouls living in the jungle on her own. My dad was curious so they set out to find me. It took along time because I did not want to be found. Eventually they did find me and my voodoo sloth Needles living in a cave far from civilization. It took much patience and kindness but eventually they convinced us to go back with them. When I got to the top of the stairs I could see Dad and Dr M were having tea with a very properly dressed monster who was carrying on a conversation despite the fact her head was sitting alone in the seat right next to her. When she saw me her hands reached over, picked up her head, placed it back on her shoulders and she stood up. Dad stood too and said, "Jane, I'd like to introduce you to Headless Headmistress Bloodgood. She'll be staying with us for a few days and has a proposition for you." She smiled at me and said "Hello Jane. I hear you're interested in becoming a student as Monster High?" I knew I should have run when I had the chance.

07.26
Headless Headmistress Bloodgood is a very interesting monster. She is kind, polite and as I found out today, tougher than she looks. She asked me to take her on a tour of the surrounding jungle and seemed most interested in the place where Dr M and Dad found me. I had my doubts whether or not she could keep up, for it was a long walk over difficult terrain to get there, and the trails were too narrow and overgrown for her Nightmare to travel. She would have to walk. She seemed to sense my doubts and assured me that she would not slow us down. I left Needles behind and told him not to follow us, to which he opened one eye, stuck his tongue out at me and then went back to sleep. Headmistress Bloodgood was true to her word and kept up with me, even when the trail got muddy and steep. She never complained or asked "How much further?" She did ask about my ability to speak with animals and I told her that yes, I could speak and understand their languages but that didn't mean I could control them. Animals have minds and agendas of their own and won't always do what you ask them just because you speak their language. "Not unlike administrating a high school full of teenage monsters." replied the Headmistress, laughing. We finally made it to my 'old home' and even though the jungle had almost reclaimed it, the old hut was still there. We walked around and talked some more about my past, which I can't remember, and my future, which I have to face. I like her a lot so maybe I will give Monster High a chance.

08.02
I do not know how long I lived in the jungle by myself before Dad and Dr M found me. Jungle creatures do not track time the same way that monsters who live in civilization do. We... I mean they, mark time by the dry and rainy seasons, or by events that out of the ordinary like earthquakes and volcanoes or years where there is a lot of one kind of food and not a lot of another. So I'm not sure how old I actually am. I'm not even exactly sure what kind of monster I am. As a mad scientist, Dad has books on all manner of creatures and monsters but I do not seem to be in any of them. Not me specifically of course, that would be odd, but any monster like me. Dad says that the jungle is so vast that it's possible there are kinds of monsters that haven't even been discovered yet. The only clues I have are Needles and my walking stick - I never go on a hike without it, I feel it connects me to my mysterious past. I've asked Needles but he says about as much as the stick. I think he knows something but he's not telling me. Oh well, maybe I will find out and maybe I will not. I have a great unlife now so I am not about to complain.

08.15
I have made up my mind to attend Monster High, even though it will be, I think, a scary stressful transition. Not that I plan on being a social butterfly - the whole thought of being in a room with more than three other monsters at once makes me want to find a tree to climb or a hole to hide in. But I know I cannot do that forever, so I shall make the best of it and hopefully I'll be able to, if not exactly tame my shy side, at least make it play nice with other monsters.