Porcupine Tree (Story)

This story happened to a boy named Joe.

One day, Joe returned to his hometown, where he spent his childhood. Memories of the times when he and a girl named Chloe led a carefree life came to mind. As a child, they often liked to play hide-and-seek, sometimes hiding in an old, abandoned barn. The house of the people who owned this barn had long been abandoned, so nothing had changed here for this long time. The connection between Joe and Chloe was lost when he had to go to study in another city. And then Chloe disappeared somewhere, and Joe wanted, at least for a moment, to remember the times when they were together. And now, before Joe’s eyes was the same door of the old barn…

The day was gloomy, and it was quite dark in the barn. Near the entrance Joe saw an old candlestick, and, oh, luck! There was a candle in it…

In the semi-darkness, Joe saw something strange lying nearby in an old haystack.

As he lit the candle, the outlines of the object became clearer.

Joe remembered that Chloe had kept a diary as a child. She had even given it a strange name…something like “Porcupine Tree.” Perhaps this strange name was a reflection of what she had seen on the cover. However..

…yes, it was the same diary. Joe secretly loved Chloe, but he realized it only when they were far apart. He wondered if the girl felt something similar to what was in his heart. Maybe… maybe the answer was here, right in his hands?..

And he opened the book…

For a moment he felt scared. Eyes were looking at him! The same ones, the eyes from his childhood that he remembered. Those black eyes that he had been madly in love with…

His eyes dropped a little lower…and he saw…oh my god! A heart! Although the heart was made of wood, there was some secret power in it. Something that made a thumping sound in his ears. As if it…was alive?..

The more Joe looked into those eyes, the more it seemed to him that something was looking at him too. Then suddenly…

Blood began to appear on the pages! Real blood! Joe couldn’t believe his eyes… he thought he was going crazy. That this was some kind of stupid dream…

With every second, the drops became more and more…

…and more…

…and more. Sometimes it seemed that the blood was flowing from the very heart. Then suddenly…the sound of the heartbeat in John’s ears disappeared somewhere, and instead he began to hear a voice. So…familiar…so…terrible.
– Honey, you’re…late…
And with these words the diary in John’s hands suddenly burst into flames!

John was so surprised that he didn’t know what to do. Meanwhile, the voice continued to speak to him…
– I’ve been waiting for you… I’ve been waiting for you all my life.

-…we were supposed to be together. But you disappeared. You left me alone and never came back to me…

-…my heart burned with love for you. And that’s what gave me strength…

-…the day came, and my heart stopped, never waiting for yours to beat next to mine. Goodbye, Joe.
Forever yours, Chloe…