6/29/17
Dear my Dearest Journal,
It's been a long time since I wrote in here. The last time I petite in your filthy, inspiring pages was back in 77. Though I was cleaning out the attic and this dirty journal hit me right spot on in the noggin! I decide to rekindle my aching brain cells my looking brought my work, page by page, hour by hour, and that's when I decide to write in you again. Not because I need to, though because I want to. And I want to because I have some feelings to sort out right now.
You see, I have a grandson now by the name of Arnold. As for Miles...............well............he disappeared a long time again. So now it's just me, Pookie, Arnold, and a bunch of Borders who always want something from me. At this moment Arnold is out working with his best friend Gerald in some humanitarian project. This morning he told be what the whole contest is about and I started to get this aching feeling in my chest. I'm really concerned about this competition Arnold's got himself wrapped up into, and I know why he's doing it. If Arnold wins the competition he wins a trip to San Lorenzo, a trip to run through the wild to go looking for his parents. It would be certainly Greta if he did win, though I'm just nervous. I don't want to loose another Shortman.

Sincerely,
Phil

7/7/17
Dear my Dearest Journal,
Well he's done it! Arnold won the contest. It's almost as if it was destiny for him to win. Or that could be the raspberries talking, speaking of which: never eat Raspberry's. Earlier today Arnold's friend, the girl with the 1 unibrow, asked me if we can borrow our rooftop for something special for Arnold. I was going to deny the request, can you blame me! This friend has been running circus around our boarding house for years now! In fact just 4th grade alone she tried to snag my precious locket Pookie gave me for our Anniversary, I found her sleeping by the breakfast table one morning, and she even fell through the roof one morning while me and Pookie were eating breakfast! And that amount only tripled this year! I'm starting to think this boarding house might be haunted or something, one of the many reasons we should have escaped to Casa Paridiso while we had the chance! Though alas I let them use the roof and I got to even help set up! Kids these days sure know how to put on a good show!
       When Arnold arrived home later you should have seen the look on his face. He was like, "woah!" and, "what?" and, " oh my goodness!" And we all watched the video Arnold's friends made for him. I have never seen anything like it. Back in my day there weren't sick things as Film. Instead we delighted each other by throwing rocks at one another.
       Although I'm happy to see that Arnold won, Me not Pookie couldn't be anymore frightful. I already lost my son, I don't want to loose his son to. If anything happens to Arnold I wouldn't know what I would do myself. Without Arnold I'd probably go crazy with all these boarders who always just want want want! I hope Arnold will be okay.

Sincerely,
Phil

7/8/17
Dear my Dearest Journal,
Pookie and I just arrived back home to the airport. Watching Arnold leave on that plane was both exciting and heartbreaking at the same time, just like when Miles went to college for the first time. We weren't ready to let him go then, and we weren't ready to let go of Arnold. Arnold is a smart kid, I just hope he stays smart and doesn't get himself into trouble. and hopefully he doesn't go anywhere near that La Sombra guy. Though that probably won't happen. It's been 10 years and the Jungle is a dangerous place, La Sombra is probably dead.
Arnold's teacher, Mr. Simmons told me he's gotten everything planned out. However I had a talk with Arnold about this on the car ride to the airport and it turns out the last time his teacher assigned a field trip two of the kids got lost and had to walk back to Hillwood! If it wasn't for Arnold's desperation to go I wouldn't have let him gone on the trip. Usually I'm not the type of grandfather to say no to these types of things however when it comes to this trip it's extremely personal, and Arnold knows it. However Arnold is a growing boy. I have to trust him to make devotions on his own. The trip to the Jungle is only for a week. I just hope nothing bad happens to him.

Sincerely,
Phil

7/10/17
Dear my Dearest Journal,
Right now me and Pookie are on Mr. Pataki's airplane to San Lorenzo. Earlier tonight I got the strangest knock on my door. And your never going to believe it, it's Abner! Turns out not only is my wife able to speak pig, Avnet went with Arnold to San Lorenzo and told us about this adventure he had! I didn't even notice he was gone. He told us that Arnold's in trouble by La Sombra, the evil River Pirate Miles told us was very bad news. You would think the old fellow was my age and could have died by now. Though apparently he's alive! Though I think he's crazy.
I don't care about La Sombra though, I care about Arnold. I really hope that he's okay out there and his teacher is keeping him safe. I knew I shouldn't have let him go on this trip in the first place! Now Arnold is going through the same fate as his parents. And he could be killed! If Arnold was killed out here because of La Sombra I'll have to release Pookie into him. Though I probably will do that anyway. I have given up long ago of Miles and Stella to ever return, I don't want to see Arnold go through the same fate. Also this airplane of Big Bob Pataki's is really cold and uncomfortable. You would think the Beeper business would be booming right now since plenty of old thing a magigs are coming back.

Sincerely,
Phil

7/11/17
Dear my Dearest Journal,
Forget everything I said about the Pataki plane being uncomfortable, THIS is uncomfortable. Right now I'm with a bunch of  kids, my wife, the Pataki's, and Arnold's teacher through the jungle to search for three kids who've gone missing. One was the girl with the unibrow who I think has put a curse on my household, one is Arnold's best friend, and the last is Arnold. I don't see La Sombra anywhere in these parks, he must have gone after Arnold. Or worse, he's captured Arnold! He's captured Arnold and his friends and going to throw them down a ravine! Arnold's been through worse though. There was that other time were he had to drive a bus in order to save out neighborhood from an evil business man telling us Change is good! Well let me tell you, change is not good! Take Nickelodeon for example.
Along with it being wet, moist, and freezing, I'm an surrounded by a bunch of Loons! This is way worse then being surrounded by people who want things from me all the time. This whole situation is Looney! We have this small kid leading all the others who look just as exhausted, we got Pookie who's being a cheerleader all the way through, the Pataki's and there other daughter are having there own reunion, if fact now to think of it I don't see them anywhere! They must of accidentally went to the other path filled with poison ivy. Oh well, Arnold's been telling me about how Mr. Pataki and his schemes and harsh treatment, especially with his friend. Every time we talk about Mr. Pataki he always brings up his friends with the one unibrow and says how much he feels bad and wants to help her. I haven't seen a bigger crush ever since my boyhood years with Gertie. I just really hope Arnold is okay. It feels like we've been walking for hours and smells like rotten raspberries. Hopefully we aren't to late  to save our only grandson. Overall, I feel betrayed. I feel betrayed about this whole trip! Mutable sources have told me Arnold would be okay. Well look we're he is now! He's been captured by a river pirate and everyone here probably haven't bathed for days! Especially Arnold teacher. I had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to handle this trip, and I was more ham right. I would call the school to get my money back, however Pookie has already used my phone and declared war on them. Either way it gets the job done.

Sincerely,
Phil

7/16/17
Dear my Dearest Journal,
It's been about 5 days. And the only reason I know that is because of my last entry on this journal including counting the sunrises and sun falls we've received. I'm a man who have told stories with fantastic feats and happy endings. However now I'm in an adventure of my own, and it doesn't feel like any of my tales . My clothes are dirty, I'm hungry and thirsty, and I'm bruised up from head to toe. The kiddies hough are in worse shape. We live in a world filled with technology, there not used to this. Especially one with the town hair, in fact she sprained her ankle yesterday and the one in the dinosaur costume has been having to carry her.
I haven't seen Arnold in suck a long time. My thoughts aren't even worried anymore, there just lost. Our search team has completely ran out of fuel, we can't go on any longer, we weren't made to survive what the Jungle gave to us. If it wasn't for this family curse I don't think I will be able to make it any longer. I don't know we're Arnold is right now, just like his father. I can only assume that he's up in the clouds finally be able to see his parents like what he's always wan.............

       Sorry about that, I had to take a few minutes to cry. I was really scared for out Arnold throughout Gris entire trip. I really didn't want to see him get hurt, I didn't want to see him in danger. I wanted to keep him safe, safe from the dangers of the world at and beyond out little run down city. Though I guess I didn't do good enough. All I wanted was to keep Arnold safe, though if I can't do that, what kind of grandfather am I? I must be a pretty terrible one. I couldn't give advice on Arnold's problems, and normally he would help me more than I could ever do for him. I just wish if I can see him one more time I would thank him for being the greatest grandson in the world even if he didn't last that long. We've had so many good memories including that eating contest, the time I told him about my time in the War, when we participated in that parents competition, we had so many great memories, memories that I won't be able to get back. I don't know what i'm going to do once we arrive or ever make it back to Hillwood. All I know is that things won't be the same without Arnold giving joy around the halls of the crummy Boarding House I have to deal with. I wouldn't mind dying now even just to se my boy and his boy agai...............

I don't believe it, there there, there here! THERE REALLY HERE!!!! AND THERE BOTH NOT DEAD!!! Arnold's okay! In fact he barley has a scratch on him! I could for the first time ever punish him for giving me sick a heart attack. What has he not doing this whole time out here?? Rummaging though the forests for food  and living among the wolfs and became a werewolf???? I want to punish him, though I want to hug him even more. Giving him all of my love that I've been showing him for the last 11 years since his father has left.

And now he's hear to.

I stared into the eyes of the son whom I couldn't believe was with us in this first of certain doom and alive! The only mark he has is a strand of golden hair. I wanted to punish him to! Though all I could do is stare, stare as if I have eaten raspberries and now I'm hallucinating. Except this is real. This is really real. For 10 years he has been fine all along!
And so as I.

Sincerely,
Phil.