Dear Dana, This is Your Notepad

This is an excerpt from a story about a girl named Dana who is nearly invisible to the world around her. Having no living family besides her self-absorbed super model aunt, Dana uses her notepad to vent about her feelings. When her notepad starts talking back to her, Dana is not sure what to think. Unbeknownst to her it is in fact a young secret agent whose mission is to protect her and in the notepad is not suppose to be used for venting but in actuality is a high-tech means of communication.

At this point in the story, Dana has her first surprising message from this unlikely friend...


The courtyard was crowded like always when Dana walked in. She walked to her usual table; Isolated from the rest. She set her books on the table when she noticed a folded piece of paper.

Dana picked it up and opened it. In the card it said a few random mean things that she assumed were directed at her. Dana stared at the card for awhile. Instead of being upset, she was actually flattered! She was thrilled to know that someone had hated her so much to write her a letter about it. She was no longer alone in the world. She was visible to someone. And that someone took note of her, and thought about her long enough to write an angry card. It was definitely a colossal moment for her.

Dana looked around the card for the name of her new pen pal. She failed to find the name of her deliverer, and instead found the few words that crushed all hopes of being seen. “To: Betty” Dana sighed and dropped the note to the ground.

As she thought more about her pitiful life, she pulled out her notepad, and started to think of a really good rant. A rant that would question her existence, and wonder if her wretched being held a purpose. But when she opened her notepad, her ideas vanished immediately. For after her last entry, there was a new entry. And the entry was not in her hand writing.

Dear Dana,

This is your Notepad. I am sorry that it has come to this but I don’t think I can bear the nonsense much longer. I have grown tired of your constant complaining every waking day without any letup. For this reason, your complaining must come to an end.

In the beginning things were fine. A happy insight to your childhood here and there, A few poems of mixed emotions in your teenage years. Those entries I didn’t mind. But this, my dear, this constant whining that you’ve grown accustomed to- well quite frankly, I can’t take anymore.

At first it fascinated me how many different ways you were able to convey your ‘woe is me’ message. But now it has escalated to the point of annoying the- well to be blunt- the very CRAP out of me. In each entry you basically repeat how miserable and pathetic you are and how you just want a better life. Well, my dear, I've grown to agree with you WHOLEheartedly! I speak on behalf of your human kind here, Deary, but this can get on anybody’s nerves,

There’s no need for you to stop writing, though. In fact, I enjoy hearing from you. But if you can just write about something more un-complaining-like, then I’d be a much happier notepad. Thank you.

Dana stared at the letter shocked, horrified and a tad insulted. She was shocked that her notepad had written back to her, horrified at the thought that this notepad knows what she had written before, and insulted that it called her a complainer.

For awhile Dana just stared at this absurd writing. She wondered what she should do. Should she call some sort of “official” or something? Right, like someone in their right mind would actually respond to a call about a talking notepad. And besides, her notepad hadn’t committed an actual felony by talking to her. But she could be mistaken about that too.

After a little while more, Dana decided that nothing was going to be solved by just staring at it. But what was she suppose to do? Should she talk to it? Talking out loud would do no good since the notepad most likely wouldn’t hear her. She decided the only way to handle this was to write back to the notepad. She took out her pencil and immediately began to write.

Dear Notepad,

Are you still there? Oh, wait, I guess it’s obvious that you’d still be there. I’d erase the first two sentences but considering you already know what I’m writing than I guess it would be useless. And now I’m just rambling so I’ll cut to the chase. Can you explain to me what’s going on? Please write back soon.

As Dana wrote, she didn’t notice the people walking past her as usual. A few passerby’s took notice of what Dana was writing and rolled their eyes as if they half-expected to see such a pathetic sight from the loner. And even though this event of her notepad responding to her was probably the most exciting thing that ever happened in Dana’s life, it only made her more detrimental to society and gave her peers reason to label her a weird loner rather than just the simple kind of loner.