Clarisse Dear Diary, I met my neighbor Clarisse who is a very strange girl. She notices small details in everyday life that I never even realized was there at all. She said she likes to observe people, and she does so much thinking. Why is she so different from all the other people in this world? She is deep. I had taken a walk with her to first day we met, and her curiosity and knowledge of many things shocked me. She was an odd one. Clarisse and I started to have conversations daily.

We had our own schedule to walk together everyday. Clarisse would show me new things to do, like raising your head to drink the rain water. At first I thought that Clarisse was just a crazy girl talking about nonsense. But it turned out that Clarisse was a girl full of new ideas and has a different way of looking at things. Everyday I learned something new. I liked Clarisse more and more now. Being with Clarisse brought me real happiness; she is the key that unlocked the door that allowed me to see the world. Only now I realize how our world is not happy; everyone moves too fast and doesn’t think and they don’t talk to each other. How did this happen?

Books Dear Diary, I am guilty. I have stolen books from the houses I have burnt down in my years as a fireman? I don’t know why I do it. After the incident with the old lady and her books, it made me think. What is so good about books, that people would rather die, than live without them? I stole a book and the words were so interesting. I must read the books. Yeah… Captain Beatty said it was fine to read a book, and then hand it in 24 hours later. I won’t give him all my books, I have to learn about them. I hope Beatty doesn’t know I have more books…

I can’t read these books by myself. I have to get Mildred to read with me! She wastes her time in the TV parlor! She does nothing else all day, and just sits there… We need to understand books, and the knowledge in them! Mildred is very upset with me for keeping books, she is against it. But I make her read with me. So much of this doesn’t make sense; we both don’t really understand what the books are saying. But I am determined to found out what books mean.

Faber Dear Diary, I found the old man I met in the green park a year ago. He seemed so afraid of me, for he knows about books and knows that I’m a fireman. But later on, the man called Faber, warmed up to me. I told him about what I thought of this world, and how nobody listens anymore. I got him to teach me how to understand books, and we had also tried to come up with a plan to burn down the fire stations…

Back at the Station Dear Diary, I’m sweating so much. Faber is with me, we have an earpiece so we can both hear each other. We planned that we wouldn’t let Beatty get to me about the books. I have to make myself seem not guilty of the books. At the fire station, Beatty talks about how useless books are, and talks of his dream that was about me and himself arguing using quotes from books. He is messing things up! But Faber listens in, helps me and tells me what to do. Beatty is muddying the water. Stop confusing me! He’s on to me.

Fire Dear Diary, During the talk with Beatty, the alarm went off and we were on our way to a house. Beatty had said that this one was special. He smiled the whole way we drove to the house. I didn’t know what Beatty meant, until I saw that it was my house.