They Took It Down. We Brought It Back Stronger.
I didn’t post last week.
Not because I didn’t want to.
Because I couldn’t.
The Takedown
It happened on a Monday.
I opened my Chromebook during quiet reading time to check the survey results—yes, I know I’m not supposed to, but still—and…
404: Site Not Found.
Gone. The whole blog.
All my posts.
All of Clara’s story.
The teacher survey. The wetland maps. The photos. Even the drawing of heron-Clara that Eva made.
I ran to the media center. Ms. Alvarez just gave me a sad look and said,
“You’ll have to ask the district IT office.”
Later we found out the school had pulled it down because it “used district resources for advocacy.”
Right. Because sharing the truth is somehow a violation.
The Comeback
I told my dad when I got home.
I was trying so hard not to cry, but my voice did that wobbly thing it does, and I think he knew it was serious.
He gave me a hug, said nothing for about thirty seconds, then muttered:
“They don’t realize they just picked a fight with someone who teaches threat recovery for a living.”
Within an hour, the blog was back.
Everything restored from The Internet Archive—whatever that is—and hosted on something called a global CDN, which he explained was like “putting your blog on a fleet of spaceships that can’t be shot down.”
And the coolest part?
It’s got a real domain now:
thurstonghost.com
It’s ours.
And no one’s taking it down again.
Clara’s Message
Now for the big part.
After the blog came back, Eva and I felt… different. Stronger. Like the work we were doing mattered.
So we went back to the Nature Center.
Same spot as Halloween. Same cluster of trees. But this time, Eva tripped on something under the frozen leaves.
A piece of stone, carved with letters.
We dug it out carefully. It was small. Just a corner. But we could see part of a name.
Cl—
We froze.
The air felt colder.
Not in a spooky way. In a serious way.
This was it.
Clara’s marker. Her message. The one she wanted us to find.
We’re going back this weekend—with tools, gloves, and flashlights. And Eva’s mom is coming too.
We think there’s more.
A full stone.
Maybe more records buried nearby. Something the school board doesn’t want found.
We’re not stopping.
Neither is Clara.
✌️ Ember