Welcome, TGW. We can definitely use the help.

I would suggest that d=a and L=I (since L also appears by itself). And could S=E?

Well, several of the words repeat themselves, especially "clus". Once we can figure out what a specific word means, if it's repeated often, we can just slide it into its other slots which may, perhaps, help decipher the message.

Just a wild, probably obvious statement.

Yes, I noticed that, and wondered if that might be "clue." Maybe they only changed some letters, not all of them, just to make it more complicated.

Excellent thoughts, both of you! *plugs different possibilities in*

I'm pretty sure "RC" is actually "SH," if that helps! That combination appears several times.

I definitely saw that word as "clue" also! Just without the E. It seems some words are more obvious than others, just from what I can see right now...

Hmm. I'm rather stumped otherwise. I'm not very good at mixed messages.

EDIT: The first word could be slip? Just a guess.

NMQQSQQDMK <-- What could the Qs be? The letter S? But what would would that be?

I think R=S and Q=R or T. But I'm still puzzled.

I'll make you a gift of what i've got, and then I must disappear for a while, unfortunately. Good luck, team.

LEI_ LAI_ _
A HI_E _ _ _E A_S_ _ _ _ _E_ _ _ _ _ _ _ I _AI_ _ _ _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ ISE_ _A _ _ E A HI_E AS SHE _SHE_ _ _ _ _ HI_E _E_ _ _ E _ _ I _ _ _ A _ H A SHA_ _ SHE_ _I_S AS A _ _ _ _ HI_E _ _ _ _ E _ _ASH SH_ _

Not very promising, is it.

Hmm, I wonder if I got my A's and I's backwards. Then "HI_E" would become "HA_E" and would probably be "HAVE," which is a word you'd expect to see repeated often. An idea to play with.

I'm thinking that NMQQSQQDMK is a word that ends in "ate."

NaQQSQQate.

If we're sticking with the idea of one-to-one letter substitution, that doesn't work, because M is the second to last letter rather than the last letter in that string.

Hmmm, if D=I, then it could be a word that ends in "-ing."

Nnrrerring.

If N=u, then it would be

unrrerring

Which isn't actually a word. Sigh.

*scratches head* This is a real challenge! Thanks for all the thoughts, Willow! Good point about NMQQSQQDMK; I missed that.

I think there's a good chance that D=I and L=A, actually, since a confession note would probably start out with I... hmmm.

Ooooo.. could the first two words be "Dear Diary"??