The Writer’s Corner features poetry, essays, short stories, satire and various fiction and non-fiction from SCAD Atlanta students. To submit your own work for the Writer’s Corner, email features@scadconnector.com.
In the Beginning by Allison Hambrick
In the beginning, there was only me. My world was consumed in loneliness, dark thoughts loomed in my head, and my spirit was broken.
And then I said, “Not tonight,” and my thoughts grew lighter. I saw that keeping my heart light was good, and resolved to keep separate my light from my darkness. And I survived the evening, and there was morning — the first day of the rest of my days.
And then I said, “Let me be lonely no more.” So, I looked for someone. And looked. And looked. I waited for someone to love, and then he found me. And there was an awkward first evening which stretched until morning — the second day of the rest of our days.
And then I said, “Let us give it another try, and see what we can be together.” And it was so. I fell madly, deeply, and so he claimed the same. And I thought that it was good. And I enjoyed the evening, and lamented when morning came — the third day of the rest of our days.
And then he said, “Let us come us together, and let our love grow.” And it was so. I called him my husband, and he called me his wife. And I thought that it would be good. And there was our evening, and there was our morning — the fourth day of the rest of our days.
And then he said, “Let us make our own family, and become one whole.” And, after a few tries, it was so. We had two great children — the older child a girl and the younger child a boy. They consumed my world, and so he claimed the same. And I thought that they were good. And there were many sleepless evenings, stretching into each morning — the fifth day of the rest of our days.
And then he said, “Let go of your dreams; someone must be there to care for the children.” And reluctantly, it was so. I quit my job and focused on my family. And he thought that it was good. I did it because I loved them, and I said to my children, “Be brave and increase in kindness and fill the world with light, and let no one limit your dreams.” And the evening came and went, and there was morning — the sixth day of the rest of our days.
And then he said, “Let my dinner get cold, I’ll be late.” And it was so. He kept his promise, and I waited. And waited. And waited. He arrived, and no explanation was offered. And he thought that it was good.
Then I said, “Let me understand what is keeping you late, so that maybe things can be as they were before, and we can come together as one whole to let our love grow.”
So he meticulously formulated his own image,
In the image of an ideal husband he formed them;
Lies, left and right, he created them.
He loved his lies, and he said to me, “Be certain; for I love you and only you. You rule over the chambers of my heart, and no other can seize your reign.”
And then I lied, “I believe in your sincerity. My heart will belong to you forever. And to anyone who wishes to separate us, I give them nothing but pity and prayer.”
He saw the web of deceit he had weaved, and he thought it was very good. And the evening stretched into the morning — the seventh day of the rest of our days.
Thus, his heaven and my earth were in vast disarray.
By the eighth day, I grew tired of the façade I had been creating; so on the eighth I told the truth and packed my bags. Then I reclaimed the eighth day and made it my own, because I deserved to be appreciated for all that I had done.
In the end, there were only three. My world was consumed in happiness, beautiful thoughts danced in my head, and my spirit was whole. And I had survived the evening, and a new morning had dawned — the first day of the rest of my days.
