SLOHS English teacher Jane Hawley is soon to be District Teacher on Special Assignment, working with new District administrator Leslie O’Connor. Before heading upstairs and out of the classroom, Hawley shared the creative labor of her second trimester Creative Writing elective. Below is the third and last of this three part series of now published work. Enjoy!
The Mark of the Beast If only she knew. If she knew who I was…what I was. She would not be smiling. She would probably scream and run as fast as she could in the other direction. In her eyes, after all I’m a monster… I’m not like them. Except I’m not a monster or a beast …I’m normal just like anyone else in this classroom. My mother made sure of that. I managed to escape the roundup because my mother hid me the best way she could…in her stomach. Ever since I was born I was taught how to be normal and keep my aggressive nature and physical prowess in check. There is only one thing that I can’t train away…my birthmark. It was just as I told Mrs. Jansen, purple in the shape of a five pointed star. Only about half the size of the originals, a couple inches wide. I touch the bandage I keep over it. My mother’s warnings come to me, her voice stern but warm. No one must know of this mark, Felicity. No one..not your stepfather..not your sister. She had pointed to her heavily pregnant belly. This is the matter of our life and death. Understand. I remember this speech,first given to me when my mother married my stepfather when I was six. She never sugar coated it. I knew that day and everyday after that, that if I was ever found out both my mother and I could be killed. –SLOHS Student Marisa Lea
Excerpt from “She’ll Dance on His Grave” from my first short story assignment. “I’m serious, son. You and sissy are doin’ fine, right?” “As fine as we can be doing, Turner.” He gave a slight smile as he scanned my last item and bagged it up for me. I wished to keep talking but keeping up conversations wasn’t Mr. Turner’s strong suit and I could tell he was ready to be done with me for today. I’d be back for work the next day so I’d look forward to seeing him then. Walking home I closely examined the streets I had walked everyday. I noticed certain details for the first time, like how the snow fell on the white picket fences surrounding the houses of the neighbourhood a couple blocks from mine. The picture perfect lawns that would soon be bright with the green grass of spring and I could imagine the dads playing ball with their sons until the sky grew dim in the evening. It was cliche but I allowed myself to want something like that. I had grown up faster than most of the kids I grew up with, and that came with its perks. Jimmy finds my views on most things important as being cynical, but what does he know? He has had all he wanted in his life handed to him on a silver platter. I worked for what I needed, I worked hard and still do. I am able to pay bills and file taxes, take care of another human being, and most importantly, I learned not to expect anything from the world or anyone else unless I could make it happen myself. I reached my house but not before noticing the cop cars barricading the steel chain link fence that surrounded my house. I remember thinking to myself, “this is it, the old man has really done it this time.” -SLOHS Student Stella McSween
