feeling...

Peaceful right?

feeling... sharp. dangerous. full of attitude. which, I guess, is just what a girl about to go to college ought to feel like. When you, future Anna, get this, it'll be ten years from now, and the passport that you got today will have expired. How was going to school in another country? Was it far enough away from your parents? What prompted past-you to write this (besides the fact that the trusty sketchbook/journal has gone missing) is the fact that, among all of the suitcases you were looking for in the attic today, you also found a hefty dose of family history. History from 1840. A picture of the family goat. Hand drawn sketches of the cottage. Letters back and forth between two feuding families. One family claims its daughter was starved to death whilst visiting the other. The other family is outraged because of a false arrest upon an unfounded accusation of THEIR daughter being a member of a house of prostitution. All insults and accusations in flowery, minute, faint 1840's penmanship, of course. I don't even know what the point of this email is. I just think it's weird that on the eve of your departure to distance yourself from your family, just when you're feeling incredibly independent, the attic delivers. Now, past-you wants to stay connected, be Bess's great great great great granddaughter, add her own tale to the many family stories. Past-you wants to stay in the attic forever, reading the family history. But I guess that's why college is good. So you can get the hell out of that attic and this house and make your own history. Go on.

Epilogue

3 days later

Ten years ago, I was a senior in high school aching to go to college as far away from home as possible. I wanted to see other countries and make...

Sreosit my wno. I,t as naplend even tlef i utb wsa hmeo eavle monlautenm rhevineytg — pluefoh nad i to atht ftel ok ot ietd. Turefu em lkei oneishgtm eebofr up saw on opegnin swign my. .
.
Wdon nda uor who can be sti’ nca eth htw?a n,igaa teuufr you ssiotmeme oclse tbu czary oknw aawy wpdei svlei. Lidev goa aefrt isht i the six rtptey foereb lelw endaelr tub ssenol llw,e owskn wsa onyena tbaou rnetiwt etlret atth ghrouht 2002 rseya sha nte shtonm hatt, how. Adn ohertbr thwi was ym acecnr i — iagddones.
.
Lsmaot hgeuno thgir as,y ttsah’ etehr ot. Thne twhi gnikat and sndihefi ffo ni eartf ptcilay to thwi den cepre,ixnee a efw ghothu mih i eb aetyuvnell i enve sryea teh otg the plhe eloeclg mcohe venre. Og amek glcloee ot i elsf htat or yaclpit yhapp nrvee eogellc eb ym oy,cntru ni lo,eelcg ,memeiors tnidgetna or aetnorh lotd i eb rnt-ee-oaayg ot svadeedatt vene if hwiel tog ’id. Slos of rothber opmedacr but of ot i atth lsos lpl-ecohogee nwok won ym is eht omohpsrua iognnth emso eth.
.
Itefnedfr her i at 18 acbk lefs raye emlpeolytc lkie my i lefe ssemmtieo morf a olok dan ldo rpsneo. I lapaller resmoheew a fo but erh mtei nstixieg hetn rnsuie,ve dosuite in gianemi. Nad itsgtin tbauo esh’s tnwigna yaaw get ltetre ni ttsar tath iiwngrt there wlod,r and flie reh ot hits. Dna dna tabou icksoeo wklas nad wno inogg dniefrs toni ssh’e adn muics nad ,tra akngmi rebhr’tos her’ety niisttg ehtetrog adn no donw ngtailk tenh dan reh gaulhign oflro o,omr rgnenawdi hte and ofr sujt. Etim of hodl waht ’eyerht ot leki katgnli yad will fo ot to ton eth glknati moemresi llwi enno ahve ese nhta will go smrttae rliieznag eth no ohw be and hgirt dan rotetghe npedsngi eon flei to teh ,easry gsil,th gneo tnaw mhet it horet hyte oen eno in ot ttha dliacen dya rotenrnh onw, lony smdaer ahtt rmoe olko ent utaob atbou. Wsa tbse enfrdi my eh.

This user has written an update to this letter.To see what they wrote, please

Write new comment

Load more comments