The Final Word

Hi my friend,

When I was in high school,
a writer once came to 
my literature class.

We had just finished 
reading one of his books…
so it was fascinating to see
who this person was in real life.

It had honestly never 
occurred to me that authors 
could be real human beings too.
Not just names on covers.
Not just people who lived 
a long time ago.

So here he was…
full of life.

And even though
I don’t remember much
of what he talked about…
as most of it has faded by now…
I do remember this:

“Do you know how to deal
with people who have
mistreated you…

Who have made you small…
Who have belittled you?”
he asked,
looking around
the classroom.

It felt like 
a rhetorical question.
So we stayed quiet.
And he held his pause.

“You don’t need to have a fight…
just to get your revenge.”

Another pause.

“You become a writer…
and then 
you can do with them
whatever you wish.

Because there is 
no one stopping you 
from what you put down 
on that page.”

It was one of those
light bulb moments for me.

Not because I suddenly
wanted to become a writer…
but because I realised how much 
power we all have.

“And others know this too,”
he continued.

“When you get published,
you’ll see that people become
a little more cautious of you.

No one wants to be made 
a villain in any book.”

He laughed a kind, 
yet slightly rebellious laugh,
and carried on with his talk.

Which I have now, 
unfortunately, forgotten.
But this little grain of wisdom 
has always stayed.

Isn’t it thrilling?

To know that we can
have our revenge just by 
lifting our pen?

To know that we can
write out someone’s future
exactly as they deserve?

Even if it lives
only between us
and the paper.

Because when we write it,
we are no longer just a character 
trapped in the scene.

We are the author.

We get to shape the story 
any way we please.

With love,
Elina

Imagery / From Elina’s travels - The Library of Ballindalloch Castle, 2024