Author's note: This essay was a revision of the previous form essay, however, I decided to include it as it's own piece due to its drastic difference from it's rough draft.
Player 2 moves black pawn to a5.
Player S̵̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white pawn to a3.
Player 2 moves black pawn to b5.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white pawn to b3.
Player 2 moves to black pawn to c6.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white pawn to c3.
Player 2 moves black pawn to d6.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white pawn to d3.
Player 2 moves black pawn to e5.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white pawn to e4.
Player 2 moves black pawn to f6.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white pawn to f3.
Player 2 moves black pawn to g6.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white pawn to g3.
Player 2 moves black pawn to h5.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white bishop to f3.
Player 2 moves black pawn to g4.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white bishop to g4.
Player 2 moves black pawn to f4.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white bishop to f4.
Player 2 moves black pawn to e6.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white bishop to e6.
Player 2 moves black queen to d7.
Check.
Player S̵̳̈͂̅͌̂͒̈́̈́̉́͊̌́͝ moves white bishop to d7.
Checkmate.
Shorthand Key
a5 - Putting your best foot forward
a3 - Steady travels
b3 - False hope
c6 - The numb, knee-buckling realization that this will not work for you long term, hitting you like an explosion hits an unprotected ear born and raised in conflict-free suburbia. (Regardless of whether or not the player is using the black or white chess pieces, all they can see is blinding light. The other player is not obligated to wait for the player's vision to recover to allow them to take their next turn)
d6 - The exhaustion slowly spilling out to every corner of the board. (re: a1)
e5 - The swish of the adrenaline rush in your blood that comes from pulling an all nighter for a midterm, only to complete 40% of it in between the last two hours before class, frantic pacing that melts into stimming hard enough to hurt your wrists, wailing that cuts into hyperventilation that cuts into wailing that cuts into coughing that melds into the low, gravely whine that your smoker aunt makes when you shake her away for breakfast. As evidenced by the nonsensical description surrounding it, players disregard any piece standing on d6.
h5 - The new approach that's totally gonna work, Dad, don't worry about it, I promise.
h3 - If a pawn is standing on top of it, the disappointment of your new clever, emotionally invested in approach doing absolutely nothing to lighten the load or prepare you for virtually anything. If any other chess piece is standing on it, the ineffable horror of the further setback.
g4 - The player stalls for time, either with academic sacrifices, overcompensation, or that goddamn work ethic of theirs that everyone is obsessed with, you know, the one that hasn't worked for them in 3 and a half years? Lies, appeals to emotion, or half-brained excuses are also viable moves, though they are discouraged by all involved parties besides the two players. (Note: The other player can waste this time by adding extra pressure, work, or burnout, or crushing them with the reminder of a forgotten assignment or the fact that they've only spoken to a friend outside of an academic setting 14-15 times this entire semester, in order to advance across the board and remove their chess piece from the board)
f4 - Prolonging the inevitable
e6 - Prolonging the inevitable, but more outwardly pathetic.
d7 - The glaring, dumb mistake on your handling of your finals you knew you were going to make since the second week of the semester.
Check - Pass your classes. Maybe. Probably. You don't really know, and you're a little too afraid to find out, but you're going to have to anyway, at some damming point.
Checkmate - Death, in the academic and literary sense. The losing player must reset the both, but the student will instead. In this inevitable case, scold them for their inability to follow the rules to ensure the chance of future gameplay.
YOU ARE READING
And the lights are not fluorescent, and there are no words on the page.
Non-FictionMy final portfolio for one of the creative writing courses I took based around exploring the creative nonfiction essay in its many literary forms, with any and all identifying names or signifiers censored out. (Note: The author's preface was written...
