𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Love Or Loyalty.

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞

"On Wednesday, the 3rd of October 1849, Poe was found lying in a ditch, semiconscious and in dire condition. According to Joseph W. Walker, the man who discovered him, ‘he was in great distress and in need of immediate assistance’. Poe was taken to Washington Medical College where he met his unfortunate demise on Sunday, the 7th of October at age forty. The reason as to why he was lying in the ditch remained a mystery as Poe was not coherent long enough to explain. However on the night of his death, he was heard calling out the name ‘Reynolds’ on repeat. His final words spoken according to his physician was ‘Lord help my poor soul’. Following his death—the cause of which remains unknown—Rufus Wilmot Griswold, Poe's literary rival, published a slanted, high-profile obituary under the pseudonym Ludwig, falsely painting Poe as a raving lunatic. Griswold further wrote a biographical article titled ‘Memoir of the Author’ which he used to depict Poe as a depraved, drunken, drug-addled madman."

"Excellent Jasmine. Truly, that is purely excellent," Professor Khan said, applauding vigorously. "A beginning, a middle and a conclusion, all composed with the finest detail and accuracy. That is exactly the kind of works an acclaimed literary critic wants to see from college students."

"Thank you Professor Khan," I said modestly. "My original draft was about 2000 words but since we had a word limit of 1500 I needed to chip away some of it."
"That's perfectly alright. The word limit was put there precisely for this reason. I know there are a few students who go crazy over essays and book reports. Yourself included. Now before you go back to your seat you may take a few questions."

I nodded and turned to the rest of the class. "Are there any questions from anyone?"

A girl in the back raised her hand. "You said Rufus Wilmot Griswold slandered Poe in his obituary and biography, is there anyone who denounced his claims?"
"Yes. A man named John Neal who knew Poe well wrote an article defending him and criticizing Griswold, referring to him as a
Rhadamanthus. This term was used to describe a person who showed inflexible judgement," I said. "Any more questions?"

A guy next to Collette raised his hand next. "Out of all the horror authors why did you choose to write about Edgar Allan Poe?"
"I happen to be very fond of Poe's works. My favorite is The Raven. I was most impressed by his uses of alliteration, metaphors, personification, imagery and symbolism. And my hus- I mean my boyfriend and I like to take turns reading stanzas of The Raven as well."

Oh God. I almost said husband instead of boyfriend. Nobody besides Evelyn and Collette knows I'm married. I'd like to keep it that way. I shudder to imagine what would happen if anyone at school found out I was married at seventeen.

"Alright class that's it for today. It's Halloween and I know a lot of you are probably anxious to leave school to go party with your friends," Professor Khan chuckled as he organized all the book reports and biographies into two neat piles. "Remember, there'll be no classes tomorrow so you all will get your book reports and biographies back on Monday. Enjoy your weekend."

"So what did you girls think of my biography?" I asked as the three of us zipped up our bags and left the classroom.
"Very informative," Evelyn said. "How long did it take to write it?"
"Five hours. Two to do research and three to write it. Of course it wouldn't have taken so long if Valentino wasn't acting so clingy. He insisted on resting his head on my back while I was typing and he kept on touching me in places I didn't want to be touched."

"Why wouldn't you want to be touched by Valentino?" Evelyn laughed as she pushed open the school doors and stepped outside. "Most girls have to search for a boyfriend and when they get one they have to fight through a sea of ex girlfriends and his mother to keep him. You have a whole husband waiting for you at home who's incredibly rich and such a five star meal for your eyes."
I scoffed good naturally and dug through my bag for my keys. "I'm heading home now okay? So I'll call you girls tomorrow. Bye."