Once upon a time, not very long ago, a young girl lived in a
little peach apartment on a windy little street in a quaint little
village. She had three charming roommates who lived with her in
this strange little college world.
Everyday she would go to and from her classes, read a little,
work out a very little, and spend most of her time with friends.
But there was something different about this girl: she wanted to do
something special, to go somewhere exciting, and to see something
new.
Then one day she got her chance. A good friend of hers needed
rescuing from a ferocious and demanding beast known as the Daily
Bruin. This monster was legendary in the little village. No one
knew where it came from or where it went, but every morning there
it was, on news stands just waiting to be read.
Rumor had it that those who were captured by this beast were
never heard from again. They were whisked away into the deep bowls
of Kerckhoff and there they remained until the very last issue came
out each June. Some were even lost for three or four years!
The girl’s friend was one of these prisoners, held captive
by The Bruin. Her only chance for freedom was for another to take
her place.
So with much apprehension and anticipation the girl took her
friend’s place and entered the Bruin’s inner lair. She
was determined to serve her new master well, but soon found that
the daily demands of The Bruin never stopped, and once one task was
completed there were four more waiting to be done.
The days grew longer, and the girl grew weary. She began to feel
overwhelmed and lost. She missed her old life and the light of day,
for all time was lost inside the deep dark den of The Bruin. Many
times she felt she could no longer survive life with this beast and
began to wonder why she was there in the first place.
But every time her world came crashing down someone was there to
help her pick up the pieces.
Her friends, family and roommates were very understanding
through this ordeal and encouraged her from the outside. On the
inside, the other prisoners of The Bruin always came to her rescue.
They would listen to her sorrows, lend a helping hand, and most
importantly make her laugh and smile.
As time passed she began realize that these
“prisoners” were not really held captive at all; they
truly loved The Bruin and were there of their own free will.
Becoming infected by their passion, she too began to see the beauty
in The Bruin.
It was sort of magical the way everyday all these people, no
matter how busy or stressed out they were, came together to create
one final product they could all be proud of.
As she began to understand this chaotic process, her contempt
for the beast grew into tolerance, appreciation, admiration and
eventually love.
She realized that despite all the pain and sacrifices she made
for The Bruin, in the end it was all worth it because she had done
something special, and she would walk away from The Bruin with
precious memories to cherish always. It just took her a little
time, countless chai lattes and a lot of good supportive friends
for her to see it.
Thanks to all who got me through this year, I couldn’t
have done it without you. I’m sorry if at times I was the
real beast.
Frye was an assistant News editor.