'Begin at the Beginning' by Abi Hennig

 

‘Start again,’ he says. And so I do.

'Welcome everyone, wonderful to see you here. Today I'm going to tell you a little about me.'

‘Lose the fluff. It's not wonderful. Not yet. They just turned up. Again.’

I breathe deep. 'Welcome everyone. Today I'm going to tell you…'

He grimaces. ‘Why welcome? Tell the story.’

‘What, so, Today I'm going to tell you a little about me?’

‘Not going to. Tell them.’

My voice starts small, ‘My name is Elisa. I was born during a flood.’ 

It rises as I feel the beat of the story hum. ‘Some people call me a monster. I hope you are not those people, but we'll see.’

‘Now I'm listening.’