The Many Misadventures of Persephone Anna Sharbrough

My name is Persephone Anna Sharbrough

I have no earthly idea why I decided to name myself 'Persephone' when I decided to start coming out of the egg. Not that many would know it. None of my friends called me 'Persephone' neither did any of the poor, poor souls that had the grave misfortune of having me as a pupil in the four required years of instruction I needed to endure to get a High School diploma. And none of the professors who I would soon subject to the misfortune and torture of having me as a student would know me by that name.

No, only a few people on Bonfire and those people who enjoyed reading anime inspired stories knew me as 'Persephone'. There was no reason for me to have that name. I was not Greek, I was most likely of German descent with a bit of Irish and Scottish added in. I did not look like a 'Persephone'. I was most likely underweight and all skin and bones. I'd spent the whole summer working from dawn till dusk on my uncle's farm in the heart of the Mississippi delta. I was thus tanned, and there was this hollow look around my eyes.

At best many called me androgynous at worst many called me a runt. But all of that was behind me now, I could not put those four, terrible years of High School behind me. And embrace the two years of social bliss that Junior College would be. Like I'd said I'd spent the summer working on the family's farm, checking cotton and planting cotton that will be harvested soon. So I had a little pocket money saved up.

And a Federal Pell Grant had covered most if not all of the tuition of my first semester of college. I'd hoped in around four semesters I would be a freshly pinned nurse and I could then establish a career for myself and start on becoming Persephone in earnest.

All of these thoughts filled my head as I pulled into the deserted parking lot. You see, I'd started taking college courses my Junior year and had gone on to keep taking them my Senior Year. Those had knocked out a few basic courses, most the required History courses, Western Civilization I and Western Civilization II both I'd passed with somewhat flying colors. College Keyboarding had been another one. Somehow by the grace of God or should I say by the grace of Persephone I'd managed to pass by the skin of my teeth College Algebra last year before being booted to the Mississippi Delta.

What I'm driving at is this, I had some credits behind me. Enough credits to get one of the more private dorms on campus. The so-called Motel Hall. Here I would live for the next eighteen weeks, dwelling in private. Here I'm sure I could let the egg shells fall down on the floor and I'm sure maybe even around campus if I'm careful.

Anyway, returning to the story. As I pulled into the almost empty parking lot, I took a deep breath as I peered toward the two story dorm that looked like its name said a motel. The dorm was the smallest, the smallest and oldest on campus. A fossil left from the eighties. As I peered up at the building, I breathed a silent curse. My room was a corner room. On the second floor. Meaning I would need to haul my stuff up two flights of stairs. Concrete stairs. Thankfully I'd packed light. At least I thought I did.

I quickly found my scrawny arms and hand had to strain to pick up two suitcases that I'd packed. One suitcase held my normal clothes, the other case held my 'Persephone' Clothes. I quickly found my room, and using my foot I gave the old, red metal door a good kick. Taking a deep breath I tossed the suitcase's down on my bed.

The next item I needed to haul up was my books. Besides my textbooks, I'd brought a few anime figurines because you know I was a geek at heart. The anime figurines were sitting on top of my textbooks. With a grunt I hauled that box up the two flights of stairs and gently I dropped them down at the foot of my bed. Next.. I hauled up a  few pillows, two blankets, a mini fridge, a coffee pot, and a twenty four count suitcase of coke-colas, up next to a microwave and last but not least my laptop.

Next came the fun part, unpacking all of this shit! The clothes were the first thing I tackled, I decided to hand my everyday clothes to one side of my provided locker and my 'Persephone' clothes to the other. For everyday wear I had three pairs of jeans, one pair of faux leather work shoes, a set of baby blue scrubs and a few long sleeve work shirts, all solid blue. Now when it came to my 'Persephone' clothes, I had a little more variety. I had a pretty floral print sundress with short sleeves. Another small black dress that I could either dress up or dress down depending on my mood and occasion. A few skirts, some so short I had to be careful how I sat down or else I might end up flashing somebody.

And finally a few pairs of girlish cut jeans and simple tops. For shoes, I had one pair of simple black pumps, a cheap pair of plastic sandals, and a pair of black lace-up boots. Also hanging at the far back was a simple, neon pink lacy baby doll gown. All of these things had been purchased just a few days ago when in a fit of Gonzo inspired madness I decided that college would be the perfect time to see if I could pass as a girl or not.

I also decided that soon I would need to hit up the mall. I would need a wider variety of clothing if I wanted to make a go of being 'Persephone' . The good thing about college is nobody gave a flying rat's ass what you wore or how you presented yourself. My old school, the one I'd just left, gave a rat's ass. That school was a super private school that only the wealthy Bourgeoisie of the town could afford. Only the impoverished Episcopal gentry of the town and the surrounding countryside could afford the tuition. And the only reason my mother and father could afford it was the fact my grandmother and grandfather had been footing the bill. I'd been deemed a lost cause from the start, and so I'd been forced to struggle from the first to eighth grade in the Public School system before being sent to Manchester Academy to finish.

But this story is not about those four, hellish years I went through at Manchester Academy. I want to forget those four years if ever possible. Just blot them out of my mind. But just know it was not the kind of school where one could explore one's self.

Anyway, once everything was packed into the closet, the suitcases were stored on top. It was time to tackle the bed. Now, I'd never really made a bed before, so it took some time to get the sheets fitted just right. Once that was done I just  smoothed out the covers of my bed and tossed a pillow or two toward the top. Good enough I suppose. I'm sure it would pass muster or cut the mustard one of the two. 

Finally my medical textbooks went on the top shelf above the kind of desk-like thing. I set up a plastic anime figurine of my favorite sailor scout Sailor Mercury and one of another anime girl I could not name wearing a bunny suit. And then I decided my dorm room was fit for habitation. 

After that little chore was done, I decided to get something to eat. Now, the community college was located in this kind of smallish hamlet called Benton. I'd never been to Benton before, though most of mom's folks lived here. I did know the local academy Benton Academy was a big rival with Manchester Academy. But none of that should matter now. Since I was in college.

I did know they had a pretty active main street, that a good number of the roads were paved in brick instead of asphalt and they had a smallish mall called 'Pecan Grove'. That all I knew, I'd settled on attending college here because I'd somehow managed high enough on the ACT that they had no problem accepting me and they had an 'Shake' and' Bake' Nursing program. Neither my mother nor my father thought I was fit enough, or smart enough for university and my grandmother thought I'd lacked the proper breeding and morality to attend one.  

But that aside, I decided now I need something to eat before settling down for the night. I was in luck, just an half mile away from Motel Hall there was a little gas station that had a hot bar. Now, if you have never traveled the South or are just new to Mississippi allow me to take a few minutes to explain something. Most gas stations here have one of two things, some have both, they either have a hot bar where one can get fried chicken, it's always fried chicken. Or a Hunt Brothers Pizza machine where one can get a hot pizza pie.  The one near me had both. 

And so I'd settled on a dinner of fried chicken with a side of potato logs, and a dinner roll. I was lucky that the gas station had a little booth I could sit at and watch the world go by as I enjoyed their perfectly seasoned fried chicken, and perfectly seasoned fried potato logs and drank enough ice cold coke-cola to float a battleship. It was delightful, perfectly southern and above all afforded the breath space I needed at the time. 

Dinner was done, and I returned to my dorm. I could tell by the number of lights burning I that only two or three others had moved in since this afternoon. All were on the first floor. It seemed I'd had the second floor all to myself. Smiling, I found my room. Once I was in my room, I gathered my kit, went down to the bathroom, stepped into the shower, I washed and conditioned my hair, shaved my face first and then I removed all the body hair from my body including my nether region. Then I stepped back into my room, and slipped on the night gown and snuggled under my sheets.

It had been a good day, really I consider this the first day of my new life. I'd been christened James Richard Sharbrough in Sharbrough's chapel, a white wooden church no more than quarter of a mile from a wide bend in the Sunflower River, the place were steamboats use to land and unload barrels of flour, lard, salted meat and beans and upload bales of cotton to sale in such busting river ports such as Vicksburg or New Orleans, That landing had given the settlement it's name of Sharbrough's Landing.

But I'd decided some nineteen years later to rename myself, my new name was Persephone Anna Sharbrough and today was the start of my new life.