Echoes

Small Town Dreams, Big City Nightmares

The small town of Ely, Minnesota glistened with life. The city housed a population of just over 10,000 citizens. At face value, the day appeared as any other; clouds coated the skies, and a light drizzle came by the morning. The smell of wet concrete rushed through the air as shop owners and young business owners were striving to make a living. Every citizen believed hard work would pay off, whether at the small bread shop down the street or the designer clothing brand just down the road. Sophia developed a similar philosophy. She aspired to create her own thriving business one day. After graduating from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Sophia relocated to the city of Ely to work as a designer for the company Cratona. Cratona highlighted women's-

designer clothing at an affordable price. However, to Sophia’s dismay, landing her dream job would tear her to pieces, as her officious boss would leave her feeling hopeless and distraught.

The Birthday Blunder

January 17th marked an important day for Sophia. Ever since her childhood, Sophia would celebrate her birthday by going out for cupcakes in the morning and spending the rest of her day at the beach. Unfortunately, Sophia knew her birthday would never be the same. She would have to turn up for work today to get scolded by her boss Sonna for not completing her task at hand. Sonna would make her work overtime to finish the job and would not accept a birthday as an excuse. To make matters worse, Sophia had slept through her 7 am alarm and rushed out of bed in a panic when her alarm clock went off for the-

second time. Sophia scrambled out of her house and onto her bike imagining the pressure she would receive if she were to be late. Not ten minutes later, Sophia finished the 3-mile bike ride. She rushed through the sliding glass doors to find Sonna standing right in front of her desk, arms folded at her waist.
“What happened?” Sonna asked sarcastically while taking pleasure in every bit of Sophia’s misery. Sonna pointed to her watch which read 8:01 am.
Sophia stared at the watch in disbelief. The piercing white font of the watch stared back with glowing eyes. “It’s my birthday-”
“I wouldn’t care if we were in the middle of a war. YOU STILL HAVE TO SHOW UP ON TIME!!” Sonna yelled.
Sophia could feel her blood boiling. She could not take this anymore. With all of her emotions built up, Sophia gathered the courage to talk back, “I bet you wouldn’t know what it's like to have a day off. A day that is free from this treacherous environment!”

Sonna took a step back startled at Sophia’s attitude saying, “Sophia, when I was younger, my parents had nothing. Ever since my childhood, I forced myself to work for every penny. If you don’t bring a working mentality to this office, you don’t belong here. I only develop a level of respect for others who have a fervent passion for hard work”
Sophia went back to work knowing that she had no other option. She knew her boss despised her workers who didn’t put in extra work, and Sophia knew Sonna would go out of her way to make sure any laid-back workers would not succeed. Looking ahead, Sophia could only pray that her life would change as every moment in the office felt like a backpack. One that would become heavier and heavier until Sophia could no longer lift it up.
The next day, when Sophia arrived at the office, she immediately noticed a change in her surroundings. Her desk appeared completely empty with all of her belongings gone: her family photo,

her mug of pens, and all of her art supplies. In disbelief, Sophia ran to her colleagues, asking if they knew what happened. She received no response, only piercing stares.
After a minute of standing, Sophia stepped foot into her boss’ office. Awards lined the plain white walls, with a giant, shiny, silver nameplate at the front of Sonna’s desk. Before Sophia could ask why her desk was cleared, Sonna spoke up.
“You’re fired,” Sonna said casually.
“Wha-” Sophia could not believe what she heard.
“Get out now,” Sonna said this time, articulate and precise. Sophia could feel tears coming out of her eyes, ready to fill up a river. She ran out of the office trembling, having no idea what to do. On her way home, Sophia’s thoughts swarmed like a beehive. Thoughts of distaste and hatred.
“I know what I’ll do,” Sophia said to herself. After she arrived home, she immediately put pen on paper spending-

the next 15 hours alone with her dog Rocky, sketching design after design. Filled with anger and emotion, Sophia fostered enough determination to build her own clothing line and ensure that she would successfully run her own business.

From Success to Survival

A year later, Sophia woke up joyfully. Her phone read January 17th. Sophia thought back to the year before and how much her life had changed since. Her new company's success had reached a new peak. Over the past year, Sophia drew and drew, making hundreds of designs for her own company. Although today marked her birthday, Sophia’s mentality changed. Ever since she got fired, the same quote had been stuck in Sophia’s head every night, “I only develop a level of respect for others who have a fervent passion for hard work.” Although

Sophia had only slept for four hours, she immediately started working. However, Sophia looked down, and her phone would not stop ringing. Curious but worried, Sophia checked her messages to find an absolute horror. The company of Cratona was suing her business, hoping to take over her entire company. Sophia opened the local paper to find Sonna claiming Sophia had copied her old company's designs. Infuriated, Sophia found out she would have to attend court in a week. Sophia threw her phone across the room and tore every single last piece of paper she had been working with. “That woman hasn’t been working half as hard as me!”

The Case

The courtroom appeared much different than Sophia had expected. The room felt like a concert hall as every word echoed clear and loud through the room. Sophia's blood rushed with adrenaline,