Chelsea’s a very hard-working student and her writing has the same workman-like craftsmanship. I had always admired Chelsea’s writing (having had her in several classes), but when I read the two essays in her portfolio that she had written in my Irish Literature class, I suddenly realized she was even better than I thought. To read her portfolio turned out to be a “Eureka” moment for me. And then during the portfolio review that the English Department faculty conduct twice a year, I happened to be one of the readers for Chelsea’s portfolio. I had already picked a couple essays that I thought might be worthy of inclusion in the Writing Anthology. How I came to nominate this essay is a strange story. She eats some magical berries that will seal her into the realms forever.A Great and Terrible Beauty By Chelsea Grieger '12 Pippa, having found her true love in the realms, decides to stay there instead of returning to her arranged marriage in the real world. She defeats the shadow, destroys the runes, and forgives her mother for murdering the little girl. Gemma goes back to the realms to rescue her. Back in their own world, they find Pippa having a seizure. In the realms again, the shadow creature attacks the girls, and Pippa falls into a frozen river during their escape. When Gemma returns to her mother, her mother confesses that she is Mary Dowd and that the wicked Sarah is now known as 'Circe.' Sensing something is wrong in the realms, Gemma doesn't want to take her friends back, but she relents after her friends sacrifice a deer in an attempt to go without her. The new Order uses the magic to play pranks on other students at Spence, simultaneously creating evil in the other realms. Gemma's mother forbids Gemma from taking the magic with her back to her world, but Gemma manages to steal some.

Ann makes herself beautiful, Pippa conjures a knight who is in love with her, and Felicity becomes a mighty huntress.

The girls each use the magic for different things. She tells her about the Runes of the Oracle where the magic is stored. Gemma takes Felicity, Pippa, and Ann with her into the other world Gemma's mother is there. The girls are believed to have perished in the fire. Sarah wants Mary to take her back to the realms, but Mary refuses and the East Wing catches fire during their struggle. Mary kills the gypsy girl for the shadow, but he insists on Sarah as a sacrifice. In order to get Sarah's power back, they needed to sacrifice a young gypsy girl. The girls continue to read the diary together and learn that Mary and Sarah visited the magical realms until Sarah's power began to fade away. Gemma is hesitant of Felicity and Pippa, but their friendship develops more fully when Pippa, who has epilepsy, has a seizure during dance class. The two become friends and, along with Ann and Pippa, they decide to create their own Order. Gemma catches Felicity alone with a gypsy boy, but she promises not to tell.

A great terrible beauty