In the End

Marley was dead, to begin with. -Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.

In the Middle

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, ché la diritta via era smarrita.
In the middle of the road of our life I found myself in a dark forest, so that the straight way was lost.
Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia, 1308

In the Beginning

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Gospel According to John, Chapter 1, Verse 1; also, Umberto Eco, "The Name of the Rose".