Craft Prompt - Voice

 Craft Prompt: 800 - 1000 words

- Think of a character from your own cultural background. Figure out their basic characteristics: age, gender, education, marital status, social values. Write a creative piece (fiction/poem) in their voice. How do they sound? How does their 'background' manifest in their voice?


Character:

• Name: Jack
• Age: 24
• Gender: Male
• Education: Year 10
• Marital Status: Not married
• Social Values: Is a guy who grew up in the country but now lives in the city for work. Grew up as a only child with little contact with his wider family. Has always been accepting of his friends choices and believes everyone has the right to make there own life choices no matter what others might think. 

Creative Piece: Fiction

A one-week account worth forgetting if it were remembered

The following is a collection of diary pages from a young man who was house sitting in an isolated rural areas of Victoria.

June 12^th

I arrived safely today - the trip here was boring after the first 2 hours. I got sick of the playlist I had created seemed so became annoying so I switched to the radio which lost reception soon after I switched to it. I got some shopping in the last town before mums farm. A small supermarket – pretty dead, only people I spotted inside were the middle aged woman by the check out and an older man in the deli. I’d guess it was a father and his daughter running the store.

I didn’t get much – mum had said I should be right for food for my stay – Just some hummus, crackers, microwave popcorn and two bottles of vodka. The counter woman gave me a look and had to check I said 2 bottles as she collected them from a locked cabinet.

The farm hasn’t changed, last time I was here it was summer but now it’s winter and even though the grass is greener it’s still the same place I saw months ago when mum showed me grainy photos on her phone.

I found her keys by the door behind a pot plant and after a quick walk outside checking on mums few animals. I dumped all my things inside in the guest room.

The rest of the day went quickly – to quickly. Right now I’m deciding on what to have for dinner, I don’t think I’ll touch the vodka tonight.

It’s late now. Mum called and was glad I got here alright – asked me a lot of questions to make sure the animals were all locked in. I’m sure I didn’t miss anything – she left a very detailed list. She said to go to bed early, I’m not going to though – I’d rather stay up and watch a movie.

Outside the winds begun rattling around the tin on the sheds. The noises call out to each other

Or are they calling to me alone in this big old house?

June 13^th

The wind got stronger over night and the yard around the house is a mess. I go about letting the animals out and feed and water. When I got back inside I found the bottle of vodka sitting out on the bench even though I left it in the bag. The top was still on it. I put it back in the bag and then in the pantry – it seemed like the best place to store it. I unpacked some more of my things – mainly a box of books I brought with the intention though now they don’t seem half as interesting as I thought they might be when I was leaving.

I took a walk around the boundary, or at least what I know to be the boundary. The sun was out but the wind still is colder then it would seem at first. Only thing I saw was a dead fox, caught in the fence it didn’t look like it had been there long. Just long enough to shed fur and stop smelling or is my nose just blocked?

I get the jobs done quicker tonight and cook a microwave meal from the freezer. No call from mum and the wind outside has eased – Still don’t think I will be caught dead out there after dark.

June 14^th

Didn’t sleep well and woke up late. Took me two hours to feed mums animals. Mum called to check to make sure I was getting around everything. Got back inside and made lunch – thought about going on a drive but feel exhausted.

I’m an idiot – fell asleep on the couch and woke up when it was dark. Had no choice but to go outside. Couldn’t find mums head light so I took my phone. At first it was creepy, the dark seemed to cling to the sheds and bushes – soon though I forgot the dark was there – didn’t take me long to get them done and soon I was back inside. My phone died so it’s on the charge in the bathroom.

June 16^th

The last 2 days have been rather odd. The weather seems to be floating between cloudy and sunny. I forgot to write yesterday as I went out for a drive after I let out mums animals. Car needed a start anyway; I think tonight I’ll put it in the garage so it doesn’t get covered by the frosts that come at night after the clouds lift.

I had fish with vegetables tonight – put on a movie and then after a while grabbed the hummus and crackers I bought. Was about to go to bed when I heard my car alarm go off so looked out the window to see the lights flashing in the windows. I turned it off using the keys. Still odd. Will check what set it off tomorrow.

June 17

Walked out side today to find a heavy frost coating the ground. It almost was like snow, I sent photos to mum who didn’t reply to my messages. I checked on the car and nothing seemed a miss in the shed though as I fed the animals I saw marks in the frost, boot prints heading out into the paddock. I wasn’t sure what to make of the markings. Part of me wished to follow them but I instead choose to ignore them as they frost melted with the sun.

June 18^th

Okay its certainly a real person who made those boot prints. Standing at the kitchen window doing the dishes I saw them. Over by the garage, hovering like some spectre I could only be haunted by. I couldn’t move till they walked back into the paddocks. I tried calling Mum again but nothing. Who is this person watching me?

June 19^th

I haven’t slept. Every sound outside is a hand testing a window, hoping for an unlocked latch. Even as the sunrises and hits the pulled curtains I am wary of the outside – I cant find my phone. My keys are on the bench but its nowhere to be found.

After checking rooms and looking outside I see a dog like shape in the yard. A fox frozen solid mid pace, it’s eyes watching me cowering behind these curtains. I wish to leave this place, but to leave is to walk outside and who knows who might be waiting. In a spur of bravery I through one of the Vodka bottles at the menace, but he will not move, but I saw the varmint blink in spite of me.

June 20^th

That little frozen fox has moved – I heard him scraping on the door and saw those glassy eyes as they begged to be let inside. All I can do is watch as it circles, as it watches and waits. What will mum say when she gets home? Will she scare the frozen fox away? I’m hungry to escape, keys haven’t left my hand. I’ll make it to the garage. Get out of here and go to town – they’ll believe me

The mother returned on the evening of the 20^th to find the car still in the garage. She alerted police after not being able to locate her son on the property. It is believed he fled the property on foot but search parties have yet to find any trace of him. No glass was found on the lawn and the local weather reports confirmed frosts in the area but not to the extent he told of in the diary pages. The only trace of anything he mentioned in the journal is the dead fox by the fence, just as he detailed though it is giving off a odour unlike his account. All efforts have been made to find the son though now, 6 weeks since police became involved he still hasn’t been found.

Evaluation:

How do they sound? I think they sound rather uncertain of their own vocation, in the diary i wanted it to be clear that the writer of the entries has been careful, sometimes to a clumsy and sterotypical fashion and other times it comes across as original and to an extent raw. It was interesting writing this peice because there is 2 voices, one is that of the son who wrote the diary and the other is the detective who wrote the report around 

How does their 'background' manifest in their voice?