Born to Run “A further search of the park by daylight only made things worse for Patrick. Everyone else’s dog was up there bounding around, scampering through the grass, fetching sticks and balls and frisbees. Patrick told everyone, asked everyone. No one has seen Best Mate. It was as if he had simply vanished off the face of the earth.” “Muzzled and caged in the back of a van, I had long hours to think about everything that had happened to me that evening on the park, about how stupid and gullible I had been to allow myself to get caught. And then there were more long, dark hours to remember how happy my life had been before I was so suddenly snatched away from everyone and everything I loved.” “When I went up to him he patted me and I waited for my biscuit. He gave me one, but as I ate it he reached out suddenly, grabbed me by my collar, and held on to me. I thought that was odd, because he hadn’t done that before, and it all became stranger still when my head began to swim, and my legs buckled underneath me. I found myself lying down at his feet then, Mr Boots holding me fast on the ground, not that I could have struggled anyway. I had no strength left for that.”
Storytelling challenge: Can you tell an exciting moment in a story in the first person?
You should: • Think of an exciting moment in a story. Describe the moment to a partner, telling the story in the first person, as if it is happening to you.
Remember to use: • Personal pronouns (I, me, myself)
Stuck for ideas?
• Words and phrases that capture the excitement of the moment
You could make up an entirely new story with new characters, or you could retell a story you know well already. If you get stuck, perhaps:
You might: • Try telling your story from two different perspectives: in the first person as if your character is telling it, and then again with a third person narrator (“Best Mate was trapped in the van”, rather than “I was trapped, unable to escape”). How are the two ways of telling the story different? Which do you prefer?
• Your character is being chased • Your character has been captured • Your character is about to do something that makes them very nervous
Born to Run