Net Result

This little autobiographical vignette was drawn from the section called 'Starting Ploys'. In this case I'm setting up a life writing anecdote which has a calm opening as the scene is set before a violent interruption that changes the tone of the story. Although I didn't really set out the themes other than 'autobiographical' as with many of my early 'life writing' examples' bullying' as a theme often emerges. . 

I remember as a boy when I first went fishing at the local canal. My friend was already quite skilled so he brought everything that we'd need. This included a wicker-basket which contained jars of maggots that looked like cheap penny sweets,ornate floats that looked like African tribal jewellery,and things he called lures that turned out to be undercover devices that deviously imitated fish but were clad in a violent armoury of trapping hooks and clamping teeth. As he set up the rods and tackle I sat quietly on the grassy bank watching a family of moorhens flitting about. I closed my eyes and breathed in the oily damp of the stagnant water and the submerged weed. I was looking forward to my first ever experience at fishing but the day was about to take a spiteful turn.