HSC Belonging Collage

Creating Two Characters (Kyle & a Dwarf)

Mr. Smooth they call him; he's tall, a unit in the gym, a ladies man - Kyle is perfect. From his chiselled jaw line to his meticulously carved facial hair on the side of his face like its a permanent feature that never grows, Kyle is to be envied. Me on the other hand defines his polar opposite; if parallel universes existed and he made a mistake in the other one - I'd be him. I glance away from Mr. Smooth as my eyes dart across the office cubicles attempting to be distracted. I hop down from my chair and pull my pants up and re-tightened my belt across a waist line I wouldn't say I'm proud of. I trundle along through the office, making eye contact with people and occasionally a nod before coming to the end of the hall. Before me stood a large frosted glass window and a door. A door to my bosses office, a door to my promotion, a door to escape the mediocre grinds of 'cubicle workers'. But I am too late, sure enough Kyle's tall handsome figure could be made out through the frosted glass, animated with excitement and laughter. I hang my head in disappointment and start to walk away, what place does a fifty-seven year old man with seckel syndrome primordial dwarfism have in an office anyway?

Kyle - Perfect, arrogant, handsome
Dwarf - Depressed, jealous, contrasted to Kyle

Concept explored: Discrimination in the workplace.

Character information found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primordial_dwarfism#Types_of_primordial_dwarfism

http://www.losangelesemploymentlawyerblog.com/2008/02/little_people_discrimination_i.html

Setting A Scene (A Place to Belong Pt.II)

It was morning; a gunshot fired skyward as yells, screams and cries broke out across the camp. Life here was impossible, as in people ceased to exist. The smell of death gripped the air in a tenacious manner, making even the guards uncomfortable. With no solid floor to sleep on, I drag myself to a sitting position as little bugs and dead grass blades rain off my shirt down to the ground consecrated in bereavement. A guard juts the barrel of his gun into my back - I freeze with fear, but by some miracle my legs autonomously bring me to a standing position. The guard pushes me forward through the camp, through the stench of genocide and through my friends, my family and my people. I had come to 'umkommen' or in english; to die, to perish and to become extinct. There it was, looming twenty or thirty meters ahead of me. The blood stained iron door of the 'showers' - If only I were to be so naive.

Setting A Scene (A Place to Belong)

Tall jagged cliff faces stare down at me on either side of the valley as I walk through the undergrowth of the forest. Little crackles and crunches come from under my feet as sticks, leaves, grubs and bugs succumb to my foots' imprint on the lightly trodden track laid out before me. In the distance I can see a waterfall crashing over the cliffs down into the base of the river sending little droplets of fresh spring water into the air. Little rainbows form around the waterfalls liquid joint to the river as the sun slowly sinks below the cliffs peak, sending the valley into an almost eclipse like state as the sun struggles to spread its warm glow against the large shadows engulfing the valley.

*****

A small brick cottage pops into view up ahead of me. With the light drained from the valley, it was easy to see that familiar warm glow of home. The chimney chuffed out a steady stream of black soot and smoke, but with no electricity there wasn't really any other option but to have candles and a fire. For the next three months, this would be home, this would be a place for me among nature and this would represent a new a new step in my career - If I find coal that is.