BENCHMARK 19
CREATIVE WRITING Write-a-Book-in-a-Day An excerpt from Terror Amongst the Trees Chapter One A cacophony of drills and machinery saturated the air around Joe. However, he was oblivious to the sounds around him, his mind singularly focused on the timber in front of him. With experienced care, he pressed the drill in again, creating whirlwinds of frayed wood with the powerful machine. Absorbed in this task, he barely noticed when his mobile phone began to ring. The vibrations, however, snapped him out of his trance. As he reached for it, his hand slipped and the drill tumbled out of his hand. As it fell, it carved out a deep channel into the timber. ‘Bollocks!’ Joe shouted. He lunged for the drill as the phone bounced out of his hands and catapulted into the air. He snatched the drill out of its plunge before it could do any harm. His phone, however, did not receive the same treatment. It hit the ground and shattered into hundreds of pieces. The ringing died out. ‘Bugger!’ He cursed and swept up the broken pieces with his boot. Behind him, he could feel eyes turning towards him. He tried to cover up the mess even though it was now too late. ‘Mr Landers,’ a voice said behind him. He turned disgracefully around to meet his boss’ eyes. ‘My office. Now.’ Like a lamb to the slaughter, Joe did as he was told. The office was cool compared to the sweltering heat outside, the boss sat down and motioned for Joe to do likewise. ‘It has come to my attention that you have been, shall we say, a little clumsy. This is not the first time but has been repeated several times over the last week. I do not want to have to make this decision, but I’m afraid that I have no choice. I would like you to look for another job,’ the boss stated. Joe was taken aback. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘But I’m your best worker. I’ve been working for you for over two years now. You can’t just fire me!’ ‘I’m afraid we can, and we must. You have been very careless lately and have often jeopardised the project. We feel that it is time for you to move on. Our decision is final.’ Broken, Joe left the office. A cloud of despair billowed behind him and followed him all the way to his apartment. It was a mess; clothes were strewn all over the floor and his bed. The only surface, a small table in the centre of the room, was littered with half-eaten food. The television was on full blast, even though Joe wasn’t watching it. The sink was leaking and dirty dishes were piled up in the sink. Solemnly, he stepped over the disgusting mess and took a can of beer from the fridge. Taking a sip, he pushed a week-old singlet off the chair and sat down in front of his computer. Joe sighed, wondering where to start. Jobs were scarce these days and he knew what trials were ahead of him to secure another occupation. Soberly, he opened up the web browser and began searching. *** Three days later, after several hours searching the Internet, he heard his home phone ring. ‘Joe Landers here.’ ‘Gerald Fitzroy. I have been looking for a builder of your qualifications for some time. There is a particular assignment I believe would be right up your alley. My aunt Elizabeth currently lives in a house of poor living standards outside Nettletown, in the Bullwinkel Woods. I need a well-experienced builder to renovate her home to a more safe design. I hope that you will be able to complete this project.’ ‘Why, um, yes. Certainly!’ Joe was astounded. A job offer, finally! He was ecstatic! ‘I’ll email you the address now. I shall contact you later this week to sort out any complications.’ Then the call ended. Joe placed down the phone, still dazed by the brilliant situation. He picked up the phone again to tell his friends of the good news. *** The old house creaked and moaned against the relentless wind. Inside, however, the room was dimly lit by an open fireplace. Two figures sat opposite each other on well-worn armchairs. Eventually, one of them broke the silence. 20