Chapter One
Emily
braced herself against the cool night air, wrapping her black scarf
cosily around her neck and hunkering down into her heavy winter coat.
She could hear the crowd over in the Christmas Markets oooohing
and aaaaahing as the first snow of the season began to fall
over Brussels. She was happy to be back here, even if it was just for
the night. She loved the atmosphere that the markets provided at this
time of year; the sweet smell of the food stalls, the old stone
buildings lit up in glimmering greens and reds, kids running around
exitedly as their parents examined the available wares. And now with
the snow falling, it really felt like Christmas. The voyage from
London had been long and tedious – the ferry rocking from side to
side as it crossed the gusty channel, and then the train was delayed
by the snow, which was somehow missed by the weather forcasters. She
carried herself with an air of urgency through the streets, not
simply to escape the cold, for she knew that the wood burner at the
Labrador Road flat would be on, the kettle whistling away on top, but
because she had a message for her adventurous reporter friend Tintin.
As
she rounded the corner and saw the light shining through his living
room window, she thought about how they'd met. It was at a trade expo
in Hong Kong. They were working there as reportors, or at least,
Emily was. Staying at the same hotel, it wasn't long before she
noticed that Tintin was in fact up to something else. She'd noticed
him sneaking around all over the hotel, leaving his room late at
night, and turning up to breakfast the next day dog-eyed and almost
falling asleep in his porridge. It's not that Tintin wasn't very good
at sneaking around, it's just that Emily was smart. She cracked a
smile as she remembered thinking that this innocent-looking guy, what
with his firey red quiff and immaculatly pressed khaki pants and
tailored white shirt, couldn't possibly be a bar-hopping party animal
dancing the night away. No, he was up to something else, and she
wanted in. They soon became friends, with Tintin seeing something in
Emily that no one else had before. She learned that he was in Hong
Kong to track down a druggy who had been exporting heroin to Europe.
Next thing she knew, they were chasing Chinese drug lords through the
sticky, humid streets of Hong Kong. Just the thought of those five
days, so hot that her clothes had clung to her like they were
lathered in glue, was such a contrast to the cold that enveloped her
as she trudged through the street towards Tintin's flat. It had been
enough adventure to last her a lifetime.
At
last she climbed the steps to his big wooden door and rung the bell.
Emily hoped that Tintin's larger-than-life landlord wouldn't be the
one to answer. She was a nice lady, but boy-oh-boy could she talk and
Emily just needed to see him. She didn't have time to discuss the
weather.
At
the ring of the bell, a dog started to yap from inside the flat.
Snowy, she thought – Tintin's little white terrier, still as
excitable as ever.
She
could hear the clomp, clomp, clomp of someone coming down the stairs
now. Muffled speech. The barking stopped. And then the door opened.
“Emily,
mais quelle surprise !” Tintin exclaimed. He stared at her
wide eyed and then began to chuckle, realising his linguistic error.
Quickly switching to English he said, “What a nice surprise it is
to see you!” He pulled her towards him and kissed her gently on the
right check, then the left. “And you!” Emily replied. “You look
great,” she said, poking him jokingly in the ribs.
Tintin
looked down at his attire. He was in blue flannel pyjamas and a
fluffy grey dressing gown. Strangely, he was unshaven, his chin
covered in short ginger whiskers.
He
smiled at her. “I wasn't expecting visitors.... I've just been
working on a couple of stories all day.”
“Don't
worry, I'm just pulling your leg.” She stuck her tongue out at him
as he took her suitcase and she followed him up the stairs.
“What
are the stories about?” she asked.
“Ah,
pickpockets, car accidents, the usual. I've not had much excitement
lately. I mean, I've even started helping the typist with writing up
the classifieds section!”
**
At
last Emily sat with Tintin in the living room with a big cup of tea
and a plate of biscuits. Snowy lay quietly in front of them beside the
woodburner.
“Tintin,
I'm going to cut right to the chase because I'm quite anxious about
this...” she started.
Tintin
looked at her, confused. Emily quickly shifted her gaze down to the
cup of tea resting on her lap, biting gently on her lip.
When
she looked up, Tintin had moved closer. He reached out and rested his
hand on her shoulder. “What is it, Emily?” he asked.
“I...
I don't really know what it's all about, Tintin.” Emily pulled out
the envelope she had been given and told to take to him personally.
“I
received this last week. A man came to my office at the London Daily
Express and closed the door behind him. Speaking in a whisper, he
said it was essential that I take it to you as soon as possible, and
that I not read it until I was with you.”
She
handed it to Tintin. Holding the brown envelope out in front of him,
he just looked at it. Emily wondered what was going through his head.
As much as she dreaded finding out what the contents of the envelope
were to have in stall for them, she knew it had to be done.
“Go
on then, open it!” she exclaimed.
As
Tintin started to read the letter, she could see his eyes begin to
light up. Indeed, they had made a good name for themselves tracking
down those drug lords in Hong Kong, but hadn't it been enough
adventure for a life time, she'd said. Surely....
Tintin
shot her a glance. He was practically salivating. Here we go,
she thought. It looks like Tintin's day job is about to get a bit
more exciting... and I'm to be pulled along for the ride as well.
Exegesis
My
narrative is a fanfiction based on the Tintin character from Hergé's
famous comic strip, however it is told from the perspective of a new
character – Emily. For the purpose of this assignment, I am
submitting only the first chapter from the story, which consists of
just over 1000 words. It is untitled, as a one thousand word limit
does not allow for even thinking of a title.
According
to Vogler (2004), most narratives share a common structure. This
structure is present in many, if not all of the original Tintin
series, as well as in my fanfiction contribution. Submitting Chapter
One from my story is fitting, as Vogler's idea of structure begins
with Act 1, where the “Heros are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD.”
(Vogler, 2004). In my fanfiction, a new character, Emily, comes to
see Tintin in his home country of Belgium. He is presented as a
normal fellow in his pyjamas. He tells her that he has been working
all day, thus he is presented as being in the ordinary world.
Following
this, still within Act 1, Vogler (2004) suggests that the hero, which
in this case is Tintin, receives THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. In my
fanfiction, Emily has presented Tintin with a letter that calls him,
as well as her, to a new adventure. Vogler (2004) believes that after
the call to adventure, the structure would then call for the hero to
appear reluctant and need to be encouraged by a mentor. However, I
have challenged this part of Vogler's structure in my own fanfiction
as I do not believe that it fits within a Tintin story. Tintin is
the kind of character who would never back down from an adventure or
a challenge. This is one of the things that many readers enjoy about
his character.
With
regards to Vogler's idea of “character-types” within narratives,
it is clear that Tintin is the “Hero”, as mentioned above. Emily
is most likely seen as the “Herald”. Vogler (2004) suggests that
the Herald appears in Act 1 to bring a challenge to the Hero and
announce change. It is fair to say that one thousand words does not
really offer you the chance to establish a new character such as
Emily. In Act 1, she does indeed appear as the Herald, bringing
Tintin the letter, or the “challenge” but further on in the
story, I would have liked to also make Emily the “Princess”, a
type of character who the Hero often marries after being sought for.
Reference:
Vogler,
C. (2004). The
Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Michael Wiese
Productions, USA.
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