A Haphazard Group Narrative: Three Friends and the Other Guy

History of Narrative Lesson 4 Group Activity

These were the set of instructions for this group activity:

-Make a series of 5 backgrounds

-Draw a series of characters and cut them out

next,

-Exchange the backgrounds and characters with another group (the set of backgrounds and set of characters should be given to two different groups not to the same one)

-Create a work that combines fiction and truth using your given backgrounds and characters.

-Explain the work and your reasoning behind it. What was the underlying message you wanted to get across and what strategies did you use to do it as well as to engage the audience?

This activity was done within the span of the lesson and whatever will be here is merely documentation of that process. However we did make a more polished version of the story we created during the lesson. As we were not given a lot of time, the story is... bizarre. Hope you enjoy it I guess XD.

Documentation

These were the characters and backgrounds we created during the lesson. The other groups used them.

The characters and backgrounds we were given:

Two of the characters already had names so we named the other two. From left to right the cast includes Peanut Butter, Yolkandra, Bubble Tea Ghost, and Mr. Fox Face.

The original script was lost (because I accidentally deleted it). However, we made a revised version which is better anyways and still retains the plot of the original completely. If you have read this far, thank you, and now please enjoy (or tolerate) this story:

<pictures at the side of the text relate roughly to the background at that point of the narrative>

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Prelude: Peanut Butter, Yolkandra, and Bubble Tea Ghost and Mr. Fox Face were the best of friends. Every Sunday, they would go out to the mall where they will eat, chat, watch movies and hang out. However, they would often exclude Mr. Fox Face from the group. One day, they stopped inviting him at all, all because of his appearance…

Present time: As per the normal Sunday routine, Peanut Butter was waiting for his friends Yolkandra and Bubble Tea Ghost at the bus stop. It was a fine Sunday evening thought Peanut Butter. His friends were not there yet so

he waited patiently. Yolkandra and Bubble Tea Ghost were often a little late because the bus stop was further from their homes, particularly Bubble Tea Ghost who was often the latest to arrive.

As he waited, Peanut Butter was thinking about the exciting events they had in plan for the day. Yolkandra soon showed up and as usual, they waited together for Bubble Tea Ghost. Usually she was 20 min late.

They waited and waited but she never showed up. It was already 45 min past the appointed meetup time and still Bubble Tea Ghost had not shown up. Worse still, she had not replied to any of their phone calls or messages. Peanut Butter and Yolkandra got a little worried and decided to go and find her – Bubble Tea Ghost did have a knack of getting hopelessly lost even in familiar places.

They searched high and low for her, up and down the streets and alleys they went but still she could not be found.

“We’ve searched all over and it’s already night!” complained Yolkandra.

Peanut Butter did not say a word, he was a little perplexed but did not want to make matters worse. He knew how easily Yolkandra could get spooked. Instead he tdeicded to try to diffuse the situation.

“Maybe she just forgot, you know how she loves to sleep in the evening. She must be at home.” Said Peanut Butter. “Come on let’s just go home.”

“Ugh!” exclaimed Yolkandra. “She’s going to really get it from me tomorrow when I yell at her on the phone.” Quipped Yolkandra.

The two were about to go home when suddenly they saw on the pavement before them a little small black pearl. They immediately knew what it was. It was one of Bubble Tea Ghost’s favourite bubble jewellery which she usually wore. In fact there was a trail of them. The two decided to follow it.

They turned from alley to alley. It was a maze of concrete and brick and Peanut Butter could not help but feel that the alley ways were getting narrower and darker due to the dwindling number of lamplights and the denser canopies of clothes lines from house to house. Yolkandra stopped dead in her tracks.

“What’s the matter?” Peanut Butter asked. But as soon as those words left his lips, he already knew the answer to his question. Before them was a tunnel. It felt out of place and strange being in the midst of the jungle of alleyways and buildings they were in. It looked exactly like one of those train station tunnels except it was completely empty (usually there would be passengers no?) and as far as they knew, there should not be a train station anywhere near where they were.

The two decided to go in deeper as the trail of bubbles led them in. The tunnel really was creepy. It was completely devoid of life at all. There were no signs of passengers or even advertisements of any sort. It was deadly silent with the exception of the faint sound of flowing air presumably flowing from two open ends. They continued to go in further unbeknownst to them that they were not the only ones in the tunnel.

They were terrified and though they did not voice out their fear to each other, they instinctively stuck very close to each other as they traversed. Whatever confusion and fear the oddly located and creepily quiet tunnel had on them did not prepare them for what next place they found themselves in. A forest.

“What is this place?” Exclaimed Yolkandra as the two stared wide eyed at their new current surroundings. Akin to the dense concrete jungle they went through previously, the place now was dark and crowded, this time not with brick and clothes but with actual wood, tree and forest foliage. Again, there was little light and they made their way through. They would have honestly turned back by now had it not been for the trail of bubbles which seemed so precisely laid out for them and so intent on leading them deeper in. It was as though someone actually did lay them out.

Suddenly, before their very eyes, lo and behold was Bubble Tea Ghost! The two rushed onward to meet their friend.

“We found you!” said Peanut Butter enthusiastically and mockingly, thinking sheepishly that it sounded so cliché

“We were supposed to go out today!” shouted Yolkandra. “How could you forget about our Sunday arrangement? Whatever, let’s get out of this place.”

“But I cannot leave.” Said Bubble Tea Ghost in a strangely calm nonchalant manner

“What do you mean?” Yolkandra asked annoyed. “We searched high and low for you and now you say you won’t come back with us.”

Meanwhile Peanut Butter was silent. He had a weird feeling in his stomach. It was strange enough to be in a forest in the middle of the city but now Bubble Tea Ghost, their friend did not want to come with them? “What the **** is all this about?!” He was thinking. He just could not process what was happening

“Is this some sort of joke to you?” Yolkandra pressed. “Fine we will leave without you. Good luck trying to find your way home.”

“But I really cannot leave.” Bubble Tea Ghost said in the same nonchalant voice.

“What do you mean!?” Yolkandra asked again, this time even more annoyed.

“I mean… this is my home now.” Said Bubble Tea Ghost. “I was on my way to meet you guys but Mr. Fox Face killed me. Did he kill you guys too?” She said unconcernedly.

At this, the two friends shrunk back. “K-killed?” Yolkandra whimpered.

Peanut Butter was in shock and disbelief. Everything clicked in his mind even though he did not consciously realize. “We have to go!” He shouted to Yolkandra. “We have to go NOW!” He screamed in fright

Just then, a knife was drawn in the distance…

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Moral/Message of the story: Don't reject someone just because of appearance...