My interviewer mumbled something under his breath but I didn’t hear it. “For the benefit of the tape, the interview will now begin. Subject fourteen is around six foot tall. He is medium build with no obvious marks on his body. He has mousy brown hair, blue eyes and a hook nose. His demeanour appears relaxed yet nervous. Please can you tell me your name?”

“Craig Wenham.”

“Thank you. Do you know how you got here?”

“I’m afraid not. Any hel….”

“I’m sorry please just keep to the answers.”. how do you feel at the moment?”

I paused. This was an odd interview. Did I survive something? “I feel nervous, unsure, a little anxious and a tiny amount of frustration.”

“Would you say you were scared at this moment?”

Exercise 11 was to create a 300-500 word story for my second peer review assignment.  Thanks to a bout of flu running rampage through my house, it took a few days before I could get to start writing this one.

It’s waiting for review right now on the course, however if you would like to read and comment yourself, I’d be happy to read your thoughts:

 

“For the benefit of the tape, we are about to conduct an interview with subject fourteen.  As per all previous interviews, we have no prior knowledge of the subject.”

I had no idea where I was.  I can remember being on a flight from London to New York.  Everything seemed fine but the next thing I remember is waking up in this padded white room dressed in blue overalls.  The room had a white bed with white sheets and a solid, padded white door.

I sat on the bed, trying desperately to understand how I’d arrived here.  ‘What happened on the plane?  Why couldn’t I remember?’

The door opened and two young gentlemen and a young lady entered.  They asked if I would kindly follow them to an interview room.  I agreed and left the room.  It was a short walk but it felt good to be free of the padded cell.  For some strange reason, enclosed white rooms give me minor bouts of vertigo.  It’s odd but I’ve gotten used to it over time.

Entering the room, my guides asked me to sit down on the only available chair.  There was another person in the room ‘the interviewer I presume’.   He was sat across from me.  There was a table between us with some recording equipment.

My guides checked I was ok and left the room.  My interviewer spoke.  “Thank you for joining us.  I can only apologise for your current living quarters.  I hope they are ok for now.  We intend to make changes as soon as the interview process is complete.”

“This isn’t a job interview then?” I joked.  Like a natural reaction, my nerves always brought fourth inappropriate jokes and verbal diarrhoea.

“Sadly no.  I just need to ask you some questions so we can all get out of here.  Is that ok?”

I paused to contemplate for a moment.  “Yes, that will be fine.  It would be good to get home.”

My interviewer mumbled something under his breath but I didn’t hear it. “For the benefit of the tape, the interview will now begin.  Subject fourteen is around six foot tall.  He is medium build with no obvious marks on his body.  He has mousy brown hair, blue eyes and a hook nose.  His demeanour appears relaxed yet nervous.  Please can you tell me your name?”

“Craig Wenham.”

“Thank you.  Do you know how you got here?”

“I’m afraid not.  Any hel….”

“I’m sorry please just keep to the answers.”. how do you feel at the moment?”

I paused.  This was an odd interview.  Did I survive something? “I feel nervous, unsure, a little anxious and a tiny amount of frustration.”

“Would you say you were scared at this moment?”

“So far, no.  Maybe if my circumstances change.”

“Thank you for your honesty.  What do you do for a living?”

“I am a tax lawyer working for the British government.”

“what do you think is happening?”

“I literally have no idea.  I guess something happened to the flight I was on but I have no memory.  I would like to think you informed my family that I am safe and informed the British government of my whereabouts?”

“All in good time Mr. Wenham.  Interview with subject fourteen terminated at 13:37.”  He sat back in his chair and looked at me.  “Off the record sir.  I know who you are so this is the strangest experience for me.  I hope this all gets straightened out soon and we can send you home.  We need to be sure first though.  I hope you understand.”