I have a story to tell you about how The Chase story came not only into being, but was edited to the hilarious, adventurous story it is today.
I wrote this story in my early teens when I was inspired to write my own adventurous, high energy short story, that was exciting, but also funny and lighter than some of the other short stories I’d read up until that point.
I loved the idea of this young boy running for his life from some dark, shadowy figure, but I also didn’t want it to be too scary, rather I was aiming for a nice balance of dark humour and happy summer time lightness.
Living in Barbados – a small tropical island in the Caribbean- I was lucky to spend a lot of time in the rural side of the country, which meant I grew up with a few of my neighbours keeping animals, like goats, sheep and cows and tied them out on the pastures.
I’ve also fortunately/ unfortunately depending on how you view it, witnessed and experienced being chased by all kinds of barnyard animals, especially if they think you’re encroaching on their territory!
These experiences were the impetus for writing this hilarious tale that brought back so many tropical summertime memories for me, as I used to wander around the pastures, picking wild fruits and playing with my friends.
And those times felt normal and natural, so when I was writing The Chase drawing on those experiences was a no-brainer, however, what you find interesting is the fact that this story was originally a short story of less than a thousand words.
If I'm being honest, it was written purely for comic relief…, but then as time went on and I re-read the story, I realised there was more to be explored.
I wasn’t sure yet how to do that.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to build out the characters or play with the plot, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt how I wanted the story to end.
Luckily for me when I was editing this work again, my youngest uncle had a white goat and she really filled in a lot of the blanks around how goats behaved.
She became my major point of reference.
The jumping over the fences, trespassing on neighbours land and walking into their homes, as well as eating their crops, and rose bushes, all of that I observed from this one nanny.
Seriously, I had war flashbacks to when she decimated my mother’s rose tree, my other uncle’s pea shrubs and straight up invaded my Gran’s house.
You see, as an adult , who had spent more time away from the fun of the rural world and more time in an office,I had forgotten just how crazy goats can really be, how the easy way of a Caribbean tropical community by its inherent nature can give rise to so much awesome chaos in the rural areas but just like that Chaser was given a new life.
While my version of Chaser isn’t nearly as chaotic, invasive or untamed as my Uncle’s goat, he is however alot angrier about other people not allowing him peace… and he will not stand for it.
This is why he and Speedo- a very stubborn boy- clash so often. They just can’t stand the thought of losing!
The story of
The Chase follows a young boy named Speedo and his tempestuous relationship with a grumpy old goat, named Chaser as they clash over and over again, each time moving them closer and closer to an explosive breaking point.
It’s a hilariously thrilling tale and their interactions throughout the book just gets more and more heated until boom! We have The Chase!
This story is a hilarious adventure in what happens when these two combustible elements are finally pushed to the brink.
Who will prevail?
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