Character Study

I’m late on this writing assignment from the TeachersWrite Summer Writing Camp. I was inspired by reading Sheri’s camp work!

The prompt, on Kate Messner’s blog, is about getting to know a character through multi-media by Julia True Kingsley.

First, I chose a picture. This beautiful photograph of her aunt was taken by Bev Sykes and shared on Flickr with a CC-BY-2.0 license.

Fictionalized Character Study

A winning smile, bright blue eyes, straight white teeth mark Matilda’s beautiful face. All those teeth are hers, except for the caps on the front two that broke off when she dove into the neighbor’s pool when she was ten. Looking at her, you’d never know she was sick. She’s physically able and robust. When she was first diagnosed with Alzheimers, she realized her stoutness would be a detriment. She often said, “It’s not like I had to go to the hospital  with two broken legs and a broken arm after a car accident. I don’t have anything wrong with my body, but I had to come anyway.” In spite of her initial fear and sadness about her illness, she now doesn’t remember she has anything wrong. She doesn’t actually even remember where she lives, a nursing home called Happy Siesta, with a renowned Alzheimers unit.

Tilda loves to walk the halls of her nursing home.  Most of the time she is happy and singing. Her grandchildren, still forced to come and visit her, cry whenever she sings, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” knowing that she won’t. Vestiges of her wit and intelligence linger, but lucid moments are fewer and further in-between.  In the moments that aren’t lucid, she is content and oblivious, enjoying her happy siesta with continued good health.

External song – I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Internal song – Oblivion Soundtrack