What John says ...
The style and the content of Jade and Janice's vivid story work extremely well together.
The story is written in the present tense - 'he runs', 'she smiles', 'they kiss' - and in a fast-paced style, and reads like scenes from a film.
Instead of just giving us a summary of what happened, leaving us to imagine what it would have been like to have been there, Jade and Janice describe each moment like it was a camera shot from a movie. So, as the old lady walks along the beach, 'a single tear streams down her wrinkled face', and the symbolic dead roses appear throughout.
Instead of directing a camera, the authors direct our imagination, so the 'film' plays in our minds.
In terms of content, the story seems close to gothic fiction.
In this type of novel, a passionate romance is often combined with a ghost or horror story.
Thunderstorms and old castles often feature in the older classics.
The old lady in the story tells us she married the teenager 50 years ago.
This suggests she was then in her 30s. So, I'm guessing that on the beach she meets the ghost of her dead husband, as he was when they first met.
The effect of all this high drama and passion is heightened even more by the intensity of Jade and Janice's writing style.
Although we get just one scene from the couple's romance, I think the fact it leaves us wondering about the relationship between the old lady and the teenager is good.
Many of the best stories leave us with similar satisfyingly intriguing questions.
However, I wonder, if we added something at the beginning of the story, we could keep the mystery but add something to its tone.
Let me show you what I mean ...
