Exercises In Style

Reported Speech

“It was dark, apart from the lamp about fifty feet out. There had been a tall and slender figure,” said the witness. “He handed what looked to be a large manila envelope to a smaller, more stocky individual. The hand off only took a second, no more. It was as if it didn’t even happen, actually. Just like two strangers whose walks home happen to intersect for an instant in time. They passed by one another, no change in speed, no glances. It was all business, ” he asserted.

“It was not until what happened next that sparked an interest in the affair,” the witness said again. “While the tall man got onto the city bus, as if both the bus and man had been in practiced synchronization, the shorter had stopped dead in his tracks, literally. The package feel to the ground shortly followed by the recipient of said package. Death, in this case, had been very sudden and abrupt,” affirmed the witness.

Narrative

On a summer night in a deserted park, an entity from a distinct organization was to hand off a package, the contents of which unknown, to another complete stranger. When the time came, and the parcel was left with the shorter figure, both parties continued on without so much as nod or wave.

Just as all seemed well with both men going their separate ways, the scene took an unexpected turn for the worst. With one man on a bus headed to some final destination, another lay flat on the pavement having taken his last breath.

Present

Crickets chirp in the dead of night. One man clings desperately to a carefully prepared packet. As he approaches the predetermined meeting point, he focuses his gaze 20 feet down the path on another figure. He is now within arms reach. The tall man passes the burden to the silhouette. He does not want to see the face of his intended target.

The bus pulls up right on schedule. As the tall man presents exact change, he looks back to an unfortunate character who is no longer. The assassin completes his mission hoping its his last.