Assignment 1.1

I'm working my way through 'How To Write Creative Non-fiction' which has several assignments some of which I'll post here. 

Deintydd

(Dentist)

Emotional Truth

It’s already bad enough. It’s cold, windy and raining. Worse still, some of us, pupils from Bont primary school are being carted away in a rickety old minibus to the dreaded dentist in Machynlleth, some 13 miles away. This isn’t my first such trip; some of us have been doing the same trip for the same reason regularly every six months for the past three years.

Don’t misunderstand me, it’s not the treatment itself that we’re fearful of, although that’s bad enough, it’s the dentist that we fear most. A nasty man pretending to be nice.

We arrive at the surgery, all eight of us pile out of the minibus and go inside to the waiting room. Each one of us takes a seat on one of the dark green canvas chairs. It’s a cold cream clinical room, with dental healthcare posters hanging around the room.

Some of the new first-timers ask us what happens next. Before anyone has time to reply ‘he’ enters the room. ‘Bore da plant’ he says to us. ‘Pwy sydd gyntaf, who is first?’ No-one answers, transfixed by the appearance of this man. He’s dressed in a green gown, gloves, a headscarf and a mask, leaving only his dark eyes visible.

After a fairly long period of silence, Bryn is the first to answer, ‘Fe af yn gyntaf’ meaning ‘I’ll go first’. ‘Ydy pawb yn siarad cymraeg?’ says the dentist, followed by ‘Does everyone speak welsh?’ I raise my hand. ‘I don’t sir.’ Clearly sensing that I’m petrified he says, ‘Yes, I remember you from your last visit pal, you can go next, after this young man’, pointing at Bryn.

I feel sorry for the others, especially for those who are here for the first time. Some of them will have to wait for a long time, waiting for their turn to come. And as they wait, for what seems an interminable time, they hear typical ‘dentistry’ sounds emanating from the treatment room next door.

Bryn is in having his treatment right now, and I’m next which leaves six awaiting their turn, each treatment taking half an hour which means that the last to go in will have had to have been waiting for around 3 - 4 hours. Nightmare.

FACTUAL TRUTH

• Group of eight school children being taken to the dentist.

• Children sit around awaiting their turn.

• Introduction by dentist.

• Children chosen to go in first and second.

• Experience of children waiting their turn.

My comment

I didn’t read the brief carefully enough.

It's 5:30pm and I'm going to stop work and read the book.