First on the Scene, by Graham Swift

 SUMMARY, by Aurora Ledesma

Frame from Jindabyne

This is Terry’s story. Terry is an old man suffering from Parkinson’s. He and his wife Lynne used to take the train almost every week and, after an hour’s journey, they would arrive at a quiet place, where they liked to walk and enjoy the beautiful views.

Because of his illness, he could not drive, and his wife didn’t know how to drive, so the train was ideal for them. In this way, they were able to discover wonderful landscapes that otherwise they would not have known.

When Lynne died, Terry continued going on these walks, taking the same train at the same times. He needed the countryside. On these walks, he did not feel lonely, on the contrary, he imagined that his wife was walking beside him. There was a semi-secret place, where he used to rest with Lynne and have a picnic. One day he thought he should stop there, but he was surprised to see that, this time, the place was occupied. He saw that there was a red patch of clothing. As he approached, he saw that it was a T-shirt worn by a woman in her 20s. She was alone, immobile and dead. She gave the impression that she had been there for some time. It was 10 o’clock of a warm Sunday morning. He stood still and looked at her for a while. There was nobody else there, he was the first on the scene. He was angry to be there alone. Everything had been violently interrupted, his walk, the conversation with his wife. It would be impossible to go this way without her again. His first thought was not to say anything to anyone. He would have to explain the situation and answer questions carefully, because he was there. He thought he could have taken another path, he could have taken another train, or perhaps someone else could have found the girl’s body.

Being the first on the scene could bring him complications, and he would be under suspicion. A young girl, a widower and trembling pensioner, everything seemed to blame him. He was tempted to turn back, return by another road and reach the main road. He even came close to shouting for Lynne, so that she would be his witness, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Then he realized what was his duty. He looked for the mobile phone, which he always carried in case of emergency or difficulty, and made a call. A voice was heard on the other side. He didn’t know how to begin to describe the situation, nor the exact place where he was. It was a terrible thing to be here and now.

 

SOME REFLEXIONS

The short narration is structured around the feelings and thoughts of a man who has just found the lifeless body of a woman. His thoughts make him feel fearful and question whether he should report the discovery or not. Finally, he does his duty and calls.

Reading the short story made me reflect on several themes. On the one hand, it is important to keep our daily routines, despite age and health problems. It is essential at this age to keep ourselves active and lead a healthy life to maintain our social relations and avoid isolation. On the other hand, I also believe that, in certain circumstances, the sense of responsibility is inescapable, and, like our protagonist, we must do our duty.

About the title “First on the scene”, I think he is not only the first one who discovered the girl’s body: being first on the scene gives him a sense of importance which he has never felt before.

QUESTIONS

Which do you prefer, drive or going by public transport? Why?

Do you have a driving licence? What is your opinion about the Spanish driving test?

What do you know about Parkinson’s disease?

Do you have a special place for walking? Why is this place important for you?

“This is as good as it gets”. What is its meaning? Can you tell us some situations in which you’d say this saying?

Have you seen Short Cuts or Jindabyne?

Is it good to talk out loud alone? Why do you think so? Do you do it sometimes?

Do you feel that sometimes something (a book, a place, a film, a piece of music, even a person) you always liked it’s been desecrated? Do you have a personal anecdote? What will you do then?

When do you know something, it’s impossible not to know it anymore. What can you do if you want to forget something?

What is the author’s narrative purpose when he makes an old man, a recent widower, to find a dead young woman?

What do you suppose had happened to the girl? Invent your own story: Was she murdered? By whom and why? Had she had an accident? Why was she there, walking alone? Did she commit suicide?

Are the police going to suspect him, or question him?

Do you have to feel guilty (or responsible) when some accident has happened next to you?

Do you think he’ll go by the same path again?

 

VOCABULARY

handy, miffed, go, tug, woodpecker, kestrel, primroses, moss, ferns, bramble, encroached, glaring, keenly, unmarked, incidental, peered, plights, stumbled, predicament, alibi, pinpoint