A Television Drama

Carolee Mitchell began her day, cleaning her house, vacuuming. Although she was unaware of the sirens going off just outside her home. There were voices, dogs barking and car doors being slammed. If it weren't for the the flight of a bird across her front lawn Carolee might have missed the action occurring on her street.

There were police cars parked out side her house, neighbours gathered outside trying to see what was going on and a motorcycle in the middle of the intersection. Carolee could see half a dozen more police cars down the block and police with dogs searching the area. Reporters began to arrive along with many more police, people and cars.

Carolee heard a loud voice calling for all people to clear the street and all householders to go back inside. None of Carolee's neighbours listened and Carolee wondered if she should go out and join the others. She quickly begins thinking of different scenarios that could be occurring. She rules out a gas main, and a murder is out of question as no one on her street would ever kill someone.

Carolee sees nothing from her window and thinks about emptying the dishwasher. Later she walks over to her husband Pete's study and looks out the window where she can now see much more. She sees an ambulance and more police men. Uninterested in this she begins to redirect her gaze but it is caught be the sight of a man laying by her hedge.

Carolee's instinct is that the young man is rather hurt, or dead, or not really there at all. The man raised his head slightly, just enough for Carolee to see his blood stained shirt and bottoms.

Carolee became very unsure of what to do. She first thought to call the police, but they were already there, then she thought she should call someone, but there was no one to call. Although she did not know who he was she wanted to help him but did not want to risk being seen. The man began to get up and walk slowly across her front lawn toward the parking strip.

Carolee did not hear the shot but the man dropped to the ground as police voice called- suspect apprehended. Wondering what he had done Carolee immediately turned on the radio. The man had robbed a bank, run a car into a tree and shot a police man. Finally to be shot himself and near death. Reporters came around but Carolee decided she would not talk to them, she just went to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher.

When her husband came home he wanted to discuss the event with Carolee but she says she is fine and she would like to know what the news has to say. Pete's voice tells Carolee he is frightened much more than she was. She tries to describe what she saw to Pete but leaved much of the story out. Watching the news Carolee wonders if she had talking to the reporter would the story be different? She wonders if seeing it the news would make her believe she saw man dying in her garden?

Why do you think Carolee left out a lot of what she saw when telling her husband about the event?