THOMAS LANGLEY
“But he knew it was too late.”
My short story explores the death of innocence and the purity of childhood, exposing the ever-present idea of mortality in the adult world. Similar to Janet Frame’s ‘Swans’, this story introduces the perception that once knowledge is learnt, one is unable to regain or recapture one’s innocence.The dead ‘wood pigeon’ symbolises the milestone of adulthood and the death of the child’s faith in his father; his childhood naivety is lost and he gains a new perception of the world of adulthood.The Chess piece the boy possesses is a leitmotif and acts as a symbol for the safety and innate protection a child believes he carries; ultimately, that protection bound to childhood is proved transparent.
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