Skeleton

1. Protagonist attempts to return home, unwittingly taking something antagonist wants with him.
2. Antagonist attempts to delay and trap protagonist.
3. Protagonist wins through the traps and delays, to discover that the apparent Way Home is not one. Protagonist must continue on and face antagonist directly.
4. Protagonist faces antagonist, and wins his way home.

Extra Credits

• one-sentence pitch
• style: variety of sentence structures and narrative forms
• theme: carefully chosen title and narrative hook
• vocabulary: adverb control

1. "Damn it, Jill, you're smothering me!" Jack pushed himself up and glared at Jill. "I don't need to be babied. And I'm going home."
2. Jill held a couple of tablets out to Jack. "Sit up to take the tablets. Is everything still blurry?"
3. Jack pushed the tablets away and lay down again. "Don't need them. Don't want them. Go away."
4. He rolled onto his side, facing away from Jill. He could hear the soft tap as she put the glass down on the bedside table, the quiet rolling noise as the tablets were trapped onto the table beside it.
5. A shuffling sound would be Jill walking out of the room, in her worn slippers. He waited for the door to open, then close. It opened, but he didn't hear the reassuring snick. Rolling over confirmed it - she'd left his door open. Damn if he was going to let her watch him!
6. Pushing himself up to sit started a throbbing in his temples, as if his head was splitting open. Again. He could smell blood, and stale sweat. A sniff at his shoulder confirmed that the staleness was all his. A bath, then. Or a shower. And not one with Jill helping him. That would be too much to bear.
7. But first, to get the door closed. He turned, carefully, and got his legs over the side of the bed. The bedside table made a useful prop to stand up with, but getting to the door meant he had to take a few unsupported steps. He knew he could do it. One step . Then another.
8. He made it to the door, and got it closed. But he sagged down and rested on the floor behind it, waiting till he could crawl back to bed.

9. The smell of soap, and the crisp feel of clean sheets. Jack felt a lot better on the couch. Watching TV was a normal thing to be doing. He listened to Jill making noises in the background, and frowned. Was that the smell of chicken soup?
10. "Jill?" He called her. "Where're my clothes?"
11. Jill shuffled into the loungeroom. "You are supposed to be resting."
12. "My clothes, Jill. I want to get dressed and call a taxi."
13. "They're wet. Your wallet is in the bedroom, but I had to wash blood off the clothes. You can have them back when you're well enough to go anywhere."
14. Jack shook his head. "Jill, I want to go home." He looked up at her. "Please."
15. Jill stood there and looked at him, reached up to touch the bandages on his head. "You know how sick you were, don't you Jack? You cracked your skull - not badly, but badly enough. You really shouldn't be home alone."
16. Jack shrugged. "I don't need to be babied. I want my wallet, and my clothes. I'll be ok."
17. Jill nodded, and walked off. Still in the old slippers.
18. A short time later, she came back. With soup, not clothes. She walked out again without a word, leaving the soup on the coffee table in front of him. He could hear her making herself busy in the bedroom. But the soup smelled good. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to eat it before he left.
19. It tasted good, too. He listened as the Lone Wolves lost to the Indians 3-2, finishing his soup, then decided to go see if he could find his wallet. He tested his strength, pushing himself up with less trouble than before. Good enough.
20. The spare bedroom was a short walk down the hallway. The hallway was a few steps from the couch. He had to be able to make it.
21. One step. Good so far. Two. Three. The doorway that led to the hall was just a step away. His eyes started to blur, and he reached a hand toward the door frame.
22. He cried out as he fell.

Outline

1. Jack wants to go home. He's sick, but he wants to go home and get well there.
2. Jill doesn't want him to. She cares about him, and knows that once in his bachelor flat he'll do too much, show off again, and crack his skull again. She delays him.
3. Jack gets out of the house, gets home, and realises - he's lonely. And sick. And doesn't want to be alone.
4. Jack goes back to Jill's place, and discovers that this is what he really wanted after all.