Writing Assignment

My Gotham writing assignment this week is on "pacing" --

Let's compress and expand time in words. Pick a moment in your childhood that was either especially funny or suspenseful. First, tell about the moment in one sentence. Then, slow time down and describe the moment in detail. But try to keep it under 500 words.

I think I'll write about the evening a lady kept telephoning my father, over and over, asking how to treat a neck wound. She was truly convinced that a vampire had bitten her. Dad told her, "make sure to clean and ice it."

One thing that impresses me, looking back--Dad treated her with respect, even though we (kids) were probably chortling in the background. I don't know what the woman's problem really was, but he asked questions to find out if she needed medical attention and didn't belittle her. The mark of a good doctor, in my opinion..