First Lines

What's On - Don't Just Sit There

The writing below was produced at a creative writing session entitled, "Sphere of Influence", which was held at the Grosvenor Museum in April 2007.  The workshop was inspired by the acquisition of the painting Christ Blessing by the school of Quinten Metsys.

Below are the first few lines written by each person present. They then went on to complete an opening paragraph of their story, set in the city which is contained by the sphere floating below Christ's hand. 

What happened to this land, the world of Christ?  How did Sin and Death leak into this world?
Chloe

As I awoke I saw disaster had struck. The war that had seemed endless had at last subsided.
Russell N

Titus opened his eyes and coughed out a mass of ash, then he sat up and gazed at his farm.
Amber Page

The first thing I remember was the sound.  Burning.
Mike H.

Who is it?  What is it?  Where has it gone?  Why is it here?  Why am I here?
Jemma Borsberry

My chaos, this is the chaos I've started.  Children in the streets weep, grown men mourn by their lost ones.
Christopher L.

I floated meanlessly through the Heavens whilst looking for a means to enter the planet, to do my duty, to correct the planet's wrongs.  I found it.  It was a window.
Joe M.

When I woke up in this mysterious place, I found myself on top of a mountain, looking up.  I reached up and yawned when I touched something,  I don't know what.
Rosie Mc

I woke up in a strange place,  I couldn't work out where I was. All I knew was that there was sea in front of me.
Beth J.

I woke up in this strange, dark place, and didn't have a clue where I was or how I
Lizzy McKibbin

I woke up in a place I had never heard of and wanted to work out where I was.  There was a blue sea in front of me.
Ellie H

As I slowly opened my eyes I looked around.  All around me it was dark and cold.
G.F.

Opening my eyes I could hear the sound of waves. Outside it was pitch black but in the distance there was a glow of orange and yellow.
A.H.

I had come to a stop.  There, all around me, were constant deaths in a dark, ashy city.
Victoria Lewis