CRITIQUES: RATHER THAN LIST THE SUGGESTIONS I HAVE, I FOUND IT EASIER TO SHOW YOU THROUGH AN EDITED COPY BELOW. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO CLARIFY VERB TENSES, SHORTEN PHRASES TO QUICKEN THE PACE, AND OTHER MINOR THINGS. BESIDES THIS, IF YOU WANT TO GIVE YOUR READER AN EVEN GREATER SENSE OF URGENCY THERE ARE OTHER WAYS YOU COULD SHORTEN THE ACTION SEQUENCE.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: GREAT SCENE, DESCRIBED WELL, FLOWS WELL. Keep Writing!
The family reunion is getting to a close and as (my father and I) are walking back to our car, to me the friendly chatter of my relatives is simply exhausting. I find myself daydreaming of the silence that will soon follow, as we bid our goodbyes and just sit there for what may be less than half a minute. before tThe car's engine would break the tranquility, yet it would be enough to wash away the fatigue accumulated throughout the day.
As each of my relatives leave one by one and my father exchanges the last of the small talk with my uncle, my attention wanders to... really anything slightly more interesting in my surroundings: from the mesmerizing (sunset) sky right after sunset and just before nighttime to the sound of many light footsteps on the gravel parking lot. From the beautiful water tower in the middle of the city that was so fond of it (?) to the point of lighting (the water) up with beautiful shifting red, green and blue lights, to the vigorous rustling of the leaves and bushes surrounding the parking lot from every direction.
If only I could have picked up on the clues to what was about to happen, maybe the evening would have ended differently.
As I turn around to my father(,) intent on asking if he could at least open the car for me to get in, I am met with a dreadful scenario -- my father (is) on the ground, with a man covered in black attire from head to toe holding him down(.) He looks up at me and his expression screams "RUN" as hard as he couldn't do with his voice. (Note: here there is no given reason for the inability to speak.) I raise my gaze to the only other person there, my uncle, and I see him held from behind in a choke by another man wearing the same black clothes that the 12 year old me could best describe only as a 'ninja outfit', with them being completely covered except for their eyes.
Finally realizing what is happening, panic rushes over me as I attempt to turn around, run and scream, (and in that long moment I am flooded by thoughts of how I could help us) I am (assaulted) instead (by) a third man of their same faction, much bigger in size, just simply picking me with a single hand by the collar of my shirt and hurling me into the gravel pavement head first.
As any strength I had in me is slowly slipping away(,) as I (fade), I recall seeing my uncle losing consciousness right before the three (men) (taking) his car keys and drop(ping) him in the trunk, and a forth man jump(ing) in the driver's seat before driving away with his car, leaving me and my father there to wake up for another day, as if they expect us to carry on, pretending nothing ever happened. |
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