Writing Assignment: 1 page characterization of a person through their space and belongings
Genre: Fiction
Word Count: 744
Bonnie is my boss’ boss. Bonnie is a person whom you hope you will never have any dealings. If so, it is sure to be career suicide. Yet, here I stood in the doorway of her office, a bundle of nerves. An audible sigh of relief escaped my lips surprising me. I jumped slightly at the sound, then laughed nervously under my breath. “She’s not even here”.
With my boss out sick today, I was the person to ensure everything was taken care of and running smoothly. My worst nightmare had come true. Something had come up that required Bonnie’s assistance and could not wait for my boss’ return. I stood in the doorway debating what to do as my eyes scanned the room. Certainly not what I had expected. Should I go back to my desk and send an email? Unfortunately, I couldn’t wait and hope she would get the message in time. Giraffes? Never would have guessed that.
Should I go back to my desk and check once in a while to see if she had returned? I really didn’t have time for that. And what if I got busy and forgot? No, I had better not. One last cursory glance around the room as I took a deep breath, braced myself with what little courage I could muster and took a step into the room. I was going to have to leave a note on her desk.
It was a small office. Surprisingly cluttered for such a detail-oriented, demanding woman. Only two main pieces of furniture existed in the room – Bonnie’s desk to my left and a full-wall bookshelf to my right. Both matching cherry wood, executive-type furniture…a huge step up from my cubicle desk.
The bookshelf captured my attention immediately upon stepping into the room. Mis-match picture frames covered each shelf. Pictures of Bonnie with her family – her kids, husband, even holding a new grandchild. Who would have guessed that she had grandkids, let alone kids? Can’t even begin to imagine.
Awards, certificates and kid-drawn pictures touting “Best Mom Ever” intertwined amongst the picture frames. Not a very professional set-up for someone in her position. Suddenly I caught myself gawking too long and moved closer to the desk. You forgot she was human, I chided myself internally.
Now I stared down in awe at her desk. How did she ever find anything? How did she have any idea what was going on? Papers were strewn everywhere. If there was a semblance of order, I couldn’t tell. With this mess, my chances of finding a post-it note before someone finding me in here was very slim.
I scanned the desktop further. A child-made, ceramic, paper-clip holder stuck out from the papers near Bonnie’s computer monitor. A giraffe mug from the local zoo held random pens and pencils, as well as a giraffe letter opener. An ancient metal, tan stapler sat near the phone…what I’d expect my dad to have used at his desk when he was my age.
In between all the papers, I continued to find an item here and there randomly sticking out. A small stuffed giraffe, a Precious Moments figurine, a yellow highlighter, an empty coffee mug with the company logo. But no post-it-notes. I rolled my eyes in disbelief and caught sight of the picture of a giraffe hanging on the wall by her desk. The giraffe was painted in random colors of pink, blue and green. Seriously who was this woman?
A man’s voice from the hall startled me. I looked toward the door and the bookshelf caught my attention again. There were all kinds of giraffes sprinkled between the pictures and awards on the bookshelf … wooden, ceramic and stuffed. I had never seen so much giraffe décor in my life.
As I turned to move back around the desk, I noticed for the first time a tall, metal, filing cabinet in the corner. Also from another era. There were so many papers piled across the top and in front of it, I had nearly missed it. Giraffe magnets clung to the front and sides. How is this woman in charge of anything?
I stopped for a second and peeked out from the doorway. Not seeing anyone nearby, I took one last look over my shoulder and shook my head. Things enter this room and never leave. Then I rushed down the hall as fast as I could. “We are all human,” I reminded myself.
Want to give it a try yourself? Imagine you are in another character’s private, personal space that you would not normally be invited to and they are not aware of or do not have their consent.
Take inventory of all the items in the space. Include motivation & how you feel about knowingly violating their space.
1st person
I’d love to hear how it goes!
COVERT COMPOSITIONS 
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