Chained Memories
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions
"I can only wonder what I'd think of him if I met him now." Matthew imagines what his grandfather was like through his stories and photographs.
"Most of what I know about my grandfather has come from others. When he passed away I was too young to remember anything about him. It seems strange that there are cherished photos of this man that was so loved, yet I can't see his face in my mind.
I'll never know if he's made an imprint on me or anyone else in the family. I can only wonder what I'd think of him if I met him now. I can only reach back into my memory or listen to the stories.
So I can see a gooseberry bush in the garden and there he is picking the fruit ... or maybe he's putting the bread upon the gas fire to rise.
I was nearly three and there he was perishing in the eyes of everyone except me. I knew little of him, only the illness that gripped him and the wheelchair I never saw him out of. How did it feel? ... of leather or cold metal? ... smooth or rough? Perhaps there is a part of him in me, but how can someone I knew so little affect me or influence me as a person. I have an image of a man from the memories of other people and the stories they tell.
My grandfather rests in my memory, but is what I remember truly the way he was."
An interview with the author
Please tell us about yourself.
I am 16 and I'm studying Media at college. I like to write as often as I can. I love films, but felt nervous of my own and I love going to the cinema.
What's your story about?
The story is all about trying to understand who a person is and if they are at all like how we imagine them to be.
Was it difficult to choose a story?
When I was asked to suggest a story idea, I thought straight-away about this story because it is something that matters to me. When I think about my family, I remember the people who are missing. My grandfather is the heart of this story.
What did you find most rewarding about the workshop?
It was all interesting but I found using the computer the best part of the workshop. I learnt a great deal about using different areas of computers.
