Trace - Story

Trace - an Animation Short

Synopsis -

The story of 'Trace' touches on the themes of fear, disability and self belief. It revolves around the protagonist, Miles, a boy born blind and orphaned. He grows up in his Foster - mother's home in New London - an alternative London, where the population has increased and many areas have become severely run down. The streets are busy, and Miles prefers the solitude of his room - high up in a terrace where he reads braille. In his melancholy isolation Miles has become a recluse, feeling unable to integrate into society.
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One evening, Miles put down his book and stood at the window. He felt as though a cold sadness has filled him to the brim. Overwhelmed, he pushed against the pane, and to his surprise it gently swung open. A cool, inviting breeze rolled over him, and an unexplainable urge beckoned him out on to the sill.
In the pale moonlight Miles contemplated his worth. As he pondered, a serene feeling of calmness fell over him - 'is this a natural reaction?' he wonders. Up until this point Miles had been gazing where he guessed his feet would be, now he noticed his hands - grasping the edge of the roof above. The texture of the brick was strangely inviting. An unexpected choice presented itself, what he hadn't come here to fall after all? What if this wasn't the end?
With all the might and conviction he could muster, he turned away from the drop and pulled himself up and over onto the rooftop. As he stood up an alien but oddly familiar warmth returned to his body, from his head right through his fingertips and down to the soles of his feet. He was immediately struck by the  immense, grotesque beauty at his fingertips - a vast array of rooftops shoulder to shoulder, all different colours, textures and of varying states of decay. Enormous tile hills sprawled in every direction separated by plateaus of flat roofs dotted with TV aerials and air vents. All of it was softly lit by the moon, brighter now through parted clouds.
Miles began to feel his way through the labyrinth of the rooftops. Brick by brick the shapes began to make sense, he felt the structures beneath his feet - solid and unyielding. He could hear the breeze rolling around him, moving through the towering concrete jungle.

So he followed it.

Faster he stepped, faster and lighter until the obstacles in his path shone with a brilliant glow as he moved over and around them. He laughed, for he knew he couldn't see them. Could he?