Setting

Time setting

The short story “I Dare You” by Eileen Merriman was published in 2016, and the setting is probably meant to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing. This is indicated, for example, by a reference to singer, songwriter, and actress Miley Cyrus (l. 51), who launched her career in 2006.

The events depicted by the narrator presumably take place during one night –the story begins at sunset, on an early April evening (ll. 1-2). It is early autumn, as summer in the Southern hemisphere (and, therefore, in New Zealand) begins in mid-December and ends mid-March: “It was early April, and daylight savings had finished, but we didn’t want to let go of summer.” (ll. 2-3).

The events end the next morning when Jane wakes up: “after that, the next clear memory I have is of the sun searing the backs of my eyelids.” (ll. 173-174).

Note, however, that the last three paragraphs take place at a later, unspecified time when Jane reflects upon the events that led to Carrie’s disappearance.

Physical setting

The events in the story take place in and around Dunedin, the second largest city on the South Island of New Zealand: “I gazed out of the tinted window, watching the familiar sights of Dunedin slide past – the hospital, the university, the tired rows of student flats, the Botanical Gardens.” (ll. 63-64).

The story begins in a park (l.1), where Jane and Carrie sit on the swings (l. 4). They notice a Porsche driving down a narrow road alongside the park (ll. 12-13). They approach the driver, and he takes them for a ride in the Porsche – which has red leather sea...