Unexpected Fate – Narrative Essay Essay, Research Paper

Unexpected FateThroughout my eighteen years of experience, I have learned that life is not always fair. Sometimes certain unexpected and unexplainable events can change one s outlook on life. Upon witnessing the tragic death of another human being, I suddenly realized just how fragile and unpredictable life can be. It was June 3, 1994, the day of my high school picnic to Kennywood Amusement Park. The day looked beautiful and sunny without a cloud in the sky. A few friends and I were having a great time riding the lightning-quick roller coasters and chilling water rides. We had not a care in the world, except to kick back and enjoy ourselves while we reminisced about old times. However, none of us foresaw the horror that awaited us at the end of our seemingly perfect day. As the night neared its end, we decided it was time to get in a few last rides before we headed for home. Still wet and dizzy from our last minute rides on the Steel Phantom and the Log Jammer, we laughed and joked in a carefree manner about our fun-filled day at Kennywood. As we left the park, we met up with a small crowd of people who were waiting to cross a dimly lit street that led to the parking lot. As the traffic signal turned red, the crossing sign gave us the signal to walk, so we began crossing the street. Suddenly, the day flipped upside down! The most horrid sound of screeching tires and the smell of burning rubber filled the air. Instinctively, I whirled around only to see a speeding car strike a young woman. I had never seen her before, and I could not believe my eyes! At the moment of impact, the small body of the woman was thrown violently up into the air. Her lifeless body twisted and contorted horribly, like a puppet being played upon some deranged stage. Frozen with shock, my heart sunk deep into my chest as the voice of silence filled the air. No one seemed to believe what had happened. The small crowd of people just stared with vacant eyes as if time had stopped dead. As her body fell to the ground, I was still in total disbelief and thought for a second that it was some kind of sick joke; but it was not. Until this day, I can still hear the hollow thud that sounded as that young woman s body hit the pavement.

Eventually, the crowd of people began to approach the mangled body of the young teenager. As desperate screams for help and the shrill sounding of ambulance sirens filled the air, I finally began to realize what had happened. Just seconds before this woman walked full of youthful energy and with a strong heart. Now she was without a breath. How could life be ended so cruelly and unexpectedly?It turned out that the driver of the automobile was under the influence of alcohol. He apparently had not been able to react in time to stop at the red light. Obviously still intoxicated, the driver stepped out of the car with tears of horror in his eyes. Like a small child, he stumbled to the side of the road and curled up into a ball on the sidewalk. No one attempted to comfort or even approach this cold blooded killer. This moment of terror would live with him forever! Life can sometimes seem very cold and unfeeling. The worst things always seem to happen to the most undeserving people for no apparent reason. Life is not always fair. As an eyewitness to the sudden, unreal killing of a fellow human being, I truly began to value life and stop taking it for granted.