help

Topic: Write about an occasion when an attempt to help led to unexpected consequences for the helper.

The scar that ran from her right cheek down to the end of her chin stood out, in contrast to her otherwise flawless, pale skin. Everytime she looked into the mirror, that particular memory would never fail to play and replay itself like a broken recorder. She remembered, with piercing clarity, what happened in the summer of two years ago, when life took a sudden downward spiral for her.

She had been at the supermarket the day it all happened. There was nobody there in the drinks section of the supermarket, save for a couple of boys who looked no more than eight. They looked to be playing hide-and-seek and it was no surprise to her that these two boys would use this section of the supermarket as their hiding place. She smiled wistfully at them while she reminisced about her past, those childhood memories that could never be replaced nor forgotten. She was immediately snapped out of her reverie when she heard a scream coming from her right.

Those shelves that seemed tall and imposing to these boys gave way when one of them accidentally knocked onto them. Rows and rows of drinks stored in different packages ranging from packets to cans to glasses-- they came tumbling down with such great force that for a few seconds, the supermarket was silent save for the crashing sounds of bottles. Cans rolled across the aisles, seeking freedom from being stuck on the shelves for too long. Just as a glass bottle started to fall out of the shelf, her instincts kicked in. Leaping forward, she shoved one of the boys aside to prevent him from getting hurt. It worked. The boy and his companion, now with the sock registered in their faces after reality kicked in, were now safe from that particular disastrous part of the section.

A group of workers stood by to assess the situation. They located the parents of the boys and cautioned the other customers to stay away from the aisle while the shards of broken glass were being cleared and the liquid from the drinks were wiped off the floor.

She emerged from the drinks section, her hand clutching her face, all the while writhing in agony. "It hurts..." she moaned, before falling to floor, lulled to a state of unconsciousness. It was chaotic all again. Some of the passers-by called for the ambulance while the rest knelt down, softly patting her shoulder, trying to get her back to her senses.

When she finally awoke, the first thing she saw were the lights, white and dimmed to prevent her eyes from hurting. Her palm flew to her bandaged face and her face crumpled. How bad was it? As her eyes finally adjusted to the surroundings, she took a look around. Rows and rows of beds were lined neatly along the walls, most of them unoccupied. A soft tapping sound was the only thing she could hear, apart from the soft coughing coming from the bed beside her. Footsteps, her mind registered. "You're finally awake. You've been unconscious for two days. How are you feeling?" the voice asked her. Too tired to even open her mouth, she nodded weakly. Two days of unconsciousness? This was really bad...

"Your face... I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it. The scar's going to be there permanently unless you seek plastic surgery. But that, however, might not fully conceal the scar." The truth hit her like a ton of bricks, hard and cruel. It hurt, a lot.

Tears sprung to her eyes. At only 27 years of age and her face-- disfigured forever? She could hardly bring herself to believe it. Was it some sort of joke? All she had done was to save two boys from getting hurt-- and in doing that, it resulted in her being injured. Her once-beautiful face, now ruined. She could do nothing now, except to mourn about the unfairness of it all...



P/S: COMMENT! Thanks (: This is homework for school... I LOVE ENGLISH LESSONS!!! Too bad the rest of the class doesn't. Too bad for them! HAHA XD