Question

Write a composition (in approximately 400-450 words) on the following subject:

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar.)

Write an original short story that begins with the line:

The lone young man who sat hunched on the park bench had an unusual gleam in his eyes.

Answer 1

THE DISTRACTION

The lone young man, William, sat hunched on the park bench, with an unusual gleam in his eyes. It was a rather chilly evening. The mighty grey oaks were casting soft shadows on the isolated house at the centre of the park. The sky tinged with bluishgrey made the atmosphere dull, gloomy, and morose.

William liked these kinds of nights. He enjoyed taking long, solitary walks and reflecting on his life for hours on end, which was much like the evening itself. He was abruptly sidetracked from his thoughts by what he saw from the bench: an odd-looking creature peering through one of the windows of the house. He whispered to himself, “Want to see anyone in this area of the park and at this time of day?”

He initially attempted to write off the sight as the shadow of an old piece of furniture within the house or a long creeper. But the picture behind the window became more distinct. It appeared to be a short, elderly man with a pointed cap. The elderly man soon began yelling in a foreign language and sobbing in agony. William didn’t understand what he was saying. William, tired of the commotion, took off his woolen cap, repositioned his scarf, put on his gloves, and started to move in the direction of the house.

He knocked first as he entered. The cries had ceased. He was perplexed and questioned whether what had just transpired was all in his head. But he decided to go in. With a loud creak, the door opened. William detested creaking doors and mentally noted that when he returned home, he would check the hinge oiling. He made his way slowly through the house’s dim interior. “Who’s there?” he yelled many times, but no one answered. At last, he arrived at the exact window from which he believed the noises originated.

Surprisingly, there was no one. He looked around, but all in vain. Then he tripped on a floor nail and landed with a thud. At that moment, he woke up. “Oh! No! I have been sleepwalking again!”