IGCSE FLE Narratives & Sample Responses

Where We Feel Safe

It was a cold and gloomy day in our quaint little town. I was daydreaming about Christmas, how all the presents would be lying on the ground under the bright and shining Christmas tree. Everything sucked right now. My parents fight a lot, with my dad drinking a lot and my mom always being in a bad mood. I always used to play outside with my siblings, with everything at home it was the next best thing. Luckily everyone was very kind, but the grouchy people down at the hill. Everything in our town was normal, but that weekend morning was much different. Everything was calm, even my parents, they were actually talking instead of shouting and screaming. Suddenly the telephone rang, "Hello? Hi, Bobbie. What? What are you talking about? How did this happen? Oh, my God, I don't believe it! When did they find her? Oh, poor Connie, how will she handle this?" Mom's voice became much more high-pitched. When Mom finally got herself under control, she said in a low voice, "Margaret was found murdered this morning over on Lauffer Mine Road."Suddenly a kid next door was a victim of a murder, and our town wasn't safe anymore. Who did it? And why? Was it a stranger, or maybe someone we all knew? Police cars cruised up and down looking everywhere, even our house. We didn't go anywhere that day.

Not playing outside or anything. We were too nervous. For just a short period of time, we were where we desired to be. Even as a big fourth grader turning the lights off was really scary. I was scared that any voice I heard could be from the killer walking in our yard, or our house. Every time the dogs barked, we looked outside to see if anyone was there. What if the killer was in the woods, behind our house, or even hiding in the garage? Being scared of someone lurking outside was a new experience. Up until then, I never checked to see if the front door was locked before I went to bed. But the events of that day brought home the reality that my chaotic home was as safe as Dad and Mom could make it.