Jacob-Narrative Essay

Jacob

Jacob had first seen Yetta when she and many others had rallied in the streets for workers rights. His friends had been watching the girls parade along the buildings. Many had looked at the union ladies with scornful distaste. "They should be thankful they have a paying job." he had recalled one worker say. Jacob, however, thought Yetta and the other union girls were amazingly brave.
When the fire had first leapt out of control, Yetta had stayed calm, she had helped others get to safety and even now as the flames threatened to devour them, she ran past the quickly closing gaps to warn the other girls, the whole ninth floor had no idea the fire was growing beneath them.
I should help her, he thought. He bit his lip, I don't want to die.... Jacob shook his head, I need to find Yetta!
Jacob pulled himself away from the safety of the stairway and started to make his way to the upward stairs. The ones that would bring him to the ninth-floor.
The smoke clawed at his eyes and clogged his throat. Jacob could not see or breathe. He coughed and tried to gulp in air but there was none.
Tears flowed in torrents down his cheeks. Not only from the harsh smoke and heat but from the knowledge that he would never make it to his 18th birthday and he would never get another chance to ask Yetta to a dance downtown.
He coughed some more and felt the fire behind him start to surge forward.
I can't give up yet he thought I need to find Yetta. He pulled himself up and groped along the stairway.
Slowly, He took the stairs one at a time, closer and closer to the door separating him from the ninth-floor. Jacob pulled on the handle and, as it opened, he swallowed as much air as he could before it was filled with the terrified shrieks of the women working here.
All around him girls rushed this way and that way, pulling and pushing each other. The fire had climbed up the stairs at a faster rate than before and then the windows to his right burst with a deafening sound.
Some girls ran towrd the elevator baning on the grate and ringing the bell. Others ran toward the fire escape flying down to the rickety metal stairs.
He then heard Yetta shout above the others, "Greene Street stairs! Go to the Greene Street stairs!"
Jacob started to scramble through the frantic girls reaching for Yetta when she was suddenly pulled away by two other girls. Wait! he thought desperately.
He looked to the left facing windows and something caught his eyes. A young girl, maybe no older than 12 or 13 was standing by the windows. She stood on the ledge. Jacob reached his arm toward her. "Stop!" he shouted over the rushing crowd. The girl held her arms out in front of her and stepped off the ledge. Jacob froze. She...she jumped. The girl was gone. Why? Why did she jump? She could have gone down the stairs...he felt numb.
Workers were still scrambling for an exit when he heard a sound like metal snapping. Jacob looked at the windows and saw metal bars falling to the ground. More screaming.
He felt a horrible feeling of dread start to sink in. I may not make it out of here....Yetta, the other girls, we might not live to see tomorrow. He shook his head, If I think like that, I won't have a chance. Jacob forced himself to turn away from the windows and started to push his way through the sea of frantic girls.
He looked left and right for any sign of Yetta. He didn't see her anywhere. Jacob pushed forward and he ran into a girl running to the elevator, he looked at her face, "Yetta!" he shouted. I found her! "Why aren't you outside? You were on the stairs! You could have saved yourself!" Yetta yelled back to him. "Why would I want to save myself without you there?" Yetta looked shocked.
The fire was spreading and people were screaming but Jacob blocked it all out. "I really do love you Yetta and I could never live with myself if I left you and all these other girls to die." Yetta had started to cry. In a barely audible whisper she said, "We aren't going to make it out of here are we?" Jacob looked at her haggard face. She had streaks in the ash on her face. Instead of answering he hugged Yetta as tightly as he could. "I'm sorry.." he whispered into her ear.
They hugged each other and Jacob thought wistfully of yesterday, yesterday he was a carefree, and mischievous person. Today he knew, all things end, I just didn't know so soon.
Down below, on the city streets, onlookers saw a man and a woman stand together on the ledge. He held her in his arms and the crowd gasped or looked away as they fell, entwined together.