In-class Writing (Speed Writing)

The Accident

Barbie was driving to work on I-4 when a speeding semi-crossed her path. She swerved into the emergency lane to escape death and watched what soon unfolded in front of her eyes. A semi was being chased by the police and the tires had burned off so sparks started to fly and she closed her eyes to catch her grasp on reality. After a second of darkness she opened to see the same scene only a few hundred feet in front of her, their speed must be decreasing. Suddenly, she watches as the semi explodes and the fiery debris catch the police and three other cars on fire. Four explosions later and the road was blocked off with dozens of ambulances, news crews, and police cars. Barbie didn’t make it to work until five hours later and by that time her shift had already passed.

Harry's translation of the story (NOTE: he is an elderly man)

On my way to visit my wife in the nursing home I hit traffic on I-4 that showed me something I could never forget. An image of something so gruesome that it tops even the memories of the war. I was driving towards my exit, only two miles from it, when a semi raced past me, I got into the rightmost lane because I could hear police sirens quickly approaching, I wasn’t the only one swerving to avoid the scene. The semi caught fire from sparks flying from the bald tires and it the explosion from the vehicle caused several others to repeat the same fate. I was in tears when arrived at my wife’s room five hours later.

Phoebe's translation of the story (NOTE: she is a young child)

Phoebe: “Whoaa I can’t believe we just saw that! Those cars were sooooooo fast.”

Victim: “What do you mean? What did you see? What cars?”

Phoebe: “The big long ones that go toot-toot and a powice car.”

Victim: “WHAT DID YOU SEE HAPPEN TO ME?!?!?!”

Phoebe: “Welllllll, the long car was going really really fast and and the powice had been chasing them for a while and then the long car went KKKABBOOOMMM and caught a lot of other cars on fire. But see your ok because you just feel asleep while you were waiting on the side of the road”

Victim: “...............wow.....”