Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Educational History Narrative Essay Edited Washburn
Educational History Narrative Essay Edited Washburn
Educational History Narrative Essay Edited Washburn
Ericka Washburn
Mrs. Strehle
ENG 1101-201
21 September 2017
Forever Remembered
“The death of a loved one is an amputation.” These words were spoken by a wise
man named C.S. Lewis, and never have I understood the sorrow and pain of these words
until I faced a tragedy of my own. Death is an unspoken dungeon in every man’s mind
that no one dares to enter because our eyes are terrified of what may be revealed in our
hearts and soul. Death causes us to question our purpose in this cruel world, and if life is
even worth living. But during these powerful and burdening pains, I found a hope in
My body was paralyzed with doubt when I stared blankly down the endless,
narrow prison like hall. With endless murmurs, and eyes closing in on my every move, I
forced my tears to find a hiding place. I somehow managed to take a deep breath in, and
when I took my first creeping step forward, I realized that this moment was the end of my
life. I kept my head bowed, with the rest of my sloping body, trying to prevent the world
from witnessing the aftermath of the massacre of tears, that took place the night before.
Involuntarily the terror replayed in my mind as I heard her name by the passing students.
*A slight knock had been heard as the door had crept open, “Ericka?” my dad had softly
“Yes?” I had responded rudely after my eyes had finally drifted to sleep, after a long,
“Do you know a girl by the name Alexandra Fowler?” He ruminatively asked.
I had noticed there was concern in his voice, and before I had known- *
“Riiinnnnggg!”
My head jolted up to brash bell, realizing that I was sitting at my desk with no
recollection of how or when I had arrived. I frantically searched for a familiar face, but
everyone surrounding me were just blank figures of lifelessness. A gloomy aura hoovered
over every corner of the room, and my eyes betrayed me as a flood of uncontrollable
tears cascaded down my façade that caused me to bolt out of the collapsing classroom.
There was no going back, I needed to get out before people saw me at this vulnerable
state. I was the girl who kept my head high through the darkest valleys, a helping hand
for those with the deepest needs so that I could be the encouragement to others, but today,
I was the one in desperate need of saving. This school, this classroom, this hall...
“That's Allie! You know, Allie Bohannon, her last name was changed, and that's why the
article reads 'Fowler.' Her and I hung out all the time,” nothing made sense, I had needed
“Honey,” my mom had spoken as she inched up the stairs “that is Ericka's friend, the
“I had no idea,” my dad had ashamedly admitted, “with her formal name being printed,
“What's going on? I just saw her this morning in the hallway outside my first period
class. She's okay, isn't she?” I desperately search my dad's eyes for answers, but the
remorse on his face was clear on what he was about to say, confirming my biggest fear.
“You have to understand, I had no idea; your mom and I would've approached you with
the situation differently, but,” with a slight pause in his voice, “Allie was in a vital
accident,” pause. “Ericka, she passed away; they pronounced her unresponsive at the
scene.” *
I felt a warm presence when my hands were peeled away from my burning eyes,
and in perfect timing, Brooklyn, who was a teammate of mine on many soccer teams
growing up, embraced my crumbling body. Holding my trembling hand, Brooklyn guided
me down the treacherous hallway, around several corners, to the auditorium for a senior
class meeting. On the way, no words were spoken since nothing needed to be expressed
because we knew no combinations of words would change the present. We wondered into
the uncharted territory, as foreigners clueless of what might occur next in this auditorium.
When Brooklyn found a pair of open seats, we took the weight off of our feet and
shoulders, as the mourning principle, Mr. Luebbe, attempted to speak clearly. Blocked by
the sound of my beating heart, I relentlessly searcher for her, for Allie. On the left my
eyes scanned each face, error, and on the right side I scanned for the familiar expression,
error. Wiping my eyes and nose with countless tissues occupied my attention from Mr.
Luebbe until I realized how everyone had taken each other’s hands. We had all decided to
Washburn 4
become unified in this unspeakable devastation; this was the moment in history where the
Class of 2017 shared a long-lasting bond. A true bond tied by one common thread, Allie.
On that day, a door was opened to many pastors, counselors, and teachers to
provide a listening ear and an aiding hand to any student needing guidance. I was just one
heart out of the entire community who was impacted by Allie’s life. That specific day, on
October 3, 2016, I realized how quickly life could just end, with no warnings, clues, or
hints. To this day, I carry my life differently. Allie’s life and death set a fire in my soul
that I pray will never cease. A passion for those yearning to find true meaning in their
life, and not be frightened by the great unknown, called death. The truth is simple to
share; we all have broken a holy, perfect law, the Ten Commandments, which was created
by a perfect, holy judge, God. Due to this reality in our hearts and conscience that we
have broken this law, death becomes unspoken. This is due to the fact that if we face this
truth then we are guilty and deserve Hell instead of Heaven, so we aimlessly continue to
live in these earthly pleasures. Thankfully, we can come as we are and find a place of
salvation in Jesus. He is the only man in history to never lie, steal, lust, idolize, or commit
any other sin. Since Jesus is righteous, and God has a tremendous love for us, He took all
our sin, and died on a brutal cross for you and me. Jesus actually paid the price, which
looms over each of our lives, by spending three days in our punishment, and conquering
death on the third day by rising himself back to life. But, God gave us a choice: to accept
this gift of love by praying to Him, confessing and realizing our true state of
wretchedness and need for Him, or deny Jesus, and face the truths of our actions at any
moment. My decision to share this truth, is not easy, in reality, the conflict I have faced
has been brutal, but the way that I was, and still am, able to survive through the pains of
Washburn 5
Allie’s death is simply because of Jesus. He has placed value on my life, and has taught
me that living a life for Him, is the only life worth living even when tragedy takes course.
October 3, 2016 has set the course of the life I live today since I want Allie to be forever
remembered in my life. As someone once said, “It’s hard to forget someone who gave