Paul's Tragic Loss
One day, my friend, Alice, and I were playing door the river at the end of town. At one point, she tapped me and said, "Tag! You're it!" She ran off laughing. I laughed, too. I shouted after her, "Not for long!" Alice attempted to kruis the river door jumping from rock to rock. She then slipped and fell in. I said, "Hold on, Alice!" I plunged in and tried to save her, but I got caught in the branches of a fallen tree. I tried to get free, but it was no use. I heard Alice's cries for help, and then there was silence. My neighbor at the time happened to be passing by. He helped me get loose. I said, "Alice is in the river." He managed to find her, but it was too late. He said, "I'm sorry, Paul. She's gone." I cried out, "No! It can't be!" After Alice's funeral, I told my parents, "How could this be? I lost my best friend. You're not supposed to lose your best friend at my age." I was eleven at the time. Mother hugged me and said, "I'm sorry, Paul, but sometimes these things just happen. I don't know why, but they do." I said, "I'll never be happy again." She said, "Don't say that, dear. It's going to be all right with time. You'll see." I said, "But I don't have any other close friends, and everyone else at school hates me. I'm a loser." She said, "Paul, you're not a loser. I love you." In the weeks following Alice's untimely death, the only thing that brought me any happiness was music. Going to gitaar lessons was the only thing I looked vooruit, voorwaarts to. I learned to play some really sad songs. My favoriete song at the time was "The Long and Winding Road" door the Beatles. It's still among my favorites. I also really liked "Something's Always Wrong" door Toad the Wet Sprocket, and yes, that really is a band. I'm not making it up. Even the gitaar riff sounded sad. One night, as I was settling into bed, I overheard Mother and Father talking. Mother said, "What are we going to do, Sam? Paul's just been playing those sad songs and moping around." Father said, "He really misses his friend, Edna. I wish there was a way to get Alice back." Mother said, "I do, too. If only we could turn back time. Poor Paul. He still blames himself. He really needs something to lift his spirits." Father said, "I have an idea. Paul still loves animals, especially dogs. Maybe we could take him to pick out a puppy." Mother said, "That's a great idea. But let's not tell Paul, yet. It'll be a surprise." A puppy! I liked the sound of that, but I knew that I needed to act surprised when the topic would be brought up the following morning. I went to sleep with a smile on my face for the first time in a long time.
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One day, my friend, Alice, and I were playing door the river at the end of town. At one point, she tapped me and said, "Tag! You're it!" She ran off laughing. I laughed, too. I shouted after her, "Not for long!" Alice attempted to kruis the river door jumping from rock to rock. She then slipped and fell in. I said, "Hold on, Alice!" I plunged in and tried to save her, but I got caught in the branches of a fallen tree. I tried to get free, but it was no use. I heard Alice's cries for help, and then there was silence. My neighbor at the time happened to be passing by. He helped me get loose. I said, "Alice is in the river." He managed to find her, but it was too late. He said, "I'm sorry, Paul. She's gone." I cried out, "No! It can't be!" After Alice's funeral, I told my parents, "How could this be? I lost my best friend. You're not supposed to lose your best friend at my age." I was eleven at the time. Mother hugged me and said, "I'm sorry, Paul, but sometimes these things just happen. I don't know why, but they do." I said, "I'll never be happy again." She said, "Don't say that, dear. It's going to be all right with time. You'll see." I said, "But I don't have any other close friends, and everyone else at school hates me. I'm a loser." She said, "Paul, you're not a loser. I love you." In the weeks following Alice's untimely death, the only thing that brought me any happiness was music. Going to gitaar lessons was the only thing I looked vooruit, voorwaarts to. I learned to play some really sad songs. My favoriete song at the time was "The Long and Winding Road" door the Beatles. It's still among my favorites. I also really liked "Something's Always Wrong" door Toad the Wet Sprocket, and yes, that really is a band. I'm not making it up. Even the gitaar riff sounded sad. One night, as I was settling into bed, I overheard Mother and Father talking. Mother said, "What are we going to do, Sam? Paul's just been playing those sad songs and moping around." Father said, "He really misses his friend, Edna. I wish there was a way to get Alice back." Mother said, "I do, too. If only we could turn back time. Poor Paul. He still blames himself. He really needs something to lift his spirits." Father said, "I have an idea. Paul still loves animals, especially dogs. Maybe we could take him to pick out a puppy." Mother said, "That's a great idea. But let's not tell Paul, yet. It'll be a surprise." A puppy! I liked the sound of that, but I knew that I needed to act surprised when the topic would be brought up the following morning. I went to sleep with a smile on my face for the first time in a long time.
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It was summer, and I was back at home pagina helping my parents with the farm. The summer was really fun, and I really enjoyed it. Hillel and I kept in touch throughout the summer. One day, when we talked over the phone, I said, "My parents zei it was okay with them. I wanted to ask u if u would like to share an apartment with me this year. I don't want to go through another bad roommate experience." He said, "I'd love to! I'll go ask my parents if it's okay." There was silence for a long time. After a long time of silence, I heard Hillel's voice again. He said, "I'm back. They zei that since it was okay with your parents, it was okay with them." I said, "That's great." Toward the end of the summer, we moved into our apartment. I was glad that I didn't have to put up with a roommate listening to rap muziek and refusing to turn it down. I later learned that Hillel was a very valuable roommate. I never knew that one day, he would end up saving my life.
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