Student Essay - My journey – by Kwon Hee Chan, Year 10, Sayfol International School

My journey – by Kwon Hee Chan, Year 10, Sayfol International School

Every summer, I think of the past when I just entered university. I was a hot-blooded youth. It was my old wish to travel alone after entering university. When I told my parents about it, they seemed worried but supported me readily. It was a delightful start. Just the thought of it made my heart flutter. That day was just like today - the sun blazing and the sun blue. I packed some daily necessities and boarded a train.

Before the train departed, I went to a small shop and bought some snacks and drink. Finally, the train started moving. Because I hadn’t decided on my final destination, I just enjoyed the journey. This was exactly what I’d dreamed of. I was so happy. Around me, I could see an old woman with a dog, a sleeping baby and two children fighting for a toy. Unfortunately, all my happiness lasted but a moment. There was an announcement that the braking pedal of the train was broken! I’d heard a screeching sound before but I thought it was nothing and ignored it. This train was an express one so I realised that the situation was really bad.

Everyone sat on their seats and waited in terror. The train was already running at great speed. The driver announced that the train was out of control so we had to wait until emergency services came. The dog barked, telling us that 119 had arrived. They came with two helicopters. They connected a rope to the train. The plan was to pull the train backwards to decrease the speed. The big problem was that there were only two more stations before the rail ended. There were only ten kilometres left before we met a cliff. We held one another’s hands and prayed. Five kilometres left. We could hear the sound of the helicopters struggling to hold the train back. Three kilometres left. It seemed like there was no hope for us to return home alive. Two kilometres left. The sound of the helicopters became more furious. One kilometre left. 

Just twenty minutes ago, I had experienced that happiest moment of my life. Now, it had turned out to be the worst or perhaps even the end of my life. The baby who was sleeping like an angel before was now crying loudly in his mother’s arms. The two children who were fighting for a toy were now holding on to their seats as firmly as they could. In this moment of despair, I could do nothing so I closed my eyes and blamed God. Finally, we had reached the end of the rail. I quickly opened my eyes when the loud screeching sound stopped. I couldn’t believe what I saw! Half the train was still on the rail while the other was barely held up by the helicopters. 

Before the train fell into the abyss, we were quickly and carefully rescued from it. I didn’t think that I would be able to stand on the ground again but there I was. There a cry of relief from everyone. There were so many reporters taking videos of us and anchors doing live broadcasting for their news stations. Back at university, I wrote about this incident and submitted it to my professor. My writing was published in magazines and newspapers around the world. My university awarded me a certificate because of my achievement.