Write a story that begins with the words: I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the news…
Following is a sample essay for you on a WASSCE/SHS English composition question which asks you to write a short story to begin with the words, “I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the news”.
The Sad Story of Hamza
I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the news about Hamza. For Hamza, the brightest student in our SHS 1 Chemistry class to end up the way he did has not stopped baffling my mind. Not even up to this day. You see, after spending a year in the same class with Hamza Gbadamoshi at Mawuli school, I had to leave for another school because, my father, a police officer, had suddenly been transferred to a different station.
I learnt that throughout his primary and junior high school education, Hamza’s performance was second to none. So no one was surprised when he passed his Basic Education Certificate Examination with distinction. This stirling performance won him a scholarship to further his education at Mawuli School, one of the best senior high schools in the country. That was where we met. He had previously won an award in an inter-school essay competition which was to pay all his expenses till he graduated from university.
Thus, Hamza’s first day at the high school was a memorable one for him and his mother. I was there and witnessed it all. His mother, who was very apprehensive about the bad character of students in boys’ schools, had spent about two hours with him just to caution him about bad friends. According to his mother, bad boys grow up to become bad men. That is, they end up as nonentities, hooligans, rogues and above all total failures in life. She gave her son strong reasons why he must shun bad company. She further assured him that she was solidly behind him so he shouldn’t hesitate to call on her whenever he was in need. In fact, those of us who had Hamza as a friend adored him. Our other schoolmates envied him and his parents treasured him.
It came as day follows night that he made a lot of friends in his first year. Anybody who came into contact with Hamza wanted to be his friend because not only was he hardworking, generous and humble but he was always beaming with an infectious sense of single-minded purpose. So Hamza’s friendship empire continued to expand everyday till he got to his second year.
According to Ali, our mutual friend and classmate, it was at this stage that Hamza’s character began to turn in the wrong direction. He became a stuffed shirt – an arrogant young man so full of himself. Hamza now did only what pleased him.
Eventually he got himself entangled in the web of bad peers. These bad nuts influenced him to develop a crazy love for waywardness in all its forms. For Hamza, running away from school with his bad friends under the cover of darkness became a daily routine. They always used unapproved routes to outwit school security. Hamza became a regular visitor to night clubs, discotheques and gambling dens.
Going to classes became an occasional pastime for him. His class teacher, on detecting this unwarranted attitude of Hamza’s tried all he could to counsel him to turn a new leaf; but it was an exercise in futility. In order for him to be a prominent member of the group Hamza had to start using illicit hard drugs like cocaine and Indian hemp.
After a long smoking bout one evening, Hamza started behaving funny. He was making all sorts of unusual noises on the school compound. When it got to the notice of the senior housemaster, he caused his arrest. Hamza was first sent to the police station and from there to the psychiatric hospital. The psychiatrist confirmed that he had gone round the bend. His mother fainted and died instantly when she heard the news. The father also fell unconscious but recovered a day after.
SEE ALSO:
- Write a story to illustrate the saying: Coming events cast their shadows.
- How to Write a Great Narrative Essay
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