Original Writing Coursework for GCSE English.

Grade A*

The Trial

        The darkness seemed eternal. In an instant, Sammy’s eyes opened. The intolerable wrench of pain, the smell of suffering and the scorching heat he remembered from the previous everlasting seconds had vanished. The most brilliant white environment replaced the incandescence of fire. Sammy examined himself. He lay on an unmarked white surface, wearing not the scorched remains of a business suit, but a long white robe, which hung millimetres above the ground.

        Slowly staggering to his feet, Sammy stared into his surroundings. He stood exactly in the centre of a pure white dome. Staring around, Sammy could see nothing at all except the whiteness of the dome. ‘This can’t be right!’ he thought to himself. The feeling of being trapped was quickly spreading over him, and rapidly changing to fear.

        “God help me!” cried Sammy aloud, shaking with fear, but with a hint of anger at his entrapment. Being so busy all his life with his work, Sammy had always felt in control of his direction. So now, he foundered in incomprehensible frustration at his inability to find any of the answers he was searching for. However, being of religious upbringing, he felt it necessary to turn to God for the answers, seeing that they were not likely to materialise from elsewhere.

        Sammy sat on the floor, and closed his eyes. ‘Where am I?’ he thought. ‘What’s going on? Why am I here?’ Sammy tried to sit back and take stock of what had happened recently, to see if it yielded any answers. But, frustratingly enough, the memories eluded him.

        Sammy stood up, and turned around again, more in vain hope than anything else. And to Sammy’s astonishment, he could see a break in the brilliance of the dome walls.

        “Thank God!” cried Sammy aloud, and he began to run towards the door with enthusiasm. Then realising he was running, he stopped, just a few steps from the door, and took a few cautious steps forward, confirming that it was indeed a door. He stood by it for a few seconds, and then, with a sudden rush, he opened it. On the other side was total blackness. He strained his eyes, but nothing seemed to be there at all. His heart sank through the floor, and his face dropped like a lead balloon.

        “Great!” he groaned sarcastically, staring into the abyss. He began to think about what he should do this time, when he noticed something. There was a flickering in the distance, as though there was a fluorescent light on the horizon that wouldn’t quite switch on properly. Perceiving that there were no other options available to him except to stand there like a lemon waiting for them like a cancelled train service, he said to himself,

        “Here goes nothing!” and took a blind step into the unknown. The light became brighter by a small but noticeable margin. Sammy stopped. The light began to dim slightly. Sammy took another step. Once more the light became a little bit brighter, then dimmed again as he stopped. Sammy thought for a moment. Was it possible that the light and his progress were connected, or was it just an optical illusion? Or was it a pure figment of his increasingly challenged imagination? Trusting the fact that nothing detrimental had yet come his way and he had simply been imprisoned in an impregnable white dome, Sammy began to walk slowly forwards. The flickering light became a bit brighter, but not much.

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        Thud! Sammy retrieved himself from the floor, stood up, and felt in front of him with his hands. He was facing a solid wall, with no gaps below or above him. He realised that the flickering light had moved and was now to his right. He puzzled over his predicament for a moment, and walked around in small circles, totally oblivious to the fact that he could not see the ground upon which he apparently seemed to stand. The jigsaw began to fall into place. This was a maze! And his only guide was the light! Sammy started towards the ...

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