Writing Samples: A Nightmare Journey

Hello again!

I decided a while back that I would publish here some of your best pieces of writing. However, I never did!

Well, here they are. I picked these two, although I could have picked some others as well, but I will when you get a new assignment. I think if you read them you can really learn from them.

Enjoy!

1. A Nightmare Journey

I had a nightmare journey two years ago, when I was going to Madrid on holiday by car with my sister. We chose that city because our uncle worked there and he invited us to spend some days with him. It was the third of August and it was boiling! 

I drove and my sister gave me the directions, but suddenly we realized that we had got lost! We were in the middle of nowhere, no road signs, and no people. At least, we had food, drink, and the air conditioning worked! I drove for one more hour but it didn’t help. Moreover, we started to sweat, the air conditioning stopped working! My sister, who is asthmatic, couldn’t breathe well. I was driving nervously when I finally saw a road sign that said: Madrid 30 kilometres.  

We arrived in Madrid twenty minutes later. We were safe and sound, but exhausted! In spite of the journey, we had a good time there!

Pili Oller

2. A NIGHTMARE JOURNEY

I remember the event as if it had happened yesterday. My nightmare started when I arrived at Moscow airport.

My idea was to enjoy a fantastic holiday week in Russia but I could not.

The problem began at customs where two policemen stopped me. They asked me for my passport and, after some verification, they took me to a small room close to the gate.

I don’t know if I looked suspicious because of my casual outfit, but the thing is they arrested me and they didn’t stop asking me many questions in very bad English.

At that moment I started thinking about many Cold War films and a small smile was reflected on my face. The policemen saw the smile and thought I was laughing at them and then, they got very angry and took me to prison. I stayed in jail for three days in a tiny room shared with four more people.

Finally, the Spanish Embassy got me out and I came back to Spain.

Francisco J. Payá García