Question
You are advised to write between 350 and 500 words on the following topic:
Write a story in which the main character is desperately trying to cross a border to safety.
Model Essay
The night was thick with fog as Elena crouched in the underbrush, her breath shallow and her heart pounding in her chest. The distant rumble of patrol vehicles echoed through the valley, and she knew she didn’t have much time. The border lay just ahead, a thin line between the turmoil she fled and the promise of safety.
Elena had been on the run for days, her journey marked by hardship and fear. Her home, once a place of comfort and laughter, had turned into a battleground overnight. The conflict had erupted without warning, and in the chaos, she had lost everything. Her family, her friends—gone in the blink of an eye. All that remained was the desperate hope of reaching the border and finding refuge in the neighboring country.
She peered through the foliage, spotting the wire fence that separated her from freedom. It was heavily guarded, with soldiers patrolling every few meters. She had to time her move perfectly. Elena knew the patrols had a pattern, a brief window of opportunity when the guards changed shifts. She had observed them for hours, counting the seconds between their movements.
The moment arrived. She took a deep breath, her muscles tensing. With the stealth of a hunted animal, she darted from her hiding place, sprinting towards the fence. The cold night air bit at her skin, and the ground was rough beneath her feet, but she pressed on. Her heart raced faster with every step, each beat echoing like a drum in her ears.
As she reached the fence, she pulled out the wire cutters she had stolen from an abandoned shed. Her hands shook as she snipped the wires, the metal groaning softly in protest. Every sound seemed amplified in the stillness of the night, and she glanced around nervously, expecting a shout or a spotlight to pierce the darkness at any moment.
The gap was just wide enough for her to squeeze through. She slipped past the sharp edges, feeling the bite of the metal against her skin. On the other side, she paused for a moment, listening. The silence was oppressive, but she could hear the distant murmur of voices, the crunch of boots on gravel. They were getting closer.
ADVERTISEMENT
Panic surged through her, and she forced herself to move. She couldn’t afford to be caught now, not when she was so close. Elena ran, her legs pumping with renewed vigor. The landscape ahead was unfamiliar, but it was free from the horrors she had left behind. She just had to keep going.
Suddenly, a blinding light cut through the fog, illuminating her path. She froze, her heart in her throat. The beam swung towards her, and she heard the sharp bark of commands in a language she barely understood. She turned to flee, but her foot caught on a root, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Elena scrambled to her feet, her vision blurred by tears of frustration and fear. The light was almost upon her, and she could see the shadows of soldiers advancing. In a final, desperate effort, she darted to the left, towards a dense thicket of trees. If she could just reach the cover, she might stand a chance.
She plunged into the undergrowth, branches scratching at her face and arms. The shouts grew louder, and she could hear the heavy footsteps behind her. Her lungs burned, and her legs felt like lead, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.
Just as she thought she might collapse from exhaustion, she burst into a clearing. There, silhouetted against the rising sun, was a small group of people—refugees like herself. They waved her over, and she stumbled towards them, her hope rekindled. They had made it, and so had she.
As she collapsed among them, gasping for breath, she realized that her journey was far from over. But for the first time in what felt like an eternity, she allowed herself to believe that she might just have a future. She had crossed the border to safety, and with it, she had crossed into a new chapter of her life.
Word Count: 686