ERP...

4 c) ‘Sometimes we laugh not out of good cheer, but to avoid and absolve ourselves of a deeper pain.’ Drawing on your own experiences, write a narrative essay that illustrates this quotation.

This was the first time a theft had occurred. The students were scanning the classrooms, the canteen, and even the toilets for the missing bag. Kerry claimed that he only left it alone for a few minutes, and the next moment it had vanished.

We all knew how important Kerry’s bag was, because it contained all his valuables. If he returned home without the bag, he would get a huge scolding from his parents, and obviously we did not want that to happen.

Jordan was helping me out in the search. We were walking through the first floor classrooms, which were empty now because all the students were already dismissed.

We stepped into classroom 1A.

“Hey Jordan, how did Kerry lose his bag anyway? I thought he left it in class.”

“I don’t know, maybe he brought it to the canteen and left it there?”

“No way, it disappeared before everyone went for lunch. What about the field?”

“Impossible. He never goes out onto the field except for PE lessons. Hey Bryan, the bag’s definitely not here. Let’s move.”

How did he look so quickly? We had barely even searched half the classroom yet!

We moved into classroom 1B.

“Jordan, why would Kerry’s bag be in another classroom anyway? His bag is one of a kind, so I don’t think any student would mistake it for his own.”

“Then who would do such a thing? Some people just commit ridiculous crimes for no reason…” Jordan gave out a smirk.

“What if someone in our class was pressured to steal it? I know nobody in our class would do it to intentionally harm someone—”

Jordan suddenly let out a laugh, which was unusual for someone that was not into jokes. His laugh echoed in the deserted classroom.

“Why would our classmates steal the bag? I mean, that bag’s not that valuable, and nobody here is doing it as some dare or something…” Jordan’s voice trailed off, as though he said something he should not have revealed. Was he actually hiding the bag as a dare?

“…I’m sorry, but I need to reach home earlier today. My mom’s got something at home.” And then Jordan sprinted out.

I walked off to the next classroom on my own.



The bag was found the next day in classroom 1A, where Jordan claimed it was not there. He tricked me, but I had very little evidence that could support this accusation.

“Kerry, don’t lose the bag again, because we won’t help you find it next time!” one classmate said.

“Someone said that Jordan actually stole the bag!” another one shouted.

Everybody laughed, including Jordan himself. Surely someone like him would be too nice to steal anything. However, I knew that his mind was still plagued with the guilt of stealing the bag. Laughing may take some of it away, but the pain will still last.

If he had simply admitted the truth, he wouldn’t have to go through such a tormenting experience…