The Accident-Part 1

Part11

Sept. 15, 1984-Brunswick, Maine2


At first, my life was normal and happy. Everything seemed to be in order. I was 15 years old and I lived with my 24 year old brother James. My parents died when I was four years. old, so my brother took care of me. James was like a father to me, but he still was my big brother who I looked up to. He encouraged me to do everything I did.3

My name is October Taylor and I'm a 15 year old girl.
When my parents died, James took care of me for about a week, then my ruthless aunt came to take care of us. She was so mean. Then about when James was 15, my aunt died of lung cancer. That's when James raised me by himself.4

"October, let's go!" James shouted from the bottom of the stairs. I come down the stairs with my black sneakers in my hands. I drop them down on the wooden floor. 5

"Let's go if you want that record." James stated "Don't make us late again." He then pushes me at the forehead playfully and I fall on the stairs, only to be helped up by my big brother. We always do this stuff to each other. I put my sneakers on, James gets out his keys, and we head out the door so we can buy the new Metallica record RIDE THE LIGHTNING. 6

At the store, I was the one to rummage through the records to get the Metallica record at the store and happily pull it out. James had took it and then he paid for it.7

When my brother and I got in the car, James decided that he was going to take us out for a drive. The road we were on was deserted and we were far from home. I turned on the radio and Metallica was playing their new song "For Whom The Bell Tolls". 8

"Since you like Metallica so much, maybe we'll go see them again live. Wouldn't you like that honey?" James said to me as he drove. I nodded.

I sat up front for the first time (James wouldn’t let me sit up front until now)and Metallica was popular to me and my big brother at the time. Both James and I were singing along to the song. 9

“Take a look to the sky just before you die, it is the last time you will,” We sang. I loved Metallica like my brother did. I was in love with James Hetfield. Back then in the 80s, he had that gorgeous, long blond hair that he flipped when he was on stage performing. I loved it! And Cliff Burton was the greatest base player ever. Actually, he was a god. Two weeks ago, I saw Metallica live and it was awesome! The crowd was chanting “Metallica! Metallica!” and the performance was cool. More than cool. I got to meet them and get an autograph by all of them. It was the greatest day of my life. I remember that I was smiling and I saw my brother smile to. He was probably happy to see me so much happy. I remember asking him, 10

“James, are you happy to?” 11

James nodded and replied, 12

“Yes October, I’m happy. But I’m happy that you are having a great time and you’re so happy. Your happiness is all that matters to me.” 13

That was one of the best things my big brother has ever said to me. I remember when he drove us home. I was sitting in the backseat, exhausted from that day, and I was still holding the autograph photo of Metallica, looking at the signatures on the photo by Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, and Cliff Burton of Metallica. Even when I went to sleep on the way home, it was still in my hands. I still cherish the photo today. 14

I think that James and I were having so much fun that he didn't pay enough attention to the road. Me and him were too busy singing the song on the radio. A minute later, I stopped singing saw a truck's headlights coming towards us and instantly knew that the truck was going to ram into us. 15

"James! The truck is going to hit us!" I yelled, startling James. James slams his foot on the gas pedal and turns the car around, spinning it. The car's tires screeched and there was a sudden disturbing sound of metal crushing metal. Suddenly,before the truck rams into us and James continues to drive and our car flips over and there's a loud and big thud. And before I blackened out, I heard the ending of "For Whom The Bell Tolls". 16

To be continued...17