story - part VI (last part by the whole group)

- I’ve just talked to Chris. He’s on his way here. Now, when you’re sick, we need to tell him the truth.

- Yes, you’re right – we need to tell him everything. But, Joe, there’s something else you need to know...

- What’s that? Joe asked worryingly.

- I’m pregnant. And... this child is yours! she cried out loud.

Joe was shocked. But so was Paloma when she saw Chris standing in the door. He’d heard everything. He was fuming and jumped straight on Joe punching him violently. He would have beaten him to death if it hadn’t been for Paloma’s scream. There was water all over her bed. She went into labour.

Joe got up from the floor and run in search for the doctor: “She’s in labour!!!”

- Chris, I’m sorry. I love you so much, but the night when you had to stay at work longer, I got too drunk, and Joe was there with me. I knew it was a mistake. I never felt anything for him. As a result, I was so down that I decided to kill myself. I took some drugs, but it wasn’t enough to kill me – it just destroyed my immune system. That’s why I’m dying now...

- And what about the child? asked Chris.

- She’s just fine. Don’t worry about her.

When she said that, Joe arrived with the doctor and nurses. It didn’t take long for Paloma to have the child – a beautiful baby girl. But she died immediately afterwards from exhaustion.

Joe and Chris were extremely saddened, confused, but also happy to see the healthy child. They hugged each other tightly and without saying a word knew that they had to bring the child up together in the loving memory of Paloma.

story - part V (by Kasia)

After that Paloma collapsed and lost consciousness.  Joe called the ambulance. They took her to the hospital.
After a few hours of waiting Joe could talk with her again, but when she saw him, she started crying. Paloma said that she was very sick and she only had a few months, or maybe one year of life left.
Joe couldn’t believe it. What would he tell Chris?
She begged him to keep this in secret. She didn’t want to destroy Chris’s  life.
After a long conversation Joe went back to the hotel.
He was confused and didn't know what to do. Later on he made his decision and called Chris.
Chris was so happy that Joe found Paloma, but at the same time he was shocked that he could lose her so easily. He felt that he must see her as soon as possible, so he went to the airport, bought a flight ticket and soon he was sitting on the plane.

story - part IV (by Ewa)

She cried. She has never been in such a hard and silly situation before. It was a beautiful evening, and she just wanted to have some time for herself to analyse all the situaltions and mistakes which she had made in her life, but Joe appeared in her way again. It was like a storm durling a quiet and sunny day.

- Joe... you have to understand me... It's over, and I have to move on and close that part of my life.

Paloma wiped out the tears from her cheeks...

- You can do it, you and Chris... It can not be over... The two of you guys make the best couple I have ever seen. He really loves you.

She broke down again when she was listening to his words. She didn't want to hear it. Because of it all the memories came back.

She knew it was love, but could not get back to him again after all that happened.

- Joe...

She wanted to say something, but her voice was so weak...

- He will always be the best part of my life, but now I have to move on. I have to say good bye.

It was clear that she kept some secret in her heart. Her eyes were full of pain.

- I wish I could be with him... He has to forgive me, you have to forgive me too.

As soon as she said those words, she collapsed on the sidewalk.

story - part III (by Monika)

She had been walking down the same street for a few days and nothing was new to her, all the lights were on and she was running to catch the last bus to get her home. Suddenly, she heard some steps running towards her, that person was getting closer and closer. She started to feel a bit afraid, she couldn't turn around to see who was following her, but after a few seconds she turned around and she saw a man. It was already dark, so she couldn`t see who exactly he was. He started to call her name, and just then she realised who that man was. 

- I believe it's you... she said.
- Yes, it's me, just me... Joe!

Unfortunately, Joe was actually the one who she didn't want to see. Chris and Joe has been best friends forever, they had known each other for more than 20 years. They had grown up together, done exactly the same things, partied all the time in high school, football was a common hobby for them both. They simply knew each other inside out. She started to feel her hands were shaking and her voice was trembling, everything was happening again. Joe was there - that was a fact. In her had the image of Chris started to appear and Joe was the cause of all that . She had been perfectly fine before she met him again. 

- Why are you here? This is part of my past and I want all this to stay like that, she said. 
- It's impossible... I'm here to take you with me back to Dublin! Chris has to know what's happened. I can't do this anymore! He is my best friend and I owe him that! 

Her face was pale and she couldn`t talk, she just sat down and started to cry!

story - part II (by Adrianna)

She ran away without stopping and without even taking a breath. Her thoughts were as strong and wild as the love between them. She had to do it this way. The choice, however, was the most difficult in all her life - the choice between freedom and true love. She had a terrifying vision of the future. She wanted to protect Chris from certain death. Her family would never allow for a relationship between a princess and a common man without the heritage of royalty. But he would always be the most beautiful, powerful memory of her life. She would never forget the times they spent together, their evenings by candlelight, never-ending conversations, laughter and… deep love. It was incredible love. She knew he would be in her heart forever.

Suddenly, something froze her body. She heard someone’s steps and at that moment she lost consciousness.

story - part 1

Please find below the first part of a story that we're going to write together over the course of a few weeks. Each student will be asked to write a short part of it (word limit is 120-200 words). Let me begin...

It was a warm, almost windless September night in Dublin. Chris was sitting beside a big bedroom window of his small apartment on West Essex Street in Temple Bar. It was quiet. Tuesday nights are usually fairly quiet, even in this part of the city which is known for being very vibrant and lively. Sipping whiskey and coke, he could only hear some light traffic noise coming from Dame Street. The drink reminded him of Paloma – his Brazilian girlfriend who had lived in Dublin for a few months, but then suddenly disappeared without any trace. The last time he saw her was the day before his birthday - 15th February 2012 - when they had a few of those drinks.

Part X of the story (by the whole group)

He left the police station and went back to the car. Half an hour later they were at the airport. They booked the first available flight, which happened to be to Las Vegas. They both felt really safe as soon as they sat on the plane. Adam was doing fine too. He didn’t even cry, in contrast to other kids. But when the plane was taking off, it slipped on the runway, swerved onto the other lane and hit an upcoming aircraft that had just landed. A big explosion shook the city. Sean saw just darkness around him.
Suddenly, he started to hear some noise, and people chatting: “What’s happened!?”, “Someone punched him!”, “Who did that?”, “Who’s that cunt?” But there was also Sue’s voice in the crowd. He opened his eyes and there she was – straight in his face.
- Where am I? he mumbled.
- What do you mean?! We’re in front of O’Neill’s. Someone punched you on the head!

Part IX of the story (by Ivona)

When everything was almost packed, Sean found something inside his son’s jacket. It was a picture of Adam, his mother and one other guy. Sean was surprised, because he had never seen that man before. And something drew Sean’s attention: Adam looked like that man.
Sean spoke with Anna about it and she was shocked too, but she told him that he shouldn’t worry about the picture, and they would speak about it later because it wasn’t a good time then.
When they finished their conversation, Sean asked her if she would like to go with them, take care of his son and start a new life in another country. She was very happy and decided to pack her stuff. After a few minutes, all of them were ready to leave the house.
On the way to the airport, Sean got a call from the police. They told him that Sue was dead. It looked like an accident so they closed the case without carrying an investigation. They rang, because they wanted Sean to identify the body. He was sure that the South American mafia had been looking for the money and at the end they killed her. He also knew that the mafia would not stop looking for them until they found what they were looking for.
Sean went to the police station to identify the body as requested. He recognised Sue. He started to think. A lot of thoughts swirled in his head and at one point he remembered the photo.

Part VIII of the story (by Lukas)

You could feel spring in the air. It is always nice to be back home. He had to wait for his parents. Anna, the girl he had met, was helping out a lot. She was a student. Her parents died when she was young and she grew up in an orphanage. She knew a lot about babies. Adam was the happiest child while she was taking care of him. It was like she had magic hands.
That morning he had strange feelings. There was always a possibility that something unexpected would happen. He got up, dressed, had his coffee and went to the shop. Adam was still asleep when Sean was leaving the house. He asked Anna to keep an eye on Adam.
When he came back, he immediately noticed a terrible mess in the living room. He could not believe his eyes – all the books, papers, CDs were scattered on the floor. He had no idea what had happened. He ran upstairs to check on the baby, but Adam was not there. And Anna was gone too. He didn’t think much, but called the police straight away. They told him to keep calm and not to touch anything.
While he was waiting for the police to come, the door bell rang. He ran to the door to open it.
- That must be the police, he thought.
But as he opened the door, he saw his gorgeous son and Anna. He started to shout.
- Where were you?! I was losing my mind! Look at all the mess!
But Anna didn’t say a word. She looked as surprised and shocked as he did.
- Oh my God! Who did this? she asked.
They sat at the kitchen table. A few minutes seemed to be hours.
In Sean’s head there were a million thoughts. "Could it be them?" he thought and ran to pack a few things for himself and the baby.

Part VII of the story (by Diamond)

Sean didn’t know what to do with his child, how to properly look after Adam so that nothing bad would happen to him. He decided to go to his parents who lived in England. Therefore, he sat on the first plane and left the country. The trip was very difficult, because the child was screaming all the time. He needed mother's milk. Sean panicked and wanted to reach his parents' house quickly, because he knew that his mother would know what to do.
At the arrival at his parents' house he was surprised, because the door was opened by a beautiful woman.
- Who are you? he asked, and she answered:
- I live here, I rent a room from your parents. They are currently on a package holiday in Italy.
She looked at him and he looked at her. They both couldn’t look away until suddenly the child started crying. The girl, as if it was normal for her, grabbed the child out off the cradle and brought him into the room. Sean was left stunned outside.

Part VI of the story (by Teresa)

After a while, when he had cooled down a bit, Sean noticed that he was alone. “Where is Sue?” he thought. In another room he found a note:

Sean, I am in a big, really big trouble! I have to run away! Take care of our son, please! Sue

- Wow! What is going on? Where is she? he wondered.
Then he heard some steps behind the door.
- Thanks god! She’s coming back. Too many surprises for one day! he kept on talking to himself.
With a strong kick and big noise the door burst open and Sean saw two massive men in black suits.
- Where is this fucking bitch? one of them asked.
- I… I don’t know. She… she has gone. I don’t understand what is going on, Sean asked confused.
- Oh yeah?! You don’t understand! And maybe, you know nothing about the money and the package from South America? Jules, who is this? What is this? A fucking joke? asked the other one.
- Vincent, slow down, let’s first look around and then we can ask this skinny gay questions and... don’t worry, I am sure he is going to tell us everything. Everything!!! said Jules with a wicked smile on his face.
When they moved and started to make mess, Sean in one second decided what to do. He put the sleepy Adam very gently into a wooden basked, and slowly and quietly moved into the next room and jumped through the window. Father and son, they both disappeared in the darkness.

Part V of the story (by Iwona)

When they were driving, Sue began a conversation.
- You know, that night in front of the bar it was not a coincidence. I was looking for you. I wanted to talk with you because I have something very important to say. I'm so glad that you're okay after that fainting.
Sean was confused, he didn't know what to think about it all. When they had parted a few months before he felt that she was ready to kill him with her bare hands, and now she was kind and caring. His thoughts were whirling in his head, maybe it was some trick or something worse. But he could have never predicted what would happen in a moment.
When they arrived at Sue’s place, there were plenty of toys and clothes for children. First he thought, "She's really crazy." But Sue, ahead of all his questions, went to another room and brought an infant, and said to Sean, “Have a look at your son Adam.”

Part IV of the story (by Lukas)

After a while, the monitor showed there were clear jumps on the line, a significant return of heart rate. A few seconds later, Sean opened his eyes, looked around and asked where he was and what had happened. The doctor said to him that he was lucky that he had been brought to the hospital quickly. He got a brain concussion and he should not have gotten drunk, but instead immediately gone to the doctor. He wanted to explain, but she was first and admitted to suggesting another drink, and that she had not known that it had been such a serious situation.
The next day he was discharged from hospital. He went outside the building and saw Sue waiting for him in the car.
- Thank you for coming. Maybe you want to go for breakfast? There's a good restaurant around the corner, he said.
- No, thank you, I'm not hungry. But can we go to my place for coffee?

Part III of the story (by Chris)

- Never mind. She will think whatever she wants... he thought.
- It’s time for a few glasses of whiskey. This should help you get over and forget about the whole shebang, she broke his thought.
When he was swigging another glass of Bushmills, suddenly all the world turned around before his eyes. He fell down on the floor.
- Oh my god, Sean! He’s not breathing!!! Can somebody help me?! Sue called out.
It created confusion in the pub.
- Everybody stand clear! I'm a doctor! said someone in the crowd.
- Call an ambulance!
When he was giving Sean mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the ambulance arrived. Three paramedics got Sean on a stretcher and sped to St. James's Hospital where the doctors continued the struggle for his life. Unfortunately, a thin and horizontal line appeared on the heart monitor.

Part II of the story (by Szymon)

“Hey you, watch where you’re going!” he heard behind his back. He wanted to turn around and apologize, but again ran into someone. This time he didn't hear anything. He just felt a strong pain in the jaw and suddenly the night was lit up with a thousand stars. When he was waking up, he saw her. Sue was standing in the crowd and watching him recover.
- What happened? Sean asked.
- I don't really know. We heard there was a fight and we went out, but as I can see, everything is over now.
- Disappointed? he asked.
- Well, you finished like everything else: quickly and miserably.
- Nice to see you again, Sue. Would you like a drink? he asked, cleaning up his trousers.
She didn't answer, but just smiled.
A moment later they were at the bar drinking Bushmills. It took a while before he explained the reason for his attempted escape, but even he didn't believe the excuse about being late to a gig sounded convincing, because – in fact – they were still sitting in O'Niell's.

A story - part I

Please find below the first part of a story that we're going to write together over the course of a few weeks. Each student will be asked to write a part of it (word limit is 120-200 words). Let me begin...

He was going to head for Sweeney’s Bar in Dame Street now, so he downed the remainder of his double Bushmills in one quick gulp. A friend of his was playing an acoustic gig upstairs there in fifteen minutes. He stood up and left O’Neill’s through the bar door on Suffolk Street with a cig tucked in the corner of his mouth. He was trying to light it when he noticed his ex standing in front of the bar and chatting to some girl. He immediately turned around and jumped back into O’Neill’s hoping she hadn’t seen him. “Sean!” he heard just before the door closed behind him. “Shit!” he thought, “She saw me.” He rushed through the Friday night crowd swarming around the bar and headed for the lounge door instead. He thought he would escape that way. And so he did.