Samantha Kern

Ms. ​Bulgaris

British Literature

8 May 2019

The Disappearing Act

I woke up this morning and today I got up on the right side of the bed. My face smiled so

big that the creases in the corners of my mouth showed. It was a normal Wednesday; the fog

lifted into the air as the sun rose and I was on my way to pick up my daily coffee. I arrived at the

local coffee shop and held the door open for a mother with a screaming child, not a single thank

you was spoken. At the register I went to put my hand in my pocket to grab the money for my

order, $2.50 every single time. To my astonishment, my hand was no longer there. It was like a

magician waved his magic wand and it vanished. I tried not to rack my brain too much about it

and began my commute to the office. On the highway there was a red minivan that had trouble

entering the lane, so I let the car merge in front of me. I go to readjust my grip on the wheel only

to see that my left arm ​was gone​. Everything remained fine since I only drive with one hand.

When I arrived at work I walked in with three limbs, but I hobbled out with none. Since I had no

feet to reach the gas pedal of my car, I took the bus home. A packed bus was filled with people

shoulder to shoulder. Luckily, I grabbed a seat, but gave it up to an ignorant woman who was

pregnant. My stop came and I looked down to see my entire pelvis area gone. ​I had been

chopped​ in half ​and no one ​around me seemed to ​be concerned​ in the slightest. ​An old

skateboard was perched​ against a stop sign near the bus stop, so I used it to roll my way home

with my head pushing it along. Getting into my house was a problem of its own. By the time I got

inside, the night fell and the sky was black. However, I still remembered to say goodnight to my

neighbors even though they never respond. I fell asleep hoping my body would return in the
morning, but I woke up with only my head left. I cried to myself and the universe. As the salty

filled tears dripped down my face, I attempted to wipe them but had no hands to stop them. I

dedicate my life to ​being kind​ to others, but no one shows their altruism in return. I screamed

out, “why me” as the minutes turned into hours and the hours turned into days. For 3 days I

rested almost lifeless on that bed waiting for some miracle to happen. The third day was my

birthday, I was turning 25. I woke up in utter disbelief as ​my entire body had been restored​ over

night. Stumbling down my wooden stairs still in shock, I walked into the kitchen to find my entire

neighborhood has surprised me with a birthday party. I recognized some ungracious people I

had helped a few days earlier, and they seemed elated they were there to celebrate my

birthday. Although I had my doubts in the beginning, my kind acts do impact other people’s

lives. ​My body may have been taken​ from me, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat to feel

the way I felt when I walked down the stairs that Saturday morning.