First RAFT essay

The animals barked louder and louder every time someone walked into the room full of cages. At one point the noise got so loud that you could hardly hear yourself talk. However, if you listened close enough, you could hear the soft gentle voice of Amy as she coaxed the animals into calming down. No one was gifted like she was; it took her voice alone to communicate to these crazy, seemingly vicious animals. Because of her soothing tone and perfect words, the whole room was suddenly silent and the animals were peacefully resting in their cages. The owner of this rescue center had tried countless companies and methods in order to calm the barking but none worked the magic Amy could. Walking out of the center, anyone could see that Amy was a very professional woman. You could hear her high heels click on the pavement and see a look in her eyes that seemed to display a classy pride. Money was something she would never have to worry about. She could buy anything she wanted and try all the latest products. Unfortunately these pleasures didn't seem to satisfy her. A few left turns and one right at an old side street. The BMW comes to a stop, the doors are slammed shut and locked. She's at her destination. Here Amy will pay a large sum for a small portion she desperately needs. Maybe this time it'll fill the empty void inside her? The engine starts and she's finally on her way home. Two days later Amy wakes up in reality again. The normally filled calendar says she has no appointments today. This means one day to pull herself together once again. Maybe she needs to clear her head first? She sets up the table and grips the paddle in her hand. With her other hand the small plastic ball is dropped and she begins to slowly hit the ball back and forth over the net. Twenty minutes later the game is still going on and the ball is almost impossible to see. A few times it's hit so hard and fast you hear a crack and Amy's picking up a new ball and starting over. There's nothing else to think about: no worries, no appointments, no guilt and no debt. It's just her with one focus- getting the ball over the net. When she finally stops, Amy realizes something. The feeling of emptiness is gone! She's happy and satisfied with what she's doing. This feeling is something that being the best at her job, or any drug she tried never gave her. The next thing she did was make a decision. It was Wednesday and three days from then was the annual tournament she had been waiting for. It was time to train because Amy was going to win. Power bars and Gatorade were the only things she lived off of for the next two and a half days. Pull-ups became a daily routine in order to increase her arm strength. By Friday the paddle and her arm had become a tool to send that ball flying to the other side of the table. She could sense the adrenaline that wouldn't allow her to stand still as she walked up to the table, gripped her paddle and got ready to begin her first match of the tournament. She served first and the ball flew across the table so fast the opponent couldn't hit it. The rest of her games went like this and by the end of the tournament, Amy was given the trophy and declared the winner. Nothing seemed better. Amy finally felt fulfillment. She walked across a long bridge that would lead her to the place where her car was parked. While she was walking you could see the pride in her steps and a happy smile on her face. Any one who passed her could be sure she was a very professional and successful woman Amy pulled her Beats up over her ears and turned her ipod to her favorite song, "Sweet Home Alabama". She closed her eyes, lifted her head up to the sun and began sing along. As she got into the song, Amy began to dance. She was dancing and singing so passionately that she lost sense of direction. One last twirl led her to tripping on the curb next to the railing, losing her balance and falling over the side. People rushed to the railing only quick enough to see her splash, but never come back up.