Read the model below, which begins with the words "Sleep tight, Scottie,"...
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2.
A few years ago [more = ==>] on a skiing holiday I had one of the worst experiences of my life.

My friend and I had decided not to ski that day, the sun was shining and the snow was melting. We had decided, instead, to take the ski-lift to the top of the mountain and have a walk around, taking our picnic lunch with us.

As there was little snow left we met very few skiers and the bar at the top of the lift was empty. After drinking a quick cup of coffee we set out to explore the mountain top. We had lunch, sitting on a rock overlooking a deep wooded ravine. After finishing our sandwiches we decided to walk a little way further before turning back and following the path back to the bar.

The weather changed quite suddenly. We had been too busy to notice the approaching black clouds, but suddenly the sun disappeared and it became quite cold. We decided to turn back immediately and before long, reached our lunch spot. To our horror, however, ew noticed that two paths led away from the spot through the trees. We hadn’t noticed this before, an realized hat we didn’t know which path to take. Although we had a map with us, it wasn’t helpful as it only showed one path through the woods. To make matters worse, it began to snow and we realized that soon we might not be able to find the path at all.

What do you think will happen next?

Despite all this, neither of us panicked and, after a brief discussion, we decided to chose the right-hand path. After about an hour of walking we realized that we hadn’t recognized a single landmark and that the snow was falling faster and faster. What should we do? Should we turn back? It would take an hour just to reach the lunch spot. We would never get back to the ski-lift before it closed at 5 pm. There was no alternative but to carry on or to face a night on the mountain!

I was just beginning to get really frightened when I heard a shout in the distance. We stopped and, after a moment’s silence, began to shout at the tops of our voices. We turned a corner of the path and we saw ahead of us the ski-lift station. We had made it! However, it was not the top of the slope, but the bottom. Without realising it we had walked all the way down the mountain side.

Afterwards, in the safety of the hotel, I realized how lucky we had been and how close to disaster we had come.[/more]

Techniques to begin or end a story.