Sisters Bonded by Blood
The audio story I listened to was about two sisters, Kai Leigh Harriott and Aja David. When Kai was three and Aja was fourteen, Kai was shot in the back. Now, Kai is fourteen and she has been paralyzed from the waist down ever since.
To start the story, Aja starts from the beginning and describes the setting of the night of the shooting. It was the Fourth of July and Aja and Kai were on their front porch watching and listening to the loud fireworks being set off. This helps to fix the audience in a certain time and place because watching fireworks on the Fourth of July is a tradition most Americans have and can easily relate to and picture mentally.
Aja also uses first-hand recollections from the night. She described how while she and Kai were watching the fireworks and listening to the booms, they heard booms that were definitely not fireworks. She knew someone was shooting around them but didn’t think anyone was shooting at them. When she went inside, she laid down on the floor with Kai and once Kai rolled over, she saw the blood coming from the gunshot wound.
After Aja was done explaining what went on that night, Kai chimed in about how she had found a letter Aja had written her a long time ago. In the letter Aja apologized to Kai because she felt responsible for her being paralyzed. Kai’s inflection changes as she progresses further into her story and you can tell in her voice she starts to get emotional.
At this point, an informal conversation starts between Aja and Kai. They both discuss what happened that night, what could have been done differently to prevent Kai from getting shot, and how nothing was Aja nor Kai’s fault. Once they establish that neither of them are to blame, soft music starts playing. The music kind of eases the mood from the seriousness and lets you know that there is no bad blood between Aja and Kai.
What kept me listening at the beginning, was the interesting story of a three year old being shot in the back, on her front porch, and being paralyzed from the waist down because of it. As I continued listening I realized the story wasn’t solely about Kai, but rather about the relationship that these two sisters share and how this fateful experience bonded them in a way that was anything but negative. Their special relationship was what kept me listening the entire way through.
Listen to the audio story here.
Picture from: http://storycorps.org/listen/kai-leigh-harriott-and-aja-david/
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I like how you bring up the fact that this audio story is more about the relationship between Aja and Kai, and not just a retelling of a story. They spent more time talking about how Aja felt guilty about what happened then about what actually happened. I also like how you pointed out that their relationship was what kept you listening. Often times in audio stories like these, that is what the people pay attention for. If there is no emotion in it, then it would feel too much like news and people would lose interest. The fact that their relationship was the main point of the article was what also prompted me to listen to the entire story.