PSLE Composition Preparation - 2009

Albert Li Jia Wei

Composition Preparations - 2009 PSLE

Albert Li 8/22/2009

Table of Contents COMPOSITIONS ...................................................................................................................................2 Bully ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Bully (Animal) ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 A moment of Folly .............................................................................................................................................. 9 A helping hand ....................................................................................................................................................11 Accident in the park ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Robbery............................................................................................................................................................... 15 Car Accident ...................................................................................................................................................... 17 The diary ............................................................................................................................................................ 19 Barbeque ............................................................................................................................................................. 21 The snake .......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Who am I ........................................................................................................................................................... 25 The harm of drugs .......................................................................................................................................... 28 Let the shark live ............................................................................................................................................ 30 The kite ............................................................................................................................................................ 32 Trapped in a lift .............................................................................................................................................. 33 Burglary ............................................................................................................................................................ 35 Mysterious person in the classroom .......................................................................................................... 37 A fallen tree .................................................................................................................................................... 39 Hero of the day ............................................................................................................................................... 39 Story-telling ..................................................................................................................................................... 39

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Bully I lay on the snow-white bed sheet with a few broken bones and some of my wounds were stitched up. Pain seared through my body, I could not even move a muscle. Either because of the pain or maybe I was still a little woozy from the medicine given to me. Sunlight bathed every inch of the ward and an artificial rainbow lingered across the wall. Thinking about what had happened, I gave a sigh...... It was a fine Tuesday morning, the scorching red sun hung in the azure sky, giving off brilliant rays of sunlight. There was also cotton wool like clouds drifting in the sky to and fro at a relatively slow speed. I sat in class listening to the monotonous rattle of the teacher. The drone of the rickety fan also added to my drowsiness. Just as I was about to doze off, the bell that would liberate us from the wretched lesson sounded. The whole class gave a whooping cheer and dashed quickly out of the classroom without sparing another second. I was of no exception. Following the class, I made a beeline for the school gate. The atmosphere was so hot that even the concrete floor radiated with heat. Mopping my perspiration with my sleeves, I hefted the weight of my heavy schoolbag to my other shoulder and continued trudging on the long journey home in the sweltering heat. I longed to reach home quickly to get a cool refreshing bath and devour my mother‟s lip-smacking cooking. Then, my stomach gave a resounding rumble. I began to think of all the things that I might get to eat, curry fish head, deep fried prawn…… Just then, a shrill scream broke my train of thought. I froze. There the scream came again, I was not dreaming. Curiosity took the better of me and I tip toed cautiously towards where the sound came from, not knowing what was in stored for me. As I was walking I kept questioning myself who it could be. The sound gradually led me to a deserted alley. Then, I stopped suddenly, it was a dead end! Turning around, I was ready to go, by to my utter horror; six pupils of my same age blocked the path and closed in on me, each cracking their knuckles. The leader wore striped T-shirt and black jeans, his hair unkempt. I know him! He is Victor, the school bully. My heart thumped so loudly that I thought they could hear it. Mustering all my courage I spoke shakily, “Good day Victor, surprising to see you here. Hmm… It seems late, I think I should leave.” The gang snickered and sneered. Victor smirked at me, “Not so fast I think… Hand over all your valuables and no one gets hurt, if not...” He threw looks at his side-

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kicks and they nodded. Then I finally realized, they want to extort money from me, I felt my legs turning into jelly. Gathering all the courage, I was ready not to go without a fight even if it meant being hurt. Leaving my bag behind me, I said, “No point asking Victor, I would give you my valuables when hell freezes over.” A look of disbelief spread across his sun tanned face and then, it formed a sneer, “Very well, you know the consequences. Robert, John, Tom, Thomas, Vincent let‟s do it.” Edging forward, they attacked me all at once raining punches. I swiftly evaded a dozen of them, but got a kick on the shin and I retreated a few steps. Victor stood a few feet away from me and taunted at me, “One last chance boy.” I quickly recalled my Judo moves and prepared a blocking stance. They came again and I gave one of them a jab in the stomach and another one, a punch in the eye, but I was easily outnumbered. Soon I received multiple bruises, but I persisted not to let them rob me. Fighting with all the strength I had, I managed to hold them off for a while, but soon, I lost ground and was cowering in a corner, blocking with my arms. Victor meanwhile approached my bag with interest in his eyes and proceeded to open it. Then, I gave a scream of rage and that gave me a sort of new strength, I bashed away the two boys in my way and dashed towards him. But then, the other three boys were upon me and this time they sent me reeling towards the wall and I slumped onto the wall, crumbling into a heap. They continued kicking me and purposely stepping forcefully on my fingers. Every inch of my body ached and complained, but there was just nothing I could do. Then the boys stooped and went back beside victor. Victor had opened my bag and turned it upside down. My books tumbled out on by one, then my wallet and then my hand phone clattered to floor. I wanted to go there and shake him as hard as I can and give him a punch in the eye, but my body won‟t obey, I could only look. They took all the money in the wallet and smashed my hand phone on the ground, then laughing and taunting me, they left. After what seemed like an eternity, I crawled towards my phone, pain throbbing in my legs. Reaching it, I turned it on and I smiled to myself thinking, “I always believed that Nokia was the trustiest brand.” I quickly called the ambulance myself and also called home, telling my worried mum what had happened in brief words, straining to keep myself from blacking out of the pain that kept nagging at me. Soon, sweat beaded my forehead and I could not help but moan, wishing death in every second of the waiting. The siren of the ambulance permeated through the hot evening air.

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I was lifted on the stretcher when everything swirled about me, turning blurrier and blurrier, and my consciousness slipped away. When I regained consciousness, I saw nothing and all I heard was an angel sobbing, crying out my name, “Albert!” The angel sounded so sad, as if she was in pain. The angel was weeping loudly. The angel shouldn‟t weep, it was wrong. Then, pain broke through the darkness to me, it was excruciating. I felt another sharp stab in my leg. No, this cannot be heaven; there was too much pain for that. “Ouch…” I groaned and with full force, I broke through the last of the darkness, my eyes fluttering open. I couldn‟t see anything clearly; something dark and warm was clouding my eyes. Then, I realized, I was in the hospital and my mother was weeping beside me. When she realized that I had come to, she sounded half shocked, half surprise and quickly called for the doctor. I was lucky to be alive as afterwards, I was told that I had several broken ribs and a broken leg. Then, the voice of the nurse calling to me to take my medicine jolted me back to reality and I shrugged my shoulders, swallowing the bitter and disgusting medicine. This incident will always be etched in my mind forever.

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Bully (Animal) The horizon melted across the sky, the setting sun nowhere to be seen. A seagull dived across the sky, heading for the horizon. I sat on the sandy beach, staring at the mesmerizing scene. Then, my cat, a brown and white splotched cat came bounding to my side, sitting obediently beside me. Looking at it, a wave of fresh memories came rushing back into my mind, engulfing me in it…… It was a sultry Saturday afternoon, left to my own devices. I sat on my squishy couch, eyes peeled on the goggle box, enjoying my favorite television show, „Zero no Tsukaima‟. Then, the show finally ended, I rubbed my still bleary eyes and gave the clock a quick glance. It was still early, only 3 o‟ clock. Wondering what to do, I stared blankly at the ceiling. Then the telephone started ringing shrilly. Without further hesitation, I dashed to answer it and to my surprise, it was my best friend, John inviting me for a ride in the park. I agreed readily. Like a cat on hot brick, I quickly changed and glanced countless times at the clock in the process, then, I quickly boarded my bike and started cycling towards the park. Though the park was only a stone‟s throw away from my house, then it seemed as if it was miles away. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the park and found John waiting for me there impatiently. I quickly approached him and we began cycling around while chatting about the interesting happenings in school. Just as we were having a whale of our time, a scared „mew‟ and then a crowd of raucous laughter aroused our attention. We quickly alighted from our bikes and then edged nearer and nearer to the direction where the laughter was coming from. Hiding behind a clump of bushes, we peered carefully through the gaps between the leaves to see what had happened. To our utter horror, three teenage boys formed a small circle around a white and brown splotched cat and each was armed with several rubber bands and a packet of soft drink. Then, one of the boys let loose a rubber band striking the cat near the eye, it retreated and the boy behind it let loose another rubber band hitting it on the back and he also edged forward to step on its tail. The cat gave another loud pitiful „mew‟ and it nearly broke my heart. “How dare they do that to such a helpless little cat?”I thought. I began to stand up, but John grabbed my arm and we retreated to a few meters away and John frantically asked me, “What do you want to do? They

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are so much bigger and stronger than us!” I gave a sigh and told him how I felt and I also l told him that bear to see the kitten being bullied and beaten by the teenagers and I turned to go towards the teenager, and john grabbed me again and tried his best to persuade me not to go, but I would not listen, the commotion aroused the attention of the teenagers and they came out, looking at what had happened. When they saw us, they snickered and asked, “What business do you have here kid?” Anger started to boil within me and I longed to go up to him and give him a bash straight in the face, but I had to suppress my anger and said, “I may be a kid but at least I know it is wrong to hurt innocent animals unlike you dunces.” The teenagers instantly flared up and were cracking their knuckles. Instantly, I regretted what I had just said. John was standing beside me trembling from head to toe. Then, the leader of the gang snarled at me, “who cares about a rotten ball of fur.” I made a quick dash for the kitten that came limping towards us and then without a second look, I dashed away. John also followed me and kept looking backwards, but to our surprise, the teenagers did not chase us, maybe because they felt that it was not worth it to chase us. After running for quite a long distance, we stopped to catch a breath. I also stopped to take a look at the kitten, its right leg was bleeding and its blood dyed my shirt red as I held it close to myself just no. Then the kitten started licking its wound. After discussing with John, we decided to bring it to the vet. Upon reaching the vet, we showed the veterinarian and he told us that the kitten was not too badly hurt except for some skin deep cuts. Only then, we sighed in relief. Then, we decided to go home and John said that he had nothing to do with the kitten, so I brought it home. When my parents came home, I related the incident to them and I asked them if I could keep the kitten. At first, they was firm and said no, but after much begging and persuasion, they finally agreed me and requested me to take care of the kitten myself as my mother was afraid that after some time, I would lose interest in the cat and the responsibility of taking care of it would land on her. That, I readily agreed. Suddenly, my cat bounded from my touch and it ran around me, bringing me back to reality. Looking at the sky again, it was turning dark and I gave a sigh ready to get up and go back home for dinner, carrying the kitten in one hand, I set off to home. I was really grateful that I had the chance to come by the kitten. I will devote myself to take care of the kitten for life. That is what it takes to be a responsible pet owner.

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A moment of folly I was gallivanting after school at the nearby shopping mall, Vivo city. My best friend birthday was drawing nearer and I was undecided on what to give him as a gift. I happened to step into candy Empire, a shop known for its branded mouthwatering confectionary and snacks. The quaint little store was, as usual, packed like a can of sardines. Some customers looked dazzled by the wide array of choices while others made a beeline for the desired treats. As I wandered deeper into the shop, I was mesmerized by the expertly handcrafted truffles and the fine Belgian chocolate seashells in lavish packaging, my mouth started watering at the sight of it. So engrossed was I that I paid scant attention to where my feet were taking me. As I pondered over what to buy, my bulky tote bag knocked a few boxes of chocolates off the shelf. Suddenly, a daring idea hit me: I would slip one of the boxes into my bag! My heart pounded hard against my chest and my stomach constricted in fear at the thought of being caught. Yet, the temptation was great. “Everything would turn out to be fine,” I muttered to myself softly, trying to reassure myself. While stealing furtive glances left and right and ensuring that no one was watching, I nonchalantly bent down to pick up the boxes. Unexpectedly, just as I was about to slip one into my bag, someone yanked my arm from behind. I froze. My mouth agape, my heart seemed to stop beating but somehow I could not utter a single word. I had been caught red handed! A flurry of wild thoughts raced through my mind, I had to think fast, to make up a story. Just then, the person who grabbed me asked in a formal and polite tone, “Would you be so kind as to help me out of this shop? You know, moving around is a challenge for the blind.” When I heard that, I was saturated with relief. Mumbling my acquiescence, I hastily put all the boxes back on the shelf before guiding the blind man to the exit. I felt my face burning in shame of having given in to the temptation to steal. After the blind man had left, I hurried off myself.

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As I trudged home empty handed under the scorching heat, I reflected over the incident that had occurred earlier. If the blind man had not appeared at the opportune time, I would not have, I would have had to face the grave consequences of my actions. It was he who had inadvertently rescued me from that moment of folly, and for that, I was grateful to him.

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A helping hand Thump. Thump. Thumpity-thump. My heart beat erratically in my chest and was so loud that it nearly drowned out the sound of the recess bell ringing in the background. Sweat beaded my furrowed brow. That morning, without any warning, my form teacher had asked to see me during recess. Puzzled and alarmed, I could only towards the staffroom in dread, deaf to the animated chattering of my classmates as they ran off to enjoy their thirty minutes of freedom. I racked my brains, but I was unaware of any transgression I might have committed. What could I have possibly done? I wondered. Preoccupied with my worried thoughts, I barely registered the muffled crying of the toilets. What finally caught my attention was the loud honking of a noisily blown noise and another round of fresh sobbing. Perplexed, I pushed the toilet door open and went to investigate. The noise was coming from the last cubicle. Creeping forward as quietly as I could, I approached the mysterious sobbing child and gently knocked on the cubicle door. “Is everything alright?” I enquired softly. I was going to be late for the meeting with my teacher, but comforting this mysterious person seemed more important at that moment. To my surprise, the cubicle door opened and swung open to reveal a grubby faced girl of about ten years old. Swollen red eyes peeped up at me, and a small fist reached up to brush away the stray tears. Launching herself at me, the girl buried her face in my chest and burst into another round of tears. With a start, I realized that it was none other than my best friend‟s younger sister! “Rosaline, what‟s wrong?” I asked worriedly, giving her a warm hug. “The boys…the boys…they…” she wailed brokenly, “They…they‟ve taken my homework and thrown it in the school pond!” My heart immediately went out to her. It had been three years, but I still vividly remember a similar incident that had taken place at the very same pond. Some bullies had

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dumped my book bag in the water and left me in tears. Fearful of my teacher‟s wrath, I never told anyone the real story. This time however, I knew what to do. “There, there. Come with me. I‟ll help you sort this all out,” I assured her, and Rosaline scrubbed away the last of her tears. Together, with her small hand in mine, we headed towards the staffroom. My teacher looked pointedly at the clock when we entered the room. Seeing my sniffling companion however, she put aside her irritation at my lateness and asked, “Jennifer, what‟s this?” She listened patiently to our tale. Nodding, she promised that she would explain the situation to Rosaline‟s teacher and to ensure that the little girl would not be unfairly punished. As I turned to walk Rosaline back to class, my teacher called out, “Wait, Jennifer, I nearly forgot to tell you, I wanted to commend you for helping your classmates with their mathematics. This incident only goes to show your civic-mindedness even more. I‟m proud of you.” My usually stern teacher smiled at me, a warm feeling welled up in my chest and I beamed back at her. We did not actually catch the bullies in the end, but seeing Rosaline‟s relief and my teacher‟s rare smile, I realized that taking the time to lend a helping hand is always worth the extra effort.

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Accident in the park “Last one to the park is a giant buffalo!” I hollered breathlessly as I looked over my shoulders to see my younger siblings, Alex and Kim, frantically trying to catch up with me. As usual, Grandfather trailed closely behind, watching over us like a hawk over its chicks. “Hurry up, grandpa! We have to get to the park before we miss the ice cream truck again,” I pleaded, desperate to savor a cold, sweet stick of chocolate ice cream in the sweltering heat. At the park, Alex and Kim made a beeline for the playground; I never understood it but they could spend hours rocking themselves silly on the spring riders. A creature of habit, Grandfather took his place on the park bench and browsed through the papers while I was left to my own devices. With my trusty ball, I decided to hone my football skills for the upcoming tryouts for the school team. Dribbling the ball, I was so thrilled at how well I was playing that when the ball rolled onto the bicycle track. I thoughtlessly ran to retrieve it, paying no heed to the upcoming traffic. In a split second, I heard a deafening ruckus. I turned in time to see two rowdy boys on their mountain bikes speeding in my direction. Stunned, I stood rooted to the ground as the ground as the boys hollered hysterically for me to get out of their way. We were headed for a head on collision. I was petrified, like a deer caught in headlights. Squeezing my eyes shut, I was screaming in my head, “I‟m going to die! I haven‟t even had my ice cream yet!” A feeling of utter helplessness gripped me as I waited to feel the impact of cold, hard metal. Seconds passed. A cold rush of wind hit me as macabre images of bloodied faces and the broken limbs flashed in my mind. Then, a chorus of shrill cries echoed in my ears. Crash! “Ahhh!” a scream was all I could I could muster but realizing that I was unscathed, I gradually recovered my wits. Surveying the aftermath, it dawned on me that the boys had swerved in the nick of time. All this while, my ball was sitting pretty in the middle of the track.

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“Are you hurt?” asked Grandfather anxiously as he rushed to my side. Mortified, I shook my head and pointed to the bushes. Alex and Tim tried to help as the boys gingerly disentangled themselves from the twigs and their mangled bicycles. Fortunately, the bushes had cushioned their fall so the boys only suffered minor bruising. Nonetheless, Grandfather insisted on having a doctor ascertain that their injuries were merely superficial. After visiting the doctor, grandfather took us to an ice cream parlor and ordered each of us a sundae. As we were stuffing our faces, I chatted with my new found friends, John Matt, whom I discovered were also avid footballers. We talked animatedly about everything from real Madrid to Ricardo kaka until it was time to head home. The near accident found me new friends to play foot ball with every Friday afternoon in the park. Serendipity sometimes has ways of making life more interesting than it is.

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Robbery The sun was slinking into the deep green of the hills to the west of the valley, the red and gray-pink of its shadow touching the corners of the land. There was a slight chill in the evening air. It was time for me to go home from work. I gave a weary yawn and followed the familiar path, which I had travelled for a hundred times, with my eyes as I trudged wearily along. Then, I had no inkling of what was installed for me. The moon now hung in the sky and a thousand of twinkling star looking at me with shiny eyes. I was still far from home. Left with no choice, I decided to take a short-cut, across a deserted path. As I walked, an eerie feeling spread over me and I hastened my footsteps. The deep silence was unsetting to me. The leaves rustled slightly in the wind adding to my fright. Just as a block of flats appeared visible to me, a huge black shadow appeared so abruptly in front of me and intercepted me. He was dressed in total black and only his glistening eyes were visible. In his hand was a long thin threatening dagger, gleaming like gems under the bright lights of lamp nearby and with a ruffled voice he said, “Do not make a single noise! If not...” He guided the dagger through the air in a series of complex slashing movements, threatening to cut me into shreds. Then with one of his palm out, he hissed venomously. “Give me all your money now and I will let you off with your life if not, today is your death date.” My heart froze in terror and my mind went blank, all I could do was to obey. When I regained my composure, I was handing all my money to the robber; I was shocked at what I was doing. I hesitated as I passed him my last wad of notes to him. Once had had taken all the money, he even demanded for my jewellery, my ring and earrings. They were all snatched from me. After he had claimed all my valuables, he made a dash for the nearest path. I immediately whipped out my trusty Nokia hand phone and jabbed “999”. I had furnished the police who received the phone with all the information that he needed, I hung up and started to try spot the robber, but in vain. It seemed like an eternity after the police finally arrived. A few of them combed the area for the robber and one of them remained to take down my personal statement. After that, I was allowed to go home. They also reassured me that they would try their best to catch the thief. When I returned home, I related the incident to my family members; they were shocked, but relieved that I was not hurt.

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The next day, the police contacted me that the robber had been caught and most of my possessions were recovered. Only my earrings were sold. I was so happy like a little bird which had just learnt to fly soaring into the deep blue sky. Since then, I never attempted to go by the short-cut again. Every time, I see that road, it brings back this memory. This will be etched in my mind for years to come and I hope that history will not repeat itself again.

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Car Accident The horizon melted across the sky, the setting sun nowhere to be seen. A seagull dived across the sky, heading for the horizon. Nelson lay on the snow-white sheets in the hospital and the smell of the disinfection made him want to puke. Looking at his broken leg casted, it brought tears to his eyes. The tears streaked down his face leaving sparkling streaks. A wave of fresh memories then came rushing back into his mind, engulfing him in it…… The sun hung blazing in the azure sky, its heat beating mercilessly down on Earth, even the concrete floor radiated with heat. Nelson sat in class, listening to the teacher rattling off about how levers and pulleys worked and he struggled to keep his still bleary eyes open. The whirring of the rickety fan added to my drowsiness. Just as he was about to doze off, the bell that would liberate them from that dreaded ordeal sounded shrilly. Students immediately rushed out of the classroom and Nelson was of no exception as he made a beeline for the school gate. He jostled through the big crowd of parents waiting for the children. He distinctively saw the green man flashing and was struck between a dilemma, to dash across the road or wait for the next green man. Everyone of his muscle screamed for him to dash across the road, but the other part of him reasoned out that it was too dangerous. Then he threw caution to the wind and decided to dash across the road since he did not want to waste time waiting for the next green man as he longed to get home for a cool refreshing bath. He shut his eyes and ran at full speed, heading for the other side of the road. By the time he opened his eyes; he looked around and realized he was at the middle of the road. He chuckled silently at himself and he looked at the lights, they were already red, then terror drowned his heart. He quickly hastened his steps and continued charging forward. He did not realize what was in store for him. Unknown to him, a spanking new Ferrari sports car was speeding in his direction in a breakneck speed. Then, he suddenly realized what was about to happen and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact to come. A macabre of bloodied images flashed through his head and he muttered a silent prayer the car would somehow miss him or swerve to avoid him. But unfortunately, Lady Luck was not with him that day and there was a loud „THUD‟ and a jarring impact of metal on flesh, and Nelson was sent flying a few feet away and the car screeched to a halt. An excruciating pain slashed through Nelson‟s right leg and he wanted to scream but his body would not obey and he was flung onto the ground. The last thing he remembered was the sky spinning around him and everything lost focus and darkness

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engulfed him. The driver came rushing out to see what had happened and when he saw Nelson, he screamed out in terror. He stood dumbfounded, rooted to the ground. Then, he regained composure and whipped out his trusty hand phone and summoned the ambulance along with the police. By then a large crowd had gathered. Loads of passers-by were talking to each other about what had happened. The ambulance arrived after an eternity and paramedics burst out of it and carried Nelson on a stretcher into the ambulance and with its siren permeating through the afternoon air, he was brought to the nearest hospital for emergency surgery… Nelson finally regained consciousness and he heard two nurses conversing outside the ward. “This boy is lucky to be alive, his injuries are so severe.”The first one said. The second one replied, “It was also a part of his will of survival that helped.” Nelson broke through the last boundaries of darkness and saw light. The disinfection smell made him puke. His parents were pacing up and down around his bed. His mother‟s eyes were puffy from crying. When they saw that he had come to, they quickly notified the doctor and he came rushing and checked on him. Then, he felt his eyes grow hot and tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheek. He silently muttered, “I‟m sorry, I shouldn‟t have dashed across the road…” The call of the nurse for him to take his medicine brought him back to reality. He gave a sigh and took his medicine swiftly without a fuss. This was all the consequences of his moment of folly. We must all realize that we must always put our safety at first priority and not put ourselves in risk due to a moment of folly. Our lives are the most precious thing!

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The Diary The radiant rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains. There was a light breeze and cotton-wool like clouds hovered above in the sky. The birds outside my window twittered incessantly as if commanding me to wake up. Unwillingly, I drag myself up and opened my stillbleary eyes. It dawned on me that it was a Saturday and I had decided to clean up the store room the previous day. Giving a sigh, I finally got off bed went to the bathroom to freshen up. After a hasty yet sumptuous breakfast, I set to work at the storeroom. As I stood at the entrance of the storeroom, I was horrified by the ugly sight. Clothes, luggage bags, old toys were strewn all over the place. I took a deep breath and set to work, sorting everything out. Just as I was in the midst of taking a few boxes out of the room, a huge brown envelope beneath the big pile of dump caught my eye. Approaching it cautiously, I was puzzled about what was inside. I took one edge of it and I yanked it out, but the flimsy paper bag split and the content remained stuck beneath the dump. When, I took it out, I realized that it was a floral notebook and on it I made out a faded, large, neatly written word „Diary‟. Out of curiosity, I flipped it open to a random page and started reading the first sentence. To my surprise, it was my primary six diary book. I was both surprised and shocked. As I proceeded reading the diary entry, fresh memory fluttered back to my mind and engulfed me in it… „Come on, don‟t cheat Albert, you know it is wrong, if you are caught, the consequences are terrible. You should know that don‟t you?‟Hong Zhi persuaded me. But I reassured him that everything was going to be fine and nothing was going to go wrong if he did not let the cat out of the bag. The PSLE exam was just round the corner and Hong Zhi even offered to help me revise, but I rejected the offer. I was determined to carry out my plan to cheat. I could not bear the thought that my best friend would go to a better school than I did just because I did not do as well as him. When we were back in class, the teacher requested to meet me after school at her office. I thought that she just found me not listening in class and wanted me to give her an explanation and thus, I began mentally preparing an excuse for not listening in her class. After the lesson, I slowly trudged to her office and knocked on the door a few times. There was a commanding voice saying, „Come in‟ and I pushed the door open and entered the room. She

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gestured me to sit down and I did, quietly, sitting down on the chair opposite her. Her face suddenly turned serious and stern and told me, “I know your plan for the coming PSLE, a joke or not, I advice you not to cheat, if you are caught you whole life is ruined. Please consider your actions again.” Instantly, my heart skipped a beat and my face instantly turned tomato red from the embarrassment. How did she know of my plan? Just then I thought of Hong Zhi and tears flooded my eyes. How could he? How could he betray the trust I had placed in him. All along, he was not a true friend. My nail dug deep into my palms and I turned to walk out of the office. As I exited the office, I saw Hong Zhi‟s tear stained face and he murmured, “I had no choice, I just did not want you to be caught…So I told the teacher…”Before he could finish, I flew into a fit of rage and I screamed at him, “You are really such a „good‟ friend. I placed all my trust in you and yet you betrayed it. How could you. Let me tell you this once and for all, we are not and will not be friends forever from now onwards.” Then I brushed her aside with tears streaming down my face, leaving sparkling trails. When the exam results were released, we went on separate paths and we lost contact and we never heard of each other again. Now as I look back, I truly regret what I had done then. Why was I so hot headed? If it was not for him, I would not have been who I am today! Instead, I should have thanked him; he saved me from that moment of folly. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I sobbed silently for a long time and hoping that he stilled lived where he once did, I posted a letter to him, expressing my apology and hope that we could let bygones be bygones and be friends again. Soon, I received a reply from him written in his familiar handwriting, “Never mind, I am very grateful that you have forgiven me. It was also a part of my fault that we lost contact for so many years. I hope that we can continue to be best of friends.” Tears of joy flooded my eyes and I immediately went to visit him and I was glad that he was still the Hong Zhi that I had once known. I vow that I would never part with him ever again.

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Barbecue Looking into the mirror, Vijay grinned widely. It was my fourteenth birthday and his parents had finally agreed to hold me a birthday party at the barbeque pit adjacent to his block of flats. Clad in his Sunday‟s best and his hair gelled, he waited impatiently for his guests to arrive. He strutted carefully to where my parents were and help to make sure that everything was ready, food and games. Vijay could hardly contain my excitement then as I wished that the part could start earlier and last for an eternity. Gradually, the guests began to come; each of them showered Vijay with gifts and well wishes. He longed to open the presents and see what was inside. That night, she had a whale of a time mingling with her guests and feasting on the large delicious variety of food ranging from chicken wings to fish. In a twinkling of an eye, the party was nearing an end and the guest left unwillingly one by one as the time was close to midnight and their parents might be worried. Vijay‟s parents were also immensely tired after all the tiring preparations and left Vijay alone with his friend, but they forgot to tell him that he had to take the responsibility of cleaning the barbeque pit up before vacating it. Vijay bade his last few friends good bye and lugged all his presents home in three big plastic bags. Her parents were long asleep. He lay on the bed with the party clothes and drifted into sweet dreams. In the middle of the night, stray cats came rummaging through the uncovered dustbin and trash bags for remnants of the food to satisfy their hunger. Cat fights even occurred, aggravating the mess. The next morning, the residents were greeted by an ugly sight of bones, used plastic plates, cutlery and utensils strewn all over the place. A foul smell was emitting from them and the residents had to pinch their noses while walking past. An irate housewife lodged a complaint to the Town Council, which was responsible for renting out barbeque pits. At ten o‟ clock, he was rudely awoken by the doorbell and he went to see who it was. To his utter horror, it was the Town Council representative and he slapped Vijay with a hundred dollar fine after a long lecture about why we should keep the barbeque pit clean after using it. Vijay learnt his lesson in the hard way and he had to fork out the money from his own savings. He learnt a very important lesson of maintaining the cleanliness in public. From then on, he vowed never to book a barbeque pit ever again too.

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The Snake The twittering of the bird sounded clearly over the horizon. The sun gave off dazzling rays of red light, lighting everything up brightly, the trees, the sea. The clouds matched perfectly as it glowed with a pink tinge. I lay on the soft white sheets of the hospital bed. My surrounding answered to my conditions, blood drips, bloody bandages and loads of fruits and get well cards sprawled all over the small room. I am physically injured and pain kept searing through my body, but my heart for helping friends and will to survive remained as fresh as ever, uninjured and ever strong. I had done a good deed, what a scout should have done. Fresh memories of the incident came flooding back into my mind, engulfing me in it…… „Tick… Tock‟ the grandfather clock ticked as each second passed by. I was like a cat on hot bricks, dressing up and checking that I had brought all the necessary items. Soon the last ten minutes eased past and it was time to leave. It was going to be my first time going for a camp and was unclear of what could happen. But all the praises my brother gave for the camp let my imagination run wild and it drew a marvelous picture of the campsite causing my excitement to build up further until I could hardly contain it anymore. Overwhelmed with excitement, I dashed for school, not wasting a single second. When I reached school, I realized that the bus had also just arrived, what a close shave, any later and I would have been skinned alive by the scoutmaster. I took a seat by the window and waited and the bus began to go on its journey towards its destination, the campsite. I looked out of the window and enjoyed the slight breeze. Vijay, my best friend sat beside me and kept shooting questions at me. I was immensely annoyed and I hissed, “Shut Up for a moment could you?” Then, Vijay stopped and looked away. Looking out of the windows, trees flashed past me and the breathtaking view of the paranomic scene amazed me and I could not help but look out, with mouth agape. My eyelids grew heavy and I drifted into a sweet sleep… A loud shout rudely awoke me from my sleep and I was relieved to find that it was not a teacher but my scout mates cheering as we had arrived at our destinations. I reluctantly dragged myself up and trudged off the bus with all my belongings. We started playing and we all started to play happily enjoying ourselves and having a whale of a time. We played, rope-climbing, rock climbing, sky diving and all sorts of exciting sports. Laughters of joy filled the air. I felt myself go free, my soul and my body split. By that time, Vijay and I already made up and we were playing together, enjoying ourselves. Once, when we were in the canoe, I nearly fell into

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the sea. But Vijay extended his long muscular arms to catch me. Soon we were all worn out too. After having along afternoon of playing, evening soon came and we came together and the scouts master taught us how to pitch the tent and told us to try it ourselves. I tried, but I failed and I set off to try again, but to no avail. At my tenth try, I finally gave up and collapsed on the ground under the heat of the scorching sun, burning over us as if lambs cooked. A teacher then approached me and told me to try again, but I related my plight to her, but she persisted for me to try again. The thought of failing again overshadowed me, but how can we not listen to a teacher? I gathered myself up and tried again, with the teacher helping me through the whole process and to my delight, I succeeded! Then, I was on cloud nine! Soon, the scout master ordered us to prepare to cook dinner. He delegated the tasks of picking firewood, scooping water and making the fire among us and I was asked to pick fire woods. I gracefully bounded into the „forest‟ to pick the woods. Soon, with a huge bundle of fire woods in my hand, I returned to the campsite. On my way back, I was happily humming a familiar melody of my favourite song „The heart never lies…‟ and a piercing scream caught me off guard and I nearly jumped out of my skins. I swiftly turned to the direction of the sound and what greeted me was a yellow eyed pink puff adder. It was one of the world‟s most poisonous snakes, saw Vijay and started slithering towards him lazily and I sensed the danger that was imminent. Swiftly, I took out a long and sturdy stick and I gave the adder a smack on the head and it glared at me. Turning its full attention to me, I darted towards me at an extraordinary speed and aimed for my leg. First, I evaded it and then, it coiled onto the stick I was holding, before I could throw in into the stream, it darted for my forearm and its fangs, dripping with poison pierced right through my skin and it was as if I could feel the ice cold lethal poison spreading through my body, edging closer and closer to my heart and I knew that if it did reach my heart, my life was over. Everything turned blurrier and blurrier. MY arms would not obey me and when I just wanted to scream my lungs out, I could not. My whole world seemed to be spinning round and round at high speed and my mind started fogging up and then there was pitch black. The last thing I remember was lightning tearing the sky into two. When I woke up, I smelt the smell of disinfectant and I felt like throwing up. I hated this place, with floral prints all over the wall and my puffy eyed mother lay beside me. When she realized that I had come to, her face showed immense relief and the doctor checked me again for any other injuries. I was unknown to the fact that I was going to be famous the next day…

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The next day, when I woke up, Vijay came rushing into the room with a set of newspaper and showed me the headlines, “Boy saves friend from snake” splashed across the headlines and I was dumbfounded, unable to find the words to say. Vijay then murmured to me, “Thanks Albert, for saving my life…I really owe you one.” I just shook it off with a smile and a laugh, then, I told him that that was how true friends should be. Suddenly, the call of the nurse for me to take my medicine brought me back to reality and I was annoyed by the fact that I have to take that disgusting, bitter medicine, but I have no choice. So remember this, dear readers, only a friend in need is a friend indeed. In times of needs, we can know which friends are real and which are just those who hang around with you when they can benefit.

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Who am I? “Mum! I‟m home!”I shouted as I opened the front door. My mother greeted me with a plate of hot pancakes. I sat down and started to eat them. My mother watched me. “I need to do a vocal report on the topic „Who am I‟. Do you mind if I have a look in the storeroom? Besides, when I am done I can help you to tidy up some stuff.” I asked eagerly. “Well… I guess you could Lauren but don‟t take too long” my mother muttered. She looked uneasy. I wondered why. After finishing my pancakes, I shot up the stairs to the storeroom. I opened the door and slowly tiptoed inside. I turned on the lights. “Hmmm…Where shall I start?”I wondered to myself. I decided to start from the far end of the storeroom. It sure was eerie inside the storeroom. There were some old newspaper clippings and pictures of my ancestors. I flipped through all of them. Strangely, none of them seemed familiar. Our surnames were all the same but physically, we looked very different from each other. Disheartened, I decided to give up. All of a sudden, there was a small voice in my head telling me to continue the search. Somehow, I had a feeling that I would find out a lot about myself if I continued to stay on. I decided to have a look at some of the old uniforms lying in the centre of the room. As soon as I took off some of the uniforms, a few brown boxes appeared. I opened them. They were full of lots of old disco clothes from the 70s and 80s. “Oh well, at least I can tell that my ancestors were disco divas!” I muttered to myself and with a few kicks I sent all the boxes across the room. To my surprise, I saw a big brown envelope. “What‟s this?” I gasped in wonder. Should I give it to mum or should I open it on my own? I pondered over what to do. I finally decided to open the envelope on my own as mum had not wanted me up here in the first place. As I gently lifted the envelope off the ground, I noticed the address on the top right hand corner of the envelope. It read “The British Adoption Agency, 71 Fleet Street, Birmingham 4022” England? Since when have I been living in England? Why is it the address of an adoption agency? Lots of questions whizzed through my mind but one thing was for sure, whatever that was in the envelope could answer all of them. With sweaty palms, I opened it. Inside the envelope, there were three green folders. In the first folder, there were many letters from all sorts of adoption agencies. All of them had the names of many girls and boys on them and they were all addressed to my parents. They all stated that mum and dad were

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not fit enough to be each child‟s parents as mum was suffering from some sort of illness. I opened the second folder. There were a few newspaper clippings of a girl called „Martha Lauren Purditt‟. Her face looked very similar to mine just that her hair was much shorter. I decided to open the last folder. In the folder there were two pieces of paper and one name card. The name card belonged to Sarah Bridgeton. The first piece of paper was the birth certificate of Martha. The second piece of paper, from what I could make out, was a contract. The handwriting was illegible. Somehow, I had a feeling that the contract was a very important clue in this mystery. All of a sudden, I had a thought. What if Martha Lauren Purditt was me? That would explain a lot of things. Could my parents be thieves? Could they have stolen me from my real parents? Thoughts I never dared to think before popped up in my mind. I just knew I had to find the answers. Not for the report but for myself. I decided that I would just have to ask my parents. At dinnertime, I finally managed to sum up all my courage to ask my parents the question that would probably change my life. “Mom, Dad, did you adopt me?” I asked. My mother burst into tears. My father remained calm and just replied, “Not exactly.”I was fuming. Here he was, telling me calmly that I was adopted and acting as if it was „no big deal‟ when it was a secret that he had been keeping from me for fourteen years of my life. “I hate you!” I screamed. All of a sudden, my father started to get angry. He pushed out his chair and shouted, “You don‟t know how much trouble we went through just to get you! Well, I shall tell you!” My mother started to plead with him but it was no use. “Many years ago, your mother had contracted a very rare disease. It prevented her from having children. She was very sad. She desperately wanted to have a child of her very own. The two of us tried all the adoption agencies in England but our efforts were to no avail. All of them treated your mother as a sick woman. Your mother was so depressed that she even attempted suicide. Then Sarah came along. She was aware of our plight and said that she could give us a child but we had to pay a large sum of money. We did not know how she had got you but you have to understand that we were desperate so we bought you. We moved to America for the fear of being noticed. I hope you are happy now!”After saying this, a tear trickled down his cheek. I decided to go up to my room to think about the days‟ events. That night, I finally decided what I was going to say tomorrow.

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“Lauren! It‟s your turn!” my English teacher chimed. I strode up to the front of the class and said, “Hi! I‟m Lauren” then I paused for a while. “Lauren Jacqueline Johnson!” l added with a smile. Even though I only said a few words, I feel that I have finally realized who I really am.

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The Harm of Drug “Leila! Leila! Wait for me! Where are you going?” I cried in agony. My pleas fell on deaf ears and my one and only sister turned around and shouted. “Andrea! Stop being so nosy, you tattle-tale! I hate you! Go away!” Leila ignored my pitiful cries and continued walking away with a group of her so called “friends”. One of the boys had locked me inside the janitor‟s room and now, I was pounding my fists on the door. I was crest-fallen. How could Leila have done such an awful thing to me? I was her sister! Just yesterday I had heard from a girl in her class that she and a few of her other friends had been playing truant and had been loitering round the neighborhood. Goodness knows what she could be up to now. Just then, I spotted a shiny hair pin in the corner of the room. I had a brainwave. I grabbed the pin and started to fiddle around with the lock on the door. “Come on! Don‟t let me down now!” I muttered under my breath. After trying for around fifteen minutes, the lock finally gave way and fresh air filled the stuffy room. I ran out of the room, glad that I was finally out and paused for a brief moment. Where could Leila have gone? Come on Leila! Think! I decided to look around the neighborhood and without a second thought; I raced out of the school gates. “Leila! Where are you? It‟s Andrea!” I shouted into the dark and gloomy alley. The only response I received was a faint echo of my words that I had shouted out. I kicked a stone and stared at the ground. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a not pink wallet. I sighed. Pink was Leila‟s favorite color and to make matters worse she had a wallet just like that. Wait! That could be Leila‟s wallet. I picked the wallet up and I checked it. Yup! It was Leila‟s alright. A picture of Leila during the rock festival last month was pasted on the inside. I quickly started to run down the alley, hoping that I would find Leila. I stepped on a small packet of something. A shiver went down my spine. I really hoped that it was not what I thought it was. I did not dare to pick it up. I continued to walk into the dark alleyways. I thought of Leila. I decided that to make me feel better, I would start to play the tune in my head. At first, it was very quiet, but after a while, the humming got louder and louder. I looked up and saw two teenagers grasping cans of beer and singing the same tune. They were getting dangerously nearer to the edge. There were a few others but I could really make out their faces.

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“DRUNKIES! TYPICAL!” I thought to myself. I was very disheartened after mu long search and decided to go home. It was a very long way home and by the time I got back, it was almost 9 o‟clock. “Leila will be home!” I thought to myself. “Safe and sound” I added with a grin but when I entered the room, I was shocked and dumbfounded. My mother was crying and sadness was written all over her face. My father was standing at the window. His face was grim and his eyes looked lifeless. I stood rooted to the ground and waited for an explanation. It was clearly not one that anybody wanted to hear. “Your sister… she …she…she was on the top of a roof and humming a song… then…she jumped off!” my mother broke down into sobs. “The police said she was on drugs and she felt high!” upon saying this, a tear trickled down my father‟s face. I was at a loss for words. Where did she jump? I did not see her? Or did I? If finally dawned upon me that my sister was part of the group of drunkies and she had committed suicide without knowing it. “Her funeral is tomorrow. We have arranged it!” My mother cried. It was too much for me I ran up to my room and the day‟s events slowly flashed through my mind. On the 16th of November 2009 a single white rose lay on the grave of Leila Ng Sze Min. the rose looked so pretty, so white, just like Leila herself but the pain of looking at it evoked many memories to mind. Goodbye dear sister, I shall miss you with my heart forever.

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Shark The just-risen sun shone softly on the streets, bringing with it a flurry of morning activity. The clear blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. It was a perfect day for a swim. My older sister and I were up early and getting ready for a day out at the beach.” Ashley! Don‟t forget to bring the sunscreen!” Lauren shouted up the stairs. I was a very forgetful person and it was Lauren who always reminded me about what I had to do. It was Lauren who had talked me into going to the beach. I did not like the sea as I was afraid of water, but nevertheless, I gave in to her persuasion. Lauren loved water. In fact, if given a choice she would rather live underwater than on land. After a hearty breakfast, both of us set off for the beach. “Wow! Look at the water Ashley! Isn‟t it beautiful?” Lauren exclaimed. The sea was a shimmering, dazzling and sparkling blue. I had to kind of admit that Lauren was right, the sea was brilliant! Within a few minutes, Lauren and I were in the water, having a whale of a time. After a while, I started to float on my back. A splash of water landed on my face and Lauren shouted, “catch me if you can!” I swam with all my might, chasing her but I was no match for Lauren. With broad shoulders and a well-built figure, Lauren was simply a giant when compared to me. I noticed that the gap between the two of us slowly grew. What I did not notice was that the gap between us and the shore was growing as well. Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed under my feet. It was so fast that I could only catch a glimpse of what it looked like. It was probably a giant fish or could it have been……A dreadful thought ran through my mind. What if it was a shark? I looked ahead. I could no longer see Lauren in the distance. To my sheer horror, I could no longer see my sister. All of a sudden, I heard a scream.” Help me!” Lauren screeched. It was only then that I realized what had happened. I was absolutely positive about two things. One, my sister was in danger. Two, I needed to save her before it was too late. I quickly grabbed hold of her arms and I pulled for all I was worth. After some time, I was able to pull Lauren away from the shark. She was very badly bitten and I hauled Lauren onto my back and made my way back to the shore. The people on the beach also got wind of the situation and one of them summoned the ambulance. The siren permeated through the warm afternoon air as I accompanied Lauren in the ambulance to the hospital.

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Outside the operation room, my mother was sobbing uncontrollably and my father was standing at the window. His face was grim and his eyes looked lifeless. If looks could kill, I would have withered there and then. Suddenly, the doors of the operation room opened. ” How…is she?” my mother asked. Sadly, the doctor shook his head and said “I‟m afraid she‟s only got a few minutes left. Ashley, Lauren would like to see you. When I stepped inside the room, Lauren was smiling. “Hi Ashley!” Lauren said. I tried to speak but I was choked with tears. “Don‟t cry Ashley, everybody‟s got to die. It‟s just a matter of when.” Lauren‟s heartbeat was fluctuating. “Oh and Ashley, could you grant me my last wish?” Lauren said. I silently nodded my head. “Let the shark live, as a remembrance at least…” And with those last words, Lauren bade a silent good-bye to the Earth and murmured, “And now, for the greatest adventure of mankind…” Peacefully, she passed into the void. Farewell my dear sister. May we meet again someday, wherever you may be.

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The Kite The sun was slinking back into the horizon disappearing behind the sea. Pink rays of sunlight lighted everything pale pink, especially the clouds. The screeching of the sea gulls soaring over the sea could be heard distinctively. When you are walking across the road and hear them you might think it is noise but for me, now lying on the hospital bed, it was music. I was so bored that anything can be interesting. The smell of disinfection made me want to puke. On the walls, there were pink floral prints. On seeing my own broken leg, my vision blurred and my eyes went hot. Pearls of tears trickled down my cheeks and dripped down from my chin, leaving a long tear stain. Memories of this fateful incident flooded back into my mind. That day, I was at home watching my favorite television show „Zero no Tsukaima Futatsuki no Kishi‟. Just then the telephone rang. I was too engrossed in watching the television program to realize telephone ring. My mother immediately snapped at me “Answer the phone!” I reluctantly went to answer the phone and to my surprise, it was Yao Hua, my best friend, whose nickname was Emma, inviting me to fly kite with him at the park a stone‟s throw away from my house. Without hesitation, I asked my mother for permission to go and she agreed. I was like a cat on hot bricks when I changed. I bounded to the park happily, eager to show off my new kite to him. Upon reaching the park, I saw him waiting impatiently. I mockingly said “Sorry Emma.” His head turned immediately and looked as if it would blow at any moment. I quickly apologized and he started examining my new kite with envy. It was a shape of an eagle and was very elegant looking. The feathers appeared as if they were real, anyone who saw it would love it at first sight. Then we decided to fly it immediately, but the crowds of people deterred us from doing so. Suddenly, I had a brainwave. We went over to the other side of the park where it was a slope. Soon, we were running up and down flying, and we had a whale of a time. But just then, misfortune struck. Yao Hua lost grip on the line and let go. The kite flew in the air in the direction of the wind and the wind died down, the kite dropped and was landed on an average height flame of the forest tree in the park. We immediately rushed to the tree and jumped up and down but could not reach it. Just then, I backed away to where the kite tail was and jumped and high as high as we could but could not reach it. When I jumped and landed, misfortune struck. My heel landed on a jagged rock and I fell backwards, falling onto the bicycle‟s path. Just then, I heard continuous ringing of a bicycle

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bell and then, I knew what was going to happen. Light a deer caught in headlights, I closed my eyes and braced for the impact. A macabre of bloody images fluttered through my mind. I felt the hard impact of the metal on my skin and a searing pain shot through my right leg, I screamed and then, all went black. When I regained consciousness, I everything around me coming back into focus and I could vividly hear murmurs of me being hit by a bicycle on the head and it was a miracle that I could survive. Just then my parent rushed to me and hugged me tightly and said “thank God, nothing bad happened.” I fell back onto my bed and saw Yao Hua; He asked “You are fine?” I nodded and grinned weakly. Just then, a nurse calling me brought me back to reality, seems that the next time I would have to be more careful. We must remember that when we are playing, we must remember that safety is always our first priority, we must never endanger our own lives when playing.

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Trapped in a lift It was a typical Tuesday afternoon. I was in class, listening to the teacher‟s droning of how machines worked. The whirring of the rickety fan further added to my drowsiness. Just as I was about to doze off, the bell that would liberate us from that ordeal rang. Everyone rushed out of the classroom and made a beeline for the school gate, I was of no exception. At the school gate, I spotted my younger brother, Bryan waiting for me impatiently. Rushing forward, I waved to him, signaling for him to go home. Together, we walked briskly towards our apartment block. The birds fluttered from tree to tree, twittering non-stop. The tree waved to and fro in the wind as if ushering us along the road. Soon, we reached the lift lobby. When the old lift doors creaked open, we entered, followed by a young business man, clad in a long sleeved shirt and a striped tie. An immaculate old lady entered too, I jabbed the level „18‟ button and retreated to the side of the lift and waited. As the lift approached the fifth level, there was a slight jerk and the lights started to flicker. Then, to our astonishment, they went out with a „pop‟. Then the lift came to an abrupt stop. Bryan immediately started sobbing loudly as fear gripped him. I tried my best to hold back my tears, but to no avail. Then, I was drowned in fear as a torrent of negative flooded my mind. By then, the young businessman was informed and he started pounding the door of the lift madly, with all the strength that he had. Every time he pounded the lift door, it seemed as if the lift door would collapse and break. The old lady meanwhile was heard uttering something like a prayer. Despite the fact that I was frightened by the situation too, I mustered up enough courage and even reassured Bryan that everything would turn out fine. After regaining my composure, I groped around for the emergency button and I managed to locate it and I jabbed it continuously. The alarm reverberated through the air and within seconds, a voice could be heard outside, “Hello, stay calm, help is on the way!” With heavy hearts, we waited patiently for help to come. Minutes seemed like hours and finally, the technicians arrived and we heard the clings and clangs of metal. The lift gave a slight jerk and the electricity was restored. Then, the lift started to move again elevating to the 18th storey. Finally, we reached home; we immediately

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related what had happened to our parents. They were relieved that we were safe and fine despite the trauma. Since that incident onwards, I swore that I would not get into a lift ever again. I had rather walk up the stairs than take the lift. This experience was way too scary and I would never want to go through such an ordeal again.

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Burglary The blazing sun hung in the azure sky. Bits of cotton-wool like clouds hovered in the sky, drifting across the large expanse. Birds fluttered to and fro, from a tree to another, chirping merrily. I was in school, sitting at my table, listening to the teacher rattle off monotonously on how pulleys and simple machines worked. I tried my best to keep my still bleary eyes open. The whirring of the rickety fan above added to my drowsiness. Just as I was about to doze off, the bell that would liberate us from that dreaded lesson rang shrilly. Everyone did not hesitate to dash out of the classroom. I was no exception. As I left the classroom, I quickly made a beeline for the school gate. Jostling my way through the crowds of parents, waiting to fetch their children home, I finally made my way out of school. Trudging under the weight of my heavy bag and the heat beat mercilessly down on me; beads of perspiration formed on my forehead and trickled down my cheek, drenching my shirt. Then I could not help but think of what could have been prepared for me by my mother for lunch as my stomach gave a resounding rumble. How I wished that I could just teleport home that instant and take a cool refreshing bath before having a lunch. I suddenly remembered that I still had tons of homework to complete and that thought made me shudder. Just as I was advancing towards my house, I espied two burly looking men loitering around in front of my neighbor, Mr. Wong‟s house. At first, I did not suspect anything, but then, a thought suddenly struck me. The Wongs were away on a holiday in New Zealand. Could they be…I was terror stricken and I stood rooted to the ground in daze. After a while, I regained my composure. Hiding behind a tree, I decided to observe the men further before I draw a conclusion and confirm my suspicion. A while later, one of the men clad in a checkered shirt began struggling to open the door, but it was locked and would not budge. Then, he gave up and began scaling the gate and jumped to the other side. His accomplice followed him and crossed over into the house. By then, I was sure that were burglars. Without further ado, I rushed into the house, picked up the wireless phone and called the police. It seemed like an eternity before any one picked up the phone. I quickly furnished him with the necessary information and returned to observe the duo‟s movements. Standing near my

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neighbors‟ gate, I could distinctively hear the sound of the burglars ransacking the drawers and cabinets. Minutes seemed like hours, the police finally arrived. They ambushed all around the house and cut off all escape routes. With pistols drawn, we waited patiently for the robbers to come out. Meanwhile in the house, the burglars have noticed the presence of the police. One of the men looked out of the window and spotted the police man by the exit routes. Nevertheless, he did not give up. The man took out a pistol and a dagger. Wielding each in one hand, he approached the back door. With his accomplice behind him, he opened the door and expectantly, two police sprang out and the burglar gave one of them a shot in the thigh and the other, a slash on the shoulder. However, he was too slow for the third police man as he used and club and gave him a slam on the head. Instantly, he fell into a heap and went unconscious. The accomplice also got apprehended without a struggle. The robbers were then pushed into the police car to be sent to jail. The police also praised me for being vigil and alert. That night, I related the incident to my parents and they also gave me thumbs up. The next day, „Vigilant Boys saves neighbor‟s home from thieves‟ splashed the headlines. When the Wongs came back from their vacation, they got to know of what had happened and thanked me profusely and even offered to give me some money, but I declined it as I felt that as neighbors, it is only right that we help each other in times of needs. This incident will be etched in my mind for years to come.

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Mysterious person in the classroom Hm…...what should I eat today? I wondered, staring at the row of stalls in front of me. As usual, the school canteen was packed with student, jostling to their favourite food. As I pondered my choices, the aroma of a bowl of fish ball noodle wafted up my nostrils. “I‟ll have that!” I decided. As I went to join the queue at the noodle stall, I reached into my pocket for my wallet and found that it was not there. “I must have left it upstairs!” Realization dawned upon me as I suddenly remembered having tossed it carelessly into my bag that morning. My heart sank at the thought of leaving the queue to retrieve my wallet from the classroom. Sighing, I made my way back to class, thinking about that bowl of fish ball noodles wistfully. As I entered the classroom, a figure darted out of the back door and sprinted towards the flight of staircase. I caught a fleeting glance of that person before he rounded the corner and disappeared from view. He was dressed in our school uniform! Who is he? What was he doing in our classroom? These questions raced through my mind as I rushed into the classroom anxiously, afraid that this unknown person had stolen something from the classroom. The scene before me was enough to stop me in my tracks. My jaws opened in shock. It looked as if a hurricane had just passed through the classroom. All the bags had been searched, their contents strewn across the floor even some of the chair had been unturned. “Oh my goodness!” I squeaked, stunned. I‟ve got to tell Mrs. Ng! I thought frantically, turning to dash back down the stairs. “Mrs. Ng! There‟s been a theft!” I gasped as soon as I could breathe. I‟d been worrying about the theft all the way down the stairs. I had finally burst into the staffroom just as Mrs. Ng had been leaving. “Where?” Mrs. Ng questioned sharply.

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“In our classroom,” I panted. “Alright, I‟ll go inform your classmates to get back to class. You go and inform the security guard!” she ordered, springing into action. I nodded and raced off again. I quickly located a security guard near the courtyard. After hearing my tale, he rushed out to get of few of his colleagues to fan out and search for the culprit while I returned to class. Within minutes, the culprit was found hiding behind a few clumps of bushes near the school gate. All the missing items were found on him, including my wallet. As the security guard led him towards the general office, he hung his head in shame, and I could see his face was flaming red. Watching him being taken away, I felt sorry for him, I was sure that he was feeling terrible about his crime. I hoped that that would be the last time that he ever stole again. Although the most he would get that time was probably a few scolding and a few smacks, however, he would suffer harsher punishments if he continued to steal as an adult.

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A fallen tree Forked lightning streaked across the grey morning sky, drawing a crazed calligraphy in the air. Rain battered relentlessly down in the windscreen of my car, drastically reducing my vision. I glanced at my watch briefly before looking back at the windscreen. “Boss is going to kill me,” I muttered, resisting the urge to slap my palm on the car horn. This was not the first time I was late for work. The speed of the van in front did nothing to improve my mood. Travelling at a snail‟s pace, it looked as if it was hardly moving at all. “He probably thinks the road is littered with broken glass,” I grumbled. How ironic that simple statement would turn out to be…… Thunder rolled, and a strong wind thrashed above like an angry child, blowing the flame trees to and fro. Leaves whirled in miniature cyclones. The flame trees flanking the narrow, winding road shook like brittle twigs. I was almost certain a tropical rainstorm had hit Singapore. I inched the car forward, careful not to collide into the van in front. Then I heard it: an audible, creaking moan, as though a ghost was nearby, followed by a few snaps. It sounded as if a tree was falling. As I peered at the flame trees, realization hit me like a hammer. A tree was really falling – and it was about to crush the van in front. I slammed my fist against the horn, letting fly a trumpeting blast in an effort to warn the van driver. My efforts were futile, as the vehicle continued edging forward. I could only watch in horror as the scene played before me. A huge flame tree teetered forward, struggling to free its roots from the damp soil. Then, it swung downwards like a sledgehammer right onto the roof of the van. Boom! A shard of glass hit my windscreen. I stared horror-struck at the scene. The tree balanced on the roof of the van. The glass window was shattered. The doors were buckling, protesting under the weight of the tree. Grabbing an umbrella, I opened the door, letting rain fly in like bullets. Slowly, I alighted from the car. Soon, I was hurrying towards the van, carefully avoiding the broken shards of glass littered all over the road.

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Worried about the driver‟s condition, I flung open the van door, trying not to injure that prone figure further. Already, another fellow driver was beside me, wet with rain. I noticed that a young girl at the other side of the road, presumably walking to school with her tiny brother. “Call for the ambulance!” I yelled over the roar of the rain. She nodded wordlessly and whipped out her hand phone. I turned back to the situation at hand. “Hold the door open and shield us from the rain with the umbrella,” the other driver directed while planting a helping hand on the victim‟s shoulder. As he pushed the driver out, a fresh stream of blood coursed down the injured man‟s temple and he moaned something about hearing a horn. My eyes widened with shock at the realization that I could have caused a terrible accident. Soon, we managed to free him from the wreckage and lower him onto the pavement. I stayed by his side, trying to stay calm. I forced myself to look away from the morbid injuries on him. I sniffled. Whether it was because of the cold or because of my guilt, I did not really know. Not long after, I heard the wail of a siren as an ambulance approached. As it stopped, the doors swung open and paramedics rushed out, carrying a stretcher, and rushed back to the ambulance. I found myself left standing in the rain with my umbrella. After staring vacantly in space for quite a while, I finally walked back to my car and got in, while waiting for the tow truck and a National park truck to come clear up the mess. Internally, my mind was in turmoil. Had I really caused the accident? Was it my fault? I tried to think about why I had actually honked. Even though the incident had taken place barely thirty minutes ago, it seemed as if the entire scene had been wiped from my mind. After staring at the wreckage for a few minutes, the reason finally came to me. I had done it to save his life. I had tried to save his life. For once, I felt sure. I had done the right thing.

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Accident in the Park It was a peaceful morning just like any other. I was sleeping like a log hen suddenly, the morning calm was shattered as the alarm clock burst into a chorus of chimes and rings. I opened my still-bleary eyes and quickly closed it again as I was temporarily blinded by the light that filtered through the curtains. The chirping and twittering of the birds outside created melodious tune, it suddenly dawned upon me that my parents had agreed the bring my brother and I to East Coast Park for a wonderful picnic that day, and also to fly our brand new kites. I immediately leapt out of bed and went to the toilet to freshen up. To my surprise, my younger brother, a usual sleepyhead was up, sitting on the sofa, fiddling with his fingers, waiting for the family to wake up. Soon, the family started on the preparations for the picnic. My little brother too joined us. Mother was packing in boxes of cute little sandwiches, while our father, a brilliant baker, whipped up several small cakes of various flavors. The aroma tempted me to pop one into my mouth. But I could not, knowing that my father would definitely not allow it and would rap my finger with the wooden spoon. My younger sibling meanwhile prepared our water bottles. He filled it with water to the brim and capped it up, satisfied with what he had done. Meanwhile, I was in the room packing up extra clothes for me and my brother, I also packed our new kites in the bag. Without further ado, Mum packed all the essential items and we set off to the park in my father‟s spanking new Toyota Camry car. There was a buzz of excitement in the air, and I was as happy as a lark. Then, I had no inkling of what would befall me later. Soon, we arrived at the park and we found a perfect shady spot for our picnic and we unpacked hastily, laying out the checkered picnic mat and mum revealed all the tasty treats with a flourish. The aroma of the snacks suddenly made me ravenous and I quickly gobbled down two cakes at a go as they were simply delicious. While I was eating, I looked around and I saw a boy at about my age bouncing a soccer ball on his knee with deftness and I was impressed. There were large soothing grassy fields surrounding the park. A little lily pond nestled in a corner enhancing the tranquility in the area. There were also tall slender lampposts, fragrant flowering bushes and newly painted benches. Noticing that my little brother had finished eating and was

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licking his fingers, I opened my bag and handed him his kite. I began unraveling my kite and it sailed into the sky and I ran after it. My little brother also followed with anticipation. Just as I was having a whale of a time, concentrating on keeping the kite sailing through the breezes, I had no idea that where I was heading. It was no wonder that I had failed to notice that I was running straight into a deep pit. The next moment, I fell head over heels into the pit and landed with a dull thud. “Ouch! That hurts!” I screamed in agony. A sharp pain throbbed in my left leg and I was overwhelmed with shock. Fearing a fracture, I felt around my leg, but the pain persisted. “HELP! HELP!” I started screaming for help and shortly after, I heard a clamor of footsteps. My mother called out to me frantically, asking if I was alright. My sibling also joined in, peeping around the hole. I could not discern their expression as the sun was against them. MY father then extended his hand and pulled me out as I winced in pain. After I was safely lifted out, I lay on the grass, calming my palpitating heart, and tried flexing my limbs, but the pain was unbelievable and I gave a blood curling scream. Looking at the state I was in, my parents decided to call it a day, but my little brother protested with signs of despondence, but in the end, he understood. While I hobbled towards the car, with my father, helping me, I groaned in agony, not knowing the extent of my injury, I was fraught with worry. My father immediately drove me to the nearby clinic and the doctor confirmed my worst fears, I indeed had a fractured ankle. I had to stay in bed for one whole month. Even so, I was relieved that the harrowing experience was short lived and I felt rueful about ruining the day. This incident would be etched to serve as a warning that I must be more careful in the future when playing.

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The time Sitting on the armchair, I looked out of the window, looking at the lush green trees and listening to the melodious chirping of the birds. My mind wandered off and of fresh wave of memories flooded my mind… The blazing sun hung in the azure sky, together with bits of cotton wool like clouds that hovered in the sky. That day, the drone of the rickety fan added to my drowsiness in class. My eyelids were lead heavy and I tried my very best to keep it open and not to doze off. Just as I was about to doze off, the bell that would liberate us sounded shrilly. Students streamed out of the classrooms and I was no exception. I immediately made a beeline for the school gate and made my way home with an empty stomach, wondering what my mother had prepared for me for lunch as my stomach gave a resounding rumble. Soon, I reached home and upon entering the house, chirped happily, “Mum, Dad, I‟m home! What‟s for lunch?” But there was no response. Usually, they would come and usher me in and ask me about my day at school, nut that day, it was exceptional. The house was deathly quiet except for a few occasional sniffs. Curiosity filled my heart and I entered the living room, and to my utter horror, it seemed empty out of a sudden. All the pricy ornaments that mother had bought last week was gone. I looked around and found my mother sobbing uncontrollably, looking at my father was even worse. His face was grim and his eyes were lifeless. Curiously, I asked “What happened?” My parents looked at each other and then, my mother sobbed even louder. My father silently told me, “Hong Zhi, I‟m afraid that your pocket money would have to be cut by half and your birthday party next week would have to be cancelled…” I did not even think of protesting, I just wanted to know what happened to make them so sad. But both of them decided to keep quiet. Afterwards, when my father went for a walk, my mother secretly told me what had happened. Actually, our house had been robbed that morning when my mother went to the wet market and to make matters worse, my father had just gotten retrenched due to the recent credit crunch. At that point of time, both of us fell silent and let the silence stretch between us. In the end, I decided to return to my room and I stared blankly at the ceiling. Why does this happen to us? Why? Is god really that unfair? I have never done a single bad deed. As the

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Chinese proverb says, good people would get good payback, but then why is all this happening to me! A dreaded rotten feeling spread over me and filled my heart. Sometimes, I hoped that the robber would be caught and there would be a glimmer of hope. I also wished that it was just a bad dream and when I woke up, everything would pass as a bad dream and it was all over. Just that evening, we received a call telling us that the robber‟s hideout had been found and they were arrested. Most of our stolen property would be recovered although some of the jewels were sold. Just as we were about to give up, we saw hope ahead of us. The next day, my father went to the worksite and found a job there. Despite that, we did not live as we had used to. At home, I did not have new games to play or new DVDs to watch. At school, I was made fun of. My „friends‟ gave me a very hard life at school. Nevertheless, I pulled through and I led a normal life, just like any primary six child. Every time I think back, I felt helpless and weak. I had never argued with my parents about my life at school or even the lack of money or my discomfort. I believe that I am an excellent example of a good child, a child who can be loved by his parents.

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Hero of the day I looked at the commendment plague on my table. It was given to me some years ago. Staring at it, my mind suddenly wandered off and a piece of memory came afloat in my mind. It all happened like this… That day, the pale red sun hung in the azure sky. There was a slight breeze, leaving a trail of leaves rustling. I was at home, playing with my cut little dog, Spotty. It rolled over the ground as I tickled its stomach. Just then, I had a brainwave. Why not bring Spotty for a walk? The weather is just too brilliant for anyone to stay at home, not even for a dog. Without further ado, I carefully slipped a leash over Spotty‟s head on its neck and together, we walked along a familiar trail in a mini-forest nearby. As we walked, I admired the lush green leaves and the fragrant blooming flowers in a rainbow of colors. Birds twittered as they glided to and fro, from tree to tree, creating a wonderful melody. Just as I was letting nature take over me, I felt a sharp tug on the leash. When I looked for Spotty, it was nowhere to be seen. I was frantic. Desperately, I went along the path shouting out “SPOTTY! WHERE ARE YOU? COME OUT!” But there was no response. Just as I was about to give up, I heard a faint bark in a distance. I anxiously ran towards the direction of the sound, unwilling to give up hope. To my surprise, Spotty was digging a hole furiously with its hind legs. When I had reached its side, it had already dug a gaping hole in the ground. When Spotty stopped digging, I could see a big brown bag lying on in the hole. When I took it out, its contents spilled out. Picking one up, I checked what it was. To my utter horror, it was actually drugs. I was instantly transfixed to the ground. When I finally regained composure, I immediately dragged the bag to the police station that was a stone‟s throw away. With no further ado, Spotty followed behind me closely. When I had arrived at the police station, I related the incident to the police man at the counter, showing him the drugs. He quickly gave an affirmative nod and told me to bring him to the hole. There, he gave a small chuckle and said “Let us let the drug traffickers come to us instead of we go to them.” Bewildered, I did not understand what he meant. The policeman told me to go home and realizing that there was nothing I could help, I set off home with Spotty in my arms. Meanwhile, the policemen buried the bag back into the hole and then sent a few man to ambush around the area, behind the bushes and on the trees, waiting for the robber to come

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and retrieve it. Three long days passed, but that night, the robbers finally came as the moonlight bath the ground. The police heard a muffled voice saying “Are you sure it is here?” Another voice which was gruffer said “Yes, I am sure.” Then, two black burly men appeared and started digging for the bag. Then, all the policemen jumped out and surrounded the two men. Flashing their torchlight, the men squinted their eyes, blinded by the sudden contrast of light. The men, knowing that they could not escape gave up and were arrested without a struggle. They were also brought back to the police station. They were handed over to the court and I, on the other hand was invited to the police station to receive this plague of commendation. Just then, the lightning stuck and brought me back to reality. Giving a soft chuckle, I laughed at my actions then. Truly, I was agile and alert then!

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Story telling One typical Wednesday during an English period, we were engrossed in doing a project that the teacher had set for us. “No Albert, we should use „are‟ instead of „is‟…” Cheryl muttered as I filled in a blank that was for us to fill. Muttering under my breath, I changed the answer to the correct one. Just then, Mr. Zhang returned to the class with a broad smile on his face. We were all puzzled at what made him so happy that day. By then, all of our eyes were on him. He stood in front of the class and then, he announced the holding of the annual story-telling competition that would be held the next month. The whole class immediately sat upright and listened intently to what the teacher had to say. “Who will be representing the class? Is there anyone who wants to volunteer?”He looked around the class. A dozen hands shot into the sky. Hesitantly, I raised my hand too as my friends encouraged me to do so. Since I had participated in the inter-school debate last month and I was the best speaker, the thought that I was brilliant and thus, wanted me to represent the class. In my heart however, was fear and dread. The thought of speaking in front of the whole school made me tremble and chills shivering down my spine. Then, my instincts told me to put my hand down and shut up, but I did not want to appear as a coward in front of my friends. The teacher looked at all the hands that were up and let the silence stretch. After what seemed like an eternity, he smiled and said, “Class, I have decided on the candidate. It is……Albert Li!” Everyone immediately turned to look at me. I was a deer caught in headlights and I wished to run away at that very moment. My cheeks flushed and I could feel its heat. Ever part of my body screamed for me to protest but I fought against it. Since that day, I had to narrate the story I had chosen in front of the class on a daily basis and so as to not embarrass myself, I had to put aside at least two hours a day to practice in front of the mirror. In fact, I had many sleepless nights as I had nightmares of myself forgetting my lines on the stage and become a laughing stock. I always woke with a start and I could feel my heart thumping hard against my chest. As the competition drew nearer, I became more and more nervous. Finally, the evil day arrived, I found myself dragging my feet to school, my usual smile had vanished and in its place was a worried frown. In a twinkling of an eye, the competition had

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started. The competitors in front of me were all fluent and articulate, this made me even nervous. Just as I was contemplating to chicken out from the competition, the judge called out my name loud and clear. I gave a sigh and took in a deep breath, then walked forward to my doom. I could feel my heart palpitating then as I ambled towards the centre of the stage. Upon seeing the seas of people staring at me, I became a nervous wreck and my legs turn jelly and my palms turn clammy. It was as if everything was whipped from my mind then. Oh no! I had forgotten my lines. I merely stared at the audience. Very soon, I could hear murmurs here and there. My face turned as red as lobster and I wished the ground would just swallow me up. Just as I was deciding to apologize and tell everyone that I had forgotten my lines, Cheryl stood up suddenly and screamed out the first line so that I could hear. Instantly, the whole story came flooding back to my mind and I began reciting it to the audience. Before I knew it, I had finished reciting the whole story. I received a thunderous applause and I half ran off the stage and I heaved a sigh of relief. I immediately went to Cheryl and expressed to her my gratitude, if not for her, I would not have been able to finish the story. She shrugged it off and said that as a friend she should have helped. A few days later, the results were released and I was surprised to find that I got second. I was on cloud nine then, I was like a little bird which has just learnt to fly, soaring into the sky in happiness.

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At the beach I leaned back on the sand and closed my eyes, listening to the calming melody of the waves crashing onto the shore, then releasing their grip on the sand with a reluctant hiss, accompanied by the occasional piercing shriek of a passing gull, scavenging for food. I used my hands to prop my head and exhaled, relaxing every muscle in my body. What a great idea of Mum‟s to come here after the examinations! Just then, something cold and wet landed squarely on my face with a splat. I wiped the salty drops away. I opened my eyes and saw my cheeky little sister grinning down at me, bucket in hand. “Gosh! I thought you‟d fallen asleep!” she cried, dragging me to my feet to play with the rest of the family. “Jenny! Catch!” I hollered as I struck the volleyball with all my might. It soared into the air, making a perfect arc in mid air before. My sister‟s failed attempt at returning my serve. I gave a whoop of delight, prancing around the spot. My dad sighed in comic disappointment, “you‟ve won. Again!” “Coffee! Watch out!” a piercing scream tor e through the serenity of the beach. I whipped my head around and craned my neck for a better view. What was going on? I thought. A curious sight greeted me. A middle-aged woman ran, full tilt towards us, arm flailing wildly. Her eyes as big as dinner plates, held an expression of horror and shock. I traced her gaze and spotted something that made me gasp. Not far away, I could see a small Chihuahua puppy cowering in the sand, yelping and whining piteously. Standing before it was a large German shepherd. I took one look at its razor sharp teeth, gleaming lethally in the sunlight, bared in a snarl, all poised and ready to attack, and I shuddered. The puppy whimpered in terror and tucked its tail between its legs, a pathetic sight compared to the mammoth-sized Alsatian looming ominously over it, like some skyscraper. The Chihuahua tried to turn tail and flee to its owner, but it was too late. The big brute lunged towards it.

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Its claws flashed in the air before mercilessly sinking into the Chihuahua‟s flesh. Coffee, as I presumed it was called, gave a small yelp of pain before wriggling out of the dog‟s reach, but not before it whipped around to nip the German shepherd‟s ear, tearing it. By this time the woman had reached the duo and her repeated shrieks of, “Stop it!” added to the cacophony of sounds. The woman leapt forward with a snarl as ferocious as the beast‟s and pummeled the large lout‟s head profusely with clenched fists. Poor Coffee yelped and bolted behind the owner. Just then, the German shepherd‟s owner came rushing into the scene and grabbed the dog‟s collar while apologizing repeatedly to the woman with a contrite expression on his face. I, who had been watching the horrific incident unfold before my eyes, thought about my own dog, Spot. Would I have done such a thing for him? I deeply admired the woman‟s courage. To prevent the same thing from happening to my dog, I vowed to keep Spot on a leash in public places, especially beaches from then on. I certainly did not want Spot to get hurt.

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