Blackout at MRT

By RE
Have you ever found yourself in total darkness? Well, I have and this was how it all happened. It all started on a Monday evening. Everyone, including myself, was flocking to the train station to await the arrival of the trains. I was among the crowd, waiting to get on board the “North-east” line.

In a flash, the train arrived at the station and without sparing a thought for others getting off the train, everybody started “charging” into the train carriage, elbowing themselves through the crowd. I waited by the side for the commuters to get off before squeezing into the carriage and got in just in time before the door slammed shut.

It was the peak hour and it was no wonder that the train was packed like sardines. The train was moving at a very fast speed, train stations passed in the wink of an eye while more and more people got in and out of the train. I was waiting for my station to arrive as I held onto the railings. Laughter and chattering filled the air. Despite the fact that everything seemed normal, I had an ominous premonition that something was going to happen.

Just when the announcement for the next station was about to be made, the train stopped and the lights went off. My heart skipped a beat. Piecing shrieks and shouts replaced the laughter and chattering. I could see nothing except the colour black and could feel many hands groping around trying to find their way around. My heart was palpitating louder than usual and my hands turned clammy. Apparently, the air-conditioning had also broken down.

“Must be a minor circuit-break,” I thought. “It’s nothing serious.” I decided to wait for the lights to be restored and for an announcement to be made over the public address system.

I waited. But nothing was heard and the scene remained as chaotic as before. I began to panic and a million “what ifs” flooded through my mind. “What if no one comes to rescue us?” “What if a train running down the track rams into us?” “What if…” At that juncture, a pungent smell broke my train of thoughts. I tried to search for the source of the smell and it led me to the back of the train. I saw orange, red sparks. I smelt it once again and a sudden thought dawned on me. A fire had broken out!

I had to do something before this fire starts spreading. I shouted at the top of my voice, “People! A fire has broken out! Please stay…” Before I could finish my sentence, pandemonium broke out. Commuters started hitting emergency buttons and charged out to the emergency exit of the train. I had no choice but to follow the crowd. Just when I was about to leave, I heard an audible scream coming from the back of the train. Curiosity kills the cat and it piqued me to investigate further. I traced the scream to its source and spotted a toddler crying. The fire would start spreading in no time and I had to get the toddler out. Without hesitation, I carried him and raced out of the train to safety. I found the rest of the commuters and all of us watched the fiery tongues of the fire slowly engulf the train. Meanwhile, someone dialled for the Civil Defence Force .

In a flash, the Civil Defence Force arrived at the scene and they got down to work almost immediately. Some started to put out the fire with hoses attached to underground pipes while the other firemen evacuated us to safety. We followed them in an orderly manner and upon reaching safe ground. I was still clutching the toddler’s hand. Out of the blue, I head a shrill voice amidst the noise, hollering, “Tim! Tim, where are you?” The toddler beside me reacted instantly and I guessed that it was his mother looking for him. We followed the voice and spotted a lady in her thirties, with jet-black hair flowing to her waist. She was looking anxiously around. I went forward and brought Tim to her and the moment she saw her beloved son, creases of worry vanished instantly from her forehead. She hugged her son tightly in her arms and thanked me profusely.

“How can I ever repay you?” the lady said in a voice full of gratitude.

“It is okay. Just remember to take care of your son,” I replied.

She flashed me a smile as if to say “I will” and I could not resist smiling back. As I watched both the mother and son leaving, hand in hand, I decided that it was time for me to head home too.

The next day, the incident was reported in the headlines. It turned out that the cause of the fire and blackout was due to technical fault and that the authorities were still investigating the matter. Fortunately, there were no casualties involved. After reading the papers, I reflected on that harrowing event. It has taught me the importance of remaining calm in a crisis and more importantly, the vulnerability of life.

Betrayal

By GT
I have always thought of Jack as my best friend. I have always thought that we would share weal and woe together. I have always thought that he would never betray me. But after that fateful incident, I realised that my beliefs were wrong.

It was just another typical day. Jack and I were walking to school together as usual. The glorious morning sun was peeping out slowly, bringing life and light to the neighbourhood. The dried leaves that the sweeper had painstakingly raked into a heap were blown away by the wind, and were covering the footpath once again. Jack and I chatted happily along our way. Within moments, we reached our school and proceeded to the classroom.

When we reached the classroom, we saw many pupils crowding around David’s seat. We put down our bags and went over to David’s seat. We were amazed by what we saw! Right in David’s hand was a mobile phone which was the latest model of its kind. This was the mobile phone that Jack and I had always dreamt of having. It had many interesting features and some new ones too. But it was very expensive, so our parents refused to buy one for us no matter how much we begged of them.

“Well I just have to use it. I just have to,” I thought to myself.

I asked David, “Can I please borrow your mobile phone? I want to check it out for a while.”

David turned his head to look at me and sneered at me, “You want to borrow my mobile phone? Dream on! Go buy it yourself!”

I was pretty offended by what he had said. How could he answer me in this manner? So what if he was a rich kid? He has no right to treat me like that. I wanted to howl at him, but Jack grabbed hold of me.

“Let me go, Jack,” I demanded while struggling.

“Come on, James. So what if he does not want to lend us his mobile phone? You will not die, right?” Jack tried to calm me down.

“But I really want to check out that mobile phone out. My fingers are itching to touch it,” I protested.

Then suddenly, I had an idea, an idea that I know was morally wrong. But greed got the better of me. I told Jack of my idea.

“Since he is unwilling to lend us the mobile phone, we will just have to steal it from him,” I whispered to Jack.

“Are you mad?! What if we get caught?” Jack exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, here is the plan. Simon and Ben are on duty today during recess, but from past experience, they will go for recess after five minutes. That’s when we come in and swipe the mobile phone. Is that clear?” I asked Jack.

“But…,” Jack tried to protest.

“No buts,” I interrupted Jack, “If you don’t help me, then forget about being friends.”

Just then, our teacher, Mrs. Lim, came into the classroom. I winked at Jack before returning to my seat. During the next few periods, I tried to pay attention to the teacher, but my mind was preoccupied with the plan. Finally, it was recess time and everybody rushed out of the classroom like bees in a beehive. Jack walked to me, shivering slightly.

“Must we really do this?” he asked, his voice quavering.

“Yes, we must,” I answered him firmly.

After five minutes of recess, Jack and I went up to the classroom. As I predicted, Ben and Simon were off for their recess. There was not a single soul in the classroom. Silence hung densely in the air.

We went to David’s seat and I started searching David’s bag while Jack looked out to see if anyone was around. My heart pounded rapidly and my mind was in a blank. Sweat tickled down my neck like a row of unsewn pearls. My conscience told me that I was in the wrong, but I did not listen to it. Then, I found the mobile phone. I could not believe my eyes. I tugged at Jack, anticipating him to smile radiantly. But instead, his face turned as pale as death.

“I am sorry, James. I am really sorry…,” Jack apologised to me.

Then, Mrs. Lim came into the classroom. I tried to escape, but it was too late. I stood rooted to the ground.

“Jack, did you tell Mrs. Lim our plan?” I asked Jack with wide-eye horror.

“Yes, he did,” Mrs. Lim continued, “he had no other ways to stop you. He was hoping that you will change your mind before commiting this crime, but you did not.”

I was aghast. I was flabbergasted. My best buddy, Jack, had betrayed me. How could he do this? Suddenly, I felt furious. I was angry with Jack. I glared at him with my bloodshot angry eyes.

“I am really…sorry…really…sorry,” Jack stammered.

I had to face the music. The Discipline Master let me off with a stern warning after reprimanding me. My parents also punished me by grounding me for a month. They were disappointed with me and felt that I should learn from Jack. A month passed quickly and soon the people around me no longer held the matter against me. But one thing has definitely changed. Jack and I were not as close as we were before.

Beach Incident

By SG
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Our whole family decided to go for an outing at the beach. I was elated as it was not very often that we had a chance to go to the beach. Soon we were in the family car and heading for the beach.

When we got there, we saw a crowd of people standing at the beach pointing and shouting at something in the water. I squinted to see what the pointing and shouting was all about. It was a little boy in the water, thrashing about. It seemed as if he was about to drown!

My blood froze as icy fingers of fear crawled down my spine. My mind was numbed with shock. Oh why did this have to happen today? Just then, a person ran past me and jumped into the sea. I thought he looked strangely familiar. Before I could figure out who it was, Mom gave me the answer by exclaiming,” Your Daddy, my hero!” I was so proud of him, but in another second, I felt a pang of uneasiness. As Dad swam over to the little boy, the boy kicked and splashed.

“Dad must be having a hard time!” I thought.

Dad tried to calm the little boy down, but his efforts were in vain. The boy paid no attention and screamed and kicked wildly. Dad had difficulty keeping his head up in the water as he gasped for breath, losing air and energy at the same time. My sister held on to my hand tightly.

“I’m scared. Will Daddy be okay?” she whimpered.

I assured her that everything would be fine and told her not to worry, but my voice quivered as I spoke.

“Am I as sure as I think I am?” I thought as I watched, sick with anxiety.

Finally, Dad managed to grab hold of the boy. At that moment, both of them went under the surface of the water! In another second, Dad burst out of the water with the boy and we all heaved a huge sigh of relief. It was then that we noticed the boy was unconscious. Dad took much effort to drag the boy to the shore. Upon seeing this, the crowd cheered. A lifeguard came over to Dad and said, “That was really brave of you. Here, let me take over.” Dad, who was dripping wet and panting heavily, nodded in agreement.

The lifeguard then proceeded to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the boy. In the midst of it all, a woman pushed through the crowd, screaming hysterically, “My son, my son! Where is he? Is he okay?” Someone from the crowd explained everything that had happened to her and pointed at Dad. After regaining her composure, the woman came over to Dad and expressed her thanks to him for saving her son.

She explained that her son had gone for a swim when he was not supposed to, and it was only just now that she had found out he was missing. At this juncture, the boy had revived and was choking and spluttering. His mother ran to his side.

Apparently someone had called for the ambulance as the loud wailing of sirens could be heard. The woman thanked Dad again once more and got into the ambulance with her son who was on a stretcher. We watched as the ambulance drove away.

Soon after, the crowd dispersed and it was getting dark. We decided to go home for dinner. We talked about the incident as we walked to where our car was parked. What an eventful day!

Broken Eggs Incident

By CHY
It was a disaster. I was covered in revoltingly smelly mud water from head to toe. It was the most embarrassing day of my life. The series of unfortunate events all happened on one fine day…

“RING! RING!”

The bell rang away incessantly. I ran out of the gate, with quickened steps. It was after school. I shot into the bicycle station and grabbed my bicycle from the lots. It was really very old and I sometimes doubt if it was working nicely.

I stepped hard on my pedals to reach my home as fast as I possibly could. Soon, I was speeding on the heels of the wind. A supermarket slowly loomed into view. A man was buying newspapers and many others were shopping for grocery. A woman was picking eggs from the counter outside the supermarket. Two students were walking into the supermarket, chatting excitedly to each other. It was a crowded sight.

Suddenly, I spotted a puddle of muddy water in front of the counter. I pulled back on the brakes to stop the bicycle from speeding ahead. But to my horror, the brakes jammed.

I tried another time.

Again, it would not budge.

I tried the third time.

The brakes were still jammed. My palms turned sweaty.

I tried one last time.

Grr! It just would not work. Terror gripped my eyes as my courage melted away.

It was too late. My bicycle skidded on the puddle and crashed into the counter. My bike slammed head-on into the counter and I fell into the puddle of mud.

“SPLASH!”

I was thoroughly soaked in mud water. That was not all. The crash had shaken the counter so violently that the top row of eggs went tumbling down onto the ground and broke into million of pieces. The woman standing next to the eggs was so badly shaken that she fell backwards onto a man who was carrying a box of glass bottles. The man fell… and as though in slow motion, I saw the bottles went crashing down.

There was no escape for me at all. I had to pay for all the damage I had caused. The shopkeeper ranted and raved at me, as I suffered the furtive glances from the crowd. If looks could kill, I would have withered there and then. I paid for the damage with all of the money I had with me and pushed my bike home with tears streaming down my hot and puffy cheeks. I was feeling terribly upset.

I had another ordeal to face when I got home. My father saw my dirty clothing, and at once, began reprimanding me. I was about to argue when my mother silenced me with a quick gesture.

Looking back, I asked myself why I had not checked the condition of my bicycle before I rode it, knowing full well its condition due to its age. How could I forgive myself for making my parents so angry at the thoughtless and reckless act I had committed? I had paid dearly for my carelessness.

Blackout

By NL
Each time I enter a crowded area, I cannot help it but feel scared after I experienced that chaotic day. That fateful day, my parents brought me to a shopping centre that was just a stone's throw away from my house. We went there on a mission-to buy new year goodies for the Chinese New Year. We walked briskly to the shopping centre, which was bustling with people. We squeezed through the big crowd and noticed a stage set up in the atrium. We decided to check it out what was happening there.


As there were a lot of people crowding around the stage, we had trouble getting a good view of the stage. We saw an empty space in the crowd and rushed there. From there, I could see a magician performing, entrancing the audience with his tricks.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will attempt to make a member of the audience disappear! Any volunteers?" The magician’s deep voice boomed through the atrium. A little boy raised his hand eagerly and was chosen by the magician. As the little boy walked up the stage, the crowd applauded.

Suddenly, the lights went out and the atrium was plunged into darkness. The audience thought it was part of the magician's act and waited for the lights to come on. But the lights never came on again.

"Blackout!" someone screamed. Panic spread among the audience and everyone started to run for the exit quickly. Screams of terror echoed through the dark atrium as people were trampled on in the big stampede. I looked back and saw the little boy trying to get to the exit. However, he tripped and fell heavily on the floor. My parents saw it too. They wanted to help the little boy get up. But before we could get to him, he disappeared into the flurry of panicky people. I knew that I could not help the little boy anymore. He was surely going to die after being trampled by so many people. I turned my attention to trying to get out of the atrium myself.

I squeezed through the crowd of people and ran for the exit with my parents. When we were out of the atrium, we heaved a sigh of relief and watched the people getting out of the atrium. We saw the magician limping out of the atrium with a bleeding cut on his leg. Many people, we noticed, were covered with cuts and bruises.

Within minutes, a team of paramedics arrived and took the seriously injured people to the hospital. Luckily, we managed to escape unscathed. We did not care about buying goodies anymore. We could only think of going back home and never coming back here again.

The next day, we turned on the television to watch the news coverage on the stampede. We saw a graphic image of the little boy with his head and arms bent at an awkward angle. He was surely dead.

Since that terrifying day, I had a phobia of crowded places. The graphic image of the boy will forever be etched in my memory.

Burglary

By SKL
It was eleven o’clock at night. I was on the second storey of my terrace house, in my room doing my homework after my parents had gone to bed.

While I was writing, I sensed something amiss. I looked out of the window and discovered a masked man behaving suspiciously and loitering at my neighbours’ doorway. The masked man was dressed in black and was also armed with a knife. He started to pick the lock and fiddle with it with a set of keys. I was shocked and startled by the sight. I began to worry for the safety of my neighbours. Without hesitation, I started dialling for the police while I watched the crime unfolding.

As the masked burglar did not manage to pick the lock and enter through the door, he started to enter through a window which he found unlocked instead. After the burglar had broken into the house, he crept in, in pin-drop silence. Unfortunately, my neighbours had been alerted by the noise. My neighbours appeared at the scene of the crime. The burglar put up a fierce struggle with the husband and he pulled out a knife and brandished it at the couple.

“Help! Help!” shouted the wife.

“Stop struggling and screaming or I will kill you!” the burglar snarled, pointing the knife at the wife’s neck.

“Give me the money,” he threatened menacingly.

However, none of them had much money to give to the burglar. The burglar turned red with fury and anger and began to tie them up with thick ropes. The couple and their son were bound from hand to foot and their mouths were gagged with crumpled paper. After that, the burglar started to ransack the rooms in search of valuables and also began to rummage through the drawers for money.

Within minutes, the burglar was ready and bolted out of the house like a flash of lightning, planning to escape with the valuables. Fortunately, the police finally arrived in time to stop the burglar from fleeing. The burglar darted out of sight on seeing the policemen. However, the policemen overpowered the burglar as the two-storey terrace was surrounded. Finally, the burglar was arrested.

After the notorious burglar had been arrested, some policemen untied the innocent couple and the boy while the others returned the stolen valuables and money back to them. At the crime scene, the room was in chaos and belongings were strewn all over the place. Some drawers were also forced open and the floor was littered with clothing.

A few days later, I was awarded a medal for my public-spiritedness.

“Crime does not pay,” I said proudly.