NEWS
Smuggled fertilised eggs from China containing infected chicken embryos could be the origin of the latest bird flu outbreak at a Hong Kong poultry farm. There seems to be a connection between the outbreak and smuggled fertilised eggs.
Smuggling has grown since Hong Kong banned the import of one-day-old chickens from China earlier this year to prevent cross-border infection.
The eggs, imported ostensibly for sale as food, contain embryos less than a week from hatching which could have contracted the bird flu virus from their mothers.
However, Wong Yee-chuen, owner of the farm where the outbreak occurred, denied having smuggled any fertilised eggs from China.
OPINIONS
I think that it is very irresponsible of the owner of the farm to smuggle fertilised egg from china as these eggs have been banned and the chicks could have contracted the bird flu virus from their mothers. If people eat the ‘illegal’ eggs, may contract the deadly disease, bird flu. It is unbelievable that because of money, people can smuggle eggs that could have contracted bird flu! Since bird flu cannot be cured, I hope that no one smuggle these ‘illegal’ eggs.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
News report
NEWS
Indonesia and Australia have agreed to step up effort against people smuggling after a spate of illegal arrivals in Australia. The president said he hoped recent trafficking cases involving scores of clandestine migrants trying to enter Australia illegally by boat from Indonesia would not disturb bilateral relations.
SIX boatshave been intercepted in Australian waters since September.
Indonesian police, acting in cooperation with Australian police, arrested two alleged trafficking kingpins last week.
OPINIONS
I think it is wonderful that Indonesia and Australia have agreed to step up efforts against people smuggling. Smuggling, especially smuggling drugs, is not only illegal, but it will also harm those which you sell the drugs to. Those people will be the victims of drugs and they will be addicted to drugs, their lives ruined. Not only that, drugs are also very expensive. But, if the authorities catch those who are smuggling drugs before they sell it, people cennot buy the drugs.
Indonesia and Australia have agreed to step up effort against people smuggling after a spate of illegal arrivals in Australia. The president said he hoped recent trafficking cases involving scores of clandestine migrants trying to enter Australia illegally by boat from Indonesia would not disturb bilateral relations.
SIX boatshave been intercepted in Australian waters since September.
Indonesian police, acting in cooperation with Australian police, arrested two alleged trafficking kingpins last week.
OPINIONS
I think it is wonderful that Indonesia and Australia have agreed to step up efforts against people smuggling. Smuggling, especially smuggling drugs, is not only illegal, but it will also harm those which you sell the drugs to. Those people will be the victims of drugs and they will be addicted to drugs, their lives ruined. Not only that, drugs are also very expensive. But, if the authorities catch those who are smuggling drugs before they sell it, people cennot buy the drugs.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
NEWS REPORT
NEWS
Mr Lim Swee Say said that it would make more buisness sense to let go foreigh rank and file workers than Singaporeons if retrenchment is unavoidable. The secretary-general of the NTUC said that their message is to give priority to the local workers. He also said that not only will it help to minimise unemployment in Singapore, but more importantly, it makes business sense for the company.
Mr Lim also said if Singaporeons are retrenched, companies may find it tough to re-employ them when the economy is better. A recent survey of employers showed that about 60 per cent of them were freezing headcount and a few planned to retrench workers.
Many companies choose to do the easier one first – freeze hiring. And for those who have left by natural attrition, they don't replace. The next step is non-renewal of contracts and that will mostly affect foreign workers.
OPINIONS
I think that it is a good idea that foreign workers will be laid off first if retrenchment is unavoidable. This will help to ease the unemployment of Singaporeons problem. I think that the local Singaporeonshould not be retrench as there are already many jobless singaporeons and in this crisis, not much companies would employ workers. So, if singaporeons are retrenched, it would be hard to find a job again and this may worsen the crisis. In this crisis, Singapore is only affected by it by a little while other countries were not so lucky. But by retrenching singaporeons, singapore would be greatly affected. By gettig a reassuarence that Singaporeons would not be likely to be retrenched, we would be relief that we would not loose our rice bowl.
Mr Lim Swee Say said that it would make more buisness sense to let go foreigh rank and file workers than Singaporeons if retrenchment is unavoidable. The secretary-general of the NTUC said that their message is to give priority to the local workers. He also said that not only will it help to minimise unemployment in Singapore, but more importantly, it makes business sense for the company.
Mr Lim also said if Singaporeons are retrenched, companies may find it tough to re-employ them when the economy is better. A recent survey of employers showed that about 60 per cent of them were freezing headcount and a few planned to retrench workers.
Many companies choose to do the easier one first – freeze hiring. And for those who have left by natural attrition, they don't replace. The next step is non-renewal of contracts and that will mostly affect foreign workers.
OPINIONS
I think that it is a good idea that foreign workers will be laid off first if retrenchment is unavoidable. This will help to ease the unemployment of Singaporeons problem. I think that the local Singaporeonshould not be retrench as there are already many jobless singaporeons and in this crisis, not much companies would employ workers. So, if singaporeons are retrenched, it would be hard to find a job again and this may worsen the crisis. In this crisis, Singapore is only affected by it by a little while other countries were not so lucky. But by retrenching singaporeons, singapore would be greatly affected. By gettig a reassuarence that Singaporeons would not be likely to be retrenched, we would be relief that we would not loose our rice bowl.
News report
NEWS
Because of the global downturn, feul and oil prices had fallen about forty percent and Singapore household will pay twenty- five percent less for their electricity bill from january to march next year. This is the first fall of electricity tariff since April 2oo7. In july this year, a barrel of fuel oil is US$115 and it fell to US$63 for a barrel of feul oil. Household and small buisnesses will pay 24.54 cents per kilowatt hour.
OPINIONS
I think Singaporeons will be happy with the drop in electricity bill as the world is experiencing a crisis and more singaporeons are retrenched. With their kins jobless, paying for their electricity bills will be a burden for them if the electricity bills remain so high. But the world crisis may not be that bad- Because of the world crisis or global downturn, the oil and feul prices have gone down, so we, singaoporeons, is able to pay 25% less for the electricity bills, which is a relief for many Singaporeons.
As a Singapore citizen, I can do my part by conserving electricity- simply switch of electrical appliances when not in use etc. I think there are few ways for Singaporeons to conserve energy. As an example, we can buy energy-saving appliances.
This incident will also affect my family as we are also paying a high electricity bill. With the drop in electricity bill, my family will have a lesser burdun.
Because of the global downturn, feul and oil prices had fallen about forty percent and Singapore household will pay twenty- five percent less for their electricity bill from january to march next year. This is the first fall of electricity tariff since April 2oo7. In july this year, a barrel of fuel oil is US$115 and it fell to US$63 for a barrel of feul oil. Household and small buisnesses will pay 24.54 cents per kilowatt hour.
OPINIONS
I think Singaporeons will be happy with the drop in electricity bill as the world is experiencing a crisis and more singaporeons are retrenched. With their kins jobless, paying for their electricity bills will be a burden for them if the electricity bills remain so high. But the world crisis may not be that bad- Because of the world crisis or global downturn, the oil and feul prices have gone down, so we, singaoporeons, is able to pay 25% less for the electricity bills, which is a relief for many Singaporeons.
As a Singapore citizen, I can do my part by conserving electricity- simply switch of electrical appliances when not in use etc. I think there are few ways for Singaporeons to conserve energy. As an example, we can buy energy-saving appliances.
This incident will also affect my family as we are also paying a high electricity bill. With the drop in electricity bill, my family will have a lesser burdun.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Inconsiderate neighbours
“Bye, mum! Bye dad!” I said, as I bade my parents goodbye. “Amanda, be a good girl and study hard for your examinations!” my mother said as she gave me a hug. “We’ll be back in three days time.” My father told me. My parents took their luggage and proceeded out of the house. Finally, the house to myself- nobody to order me around!
‘The mathematics test would be held in three days time,’ I thought, ‘I think I ought to start my revision.’ I rocketed to my room. I took out my problem sums book and started working out the sums.
Suddenly, loud blaring music erupted from my neighbour’s-Jen-house. Jen was a popular girl in school. She had long, silky hair and fair skin. All the boys drooled when they see her and all the girls wished to be her friend. Jen was good in sports and was also the top pupil in class. Her parents had recently gone to Thailand.
‘The music will stop in about a few minutes,’ I thought, reassuring myself. How wrong was I! One hour later, the blaring music did not stop- in fact, it became louder and louder.
I was boiling with rage. My face had turned to the colour of molten lava. “How could anyone be so inconsiderate?” I shouted, my voice cackled with anger. I tried to concentrate on revising my work, but the music was simply too loud. “Fine! Fine! I ‘ll go to bed!” I screamed.
I rolled from one end of the bed to the other, unable to sleep. I pressed the pillow against my ear, but the music was so loud that the pillow had no use at all. Turning and tossing on my bed, I did not sleep a wink that night.
Ring… ring… my alarm clock rang. I got out of bed. Shadows had appeared under my eyes. I was dog tired. I went to school straight after having breakfast.
“Good morning, Mr Lim,” the class droned on monotonously. “Good morning class! Today, I want to remind you that your mathematics exam will be held tomorrow. You are to revise the chapters on: Triangles, 4-sided figures…” Mr Lim droned on. I let out another yawn. My eyelids felt so heavy. I was oblivious to what Mr Lim was saying. In fact, I was so tired that I did not know what happened at school that day.
When I returned home, I immediately took out my assessment to revise for my upcoming test. After eating my dinner, I proceeded to my room to revise. Suddenly, the same, blaring music erupted from Jen’s house. “Oh, no! Another sleepless night…” I groaned.
The next morning, I was woken up by the same ringing of my alarm clock. My eyelids were exceptionally heavy. I went to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face to freshen myself up but to no avail. After having a quick breakfast, I dragged myself to school.
“Class, please take out your pencil case and leave your bags outside the classroom,” Mr Lim said sternly. We obeyed his orders immediately. Mr Lim gave out the test papers. I wrote my name on it, my hands trembling madly. “You may now flip over your examinations paper and start doing your test,” Mr Lim said. My eyelids felt very heavy. Every time I blinked, I find it harder to open my eyes. My eyelids closed completely. I fell into a deep slumber……
“Five minutes left!” Mr Lim’s voice jolted me out of my slumber. I jumped. “What am I going to do?” I muttered, lines of worries ceased on my forehead. Then, Mr Lim announced, “Time’s up! Put your pens down.”
I reluctantly gave Mr Lim my examination paper. I was fuming. I shot daggers at Jen. My blood was boiling. I swore revenge. When I reached home, I slammed my bag on the floor. That will be the last straw! I went to Jen’s house and knock on the door. Knock…knock… “What do you want?” Jen asked as she opened the door. Mustering my courage, I said, “Ummm… Jen, can you lower down the volume of your Hi-5 set when you use it?” “Why should you care what I do in my house?” she retorted.
Suddenly, Jen gave me a tight slap on my cheeks. My face burned in anger. I gave her a punch on her nose. Her nose started to bleed. “How dare you!” she screamed. I flung a well-aimed punch at her stomach. Jen ducked to her right. She lifted her leg and kicked me at the stomach. “Bull’s eyes!” she yelled triumphantly. I doubled back in pain.
“Stop that!” someone screamed. Both Jen and I turned. To our surprise, we saw my parents and Jen’s parents. My mother’s face was red in fury. Patches of red had appeared on her cheeks. “You better apologise to our neighbor.” She ordered. “But… but…” I relate the whole story to Jen’s parents and my parents. This time, Jen’s mother was fuming. Her face had turned to the colour of molten lava. “How could you, Jen! I thought you are a sensible girl. I’m very disappointed in you!” Jen’s father shook his head as he reprimand Jen. “Apologise now,” her mother ordered.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. Jen and I look at each other. Our faces turned bright red. I shook Jen’s hands and said, “Let’s be friends.” Jen broke in to a grin. From that day onwards, Jen and were the best of friends. We helped each other in times of needs.
‘The mathematics test would be held in three days time,’ I thought, ‘I think I ought to start my revision.’ I rocketed to my room. I took out my problem sums book and started working out the sums.
Suddenly, loud blaring music erupted from my neighbour’s-Jen-house. Jen was a popular girl in school. She had long, silky hair and fair skin. All the boys drooled when they see her and all the girls wished to be her friend. Jen was good in sports and was also the top pupil in class. Her parents had recently gone to Thailand.
‘The music will stop in about a few minutes,’ I thought, reassuring myself. How wrong was I! One hour later, the blaring music did not stop- in fact, it became louder and louder.
I was boiling with rage. My face had turned to the colour of molten lava. “How could anyone be so inconsiderate?” I shouted, my voice cackled with anger. I tried to concentrate on revising my work, but the music was simply too loud. “Fine! Fine! I ‘ll go to bed!” I screamed.
I rolled from one end of the bed to the other, unable to sleep. I pressed the pillow against my ear, but the music was so loud that the pillow had no use at all. Turning and tossing on my bed, I did not sleep a wink that night.
Ring… ring… my alarm clock rang. I got out of bed. Shadows had appeared under my eyes. I was dog tired. I went to school straight after having breakfast.
“Good morning, Mr Lim,” the class droned on monotonously. “Good morning class! Today, I want to remind you that your mathematics exam will be held tomorrow. You are to revise the chapters on: Triangles, 4-sided figures…” Mr Lim droned on. I let out another yawn. My eyelids felt so heavy. I was oblivious to what Mr Lim was saying. In fact, I was so tired that I did not know what happened at school that day.
When I returned home, I immediately took out my assessment to revise for my upcoming test. After eating my dinner, I proceeded to my room to revise. Suddenly, the same, blaring music erupted from Jen’s house. “Oh, no! Another sleepless night…” I groaned.
The next morning, I was woken up by the same ringing of my alarm clock. My eyelids were exceptionally heavy. I went to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face to freshen myself up but to no avail. After having a quick breakfast, I dragged myself to school.
“Class, please take out your pencil case and leave your bags outside the classroom,” Mr Lim said sternly. We obeyed his orders immediately. Mr Lim gave out the test papers. I wrote my name on it, my hands trembling madly. “You may now flip over your examinations paper and start doing your test,” Mr Lim said. My eyelids felt very heavy. Every time I blinked, I find it harder to open my eyes. My eyelids closed completely. I fell into a deep slumber……
“Five minutes left!” Mr Lim’s voice jolted me out of my slumber. I jumped. “What am I going to do?” I muttered, lines of worries ceased on my forehead. Then, Mr Lim announced, “Time’s up! Put your pens down.”
I reluctantly gave Mr Lim my examination paper. I was fuming. I shot daggers at Jen. My blood was boiling. I swore revenge. When I reached home, I slammed my bag on the floor. That will be the last straw! I went to Jen’s house and knock on the door. Knock…knock… “What do you want?” Jen asked as she opened the door. Mustering my courage, I said, “Ummm… Jen, can you lower down the volume of your Hi-5 set when you use it?” “Why should you care what I do in my house?” she retorted.
Suddenly, Jen gave me a tight slap on my cheeks. My face burned in anger. I gave her a punch on her nose. Her nose started to bleed. “How dare you!” she screamed. I flung a well-aimed punch at her stomach. Jen ducked to her right. She lifted her leg and kicked me at the stomach. “Bull’s eyes!” she yelled triumphantly. I doubled back in pain.
“Stop that!” someone screamed. Both Jen and I turned. To our surprise, we saw my parents and Jen’s parents. My mother’s face was red in fury. Patches of red had appeared on her cheeks. “You better apologise to our neighbor.” She ordered. “But… but…” I relate the whole story to Jen’s parents and my parents. This time, Jen’s mother was fuming. Her face had turned to the colour of molten lava. “How could you, Jen! I thought you are a sensible girl. I’m very disappointed in you!” Jen’s father shook his head as he reprimand Jen. “Apologise now,” her mother ordered.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. Jen and I look at each other. Our faces turned bright red. I shook Jen’s hands and said, “Let’s be friends.” Jen broke in to a grin. From that day onwards, Jen and were the best of friends. We helped each other in times of needs.
A mysterious letter...(Draft 2)
Adapted from li khee's composition
“Mum, can I go to the park to try out my new skates?” I asked. “Please?” I added hurriedly. “Yeah, OK.” My mother replied. Yes! Finally, I can try out the new skates! I had waited over a week to try out the pair of skates- it was the weekend at last! I walked to the nearby park with high spirits.
I reached my destination within a few minutes. “Finally, I can try out my brand new skates,” I muttered under my breath. As happy as a lark, I put on my skates and started in-line skating. “Wee…” I shouted, unable to contain my joy. I started skating at breakneck speed. Suddenly, I saw a huge rock right in front of me. I swerved to my right to avoid the rock and fell onto the grass. Blood oozed out of my right knee and elbow. I gritted my teeth and tried to stand up, trying to bear with the excruciating pain. Then, my left leg hit onto something hard - a wallet. It was small and brown in colour. “What does this contains?” I wondered out aloud. With my heart burning with curiosity, I opened the small wallet. The only object that I found in the wallet was a piece of paper. It reads: Meet me at the warehouse that you would find at 22 Avenue. The usual thing and 200 dollars for it. 7pm. The words ‘usual thing’, ‘200’ and ‘it’ were highlighted in blue.
Ware house? Money? Usual thing? My eyebrows kitted into a tight frown. I knew that warehouse. It was across the street where I lived. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw two men approaching me. Immediately, I smelt a rat. One was muscular with tattoos all over his body while the other was skinny and tall and had bloodshot eyes. ‘They must be coming to look for this.’ I thought. As fast as lightning, I threw the wallet onto the ground and pretend that nothing had happened. As expected, they asked, “Er… have you seen any brown wallet?” I shot them a quizzical look and shook my head. “Never mind!” the muscular man muttered.
The appearance of these two men made me more determined to look in into the matter. I checked my skates for any damages. After confirming that everything was intact, I in-line skate home.
After dinner that night, I ‘armed’ myself with a torchlight and a penknife. Then, I walked across street 21 and came into street 22. A dilapidated warehouse loomed into view. Although the sky had already darkened, light illuminated from the warehouse.
As I was about to continue my way, a black cat’s meows startled me. I recalled my mother telling me that black cats were bad omens. My hair stood on ends and I started to feel uneasy. I gulped and decided to go ahead with my plans.
Once there, I crouched below the window and pressed my ears against the wall. I could make out some sounds, “wow, I fell high!”
Curiosity was burning in me. I peeped through the window and found two muscular men and one skinny man. I stiffened with fear. What had I stumbled into?
Suddenly, a strong of wind blew. “Haha…choo!” I sneezed. “Stupid wind! Why must I sneeze of all times?” I cursed under my breath. “Intruders!” someone screamed.
I ran helter-sketler, no holds barred. I ran down 22 avenue as fast as my legs could carry me. My chest heaved and I panted for breath to run away from the drug dealers. My legs felt like lead and my lungs burned as if pleading for me to stop but I was unrelenting. The shadows of the three man loomed over me. Weeping in fear, I continue to run for my life.
Out of the blue, two figures appeared in my vision. Zeroing my gaze at the two policemen on patrol, I screamed frantically, “Help!” the policemen ran towards us like a bullet train. When the drug dealers saw the policemen, they attempted to spun around and disappear. But it was too late. The policemen brought the men down with flying tackles. Packets of drugs were found on them. As the drug dealers were brought away, their cold eyes stared at me, cursing under their breaths. I knew that they would never forgive me.
The drug dealers were sent to life imprisonment for smuggling drugs into singapore. From that day onwards, I swore that I would not let curiosity get the better of me. I learned a valuable lesson- curiosity kills the cat.
“Mum, can I go to the park to try out my new skates?” I asked. “Please?” I added hurriedly. “Yeah, OK.” My mother replied. Yes! Finally, I can try out the new skates! I had waited over a week to try out the pair of skates- it was the weekend at last! I walked to the nearby park with high spirits.
I reached my destination within a few minutes. “Finally, I can try out my brand new skates,” I muttered under my breath. As happy as a lark, I put on my skates and started in-line skating. “Wee…” I shouted, unable to contain my joy. I started skating at breakneck speed. Suddenly, I saw a huge rock right in front of me. I swerved to my right to avoid the rock and fell onto the grass. Blood oozed out of my right knee and elbow. I gritted my teeth and tried to stand up, trying to bear with the excruciating pain. Then, my left leg hit onto something hard - a wallet. It was small and brown in colour. “What does this contains?” I wondered out aloud. With my heart burning with curiosity, I opened the small wallet. The only object that I found in the wallet was a piece of paper. It reads: Meet me at the warehouse that you would find at 22 Avenue. The usual thing and 200 dollars for it. 7pm. The words ‘usual thing’, ‘200’ and ‘it’ were highlighted in blue.
Ware house? Money? Usual thing? My eyebrows kitted into a tight frown. I knew that warehouse. It was across the street where I lived. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw two men approaching me. Immediately, I smelt a rat. One was muscular with tattoos all over his body while the other was skinny and tall and had bloodshot eyes. ‘They must be coming to look for this.’ I thought. As fast as lightning, I threw the wallet onto the ground and pretend that nothing had happened. As expected, they asked, “Er… have you seen any brown wallet?” I shot them a quizzical look and shook my head. “Never mind!” the muscular man muttered.
The appearance of these two men made me more determined to look in into the matter. I checked my skates for any damages. After confirming that everything was intact, I in-line skate home.
After dinner that night, I ‘armed’ myself with a torchlight and a penknife. Then, I walked across street 21 and came into street 22. A dilapidated warehouse loomed into view. Although the sky had already darkened, light illuminated from the warehouse.
As I was about to continue my way, a black cat’s meows startled me. I recalled my mother telling me that black cats were bad omens. My hair stood on ends and I started to feel uneasy. I gulped and decided to go ahead with my plans.
Once there, I crouched below the window and pressed my ears against the wall. I could make out some sounds, “wow, I fell high!”
Curiosity was burning in me. I peeped through the window and found two muscular men and one skinny man. I stiffened with fear. What had I stumbled into?
Suddenly, a strong of wind blew. “Haha…choo!” I sneezed. “Stupid wind! Why must I sneeze of all times?” I cursed under my breath. “Intruders!” someone screamed.
I ran helter-sketler, no holds barred. I ran down 22 avenue as fast as my legs could carry me. My chest heaved and I panted for breath to run away from the drug dealers. My legs felt like lead and my lungs burned as if pleading for me to stop but I was unrelenting. The shadows of the three man loomed over me. Weeping in fear, I continue to run for my life.
Out of the blue, two figures appeared in my vision. Zeroing my gaze at the two policemen on patrol, I screamed frantically, “Help!” the policemen ran towards us like a bullet train. When the drug dealers saw the policemen, they attempted to spun around and disappear. But it was too late. The policemen brought the men down with flying tackles. Packets of drugs were found on them. As the drug dealers were brought away, their cold eyes stared at me, cursing under their breaths. I knew that they would never forgive me.
The drug dealers were sent to life imprisonment for smuggling drugs into singapore. From that day onwards, I swore that I would not let curiosity get the better of me. I learned a valuable lesson- curiosity kills the cat.
Train Accident( Draft 2)
Adapted from'Train accident'
Tommy looked at the picture of his best friend- Fienze- and sighed. It was all because of him. Why must the incident happen? Why must Fienze be dead? Tears rolled down Tommy’s cheeks as memories of the terrifying incident flashed like a newsreel in Tommy’s mind. It all began like this……
“Give me back my toy gun!” shouted Tommy as he weaved in and out of the crowd, trying to catch Fienze. “I’ll give it to you over my dead body!” Fienze screamed over the hubbub. It was six o’clock, the peak and rush hour at the MRT station. Fienze and Tommy were waiting for their parents to arrive at Yishun MRT station. Meanwhile, the energetic boys started playing a game of catch. ‘Wow! This is fun!’ thought Tommy.
“Passengers, for your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line.” A voice droned over the speakers. Too engrossed in their game of ‘catch’ to heed the advice that droned on the speaker, Tommy continues chasing after Fienze. Fienze too continued scrambling through the legs and bags of the passengers. Just as Tommy was about to pounce on Fienze, Fienze saw an opening in the crowd. He raced through it. At that moment, he felt weightless, as if he was walking on the moon. He looked down and to his horror, he realized that he was air-borne. In an instant, he fell onto the tracks with a sickening thud.
“Fienze!” Tommy shouted, stricken with fear. Panic engulfed Tommy as he saw Fienze helplessly on the tracks. ‘This can’t be happening. I must do something quick.’ Thought Tommy. “Hold on to my hand!” screamed Tommy. Every time Fienze tried to catch hold of Tommy’s hands, he could not reach Tommy’s hands by an inch. Help was so near yet it seems so far.
The tracks began vibrating. The train had appeared from a bend. A gasp was issued from the crowd. “Quick! Grab hold of my hand now!” exclaimed Tommy. Trembling, Fienze tried to reach for the hand that was right above him. More hands appeared as a few young men bent down to help him.
There was a sudden blaring of a horn. The train thundered closer and closer. Fienze frantically tried to reach the hands above him but to no avail. The headlights of the train were now a sea of white. “Jump!” someone shouted from the crowd, but Fienze did not move a single inch. Bang! There was a deafening loud bang as the train hit Fienze. “AHHH” a scream erupted from Fienze. “Nooo!” screamed Tommy, “no! Not Fienze! This can’t be happening!”
As the train departed from the station, the body of Fienze lay on the tracks, as lifeless as a doll. Suddenly, sirens could be heard. One of the on-lookers had phoned the ambulance. Fienze was sent to the hospital. Five minutes later, Tommy and Firenze’s parents were pacing up and down the corridor of the hospital anxiously, muttering prayers under their breath. The doctors came out of the surgery room. His face told it all-Fienze was dead. Tears streamed down Tommy‘s eyes. No words could express his agony.
If only he had not played with Fienze…If only they had not meet at the MRT station. If only……
Tommy looked at the picture of his best friend- Fienze- and sighed. It was all because of him. Why must the incident happen? Why must Fienze be dead? Tears rolled down Tommy’s cheeks as memories of the terrifying incident flashed like a newsreel in Tommy’s mind. It all began like this……
“Give me back my toy gun!” shouted Tommy as he weaved in and out of the crowd, trying to catch Fienze. “I’ll give it to you over my dead body!” Fienze screamed over the hubbub. It was six o’clock, the peak and rush hour at the MRT station. Fienze and Tommy were waiting for their parents to arrive at Yishun MRT station. Meanwhile, the energetic boys started playing a game of catch. ‘Wow! This is fun!’ thought Tommy.
“Passengers, for your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line.” A voice droned over the speakers. Too engrossed in their game of ‘catch’ to heed the advice that droned on the speaker, Tommy continues chasing after Fienze. Fienze too continued scrambling through the legs and bags of the passengers. Just as Tommy was about to pounce on Fienze, Fienze saw an opening in the crowd. He raced through it. At that moment, he felt weightless, as if he was walking on the moon. He looked down and to his horror, he realized that he was air-borne. In an instant, he fell onto the tracks with a sickening thud.
“Fienze!” Tommy shouted, stricken with fear. Panic engulfed Tommy as he saw Fienze helplessly on the tracks. ‘This can’t be happening. I must do something quick.’ Thought Tommy. “Hold on to my hand!” screamed Tommy. Every time Fienze tried to catch hold of Tommy’s hands, he could not reach Tommy’s hands by an inch. Help was so near yet it seems so far.
The tracks began vibrating. The train had appeared from a bend. A gasp was issued from the crowd. “Quick! Grab hold of my hand now!” exclaimed Tommy. Trembling, Fienze tried to reach for the hand that was right above him. More hands appeared as a few young men bent down to help him.
There was a sudden blaring of a horn. The train thundered closer and closer. Fienze frantically tried to reach the hands above him but to no avail. The headlights of the train were now a sea of white. “Jump!” someone shouted from the crowd, but Fienze did not move a single inch. Bang! There was a deafening loud bang as the train hit Fienze. “AHHH” a scream erupted from Fienze. “Nooo!” screamed Tommy, “no! Not Fienze! This can’t be happening!”
As the train departed from the station, the body of Fienze lay on the tracks, as lifeless as a doll. Suddenly, sirens could be heard. One of the on-lookers had phoned the ambulance. Fienze was sent to the hospital. Five minutes later, Tommy and Firenze’s parents were pacing up and down the corridor of the hospital anxiously, muttering prayers under their breath. The doctors came out of the surgery room. His face told it all-Fienze was dead. Tears streamed down Tommy‘s eyes. No words could express his agony.
If only he had not played with Fienze…If only they had not meet at the MRT station. If only……
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