PSLE: An Uninvited Visitor

Mr Tan’s voice droned on monotonously.  The lesson was so dreary!  Jevon stifled his yawn discreetly for fear of being caught by his eagle-sharp teacher.  “Twenty more minutes,” he muttered to himself as he kept staring at the clock.  He rubbed his bleary eyes, trying to focus on the lesson.  The words on the block became a hopeless jumble and he soon dozed off to dreamland.

All of a sudden, a clarion voice pierced through the air.  “Jevon Tan, what do you think you are doing?”

Jevon immediately shot alert.  Taken aback by shock, he stood back, his face red as beetroot.  Just as Mr Tan started launching into his incessant tirade, Jevon caught a streak of yellow.  Was he hallucinating?  He squinted his eyes and looked again.  It was a lemony canary which had burst into the classroom, twittering a tune.  It was however trapped within the closed confines of the classroom.

Everyone craned their necks to have a closer look.  The bird flew to and fro and narrowly missed the whirling fan blades.  By this time, the whole class was revved up and went hysterical as a result of the yellow intruder.  The girls huddled together screeching like banshees while the boys sprang into action to pounce on it like wild cats.  It was a hilarious sight and the place was a complete ruckus!

“Everyone sit down NOW!”  Mr Tan’s commanding voice rose above the din.  With a flutter of the wings, the bird hit against the window panes and dropped right onto Jevon’s desk.  Somehow, it could not fly anymore, limping about.

The class finally regained their composure and crowded around Jevon’s desk. 

“The bird is hurt, isn’t it?”

“What should we do?”

“Poor thing!”

Jevon then plucked up his courage and spoke, “Mr Tan, can I bring home and nurse it back to health?”

Mr Tan thought for a while and finally agreed.  Jevon brought it home and the bird recovered in no time.  Finally, it was time to let it go.  The bird perched on his finger and twittered a tune as if to thank him.  With a flap, the bird leapt into the air.   “Goodbye, my friend,” Jevon whispered as he watched it fly off until it became just a speck beyond the horizon and finally disappeared.