PSLE: A Bus Mishap

“Ooh!” I stifled a yawn, dragging my heavy legs towards the bus stop. I wished I was snuggling comfortably in my bed. It was Monday and an exam day. Yesterday, I had burnt midnight oil because of today’s science exam. The honking and spluttering of the peak hour rush was part of the usual morning scene. The bus stop was filled with commuters waiting for the bus. Students laden with elephantine schools bag catching up with the latest gossip “updating” themselves, while adults were engrossed in their newspapers or hand phones.

Rubbing my puffy eyes as I stifled a yawn again, everyone looked so energetic except for me.

“Good morning! Quit yawning, you lazy pig! Today is the start of the week!” Leo bubbly voice broke my bleary state and perked up instantly, welcoming the companion of my best friend.  Immediately, we launched into our morning chatter. We were chatting like we have not seen each other for a long time.

Out of the blue, a ear splitting honk sliced through the air, followed by a hair-raising sound of metal scrapping reverberated in a distance. Everyone spun their heads around to check out the commotion.

“Run for your lives! A bus is crashing in! Run!” a woman squalled anxiously.

Chaos broke out! Everyone saw a double decker had lost control and was crashing into the bus stop, started screaming like wild baboons. We followed suit. With our hands locked in a death grip, we ran without our bags as the towering bus loomed larger and larger over us.

BANG! The bus hit me like a cannonball. Shards of glass rained onto the ground, crushing my legs like an insignificant bug underneath the bumper of the bus. My agonizing yelp set Leo dead in his tracks. How lucky! The bus had just missed him by a hair’s breadth. Leo spun his head around.

“Jack!” I could hear Leo screeching my name with panic in his tone. Leo watched in consternation, almost seeing to be manacled to the ground in shock and unsure on how to react. By now I could feel warm pulsing blood bubbling up my legs. I worked up the strength and, fighting the agonizing pain, turned my head just enough around to see, out of the corner of my eye, all the passengers pouring out of the bus shaken and benumbed. Petrol soon permeated out of the metal wreckage and the pungent smell invaded my nostrils. By this time, blackish swirls were clouding my vision.

“Please leave, Leo……please,” I whispered to Leo.

“No…I am not going anywhere without you,” cried Leo.

“No, it is too dangerous here,” I whispered, every word zapping away at my dwindling strength, forcing me to keep it short and not say too much.

Instead of leaving, Leo started to pull me out but to no avail. The bus squashed my legs but I could not feel my legs at all. I felt blood gushing out as gravity did its work. The passengers saw what Leo was trying to do and took tentative steps forward. They too tried lifting me up the whole bus while Leo pulled me up.

First try, no.

Second try, no.

Third try, yes.

Everyone immediately rushed to a safer place.

KABOOM! The bus exploded liked a volcano and the air instantly filled with intense heat and thick, dark clouds billowed upwards.

Sirens echoed down the streets. Firemen put out the fire bravely and police cordoned off the place while paramedics rendered medical aids expeditiously to injured victims.

I was whisked to the nearest hospital. My legs were amputated and fitted with prosthetic legs. Despite losing my legs, my family and I were still grateful that I survived the ordeal.

(Written by Ting Zhongxun, P6.  Edited by Mrs Julie Lee)