My senses were slowly
devoured by a cold, blank numbness, but the physical pain I felt was
growing harsher and more relentless. Slowly, the bright lights
retreated and darkness took over. The very next moment, I heard
muffled voices and came to, only to find myself lying on a bed in
an unfamiliar room.
“Look! Adrian is awake!”
I heard voices calling my name and I turned around. To my surprise,
my parents and relatives were standing by the bed. “Why are you all
here? Are you all also in heaven with me?” I asked with a puzzled
look on my face. “ Adrian, you are in a hospital, not in heaven!
You’re not dead yet,” came a laugh from my father, who was beside
me. Memories of what had happened started coming back to me.
It was Mother’s Day and
the shopping centre
was bustling with activities. Crowds of families were out to
celebrate Mother’s Day in return for the Mother’s responsibility
of taking care of the family. I was among the crowd, not with my
family, but myself. Despite knowing that my parents were so busy and
had no time to celebrate Mother’s Day together, I still decided to
buy a special gift for her.
After purchasing a silver
necklace which was wrapped beautifully in a silky mauve box from the
jeweller
shop, I left the shop with adrenalin rushing through me as I thought
of my mother’s pleased countenance later in the evening when I
planned to surprise her. Beautiful necklaces are just what women
yearn for always, right?
Just as I was weaving
through the crowd to the exit to leave the shopping centre,
the sound of gunshots reverberated through the air. At that
simultaneous moment, all actions ceased immediately and the crowd
stopped dead in their tracks. Some of them even looked around to find
out what had happened. Suddenly, gunshots resounded in the shopping
centre again. One by one, the people were shot down like dead flies.
All hell broke loose as screams and panic punctured the air. The crowd was
going berserk and people were running helter-skelter for safety.
Each time the gunshot
sounded, it brought one more unlucky victim falling to the ground.
Everyone was evacuating out of the building, but my legs did not
bulge. I watched in consternation at the lunatic man who was holding
a shotgun, almost seeming to be manacled to the ground by my shock,
and unsure of how to react.
Bang! One more bullet was
sending one more person falling to the ground. That gunshot had shot
me awake, and I was jolted to my senses. I decided to make a run for
the exit. As I was about to step out of the entrance, I felt a harsh
pain at the back of my body, I was shot too!
Looking at the exit of the
shopping centre, I thought of the gift that I had bought for my
mother. If I could not exit the shopping centre, I would not be able
to give her the gift personally. I worked up the strength and
fighting the agonizing pain, I made my way to the exit onerously,
with the pain growing each step I took. I persevered to succeed.
Finally, I exited the shopping centre.
Overwhelmed by fatigue and
pain, I dropped to the ground with no strength left to get up. I
closed my eyes, trying to conserve most of my energy. The pain was
intense, and I felt as if I was about to die. I heard the ambulances’
sirens and knew that they were coming to rescue the injured. Not long
after they had stopped by the roadside, I felt myself being lifted up
by pairs of hands which I guess were the paramedics’. I was laid
on a stretcher to carry me into the ambulance. I was then whisked to
the nearest hospital.
I thought I was dead, as I
had fainted in the ambulance due to the loss of too much blood and I
could not feel any more pain. The paramedics helped me to staunch the
flow of blood so as not to lose any more blood in case I would be at
risk of dying.
I needed an emergency
operation immediately and my parents were informed. They were worried
and rushed to the hospital. By the time they had reached the
hospital, I was already in the operation room. My parents even prayed
fervently for me to be safe and sound. Luckily, my critical stage was
over and the doctor told my parents to assure them after the
operation. I was being sent to one of the hospital wards, parents
went to visit me after my operation. Just when I was about to sit up,
I felt something in my hand. It was then that I realized that the
gift was actually the present that I had bought for my mother.
“Happy Mother’s Day!” I
chirped, handing the gift over to my mother, at the same time feeling glad to see her again. When she opened the box, she was so
surprised that it was a silver necklace which is the one she yearned
for. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She hugged me tightly, feeling
touched, and replied warmly, “ Thank you, thank you, my dear.”
(Written by Cai Kexin, P6. Edited by Mrs Julie Lee)
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