Tuesday, April 26, 2016

PSLE: An accident




Two Disney umbrellas bobbed up and down among a myriad of colourful umbrellas.  It was raining cats and dogs. Thunder rumbled overhead like the roar of the cannon balls. Lightning zigzagged across the darkened sky.

Jay stifled a loud yawn as he lumbered along the pavement. He dragged his feet to school while holding his Mickey Mouse umbrella above his head. His school bag weighed a tonne as it was too heavy for him. He had to walk slowly as the road was slippery.

In front of him was his younger sister, Rachel, a puny-sized girl. She was holding a Minnie Mouse umbrella. Despite the generous shade, Rachel’s pony-tails and her schoolbag were already wet due to the slanting raindrops. She was tip-toeing gingerly like a ballerina and slowly rounding a puddle on the cobblestoned street. On the roads, cars were travelling slowly and cautiously, splashing puddles of rainwater onto the pavement. Suddenly, she missed her footing and let out a piercing shriek. 

Startled, Jay rushed forward, trying to reach out to grab her. It was too late! Before he could succeed, she fell onto the road with a loud thud and landed on all fours, right into the path of an oncoming car!  The glaring headlights almost cast a fleeting blindness in their eyes.

"Watch out!" Jay yelled at Rachel. His face blanched white in trepidation. He was shocked beyond words as the car was fast approaching her.

Rachel knew she could not avoid the car and closed her eyes tight. Bang! The car hit the girl and pain shot through her petite body. Instinctively, Jay tossed his umbrella aside and sprinted forward. Dazed, Rachel lay on the road, moaning in pain. She was bleeding from some cuts, scratches and sustained a broken leg. Luckily, the car had not been travelling fast. A crowd soon gathered around her, fussing over her.


"I'm so sorry!" the guilt-stricken young driver apologised frantically.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Rachel nodded and managed to sit up by herself after several attempts with Jay’s help. They knew it was definitely not the driver’s fault. Feeling worried, the driver immediately called for an ambulance. 

Minutes later, the police officers and the ambulance arrived at the scene. Several other passers-by told the police officers what had happened. Jay turned to his sister and spoke apologetically, “I’m sorry! It’s all my fault. I should have held your hands and we could have walked together.” Fat teardrops slipped down his wet, chubby cheeks.

Rachel wiped away his tears and flashed a weak smile, saying, “Don’t worry. I will be just fine.”  

The rain gradually subsided. The sun appeared from behind the thinned-out clouds and a lovely rainbow arched across the sky. Instead of going to school as planned, the duo was now on their way to the hospital.

They had long forgotten about the two Disney umbrellas that were still lying on the pavement. The ambulance sirens wailed and soon disappeared down the road.

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"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."

Henry David Thoreau