PSLE: Bumping into a stranger

“How about a bouquet of flower?” Chinxian, my younger brother, suggested with a broad smile plastered across his cherubic face while his beady eyes became thin lines.  We were having a hard time searching for a gift for my mother.  My head bobbed up and down in agreement.  “How about a bunch of white roses?” I suggested.   I was sure that mum would love it as her Mother’s Day gift.  Our attention was arrested by the alluring display of flowers of all different hues and colours.  Figures were swimming in my head as I calculated and made sure that we had enough money and paid the money.

Suddenly, a burly buffalo of a brute knocked into my brother from behind.  My brother was shocked.  This burly man had tattoos painted all over his muscular arms.  His temper was as foul as his face.  His unkempt hair was sticking out in all directions like a dirty mop.  His bloodchilling glare chilled me to the bone.  If looks could kill, my brother and I would have died that very moment.

All of a sudden, there was a flash of blue.  A posse of policemen whizzed forward and surrounded us.  All of them were pointing their pistols at us.   We held our hands up, thinking what heinous crime we had committed.  Then, our attention was swivelled to the man who had a dagger in his hand.  Instinctively, he pulled Chinxian over and looped his arm around his neck and the sharp blade pressed against his throat.

“One more step and he will die,” the man bellowed at the top of his voice.

I realised that we were in the devil’s pit and any movement might put my brother in dire straits.  I gaped in horrified eyes at the desperate man, holding my brother hostage.  Chinxian let loose a torrent of tears and he even peed his pants.   By this time, my heart was beating like African drums.

The disgusted man unleashed a string of vulgarities, obviously peeved by the foul urine.  I just couldn’t let my brother die!  In my timid voice, I pleaded, “Please let my brother go!  I will take his place.”  By the time, rivulet of crimson blood were dripping down the slit at his throat.  The white roses in his hand were strained blood red.

Silent tears streaked down my face.  I fell to my knees and pleaded fervently for his mercy.  Suddenly, there was a sudden gunshot.  A bullet whizzed through the man’s head from the front and emerged from behind.  A gaping red hole appeared instantly.  The knife in his hand plunged to the floor.  My brother gave out a bloodcurdling scream and fainted.

Time stood still for the split second.  The man then collapsed to the floor – dead while I rushed towards my brother, shaking his limp body, crying and shivering in sadness.  The entire world suddenly felt black and dull.

After what seemed like eternity, Chinxian regained consciousness.  He was swiftly whisked off the hospital while he received eight stitches.

My mother rushed to the hospital to pick us up.  We apologised for the stained roses.  However, my brother surviving that day was the best gift for Mother’s Day.