PSLE: Rat Attack

The dreary lesson droned on and on. However, today was a little unusual for Jintao was not even nodding off. A sheepish smile spread across his thin lips as he could not wait for recess time to come. He definitely had some tricks up his sleeves. The bell finally shrieked and everyone zoomed out of the classroom - all except him.

Jintao stared at his bag that wriggled occasionally. He recalled how Mrs Tan had reprimanded him severely for not submitting his Maths homework. How to hand in his work if he could not even do a single one no matter how hard he had tried? Meticulously, he plotted his revenge. Using a mouse trap, he managed to catch one of the most humongous rats he could find. Now, the furry creature was in sweet slumber in his miniscule school bag.

Stealthily, he walked toward the teacher's table and took the startled rat out by its long tail before dropping it into the drawer and slamming it shut. All wound up, he could not help giggling to himself, wondering about what Mrs Tan's expression would be like.

The school bell rang again, signalling the end of recess. His classmates started returning in groups. No one had any clue what was going to happen. The Mathematics lesson resumed. The white board screeched as Mrs Tan taught and scribbled symbols and numbers onto the shiny surface. The ink was getting lighter and the sweet revenge was approaching fast. He glanced impatiently, his heart racing against his ribs.

With an outstretched hand, Mrs Tan walked over to her desk and pulled out the drawer. She dug her fingers in to look for a new marker. Jintao burst out in muffled giggles as he watched. A foul smell permeated from the drawer.

The rat made its sudden appearance and leapt onto Mrs Tan's porcelain face. “Ahhhh!” Her shrill scream pierced through the air. “Get off me!' The rat did but only after it had made a few scratches and red welts on her flawless complexion. It then fell on its butts to the cement floor and zoomed like a bullet in frenzy around the classroom This started a ruckus as the girls huddled together, screaming at the top of their lungs like banshees while the boys darted for the rodents, as eager as beavers.

Jintao's mouth grew agape in horror. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, Jintao realised that he had truly gone overboard. What should he do now? A brainwave struck him and dug out the remaining cheese in his bag and placed it right before the squeaking rat. His tactic worked! The hungry mouse scampered towards it and started devouring the scrumptious cheese with a vengeance. With a leap, Jintao pounced onto the rat and managed to bag the struggling pest right back to where it had belonged.

Jintao then stood before Mrs Tan. Cold sweat  of trepidation drenched his shirt. Left wth little choice, he knew he had to surrender to his fate. He apologised profusely, hoping to have a lighter sentence for his mischief. Fat hope!

“Follow me now!” her commanding voice bellowed. Without delay, he was sent to the principal's office and his parents were called in as well. Jintao paid for his 'crime' for he had to empty his savings to pay for Mrs Tan's medical expenses and was sent to detention class for an entire month until he learnt his Mathematics concepts well. Well, serve him right!