PSLE: Lost

The rising sun dispersed the chill of the night as it rose above the horizon. The sun rays filtered through the foliage of leaves and gentle warmth permeated the reservoir. Flowers dotted the trees and perfumed the entire trail with their lovely scent. Father was jogging with Martin and Natalie.  Father was in front, followed by Natalie, the ten-year-old, and Martin who was four years younger.

“Hurry up, Martin! Are you a tortoise? You are so slow!” Natalie called out to her brother in exasperation.

Martin was exhausted. He was huffing and puffing from all the running. He could barely catch up. 

“You go first, okay? I’ll catch up! I promise!” the boy replied in-between pants.

“Tell you what, I will run and tell Daddy to wait for you. We’ll be at the pavilion, okay?” Natalie suggested.

“Okay! I’ll try my best,” came Martin’s reply and immediately, Natalie sped off like the wind. Sigh! Martin furrowed his brows. “Buck up, boy! Buck up!” he told himself and continued his agonizing run.

Just then, a flash of white caught his eyes and he halted. Martin peered harder and saw a white tail. Curiosity got the better of him and he looked again. In a distance, he spotted a small poodle, wagging its tail with a leash still tied to his collar. His face lit up in delight! 

“Hmm… A lost dog,” Martin thought to himself. It must be a naughty one. What should he do? Should he continue running or catch the dog instead? It was a moment of some serious dithering. Then, a grin flashed across his cherubic face. He made his decision!

Steadily, he approached the dog but the clever canine detected his presence and bolted off straight into the forested area. “Come back! You silly dog! I’m trying to save you, you know!” he called out. With a look of implacable determination on his face, he gave chase for he felt compelled to find the dog no matter what.

Martin was hot on his heels. Deeper and deeper into the forest, he ran. Little did he know that he was already lost in a huge jungle. Just then, the poor boy slipped and landed with a loud thud. As he was about to wail aloud in pain, the poodle trotted towards him and licked him repeatedly. It seemed to understand his pain. That comforted him a little.

Slowly, he rose to his feet and with the leash in his hand, he decided to find his way out of this horrible maze of tall trees. Beads of perspiration dotted his forehead and his legs ached like hell as he walked round and round in circles. No matter how hard he tried, he was still – lost.

Panic gripped his stomach and he started bawling at the top of his voice. The dog caught the cue and his barks resonated around the vicinity as well. The din did its work. It caught the attention of Dad and Natalie who came running towards the source of the noise and - found Martin. 

“Son, you scared the daylights out of me!" Dad exclaimed, running towards Martin.  The boy flashed a bashful grin as he ran towards his dad and gave him a tight bear hug. His tears of joy fell like pearls for he was immensely relieved. The poor lost boy was found at last and finally back in safe hands once again. He definitely learnt never to wander into the forest again.

As for the lost poodle, it was not so lucky. It never found its real owner, but never mind, it found a new one, that was, Martin, of course. Since then, Martin was not slow in running anymore. With his dog around, he too could fly even faster than the wind.