PSLE: Taking The Blame

Tom gave a long sigh.  He was bored to tears, not knowing what to do next.  His older sister, Jane, was busy mugging for the impending examination.    It was home-alone time for the two siblings as their mom had gone out and their dad was out at work.

The five-year-old boy decided to grab the markers on the table.  “Hmm, what should I draw?” he thought to himself.  “Ahha!  Aslan the Lion!” he smiled at the thought and searched high and low for drawing paper but there was none.  He decided to use the whole wall as his white canvas instead. 

Standing on a wooden stool, he started his doodling.  The majestic mane, the piercing eyes and the imposing composure.  Perfect!  What a masterpiece!  Feeling proud of himself, his marble black eyes sparkled in delight.  Calling out to his sister, he exclaimed, “Hey, Sis!  Come and see.”  Wondering what his naughty younger brother was up to this time, she decided to take a breather and marched into the living room.

“Aaaahhhhh!” She could not believe her eyes!  Her mouth fell agape and a gasp of shock escaped from her lips.  “Tom Lim! What did you do this time?!” she yelled.  Tom flashed a sheepish grin and replied, “It’s nice, right?  Aslan, the majestic lion from Narnia!” 

Jane stared on in bewilderment!  It definitely did not look like a lion to her.  It definitely smelt like trouble to her.  “You’ll be dead meat when Mom’s back!” she hollered. 

Both the siblings were frightened of their tigress mother. Instantly, hysteria overwhelmed him and his face blanched white in trepidation. Tears welled up in his eyes and he started weeping for he knew he was in hot soup. 

Seeing how petrified Tom looked, she felt sorry for him.  The quick-thinking sister frantically took some sponge and detergent from the kitchen and started to clean the wall.  Tom tried to help too but no matter how hard they tried, the stubborn paint marks refused to give way.  In the end, Aslan turned into blotches of black and grey.  It was a pathetically ugly sight.

Just then, the children heard the front door open.  Mum was back!  The panic-stricken Tom quickly hid behind her sister.  Jane felt sorry for him and gave a sigh.  She decided to take the blame. 

Gulping down the stone in her throat, she stuttered nervously, “Sorry mummy…I… drew…and even…asked…bro…”

Smack!  A red palm print instantly appeared on her colourless face.   "Why are you such a lousy sister?  Why are you such a bad role model?" she admonished. It was followed by red welts lashed all over her frail body.  Hapless tears streamed down as she clenched her fists tightly, trying hard to bear with the excruciating pain. In her heart, she yelled, "I am a good sister.  I really am!"  But no words tumbled out of her lips.

Tom was shocked to see the villainous fury of his mother.   In desperation, he ran to protect Jane with his own body.  That stopped Mom.  She froze for a minute and finally flounced out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Tom stared at all the red marks and started crying like a baby.  It was then that he realized how much Jane loved him.  The boy threw his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.  “It’s all my fault!  I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he spoke, his tears flowing down like gushing taps.  “I guess that’s what a big sister is for,” she replied, stroking his chestnut hair gently, smiling despite her searing pain.