20 Top Model Compositions for

Primary 5 and 6

Topic: A Right Decision ......................................................................................................... 3

Topic: A Poor Decision .......................................................................................................... 5
Topic: An Unforgettable Incident. ....................................................................................... 7
Topic: Overcoming A Challenge.......................................................................................... 9
Topic: A Narrow Escape. ..................................................................................................... 11
Topic: Trying Something New ............................................................................................ 13
Topic: A Mistake. ................................................................................................................... 15
Topic: An Unexpected Discovery. ..................................................................................... 17
Topic: Perseverance. ............................................................................................................ 19
Topic: A Change For The Better. ....................................................................................... 21
Topic: Being Overconfident. ............................................................................................... 23
Topic: Trust. ............................................................................................................................ 25
Topic: Honesty. ...................................................................................................................... 27
Topic: An Accident................................................................................................................ 29
Topic: Something That Was Lost. ..................................................................................... 31
Topic: A Kind Act................................................................................................................... 33
Topic: Being Considerate. ................................................................................................... 35
Topic: An Outdoor Experience........................................................................................... 37
Topic: A Brave Act. ............................................................................................................... 39
Topic: A Surprise. .................................................................................................................. 41

1
Topic: A Right Decision
Pictures given: A wallet, A group of hooligans, A park

I glanced at my watch impatiently and began fidgeting with my handphone. School

was already over and I was waiting for my best friend, John. We had agreed to go see a
movie together. John and I were cousins, neighbours, classmates, and most importantly, we
were the best of friends. We were buddies through thick and thin.

Finally, he turned up. He stole a surreptitious glance around him. No one was in the
vicinity. He beckoned for me to follow with an air of secrecy. He gestured vaguely towards
the right. I wanted to ask him what he was up to, but his solemn look silenced me. His
unusual demeanour had piqued my curiosity and I decided to go along to find out he was up
to. I soon found myself in a quiet, dark alley. A group of boys was loitering around. Most of
them towered over me. They were robust in build and uncouth in manner.

The teens donned gaudy T-shirts and torn jeans. They all wore earrings and almost
every one of them had a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. Upon seeing John,
they bellowed, shouted, screamed and cheered in delight. They patted and hugged John
before giving him a pack of something that looked like cigarettes. John immediately
introduced me to them.

I scrutinised each member of the hooligan gang but was jolted out of my train of
thought when the boys squealed in delight. John had appeared from the other end of the
alley. But gone was his bespectacled and immaculate look. In its place were a cigarette,
earrings, a pair of sunglasses and an air of defiance. I was in utter disbelief.

The leader assured me that joining the gang would get me free food, cigarettes, beer,
drugs and lots of money. John joined the coercion and stated that as best buddies, we
should do this together. “Come on! Don’t be a coward!” John urged, nudging me with his
elbow. Looking at the gang, I knew this was trouble in the making. Although rejecting my
best friend was difficult, it was something that needed to be done. There and then, I walked
away.

A few days later, the police came to our school. They took John and his friends away
because of their involvement in a recent gang fight. Their double life was exposed, and most
of them were later expelled from school.

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 The gang leader and his members were sent to a boys’ reform home. Fortunately for
John, who was a first-time offender, he was let off with a mere slap on the wrist. He was
suspended from school for a month and made to attend counselling sessions. Seeing the
consequences of the path that John had chosen to go down, I knew that I had made the right
choice that fateful day. Although it had certainly been wrong of him to try to convince me to
join his gang, I still treasured the many wonderful memories we had together and hoped that
John would, with time, turn over a new leaf.

3
Topic: A Poor Decision
Pictures given: Test paper, A pair of hands shaking, Stadium

Reaching an arm over, I hastily pressed down on the alarm clock to stop the persistent
ringing. It was the morning of the hundred-metre race which I had been practising for. I had
trained hard over the past few months and I was dizzy with excitement at the thought of
receiving the gold trophy. Just as I was about to leap out of bed, I felt a slight gnawing pain
on the right side of my abdomen.

I sat up carefully, wondering what it was. Seconds later, the pain dissipated and I
hurriedly packed my bag for the annual sports event at my school. Breakfast was hasty that
morning as I was extremely excited and wanted to get to the stadium as soon as possible.

“Argh!” I clutched my stomach. I was in the lift on my way down when the pain started
again. The pain had increased in intensity and I doubled over from the stabbing pain in my
stomach. By the time the lift reached the ground floor, beads of perspiration were dripping
down the sides of my face. I was shivering slightly and panting hard. Stumbling out of the lift,
I hurriedly sat on a bench at the void deck. I contemplated calling my mother but that would
mean pulling out of the race. I could not miss the race! I had a good chance of winning a
trophy! As I still had some time to spare, I decided to rest at the void deck until I felt better.
Thankfully, the pain subsided after a while. Glancing at my watch, I quickly got to my feet
and made my way to the stadium. I could feel the colour returning to my cheeks and I sighed
in relief.

As I stepped into the stadium, my eyes widened at the sight before me. The place
was abuzz with students chatting animatedly and teachers rushing about making final
preparations. Cheerleaders were out on the field chanting the names of the student athletes.
The row of trophies on the table next to the podium glinted in the sunlight and my heart
thumped wildly at the thought of winning the gold trophy. Realising that the race was starting
soon, I made a beeline to the changing room where I promptly changed into my sports attire.

No sooner had I changed than I heard the announcement for the competitors to
assemble at the track. My heart pounded furiously as I headed to the tracks and stood there
waiting for my turn. Suddenly, the onset of a stomach cramp made me bend over. “Not
now!” I muttered under my breath as tears sprang to my eyes.

4
 “Are you alright?” a teacher who had noticed me grimacing in pain asked worriedly. I
was in so much pain that my voice was barely audible. I shook my head weakly. I could feel
the curious stares from the competitors around me as the teacher helped me to the changing
room and sat me down on a bench. Upon seeing that I had a fever after taking my
temperature, she wasted no time in calling for an ambulance.

I was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal virus. It was fortunate that I was admitted into
the hospital just in time. My parents were informed and as soon as they saw me, they
admonished me for wanting to participate in the race even though I was not feeling well. My
stubbornness had resulted in a terrible experience that I never wanted to go through again. I
realised that health is wealth and it is more important than any award or trophy. I made a
solemn promise to take better care of my health and not make similar poor decisions again.

5
Topic: An Unforgettable Incident
Pictures given: A boy swimming, A dog, A photograph with a family of four

Sitting up on the cold, hard bed, Kenny looked around, bewildered. His body felt like
it had gone through a series of beatings and all his energy had been drained. Even as he
tried to lift his finger, he could feel a dull ache. The pungent smell of Dettol invaded Kenny’s
nostrils and immediately, he knew where he was. Slowly, events of the day started flooding
back into his mind. Finally recalling the incident which put him at death’s door, Kenny
shuddered.

Kenny trudged into the swimming complex grouchily with his mother and younger
brother at his side. “Must I really do it today, Mum? I am not prepared for this!” Kenny
whined, making a last-minute attempt to change his mother’s mind. Kenny’s mother nodded,
giving him a look to acknowledge his reluctance but also telling him that there would be no
change to the decision made.

Knowing that his fate was sealed, Kenny quickly got changed. The sun was shining
brilliantly and the water in the pool glittered invitingly. It might not be that bad after all, Kenny
thought to himself as he looked up and took a deep breath. The fresh cool air filled his lungs
and he immediately felt rejuvenated. He comforted himself with the fact that if he passed the
test, he would not have to attend weekly swimming practice anymore.

“Ready, get set, go!” The shrill whistle went off and Kenny plunged into the deep pool.
Kenny abhorred the water but knew that it was a life skill that he had to pick up. He could not
wait to be done with this. He had just completed half a lap when without warning, he felt a
sharp pull in his left leg. He yelped in pain and soon, his left leg was numb. Kenny panicked
and started flailing his arms wildly. He knew he was in trouble as he continued sinking. Water
began to charge into his nostrils, severing all oxygen supply and eventually, knocking him
out cold.

“Mum! Look at Kenny, is something wrong?” little Johnny exclaimed. Johnny was
watching his brother the whole time and when he noticed Kenny’s head bobbing up and
down in the water at the same spot, he had to interrupt the conversation between his mother
and Kenny’s coach. Both adults turned to look and without hesitation, Coach was galvanised
into action. Mother gasped in horror at the scene unfolding in front of them.

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 With strong powerful strokes, Coach reached Kenny’s side in no time. He lifted
Kenny’s head above the water and headed for the poolside. The lifeguard who had been
alerted rushed to the side and helped Coach heave Kenny out of the water.

Without further ado, the lifeguard pumped rhythmically on Kenny’s chest. He had
turned as white as a sheet and lay motionless. By this time, Mother was waiting
uncontrollably. After what seemed like an eternity, Kenny began to splutter and cough
violently. His eyes fluttered open and he seemed dazed. Within seconds, he lost
consciousness again.

“Kenny, you’re awake! Thank God! You’re safe and sound!” Mother exclaimed as she
clasped Kenny’s hands. She recounted the incident to Kenny and told him that after the
lifeguard had performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, the water in his lungs had
been removed but he had probably fainted from the shock. It was indeed an unforgettable
incident that would forever be seared into his memory.

7
Topic: Overcoming A Challenge
Pictures given: A stage, A trophy, A bully

“Where’d you get those dirty shoes from? The rubbish bin outside?” Ever since Johnny
had been placed in the same class as Billy, he had come to expect the verbal abuse hurled
at him on a daily basis, making fun of his clothes, his height, or even the way he walked. It
never became any less unpleasant for him, but he hoped that if he continued to ignore Billy,
perhaps one day Billy would get bored and stop his incessant teasing. The day that Johnny
decided that he had finally had enough initially started out just like the others.

Johnny stood just outside of the school gate, feeling acutely aware and self-conscious
about his school uniform that was two sizes too large for him – a hand-me-down from his
older brother. Each morning, he steeled himself before entering the school grounds. Taking a
deep breath and clenching his jaw, he headed towards the school hall for assembly.

“Tiny Johnny, if your pants were any bigger, they’d fall right off!” Billy mocked as he
crept up behind Johnny. Johnny refused to react and continued walking. “Ignoring me now,
are you?” Billy jeered. At that moment, Johnny felt something being pulled out of his
schoolbag and spun around to face Billy. The burly boy had spotted Johnny’s lunchbox
sticking out of his bag and was now holding it in his hands, a malicious grin playing across
his face. He shook the box violently. Johnny asked him to return it but dared not take it back
himself.

“Give it back,” Billy mimicked in a whiny, high-pitched voice. Doing it slowly as if to

taunt Johnny, he removed the lid of the lunchbox. Johnny watched in horror as Billy then
turned the container upside down, emptying its contents onto the ground. Seeing the food
that his mother had painstakingly prepared for him splatter all over the floor, Johnny was
filled with rage and clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails bit into his palms. Billy was
satisfied that he had managed to get a reaction out of Johnny. Billy laughed derisively,
satisfied that he had finally managed to get a reaction out of Johnny.

While Billy was still celebrating what he had done, Johnny walked marched off to the
school hall. He decided there and then that he had to put a stop to things. In the hall, he
went straight to his form teacher and reported everything that Billy had done. As she
listened, her face changed expression darkened and her face was suffused with anger.
When Billy showed up to the school hall, his smug grin slowly faded as he noticed the
piercing look she was giving him. He had been harassing Johnny for so long that it had not
8
occurred to him that Johnny might eventually tell on him. “Billy and Johnny, come with me,”
she said tersely, heading for the principal’s office.

The school had strict policies on bullying and any form of it would not be tolerated.
Consequently, Billy’s parents were informed and he was required to undergo professional
counselling after school, in the hope that it would help him to reflect on his actions and solve
the root of the problem in the hope that it would help him to reflect on his actions and solve
the root of the problem.

At the end of the day, Johnny’s teacher sat him down and kindly told him that she
would always be willing to provide a listening ear, as well as to inform her earlier before
things escalated in case of any such events in future. Johnny certainly wished that he had
worked up the courage to ask for help earlier. Nonetheless, he was relieved that the episode
was finally over.

9
Topic: A Narrow Escape
Pictures given: A car, A fire, A camp

A whiff of acrid smoke entered my nostrils and I sat up instantly. Where was the smell
coming from? Hurrying to my room to check on my brother, I noticed that he was playing with
his toys. Our parents had gone to work, leaving us alone.

“Joe, do you notice a strange smell?” I asked. My brother looked up, took a deep breath and
began to cough.

“What is that smell?” he choked out.

Puzzled, I rushed to the living room. The smell was getting stronger. Just then, I saw thin
curls of white smoke swirling underneath the main door. Terrified, I bolted to open the door.

“Ouch!” I howled in pain.

The doorknob was now bright orange and blisters started to form on my palm. I could hear
the sizzling of the fire from outside. Peeping through the hole, I witnessed orange flames
advancing towards our house. Realisation hit me like a twenty-pound sledgehammer. There
was a fire! My lungs felt dry and my throat was parched. A million thoughts flooded my mind
but I could only stand rooted to the ground.

“Run!” I hollered to my brother as I finally regained control of my senses. We headed back

towards our bedroom.

Slam! I shut the door and pulled my brother away from the scorching hot door. By then, the
room was filled with greyish smoke. The smoke changed from grey to black as the heat
intensified. The thick black smoke invaded and started filling the whole room.

Crash! I heard the main door burst open.

The flames must have engulfed our home. The flames danced about mercilessly on the
walls as they made their way towards me. They licked their way nearer and nearer as
though they knew where we were.

Splash! The sound of water coming into contact with the flames could be heard but the jets
of water could not combat the flames which were turning into an inferno. Devouring every bit
of furniture, the flames gave a roar as it advanced.
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Whoosh! Fiery flames rushed into the bedroom at the same time, crawling along the walls
with a vengeance. Fear tightened its hold on me, almost rendering me helpless as I stared
dumbfounded at the rolling waves of flames leaping at us.

“Jump!” A sudden shout shook me out of my stupor as I looked down.

A huge inflatable mattress was at the ground floor. The firefighters must have arrived.
Carrying my brother, I dropped him down. A loud cheer arose. I knew my brother was safe
and sound. Trembling, I climbed up to the windowsill and the wind rose to greet me. My fear
of heights was a choking one, refusing to let me jump down. The heat behind me intensified
and I knew then that I had only one choice – jump.

I let go of the window as I plummeted downwards, too scared to scream. The next moment, I
hit the mattress hard. Dazed, I laid there for a moment. Finally, I was safe. I had escaped
from the fiery prison alive. Eventually we found out that a neighbour’s house caught fire due
to an unattended cooking. Even today, I vividly recall that day’s narrow escape. I sincerely
hoped that I would not be in such a perilous situation again.

11
Topic: Trying Something New
Pictures given: A stage, A boy running, Food on a plate

I stood at the bus stop, waiting for the school bus to arrive. Feeling bored, I decided to read
some of the flyers posted up on the bulletin board. A bright yellow poster immediately caught
my eye. ‘Story-telling competition. Big prizes to be won!’ My eyes widened in surprise. What
a coincidence. A slow smile spread across my face as I thought about my first story-telling
competition.

“Mary, there you are.” Mrs Cheong, my form teacher, beckoned to me. “There is a
story-telling competition being held next week. Keen to join in?” I nodded without a second
thought even thought it would be a first for me, my face glowing with excitement. I was
always up for trying something new. My friends were also excited and were counting on me
to get first prize. I was also eager to know what the prizes were.

After school, I made a beeline back home. Before my mother could utter a word, I told her
about the competition. She shared the news with my father and both of them were delighted.
For the whole week, I juggled my studies and rehearsals to prepare for the competition. My
parents gave me their strongest support and ensured I had sufficient rest to continue to
rehearse and study for the rest of the week.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the competition. I was standing behind the curtain on
the stage, with my heart thumping so wildly that I could even hear it throbbing in my ears!
Would my friends and teachers be here? At this moment, the curtain opened gradually. I
scanned the crowd and I spotted my teachers and friends cheering for me at the top of their
lungs, “Go, Mary! Go!”

I tried to compose myself by taking deep breaths to put on a courageous front. I read my
story out loud and made some hand gestures, thinking that this would help me stand out
from the rest of the contestants. I also paused for suspense and recited faster at the exciting
moments. The audience was so enthralled that they applauded thunderously in between
parts of my story. So were the judges!

When I finished my story, I scampered back to my seat. As I was the last contestant, the
judges were deep in their discussions about the winners right after I had finished.

“After much discussion, I would like to congratulate… Mary for getting first place!” one of the
judges announced exuberantly.
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Was I hearing it wrongly? I was actually the winner! I pinched myself to see if it was real.
“Ouch! Oh! It is real!” I chirped gaily. I was breathless! I won! I scurried onto the stage to take
the trophy from the judge. The crowd went wild like overzealous football fans as I showed
them the trophy. My friends even came up to me and carried me above their heads. I even
let them kiss my trophy!

Although many people were staring at us, we did not seem to care. We just carried on with
all the screaming and partying. After a lot of clapping, everyone started to leave and go back
home. I was worn out too. Without much hesitation, I lumbered back home with my trophy in
tow. I was glad that I had tried something new.

“Honk! Honk!” The arrival of the bus jolted me out of my thoughts. Fumbling through my
pockets, I quickly took out my phone and snapped a picture of the poster before getting on
the bus. As I sat down, I made a mental note to remember to register for the story-telling
competition advertised on the poster. With all that I learned from my first story-telling
competition, maybe I would be able to win again!

13
Topic: A Mistake
Pictures given: A stage, A boy running, Food on a plate

“Oh no! What am I going to do?” I muttered under my breath. Receiving my test paper, I
stared in astonishment at my overall results. Like a burst faucet, tears began rolling down my
cheeks. My results were most appalling and disappointing. Just then, memories of the days
preceding the return of test paper came flooding back to my mind.

I was in my room, revising for the final year examinations. It was a still night. Rummaging
through the mountainous pile of books and notes, I was confident that I would pass it with
flying colours. I brushed aside the nagging voice in my head that was telling me to study and
started playing computer games, extremely confident that my examinations would be a
breeze. However, little did I know that it would be a totally different case during the
examinations. It was such a disastrous mistake.

“Okay, class, your time starts now!” the invigilator said. The flipping of papers could be
heard, followed by silence. As I flipped to the first page, anxiety filled me. I had not studied
for this examination as I had been playing computer games all night. The words that greeted
me on the pages seemed to be a stranger to me. I had not seen problem sums like these
before. I scanned the sea of my classmates’ face. They all seemed to be focused on
answering the questions. I buried my face in my cold and clammy hands, dreadfully worried.
I stared blankly at my test paper, trying my best to answer the questions.

Ring! Ring! The shrill ringing of the school bell startled me back into the world of reality. I
packed my school bag while the rest of the class was chatting away. I hung my head low in
disappointment, too ashamed to face my friends who were celebrating their good grades. I
regretted my actions and was steeped with guilt.

Just then, I felt a light pat on my shoulder and looked up to see that it was my teacher.
Smiling kindly, she asked, “What happened this time round, Charlie?”

Shamefacedly, I admitted that I had been overly complacent and had certainly not done my
best during my revision. I was incredibly disappointed in myself.

“It happens,” she responded, nodding calmly, “but the taste of disappointment is much more
bitter than the taste of failure, so I hope you will learn from this. I believe that you can do
much better than you did this time if you put in the necessary work.”

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After hearing her words, I had a renewed determination to do better in the next examination
and not let her down. I had also learnt a valuable lesson to never be complacent. Once
bitten, twice shy. I vowed never to make such a mistake again.

15
Topic: An Unexpected Discovery
Pictures given: A gift box, A school, A puppy

As I looked at the sky, lightning flashed. I quickened my steps and pulled my

windbreaker closer to my body. I was on my way home after visiting my grandmother. The
frigid wind blew and soon, huge drops of rain fell from the sky. Thankfully, I was not too far
away from the block of flats I live in.

Woof! Woof!

I spun around. What was that? Although the rain was getting heavier, the barking
continued. Burning with curiosity, I surveyed my surroundings and attempted to track down
where the sound was coming from. Were my ears playing tricks on me? The pitter-patter of
the rain made it difficult to hear the soft barks and I strained my ears to hear, trying to figure
out where the animal could be. Finally, I found myself peering into a drain.

Looking back at me was a pair of jade-green, teary eyes. I gasped at the animal which
had a coat of golden-brown fur but was in a pathetic state. The puppy sniffled and cried
pitifully. Being an animal lover, I could not bear to see it in distress. My heart ached as the
puppy seemed to wince in pain continuously. Carefully, I lifted it out from the drain. The
puppy shivered in the cold and I was starting to tremble too.

I hugged the puppy close to my body and dashed home. Laying the puppy on the
floor of my living room, I examined it. Its front paw had a cut and was bleeding. I rushed into
the room and gathered some towels and the first-aid box. The puppy whimpered in pain
when I cleaned and applied some antiseptic on its wound. However, it seemed to know that I
was trying to help and stayed as still as it could. After I bandaged the wound, I fed it some
milk. The milk bowl was empty in no time. At that moment, my blood boiled as I thought of
the cruel person who had ill-treated and abandoned this lovely creature.

As the puppy snuggled against me, my instant worry was Mother’s dislike of keeping
animals at home. How could I convince her this time? I frowned and

When Mother returned home and saw the puppy, she immediately demanded that I
take the puppy to the SPCA. However, after much persuasion and promising her that we
would send the puppy to the SPCA if I could not control it, she relented and acceded to my
request to keep the puppy. The only condition was that we had to bring the puppy to the

16
veterinarian for it to be given a clean bill of health. I thanked her gratefully and hugged the
puppy, the newest member of my family.

17
Topic: Perseverance
Pictures given: A trophy, A test paper, A stage

Two years ago, I joined the football team in school with the singular goal of winning
the national football championship. I was determined to give my all in training sessions and
work together with my teammates to win the championship. However, I soon realised that
reality does not always work the way you want it to.

“Come on, guys! This might be a practice match but treat it like a real match, give it
your all!” Coach Sutter shouted from the side lines. I gave a frustrated sigh as I noted that
my teammates did not seem to care about what the coach was saying. They ran
half-heartedly and our formations were in disarray. It had been like this since I had joined.
Whether it was a training session or a practice match, my teammates were lacklustre in their
efforts and did not seem to care about improving or winning matches. After realising this, I
shunned them and rarely talked to my teammates outside of practice. I did not want to
associate with people who did not take football seriously.

We had our first competitive game the following month, but with the team in this
condition, I knew our chances of winning were slim. Despite knowing that, I did not want to
give up. During this practice match, I had to find a way to win without relying on my
teammates. Spying the ball coming toward the opposing player on my right, I launched
myself forward to steal the ball away.

Success! Dribbling the ball left and right, I sprinted to the goalpost, ignoring my
teammates at the side. They would not be able to score a goal. I had to do it myself. My
eyes locked onto the goal and goalkeeper, calculating where I should aim for the ball for it to
land in the goal. Once I was ready, I slowed down and raised my leg, ready to send the ball
flying.

Crash! A large wall of flesh slammed into me. With one leg in the air, I could not keep
my balance and tumbled onto the ground. A sharp pain shot up my leg when I landed on my
knee, causing me to wince in pain. A whistle sounded behind me, and the referee ran over to
check on me. Pushing off the ground with my palm, I tried to stand up, but fell over
immediately as pain flared in my knee. The colour bled from my face as I realised that I must
have injured my knee when I fell. I could not afford to get injured at this juncture! How would
I train for the match next month if I was injured? Just then, a hand extended out to me.
Looking up, I saw the face of one of my unremarkable teammates, Kelvin. “Dennis, are you
18
okay? Here, I’ll help you up and we can go and get your knee checked by a nurse,” Kelvin
said. Begrudgingly, I let Kelvin escort me to the nurse’s office.

At the nurse’s office, the nurse gave me instructions to ice my knee and refrain from
using it for two weeks. Luckily, I would still be able to make it for the actual competition the
next month, even though I would miss two weeks of training. I would work hard to make it up
in the final two weeks before the match. Kelvin stood at the side until the nurse left. Then, he
said something that surprised me.

“You know, Dennis, you really amaze me.”

I gaped blankly at his words.

“It’s just that when I first joined this team, I was as fired up and determined as you
are. I wanted to win the national championship so badly, but as I’m sure you’ve realised, the
rest of the team doesn’t care much about it,” Kelvin explained. Kelvin wanted to win the
national championship too? I never realised, because his performance during training was
just as listless as the rest of my teammates. Continuing his speech, Kelvin said, “While I did
my best for a while, I eventually gave up as I didn’t think we would win no matter how hard I
worked. However, seeing how unrelenting you have been these two months despite the rest
of our indifferent attitudes, I’ve begun to feel my previous determination being revived. I still
want to win the national championship. So Dennis, would you like to work together with me
to turn our team around and aim for the national championship?”

If it were possible, my jaw would have dropped even lower upon hearing his offer.
Hope bloomed in me, as I realised that I would now have a comrade to work together with.
Even if we did not manage to convince the rest of the team, it would be easier to win with
both of us working together. Reaching out to clasp his extended hand, I accepted Kelvin’s
offer with a delighted “Yes!”

From that day on, Kelvin and I worked hard together during training sessions. We
tried talking to our other teammates more and slowly formed bonds with them. Over time,
Kelvin and I managed to kindle the same fire we both had about winning in our teammates.
Through many training sessions the past two years, we had persevered and leaned on each
other during training sessions and matches to get to where we were now, in first place.

19
Topic: A Change For The Better
Pictures given: A tray of fast food, A clock, An untidy room

“Ophelia Cheung Peiyi! Why are you late for the fourth day in a row?” roared her form
teacher like a lion about to attack its helpless prey. She had woken up late for the umpteenth
time that week resulting in the worsening intensity of her teacher’s torrent of reprimand. All
Ophelia could do was to hang her in shame for she knew she was clearly in the wrong. She
whimpered an apology and was sent back to her seat, shoulders drooping in defeat. Her
classmates snickering did not help her feel any better at all.

That day, on her way home, she decided that she had had enough and needed to
turn over a new leaf. “From today onwards, I shall be a changed girl!” she declared to
herself, clenching her fists tightly in resolve. “Since the key reason for oversleeping is my
tendency to sleep late every night, causing me to miss my ringing alarm, I shall just have to
sleep earlier!” She skipped home, happy as a clam.

At ten o’clock that night, Ophelia’s was snuggled up in bed, ready for a good night’s
rest. However, just as Ophelia was about to close her eyes to sleep, they shot open once
again when she recalled something important.

She had not completed her homework!

It was then that realisation dawned on her that part of the reason why she was
always sleeping late was because she did not start on her schoolwork until late at night,
thereby forcing her to burn the midnight oil. With a frustrated groan, Ophelia sat back up and
went to complete her homework. When she finally went to bed, it was well past midnight.

The next morning, history repeated itself, from the endless tirade of scolding to the
snickering. Even as her ears burned pink, the embarrassment made her even more
determined to mend her ways. “Things will be different from today! It does not matter how
slowly I go as long as I do not stop!” she proclaimed in her own mind, eyebrows furrowing.

Learning from her mistake, the moment she reached home after school that
afternoon, Ophelia grabbed her homework from her bag and got to work. She was done by
dinner time and quickly completed her chores after dinner, before showering. She was on
top of the world, feeling that her hard work would pay off.

When she had finished, Ophelia went into her bedroom prepared to go to bed but her
eyebrows rose when she saw, to her delight, that she still had an hour before her scheduled
20
bedtime. Ophelia decided to reward herself by spending a very enjoyable hour playing with
games on her mobile phone and reading her favourite book. At ten o’clock on the dot,
Ophelia went to bed with a smile on her face, certain that she had definitely made an
improvement.

The next morning, Ophelia awoke to the blaring of her alarm without the usual tussle
to stay awake. Turning it off while feeling refreshed, Ophelia was soon ready to go to school
earlier than she had ever been that week. Eventually, she reached school with fifteen
minutes to spare, to the pleasant surprise of her form teacher and classmates. Her form
teacher praised Ophelia for not just being punctual, but early, saying that he liked the
improvement she had made.

As Ophelia sat down in her seat, she relished the relaxing morning she had had and
wondered why she had not fixed her bad habits earlier. She had only made a few
adjustments to her daily routine, but what a great improvement it had made in her life.

21
Topic: Being Overconfident
Pictures given: A stage, A test paper, A medal

“Alright! Is everyone ready? I’m going to do a quick head count before we proceed!”
Mrs Lee instructed. Beads of sweat started trickling down my face as anxiety slowly crept in.
However, I knew better now not make the same mistake I had last year. As I hopped on the
bus, memories of last year’s National Drama Competition started flooding in again…

“Don’t worry, Mrs Lee! We’re definitely going to clinch the first-place position again!” I
boasted confidently.

“Do not get too confident just yet. Just because we won last year does not mean we
will win again,” Mrs Lee advised, her tone soft and gentle.

Upon hearing Mrs Lee’s words, everyone brushed it off and the torrential chatter
resumed. We were pumped up and ready to perform on stage in front of a huge audience
consisting of the judges as well as our loved ones cheering us on. Being the lead actress, I
kept assuring the others that we definitely had the title in the bag.

“Now presenting… Evergreen Primary School!” announced the host as we skittered

to our positions backstage. Giving the others a thumbs-up for the last time, we held our
breaths as the curtains slowly revealed hundreds of faces cheering us on. Anxiety charged
through my veins when I saw the huge crowd before me. My mouth was snapped shut and I
could not deliver my opening line. The erratic thumping of my heart was driving me into a
deeper panic. My eyes darted around frantically, searching for anything that could help me
recall the words of my opening line.

Mere seconds felt like an eternity as I finally caught sight of Mrs Lee backstage who
immediately managed to calm my nerves. She smiled kindly and mouthed the words to my
opening line which brought all the lines that I had rehearsed for months back to me.
However, even as I started delivering them, I no longer felt as confident as I had been
before.

As soon as the curtains closed, I ran out of a stage to find a corner to hide.
Shamefacedly, I tried to use my hands to cover my face and drown myself in the tears that
were pouring incessantly. Feeling someone beside me, I peered up to see Mrs Lee. Her
presence made my tears trickle down even faster.

22
 “Why are you crying, Anna? You did a great job!” she exclaimed, surprised at the
sight of me crying.

After explaining to her how I felt on stage, she consoled me and informed me that the
few seconds for which I had paused before my opening line had not been awkward as the
crowd was still cheering then. As for my performance, she expressed that I had done
immensely well and should not have been disappointed in myself. She continued to advise
me that I should have been humbler before the performance and that even if obstacles did
arise, my mere hard work would have been enough to make me proud of myself. A surge of
relief washed over me as I attempted a bleak smile to convince her that I was fine.

Honk! Honk! The sound of the bus jolted me out of my thoughts. I smiled at the
memory of last year’s competition and knew that pride comes before a fall. I resolved not to
make the same mistake.

23
Topic: Trust
Pictures given: A bag, A wallet, A present

“Hey, John! Do you want to go to the arcade after school?” I hollered while running to
catch up to him.

“No thanks. I’m heading to the library to study for the test next week,” he replied
before hurriedly waving goodbye.

Again? This was the third time he had rejected me in two weeks. The mischievous
John was going to the library to study? It could not possibly be true! Upset from the rejection,
I decided to investigate this time.

Hastily, I packed my things into my backpack before bolting out of the classroom to
head to the school library. Upon reaching the library, my eyes frantically searched for John.
However, he was nowhere in sight. Was he lying to me?

Ding dong! Ding dong! The sound of the bell reverberated across the school
premises, signalling the end of the day. Once again, I had invited John to the arcade only to
be let down. “That’s it!” I thought. “He is not going to get away with lying to my face.”

Best friends since we were in Kindergarten, I just could not fathom why John was
behaving out of sorts lately. We were infamous in the school for always being cheeky and up
to no good. Our daily visit to the arcade had been a routine for us for almost two years so
imagine my disbelief when John had a sudden change of behaviour. Keeping my distance, I
stealthily tailed him to his destination.

Approaching Greenway Mall, my lips curved into a smirk as I could almost confirm
that my suspicion was right – he was heading to the arcade. A million thoughts ran through
my mind and I was momentarily saddened by the fact that he could be meeting up with
another friend to play. That thought was short-lived when John just casually strolled past the
arcade and headed straight up to the third floor where there was a… library! My jaw dropped
as I had not known there was a library in the mall.

Placing his backpack onto an empty chair, John had settled for a quiet and secluded
study area. He neatly placed his study materials and proceeded to start studying.
Contemplating to dash out of the library out of sheer embarrassment and guilt, I chided
myself to stay put and do the right thing – apologise.
24
 “Hey… John,” I muttered.

Peering up from his seat, a look of confusion was soon plastered on John’s face
when he realised it was me. Shamefacedly, I explained the situation to John and apologised
to him profusely for doubting him. Letting out a small chuckle, John then forgave and
consoled me. He reminded me that it was our PSLE year and that he was done with playing
around and wanted to focus on his studies. He added that he had wanted to invite me for
study sessions but did not know if I would be interested.

Guilt weighed heavily on me for doubting my best friend on his genuine intentions.
The sudden realisation that our important exams are imminent had dawned on me as well.
John was right, it was time to be serious and focus on our future. He was a great friend and I
had learnt a lesson to trust him and treasure this valuable friendship. Most importantly, I
learnt to be more trusting of people, even if they were mischievous previously.

25
Topic: Honesty
Pictures given: An envelope, A test paper, An ajar door

“Should I? Should I not?” Lincoln muttered under his breath. It was a difficult
decision. Staring at the ‘A’ on the paper, Lincoln picked the pen up hesitantly. The
consequences of being found out would be unthinkable but Lincoln could not care less. He
imagined himself howling for mercy and weeping in pain if his parents saw that grade. He
had never scored anything less than an ‘A*’ and he was ashamed. His parents never had to
worry about his results. He was a model student, topping the class for every subject, every
examination, never misbehaved in class and only earned praises from his teachers. How
could he disappoint them with the ‘A’ this time?

Lincoln was nervous but he had practised this for a long time. Certainly, he would not
be found out. Fighting down fresh feelings of panic, he steeled himself and steadied his
trembling hands. There was no more time to think. Hastily, he scrawled the familiar signature
on the line which read: “Parent’s Signature”.

“Class, I hope you have gotten your parents to sign the examination paper. Please
get ready to submit it now,” Mdm Shahirah’s high-pitched voice resounded through the
classroom. It sent a shudder down the length of Lincoln’s spine, causing goosebumps to
break out like an infection across his body. As Mdm Shahirah approached, he avoided her
gaze and thrust the paper into her outstretched hands. It was an un-Lincoln move. He was
usually soft-spoken and respectful towards his teachers. Mdm Shahirah frowned but bit her
lips and strolled on to collect the remaining scripts from the other students. Lincoln took a
deep breath and let it out in a loud sigh. It would be over for now and all he had to do was
make sure he performed his usual in the next examination.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, that dreadful day had come to an end.
Lincoln trudged out of the school gate, the day’s events still weighing on his mind. Was it
really over? He fervently prayed so and tried to put all thoughts aside as he did not want to
return home looking suspicious.

“Hi Daddy, I’m home!” Lincoln announced feebly as he stepped into his house.
Instead of the usual cheery greeting, Lincoln raised his head to find his father staring intently
at him. If looks could kill, Lincoln would have withered there and then. “What is going on?
I’ve never seen Daddy looking so angry before. What should I do?” Lincoln thought. When

26
he saw that his father was not making an attempt to speak, Lincoln pretended not to notice
anything and made his way into his room.

“Study room please, Lincoln,” Lincoln’s father finally uttered. He spoke with so much
bile in his baritone voice that the fear which Lincoln had felt earlier in the day came rushing
back. He wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts and steadied his pulse as he ventured into
the study room. It definitely was not the forgery; he was sure of that. What could it be then?
Taking their seats across each other at the study table, Lincoln whispered, “Is everything
okay, Daddy?”

“I’d like to ask the same of you, son. Is everything okay? I received a call from Mdm
Shahirah right after school…”

Before Father could continue, Lincoln burst into tears. Guilty as charged, he admitted
to his crime with a silent nod of his head. His tongue was tied in a knot. There was nothing
left to be said. He wished he could stop crying but the tears flowed uncontrollably. Guilt
stung his gut sharply and he bit his lips unconsciously, waiting for his father’s palm to strike
his burning hot cheek. Nothing happened. It was a long while before Lincoln calmed down
and got a hold on himself. The silence was killing him.

“I’m sorry, Daddy, I really am,” Lincoln murmured. “I was afraid that you and Mummy
would be upset at me for my bad results. Will you forgive me, please? I didn’t want to do it. I
just didn’t know how to tell you…” Tears started rolling down his cheeks again.

Father sighed. He stretched out his arms and pulled Lincoln into a deep embrace.
Ruffling Lincoln’s hair, he hushed his son. He felt sad that Lincoln thought of them that way.
They loved Lincoln more than anything in the world and it pained him to see Lincoln beating
himself up over an examination grade.

“Son, any grade is as good as an ‘A*’ as long as you’ve tried your best. And we know
you have. We’ll forgive you for this but you must know that forgery is a crime and you’ll not
get away so easily next time. Promise me that you’ll be honest with us when something bad
happens. We may get angry, but we love you. Everything can be resolved,” Father reasoned.

Brushing away his tears, Lincoln looked into his father’s eyes and nodded meekly. He
knew that he had made a terrible mistake this time but was glad that his father was willing to
give him a second chance. The burden which had been weighing heavily on him was finally
removed.

27
Topic: An Accident
Pictures given: Hiking, A concert, A car

Exhausted. That was all I felt. Exhaustion overwhelmed me. Why had I agreed to go
mountain climbing with Grandpa? I had just arrived in Japan and was feeling sleepy as I
could not fall asleep on the plane ride there. To make things worse, it was dark, cold and had
just rained.

“We’re going!” Grandpa shouted, carrying his hulking bag of pointless tools. I rolled
my eyes, not understanding how he was so energised. I picked up the trekking bag that my
mum had packed. Unlike Grandpa’s bag, mine was way lighter.

To motivate myself, I tried to think of the experience as a survivalist training course.

Slosh, slurch! The soft and muddy soil stuck between my trekking shoes. I had just bought
these before the trip to Japan! Groaning, all my motivation fled and I asked Grandpa how
long it would be before we got to the peak.

“Just 3 hours to sunrise,” came the reply. As we trekked the dark and creepy
mountain in silence, I wished that my best friend, Eunice, was there with me. This nightmare
would at least be more fun.

“We are approaching the third stage, the most dangerous zone, especially after the
rain. Be careful!” Grandpa reminded me. The third stage always had the highest and
steepest climb. Chugging water into my dry mouth, I stared at my watch. One more hour.
Fishing out my long rope, I swung it, hooking it onto a sturdy looking tree. At this stage, we
had to wear gloves to prevent painful blisters from forming on our hands. With all our might,
we pulled ourselves up, step by step. With the slippery mud, it was like walking on oil, but
upwards.

Suddenly, I slipped on a particularly wet patch of mud. My foot slid across slick mud.
My hands loosened their grip on the rope, and gravity began pulling my body downwards.
“Ahhh! Help!” My scream echoed throughout the desolate mountain forest. My feet
scrambled to find a foothold on the side of the mountain. Right as I was about to tumble
down the mountain, Grandpa grasped my hand, holding on to me in the nick of time. My arm
felt like it had been wrenched out of its socket, but I was alive. Heaving a sigh of relief, I
looked down the mountain, petrified that I had nearly fallen to my death. If it weren’t for
Grandpa’s quick reflexes, I would have been done for!
28
 “Okay Grandpa, I’ll go first!” I feigned confidence, although I was still stunned from
the near-death experience. We were directly below the mountain peak, all we had to do was
to climb over the ‘small’ rock wall. I gripped onto the first rock. Green moss was growing all
over the rocks. I wrinkled my nose in displeasure. Although the moss was unpleasantly
mushy, this was a small issue compared to the other trials I had had to overcome during the
trek. We could not give up. It was the last obstacle we had to overcome. Even though we
were inexperienced climbers, we both swiftly climbed up over the wall like spiders.

“Woah...” I was at a loss for words once my eyes settled on the horizon. We had
made it in time to see the sunrise. The rays of the sun cast a glow over the horizon, giving us
a picturesque view. No wonder grandpa had insisted on taking me there. Amazed,
mesmerized, enthralled. Those were the only words in my mind as Grandpa placed an arm
around my shoulder and we watched the sun rise above the mountain. The nightmare I
believed was happening to me had unexpectedly evolved into a memorable event with my
grandfather.

29
Topic: Something That Was Lost
Pictures given: A phone, A cat, An information counter

“Overtake me if you can!” a cyclist whizzing past yelled. Teenagers were speeding
furiously on their bicycles and rollerblades, caught in an unofficial competition to see who
could go faster. The younger children squealed with delight as they ran around the
playground. The park was abuzz with activity. Pushing his pet cat, Cuddles, in its pram,
Nathan looked around, trying to spot his best friend, Mike. They had agreed to bring their
cats out for a playdate since it was the school holidays and Nathan was looking forward to
catching up with Mike as well.

“Nathan! Here!”

Nathan spun around and caught his friend waving wildly in the distance. Mike
gestured for Nathan to head over as there was an empty bench and it was a quiet corner,
perfect for their playdate. Nathan and Cuddles hurried over to join Mike and Kitty. Making
themselves comfortable on the bench, both Mike and Nathan unleashed their pets and
allowed them to play with their toys freely on the grass patch in front of them. Soon, Mike
and Nathan were in an animated conversation about the latest game they were playing and
left their cats to their own devices.

Meow! Kitty leapt into Mike’s lap, making him jump as his conversation with Nathan
was interrupted. Nathan smiled and turned to look for his Cuddles, waiting for her to do the
same. His stomach lurched when he turned his head and realised his beloved cat was
nowhere to be seen. “Cuddles, where are you? It’s time to go!” Nathan yelled, searching
frantically for his pet. Where could she be?

“Hey Nathan, you go that way and I’ll go this way. Don’t worry, Cuddles couldn’t have
run far,” Mike comforted his friend as he stood on his feet and put Kitty back into its pram.
Both boys went in different directions in search of Cuddles.

After fifteen minutes, Nathan decided to head home, hoping that Cuddles had found
its way home by itself. To his utter dismay, Cuddles was not at home. His heart sank and
tears brimmed in his reddened eyes. He broke out into loud, uncontrollable sobs which
escalated into wails. What was he to do now? Thankfully, Mike had gone home to print out
some posters with Cuddles’ picture on them. He felt equally responsible that his best friend’s
pet was lost.
30
 The following day, Nathan and Mike went around the park to put up the posters.
Nathan prayed fervently that someone would keep his pet safe and sound.

Having failed to find his missing cat, misery was etched blatantly across his features.
Nathan stared at the poster that had been put up for several days; yet there was still no
news of his beloved pet, Cuddles. Sadness welled up in him. A grim cloud hovered above
his head and added a tinge of greyish gloom to his cheeks. A pang of pain gripped his heart
as his mind went wild with all the horrible things that could be happening to Cuddles.
Dejected sobs racked his body and tears careened down his cheeks as he tried to stay
positive. “I’ll find Cuddles soon, won’t I?” he thought aloud. However, he knew that even if he
did, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.

31
Topic: A Kind Act
Pictures given: A cat, A school canteen, An elderly man

The sun shone brilliantly and the high sunlit clouds drifted across the clear blue sky. Jack
tilted his face towards the skies for a moment and felt the warm sticky air with each
inhalation.

From the bus interchange, Jack boarded bus number 172. He checked his watch to make
sure he was on time, knowing it would take him thirty minutes to reach school. As he
boarded the bus, the bus driver sang out a cheerful greeting. Since Jack had left for school
earlier than usual, the bus was not full and there were many seats available.

A burly man with spiky hair and a woman wearing thick makeup were sitting on the side
seat. Jack found them extremely annoying as they not only talked at the top of their voices,
but the man even stretched out his legs in front of him, not thinking that the other
passengers might trip and fall.

When the bus pulled to a stop near a wet market, a frail old man carrying a bag of groceries
boarded the bus and headed for the empty seats behind Jack. The old man walked
unsteadily and struggled to keep his balance. It became harder for him to do so once the bus
started moving. He moved gingerly to avoid falling as he made his way to the back.

Without warning, the bus screeched to a halt to avoid hitting some children running across
the street. The old man was thrown off balance. He staggered and tripped over the
outstretched legs of the inconsiderate man. His hands were flailing helplessly, reaching for
the grab poles that might break his fall, but to no avail.

His bag full of groceries hit the floor first, and fruits rolled in all direction. The old man landed
on the floor with a loud thud. The brusque man burst into fits of laughter. He tried to cover his
mouth, but he was unable to stop laughing. The other passengers on the bus glared at the
man but no one stood up to help.

The old man fought back tears of pain as he attempted to stand up. Jack sprang to his feet
and hurried over to help the old man. With his small size, it took him a massive amount of
effort to help the old man get to a seat. The driver apologised profusely and asked if
everyone was alright. The old man nodded slowly. Jack was extremely disappointed with the
other passengers who had ignored the old man’s plight. He proceeded to help the old man
pick up his groceries and placed them back into the bag. 32
The old man thanked Jack for his kindness. “I hope that our society will have more people
like you,” he said sincerely. Although his fellow passengers’ behaviours both shocked and
bothered Jack, the old man’s sincere expression of his gratitude still made Jack’s day.

33
Topic: Being Considerate
Pictures given: Two houses side by side, A hawker centre, A soccer field

“Hey Jun Hong, want to walk over to the hawker centre at Block 58? I really miss
Uncle Ali’s chicken rice,” Jonas suggested with a twinkle in his eye. At the thought of the
succulent roasted chicken meat in my mouth, I drooled in anticipation. It had been a long
time since we visited the hawker centre together for lunch after school. It was nearly
impossible to get seats during lunch hour with the adults from nearby offices and factories
filling the place. If we waited for the lunch crowd to disperse, Uncle Ali’s famous chicken rice
would have been sold out. Hence, we would usually settle for the school canteen.

“Well, with some of the crowd still on work-from-home arrangements, I guess we

could try our luck? Let’s go!” We quickened our pace and left school in a haste. I was
famished and as I imagined the delicious chicken rice, I began salivating and could hear my
stomach growling.

As the hawker centre came within sight, we groaned in disappointment. It had slipped
our minds that despite a smaller crowd, social distancing measures were in place and there
were fewer seats! People were streaming in and there was no vacant table in sight. Yet, we
were determined to fill our hungry bellies with our favourite food and agreed to wait for a
table. Just as we were nearing Uncle Ali’s stall which was marked by a snaking queue, a
family of four got up from their seats. We were in luck!

Immediately we tossed our heavy schoolbags on the seats. “You wait here and take care of
our belongings while I’ll go get the food. The usual, right?” I nodded eagerly and Jonas made
his way to join the orderly line formed for Uncle Ali’s stall. Lady Luck was indeed on our side.
It had been way too long since my best friend and I had a meal out of school. I began to
clean the table and looked around for the nearest tray return point.

Then, an elderly man caught my attention. Holding a plate of noodles, he shuffled along the
aisle between tables and seemed to be looking for a seat. I looked around and saw that
most of the tables were occupied by people who were devouring their food. As I watched
him navigate through with difficulty in his steps, I wondered if I should give up our table. After
all, Jonas would probably take some time and since the elderly man had already bought his
food, he ought to have the table first. I hesitated no more.

34
I approached the silver-haired old man and asked shyly, “Hi uncle, do you want to take my
seat?” I pointed towards the table I had just cleaned. I could not make out if he smiled
behind his mask but he was definitely grateful for my offer. He thanked me profusely. Picking
up our schoolbags, I made way for the elderly man. Not wanting the old uncle to feel like he
had to rush through his food, I stood aside and waited around, hoping to get another table by
the time Jonas bought our food.

A few minutes later, I saw Jonas making his way back towards me. There was still no
available table. “I saw what you did. Good job, buddy!” Jonas complimented me as he gave
me a wink. “Let’s wait around, there should be a table soon.” As we darted quick looks
around, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

“Boy, thank you for the seat. I’m done with my meal, it’s your turn.” It was the elderly man
whom I had given up the table to. I broke into a smile and nodded at him. Jonas and I sat
down to enjoy our meal. With this episode, I discovered that being considerate did not
necessarily mean having to go out of my way to accommodate others. When I am able to
think of others instead of just myself, good will come my way as well.

35
Topic: An Outdoor Experience
Pictures given: A campfire, A beach, A Forest

It was the second day of the annual scout camp. We had so far been blessed with
wonderful weather. The sun shone brightly in the sky and yet a gentle breeze blew
continuously to make the heat bearable. We were divided into small groups, each group
headed by a teacher in charge. My scout group of five, with our teacher, Mr Tan, was on the
final leg of our hike through the dense Malaysian jungle. Along the way, I felt a sudden urge
to answer the call of nature. Bashfully, I told them that I would soon re-join the group and
asked them to proceed towards our base camp first.

I wandered a little deeper into the jungle and found a quiet spot among a clump of
bushes to relieve myself. As I stood behind the bushes, I spotted an old wooden hut just
ahead. I could hear muffled screams of “Help! Help!” coming from inside the hut. Then, a big,
burly man entered the hut. He was clad in an old singlet and a pair of khaki trousers,
wielding an axe in one hand. Once he was inside the hut, the screams turned into a
deafening silence. My heart skipped a beat. My first instinct was to take to my heels and run
back to my camp mates as fast as my legs could carry me. After all, there was safety in
numbers. However, curiosity got the better of me and against my better judgement, I crept
towards the hut. Peeping into the hut through a gap between the window shutters, I could
see a girl seated on a chair in the middle of a bare room. She was tied to the chair and her
mouth was gagged with a rag. Beside her was the big, burly man. He was not hurting the girl
but keeping a close eye on her.

I could not believe what I was seeing. Chaotic thoughts raced through my mind and
my legs were trembling. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain at the back of my head and I
slumped to the ground, lapsing into unconsciousness.

I woke up in a hospital bed with a splitting headache. There was a bandage around
my head. Mr Tan and my camp mates were all by my side, looking at me with anxious faces.
I also spotted my parents in my ward. Mr Tan told me that I had been knocked unconscious
by a wooden pole. My attacker was the big, burly man’s accomplice. He had seen me
peeping through the window of the hut and realised that I had stumbled upon their hiding
place where they held a girl they had kidnapped while awaiting her parents’ ransom. The
kidnappers wanted to get rid of me so that I would not be able to tell the police what I had
seen.
36
 Fortunately, Mr Tan and my camp mates had come looking for me at just the right
moment after they got worried when I failed to re-join the group after a long time. From afar,
they witnessed a man hitting me on the head. After the man left to go into the hut, Mr Tan
crept up to me and carried me to safety without drawing the attention of the men in the hut.
Meanwhile, John, one of my camp mates, called the police and ambulance on his mobile
phone.

The kidnappers were taken by surprise when the police stormed into their hideout,
arrested them and rescued the kidnapped girl. While these events unfolded I was being sent
to the hospital.

Lying in the safety of my hospital bed, I realised how close I had been to danger. If Mr
Tan had not rescued me in time, I might have been dead. I was lucky to have survived and
even luckier to have such caring friends who went the extra mile for me.

37
Topic: A Brave Act
Pictures given: A bully, A stage, A snake

I was in the midst of taking my end-of-year English examination and fidgeted to

adjust myself to a comfortable position in my seat as I scrawled my answers on the
examination booklet. "This seems easy," I muttered to myself. However, I shuddered
inwardly as the austere invigilator walked past with her arms akimbo. She scrutinised
everyone's movements with her beady eyes as if all the students were murder suspects.

Suddenly, I heard a faint strange hissing noise at the back of the classroom. Just as
quickly as I heard it, it died down. What was that? I shifted uneasily in my seat. I suppressed
the urge to swivel around as I knew that such an action might be considered as cheating in
such an important examination. However, unbeknown to me, a deadly reptile was gliding
towards me stealthily, anticipating its next kill. I continued to scribble on my examination
paper.

All around me, I could hear the scratching of pen against paper. Hiss… The sound
startled me. It sounded nearer this time. I could not stand the suspense anymore. Throwing
all caution to the wind, I spun around only to come face to face with a menacing cobra. I tried
to scream, but the words seemed lodged in my throat. At that moment, the flinty-eyed
invigilator noticed me swivelling around and marched toward me murderously. Then, her
face changed as she caught sight of the deadly snake. I found my voice at last. "Help!
There's a snake here!" I shouted, my voice unsteady and tinged with fear. Students looked
up and stared at me in surprise, their eyebrows arched. Then some of them spotted the
snake as well. A myriad of expressions flitted across their faces - disbelief, shock and then
fear.

At that moment, the cobra bared its fangs and slithered closer towards me and the
invigilator. I leapt back instinctively, toppling my chair. A blood-curdling shriek erupted from
the invigilator's throat, cutting through the tranquil silence of the classroom. Everyone
seemed frozen, unable to do a thing. The snake came even nearer and was staring at the
invigilator. My heart pounded so hard I felt it was about to burst from my ribcage. Looking
around, I realised that nobody would be able to reach us in time to help us. The invigilator
was pale with fright and was cowering beside me while my classmates all looked too
shocked to do anything. Should I run? Would I be able to outrun the snake? What about the
invigilator? Her legs were trembling.
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 I decided to do the only thing I could do - l lifted my chair and brought it down on the
snake's head in one swift move. Thud! One leg found its mark on the snake’s head. Its eyes
seemed to lose focus as it was temporarily stunned. The invigilator, who had been rooted to
the ground and was staring blankly as the scene unfolded, regained enough composure to
shout for everybody to leave the classroom. I ran out of the class before the snake could
attack. We were all gathered in the hall and the principal called the wildlife rescue to deal
with the snake while teachers locked the door of the classroom.

Within fifteen minutes, the wildlife rescue officers arrived at the scene. With dexterity
and speed, they coaxed the snake into a big black bag and brought it away. That day, our
English paper had been interrupted by a slithery guest so we had to take a different paper on
another day. The school was buzzing with news of how I had bravely stood up to the snake
and used a chair to hit it on its head. I sighed. The story would probably be exaggerated into
how I had attacked three snakes simultaneously by the end of the day.

When I got home, my parents gave me a stern chiding for my incredible stupidity in
not running and instead choosing to confront the snake. However, I did not really mind.
While there may be a fine line between bravery and foolishness, my actions had managed to
save both me and the invigilator from being hurt by the snake. I was just grateful for the fact
that I had escaped unscathed from this ordeal.

39
Topic: A Surprise
Pictures given: A party hat, A ticket, A pair of shoes

Joelle was troubled. Her best friend, Peiying, was in tears and she felt so sad seeing
this. Peiying was staring at her old, tattered school shoes. The holes in her shoes were
gaping and the soles were slippery. The school sports meet was the next day. How was she
going to win any of the races in these shoes? In deep dejection, tears brimmed in Peiying’s
eyes as she let out a sigh of resignation.

Joelle’s heart ached for Peiying and she wanted to do something for her, but what
should she do? After spending some time racking her brain, Joelle finally came up with a
good idea. She would surprise Peiying with a new pair of shoes! She knew that a new pair of
sports shoes was not cheap and would probably cost her all her savings but she knew that it
was the right thing to do. Her mother had always taught her to look out for the needs of
others. Wasting no time, Joelle rushed home and emptied her savings before visiting the
mall near her home.

At the mall, the shoe shop had all the latest sports shoes on display. They were all
beckoning her to buy them. Exuberance filled her heart. Which one would Peiying like?
However, after scanning the price tags on the shoes, her heart sank. The shoes were all out
of her meagre budget. Joelle turned to the shop assistant. “Are these all the shoes you
have? I need to buy a pair for my best friend,” she said in an almost pleading voice.
Thankfully, the amiable shop assistant caught her hint and smiled. He immediately showed
her the most affordable pair of running shoes in the store and offered to give her a ten
percent discount since it was the last pair they had on display. Joelle beamed upon hearing
this. It was a bargain she absolutely could not refuse! With an empty wallet and a pair of
decent shoes for her best friend, Joelle was almost dancing as she made her way home.

The next day during the sports meet, the stadium was packed with students. Eager
as a beaver, Joelle craned her neck over the crowd, looking high and low for her best friend.
A grin spread across her face when she finally spotted her and she jostled and squeezed
through the throng to reach Peiying.

“Peiying, I have something for you,” Joelle cried out above the din as she shoved the
brand-new shoes into Peiying’s arms. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Peiying opened the
gift box and her mouth promptly fell agape in astonishment. Was this real? A pair of running
shoes? She looked up at Joelle and down at the shoes repeatedly, unable to form the words
40
to express her immense gratitude. Tears fell like beads down her face. Joelle only smiled
and told her, “You’d better win this race!” before running back to the spectator stand to
watch. This snapped Peiying out of her stupor, and she rushed to change into the new pair
of shoes before the race started.

Bang! The starter gun blasted and Peiying took off like the wind. Joelle watched her
as she pumped her legs like there was no tomorrow. She screamed and cheered for Peiying
from her place in the stands and shrieked loudly when Peiying crossed the finish line in first
place. As soon as the race ended, Joelle ran to Peiying and hugged her tightly despite
Peiying’s perspiration. “Congratulations on winning the race! I knew you could do it!” Joelle
congratulated her.

“Joelle, it was all because of you! Thank you so much for surprising me with these
new shoes. I will treasure them and wear them for every race!” Peiying replied, hugging
Joelle even tighter. After hearing this, Joelle was on cloud nine. She knew she had made the
right decision to buy the shoes for Peiying, even though she had to deplete her savings to do
so. She knew the surprise was totally worth it.

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