by Jung Yi An (P5 2022)

          Jason hesitated to walk into the elevator that his friends were taking to get to the top floor of the school building. Feeling frustrated, his friends urged him to get on the elevator with them and Jason gingerly stepped inside. While the elevator was moving up, Jason was so overwhelmed with anxiety that he wanted to let his tears flow freely from his eyes. However, he decided to hold his tears back and he recalled the events of the fateful day when he had been stuck in an elevator and learnt a valuable lesson.

          Den, den, den, den… A melodious tune followed by a piercing ring filled the school hallway. The bell that signalled the end of the school had sounded. While the other students were ambling out of their classrooms, Jason had immediately rushed out of school and ran home. He was eager to spend his evening playing his favourite video games. Luckily, his teacher did not assign any homework so he could play without any worry. When he reached his block of flats, he noticed that the few lights at the lobby were flickering and that most of the lobby was now enveloped in darkness. He sighed. The lobby and the elevator itself were always poorly maintained. Since Jason lived on the topmost floor of the clock, he needed to use the elevator desperately. He grimaced when he saw that the buttons next to the elevator doors were full of grime. The symbols indicating “up” and “down” were well-worn.

          Squeak! He pushed one of the buttons next to the elevator doors and waited for the elevator patiently. Soon enough, he could hear the elevator descending closer to the first level. The creaking and clanking of the metal and wires were deafening.

          Once it arrived at the first level, Jason walked into the elevator. He was glad that he was the only person there as it was so small that merely three people could fit inside it. He pressed the button for level 19 and the lift started to go upwards, shuddering like a violent earthquake was occurring. Jason felt an uneasy sense of foreboding. When the lift was at level five, the lift started to shake more violently. The lights flickered and gears clicked. Seconds later, the lights went out and the lift stopped. Jason’s eyes widened in horror. A cold chill ran down his spine. Fear gripped him and he wanted to scream. However, no sound came out. Jason set his school bag down and had take a few minutes to regain his composure.

          “There must be a way out of here,” Jason mumbled to himself. He thought about how he could call for help. His eyes were drawn to the emergency button that was glowing bright yellow in the dark. In an instant, he pressed the emergency button. The emergency button wailed for help and Jason waited as waves of anxiety washed over him. He stood in the darkness, rooted to the spot. No one must have heard the alarm, he thought. He was feeling utterly hopeless. Jason began to weep.

          After what seemed like an eternity, Jason heard a loud clanking sound. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers had finally arrived at the scene.

          Once Jason heard the officers’ footsteps and tools, he cusped his hands and shouted through the gap of the elevator doors that he was in there. The SCDF officers sawed open the doors of the elevator using an electric chainsaw and rescued Jason. Minutes later, the elevator maintenance crew also arrived at the scene. They fixed the elevator and tested it with a robot to be sure that the elevator was working properly once again. Jason thanked the SCDF officers and the elevator maintenance crew. He was escorted to his home safely. The town council had been alerted and they apologised to Jason for the traumatic experience.

          When he went into his house, Jason breathed a sigh of relief. He learnt not to be scared and that there was always a way to solve a problem if one was calm. He felt thankful towards the SCDF officers who had saved him.

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