by Pang Ler Mng (P5 2023)

          “What a wonderful day of school!” I exclaimed as my eyes glistened with joy. Holding on to the straps of my school bag, I skipped out of the school gate with a wide smile stretched across my face. It was one of the best days of my life! I had scored an unbelievable 100 for my Mathematics test! My eyes had almost popped out of my sockets when I saw my perfect score. Muttering to myself, I wondered about the rewards and compliments I would receive from my mother when I broke the news to her. Just then, I remembered the PS5 game station store near my house. Didn’t my mother give me some money for lunch? I could use it to buy games! I thought about the games I would pick out and bounded towards the shop with a spring in my step. I could not help but grin like I had won a prize too.

         On the way to the game store, a flurry of dark clouds began to gather in the sky and loom over the neighbourhood, engulfing the bright yellow sun. As I heard the distant crack of thunder, my brows furrowed. I gazed at the dark sky, awaiting the impending rainfall. Instinctively, I whipped out my umbrella and opened it to shield myself from the raindrops.

         “Ugh, rain! Why does it have to rain on my perfect day?” I grumbled. After struggling to keep my umbrella from being blown away by the wind, I carried on with my journey to the game store. As I walked closer to the store, rivulets of incessant rain pummelled down and I picked up my pace, eager to get to the game store before the rain became any heavier.

         Just then, I spotted an elderly lady. She had wrinkles that were deeply etched across her forehead and her frail, stick-thin arms were laden with countless bags of her groceries. To my utter shock, she did not have an umbrella! The heavy raindrops pelted down on her as she feebly made her way home.

         “Oh no! What if she catches a cold? However, the game store will close soon. Should I help her?” At that moment, I knew I had to make the right choice. Without hesitation, I dashed towards her and offered her my umbrella. “Grandma, let me share this umbrella with you,” I offered and the lady give me a weak smile of gratitude. I then sheltered her with the umbrella and helped her to carry some of her grocery bags.

         As we walked on, I asked the lady where she lived. “I live over t-t-there,” she replied, her wrinkly hands pointing in the direction we were heading to. Her footsteps were slow and her shoulders were hunched. I held her tightly as we journeyed on through the incessant rain. Although we had an umbrella, raindrops still pelted our faces and occasionally, I had to help the lady wipe the rainwater off. While walking with the lady, I constantly thought of the game store and whether it had already closed. There was a persistent nagging in my mind that would not stop reminding me about the game store. I wondered if helping the lady was really a good choice yet I helped her anyway.

         Finally, we arrived at the lady’s house. The lady gave me a weak grin before thanking me profusely. “Thank you, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would have been left helpless!” she exclaimed, shaking my hands over and over again. At that moment, I felt a surge of happiness and my heart soared with pride and joy. It finally dawned on me that helping others and being thoughtful was much more important than video games. It was a memory to treasure and remember for the rest of my life.

         From that day onwards, I always tried my best to be thoughtful, help and care for others through their ups and downs.

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