Janet’s heart was beating wildly in her chest. She prayed hard, hoping to be the winner for the art competition that year. Janet had put her heart and soul into her art piece for the competition. She desperately wanted to win the new premium set of washable markers that was listed as the grand prize.

Dun….Dun….Ding.  The recess bell rang.  I was looking at my timetable and realised that the period after recess was art.  My art teacher, Ms Fong, was the second strictest teacher in school.  I looked at the board where the reminders were written and suddenly, a thought struck my head, “Wait, did I bring my colour pencils?”

A deafening and uncomfortable silence enveloped the classroom. My classmates and I were overwhelmed by waves of anxiety. Everyone was waiting in anticipation for our form teacher, Mr Oui, to walk through the door. Fifteen minutes had passed and there was no sign of Mr Oui.

Will was a very playful boy.  He always did the wrong action when he knew what the right thing to do was.  One Sunday afternoon, he was in the kitchen at home alone.  He was extremely hungry, so he decided to boil some water and cook some instant noodles. 

Looking at the trophy awarded to me beside my bed, I recalled the proudest moment of my life and what had happened that day…

              “Boo!”  Noah and Shane tried to spook me when I answered the door.  “Happy Halloween!”  Everyone was grinning from ear to ear while we showed off our costumes.  Just like many others, we were dressed as our favourite Halloween characters like Dracula, the Frankenstein monster and the Werewolf. 

Ring! The shrill ring of the school bell pierced through the air, signalling the end of a long school day. I bolted out of my seat, excitement bubbling within me. I could not wait to show my family the award-winning artwork I had submitted for my school’s annual art competition.

“Hey, Tim! Remember to wear your helmet when you cycle,” Tim’s mother shouted across the living room just when Tim was about to cycle to meet his friend at the park, Tim nodded his head and reached for his safety gear.

I was so engrossed in studying for my upcoming test when a loud sound broke my focus. Nee nor nee nor… the wails of an ambulance’s siren blared right outside my window. Just then, memories of the accident I had witnessed one week ago came flooding into my mind.

“Class, please settle down! I have some exciting and surprising news!” our form teacher, Ms Tan, announced at the top of her voice as she clapped her hands to get the class’ attention. The class turned to look at Ms Tan and they gave her their fullest attention. “There is going to be an inspection tomorrow and the cleanest classroom will be the winner. The prize is a secret.”