A rather unexpected turn in events ... "Birthday
… the day was (supposed to) to be fun … " - an essay I did up during class at Ngee Ann Primary School.
The day was going to be fun!
I was preparing for my birthday that
day with my parents and my younger brother, Matthew, and my younger sister,
Allison. "Justin, when are we going to throw the party?" Matthew
asked, exhilaration bubbling out from him like bubbles from a soda bottle.
"Soon," I replied and threw
a smile at Matthew.
In next to no time, we had decorated
the whole entire house with colourful decorations and finished the task of
preparing the scrumptious food. I grinned smugly, for I, the birthday boy, had
done my part in preparing for the party!
Knock! Knock! Was there someone at the
door? As soon as I opened the door, I saw my friends' beaming faces. They were
indeed as cheery as sunbeams! Each one of them had presents on their hands.
The next half an hour was spent on
party games and receiving gifts from my fellow friends. However, an impending
event was destined to happen very soon.
The living room was filled with cheers
after I blew the candles on my vanilla chiffon cake and made a wish.
Father, although being the sole breadwinner of the house and usually exhausted,
forced out a smile on seeing me so delighted. Mother, however was a different
thing altogether. She was very elated as I was enjoying the party. I even
caught a glimpse of Mother's chestnut brown eyes sparkling like stars!
I was just about to have the whale of
my time when I heard a cry for help.
"Help!" Someone,
please!"
It was growing louder and louder till
it sliced through my eardrums. By now, all my friends and my parents were aware
of the cry. It seemed to be a familiar voice coming from ... wait a minute,
Allison!
I dashed to the source of the cry and
to my utmost horror, I saw Allison and Matthew running away from a burning bed
in their room! The fire was a big black beast, sending showers of sparks
everywhere. Smoke billowed from the blazing flames.
Without hesitation, I went to my
parents to get help. Together, my parents and I fetched buckets of water to put
out the crimson-red flames. Eventually, the fire was put out.
"Allison, what happened?" I
gently asked my younger sister.
Suddenly, like a faulty faucet, tears
began rolling down like broken beads from Allison's cheeks. She then narrated
her story in between sobs.
The fire, as I found out later on, was
caused by Matthew and Allison. They were playing with lit candles when one of
them accidentally dropped the candles.
"Will you forgive us?"
Matthew and Allison chorused with a tinge of fear. Taking pity on them, my
parents and I forgave them but gently lectured them on the dangers when playing
with fire.
That incident was the worst incident
in Matthew's and Allison's childhood. Till this day, the nightmarish incident
is still chip on their back. As the age-old saying goes, "Once bitten
twice shy." How true!
What an unusual and unexpected twist to a birthday celebration! Do you have any stories to share on unexpected twists in events you have experienced?
See you later,
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