Tuesday, 24 September 2013

A Misunderstanding I

The last writing assignment for the P6 students before they took the PSLE English examination on Thursday was this:


You could hardly believe that your best friend could have done something like this. A wave of fury swept over you.


The story is an example of good content and great language:




A Misunderstanding I

A cool blast of air-conditioned air greeted me as I stepped into the school library. I made a beeline for the rows of shelves filled with books immediately. It was recess time and I had dropped by the library to borrow a book. Just as I was browsing through some books, an annoying girl in my class, Alice, came up to me. Alice was a pain in my neck and a thorn in my flesh as she always found ways to dig out our classmates’ secrets and would use the information to mock them. That day, Alice had a mischievous grin on her face as she taunted me about my deepest secret – that I had gotten last in class in the mid-year examinations.

I blushed hotly in shame. At the same time, a red cloud of anger descended over me like a shroud and my blood boiled. My best friend, Lynn, was the only one who knew about my secret. How could she betray me?

My anger grew as thoughts about my friendship with Lynn flashed through my mind. We had been bosom friends since Primary 1. We hung out together, studied together and stayed up till the wee hours of the night to exchange our aspirations and dreams. We were closer than sisters and were inseparable. When Lynn needed money, I would give her the cash without hesitation. When she needed a shoulder to cry on, I would be there. How could she do this to me? I was so fuming mad that I could not contain the molten rage within me.

Brushing aside Alice’s taunts, I stormed to Lynn’s usual haunt – the school field. Lynn looked at me with a welcoming smile on her face. The sight of her treacherous face made my boiling blood simmer over.

‘How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends!’ I spat at Lynn. ‘I hate you!’

A look of bewilderment crossed her face as she stammered, ‘Wha…What’s wrong? What did I do?’

Furious, I swung back my palm and hit her across her the cheek. Lynn cried out in agony but I was indifferent. Before storming away, I told her coldly, ‘You are no longer my friend!’

I returned to the library to calm myself down. The hatred I bore towards Lynn was beyond description. Just then, out class monitress came up to me and handed me a book – my diary. She explained that I had left it under my table in class and Alice, being a busybody, had flipped through the pages and uncovered my secret.

A sharp stab of guilt twisted in my heart as I thanked the class monitress. I realised I had jumped to conclusions and acted too hastily. A wave of remorse crashed over me as I recalled Lynn’s woebegone face when I hurled the spiteful words at her. Guilt was gnawing at my insides as I hurried back to the field in search of Lynn.

Fortunately, to my utmost relief, Lynn was still in the field, with a look of melancholy on her face. ‘Lynn?’ I whispered as I approached her gingerly. ‘I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!’ I went on to relate the incident to her and thankfully, Lynn forgave me. As Lynn and I embraced each other warmly, I realised how fragile a friendship could be and vowed to cherish Lynn.


Cherilyn Lee (P6)
Chongfu Primary School

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