More Cookies by Tan Wen Xin

I was supposed to put up a composition a week on this blog but procrastination and some health issues got in the way of the schedule and the truth of the matter is that I'm very bad when it comes to keeping to a schedule. Also, there are times when there are no outstanding pieces that speak to me.


To make up for the drought, I'll be putting up more compositions this week.


I'm able to put up more compositions this week because the pupils did a great job last week and there were quite a few pieces that I found satisfactory. Good work should be published, right?


Now, please sit back and enjoy the second instalment of Cookies.

More Cookies

I held a cookie in my hand. As I munched on the cookie, memories of that day came flowing back into my mind…

I was five years old then. I was playing in my room when my mother came in and told me she had to go to the supermarket to replenish the groceries. I groaned but acknowledged what she said. Then, she told me that my brother was to take care of me in her absence. Sternly, she told us not to bicker while she was away, and if there were any problems, just call her. I heard her walk into my brother’s room and tell him the same thing.

I frowned. My brother and I had a relationship akin to that of cats and dogs. We always glared at each other whenever out parents were not looking.

Not long after Mother left, shrill music rang out from a corner of the living room. It was the telephone. I opened my door only to see my brother rushing forward to pick up the receiver. It was his friend who had called. He stared daggers at me before pointing a finger to my room. Reluctantly, I agreed and sauntered back into my room.

As I continued to play with my toys, I felt my stomach growling like a hungry dog. Before long, I was in the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator, only to find pieces of meat my mother had bought previously. My eyes scanned the refrigerator from top to bottom. Suddenly, my eyes lit up. Before me was a piece of chocolate. Unable to hold back the temptation, I ripped open the wrapper and popped the chocolate into my mouth. It was simply delicious! But it was not enough to satisfy my empty stomach.

My eyes landed on a cupboard which was way above the counter. I scratched my head as I wondered how to reach for the jar of cookies that was placed in the cupboard. A smile lit up my face when I spotted a stool. I climbed up the counter, opened the cabinet and reached for the jar. Even then, I had to tiptoe. Reaching…

I only grasped air. The jar was placed too far in the cupboard. I reached out my hands once again, but failed to get hold of the cookies. Taking in a deep breath, I stretched with all my might and…

Yes! Alas, as soon as I got hold of the jar, the smooth glass jar slipped from my hands.

Crash! The jar landed on the floor with a sickening noise. The glass shattered into pieces. Gasping in horror, I took steps back but I accidentally tripped over the rack for drying dishes. As luck would have it, the plates also smashed onto the floor with a sickening crash. Just then, my brother rushed into the kitchen. He took in what was happening with a single glance. He carefully stepped on the floor near the counter and tried to help me get down.

‘Mei mei, come here,’ he said.

Not trusting him, I shook my head stubbornly. But after several attempts by him to try to carry me down, I agreed.

‘Thank you,’ I smiled at him.

As he put me down far away from the glass shards, he told me to stay put. He took a dustpan and cleared up the mess. After some time, the mess was cleared up. My brother and I checked to see if there were any glass shards left on the floor. There was not one glass shard to be seen.

‘Don’t tell Mother, okay?’ my brother told me, guilt written on his face.

I nodded, guiltily too. It was all my fault this happened.

Then my brother placed the drying rack back in its place and took out extra plates from the cupboard beneath the counter. We placed the plates on the rack. Then he took out extra cups and bowls, putting them on the rack too. He poured all the broken glass pieces into a bag.

‘I’ll be back soon. Remember, don’t tell Mother anything,’ he said and went to dispose the bag. Fortunately, my brother returned home before Mother and she did not realise anything was amiss.

Since then, my brother and I shared a secret and we hardly quarreled from that day on.

‘Give me one too!’ my brother came out from his room and took a cookie from the bottle, snapping me to reality from my reverie

Even till today, Mother did not know what had happened that day. Looking at the cookies, my brother and I shared a secret smile, recalling what happened that day years ago.

Tan Wen Xin (Primary 6)

Northland Primary School

This composition is an excellent example of 'show, not tell'. Wen Xin described the story in such detail that we can vividly picture the whole story in our head. Another strength of the compo is the apt usage of the language. Wen Xin hardly used any bombastic words but she managed to create a story that is realistic and entertaining through the efficient and deft use of simple words.