# data[].attributes.body
Title: Turbulence
Word Count: 153 Words

"Boom!" A loud bang shook the entire plane. Everyone in the aircraft was shocked to their core, and I was not an exception. Suddenly, the plane fell into a steep, terrifying nose dive towards the below sea. As I looked out of the window, all I saw was huge dark clouds beaconing streaks of lightning away from them. A spectacular sight to behold.

"What's happening?" I asked Mother . worryingly. Surprisingly, she replied in a very cool and calm manner," We'll be fine, there is nothing to worry about. This will go away sooner or later." Upon hearning those words, I nodded my head in agreement as I glanced out of the windown again to take a look.

Before I knew it, the plane pulled out of the nose dive and everything returned back to normal. Everyone was elated and relieved that we had survived a terrifying storm.

A lucky escape indeed.

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Title: The Plane Ride
Word Count: 152 Words

"Wheeeee" The plane engine roars into life as the aircraft propelled forward quickly. I was forced back into my seat. Suddenly, I felt the plane pull up rapidly; the feeling was inexpressible. As I looked out of the window, I saw the lush grass and tall trees move further away and away from me. Soon, I could only see the azure blue sky and the fluffy white clouds.

Suddenly, a kind lady walked by me and asked what kind of meal I wanted. I opted for the Chicken Meal, not having tried aeroplane food before. Before I knew it, a carton of food that contains chicken, rice, vegetables and bread appeared before my eyes. I immediately tucked in, gulping down large quantities of food. After taking about five gulps, I laid back onto my seat and grabbed my orange juice that was situated near the screen.

However, all was about to change…

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Before the Plane Ride
Word Count: 172

"Everyone's ready?" Mother asked as we were about to board the plane. I was overjoyed that I was finally able to board a plane, as it was the first time I had been on a plane. "Yes!" Everyone replied in unison, ready to board the aircraft.

As we walked down the long airbridge to the plane, we chattered continuously about our exciting vacation ahead of us. The changing air pressure that I felt as I stepped into the aeroplane made me smile feebly as I felt the might of an aeroplane.

"Do you want to sit in the window seat?" Mother asked enthusiastically. Upon agreeing, I clambered over the hand-rests and onto my seat. I took out a fluffy pillow found beside me and laid my back on it. It was very comfortable.

As I strapped on my seatbelt and readied for take-off, Mother handed me a tube of sweets. I grabbed one out of the tube and gulped it into my mouth as the plane started to move.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Pets
Word Count: 548 Words

Cuddling up with her dog, Tracy felt the smooth texture of the fur as it rolled over her. The dog laid its paws on the floor, and with all its might, it jumped onto Tracy excitedly and with a grin on its face. "So how did Tracy and her dog, Max, meet? How did they develop their relationship with owner and pet?"

Tracy slowly walked along the walkway while taking out her polka-dotted umbrella. Grey clouds loomed menacingly over the sky as rain poured down heavily, each one hitting the ground with a big splash. As the rain came down heavier, she noticed that her view was barely visible and that she had to get home faster or else she might get drenched. She quickened up her pace and started to run back. Suddenly, she noticed a small figure in front of her. Intrigued, she took a closer look. The closer she got to the figure, she realised that it was a cute and fluffy dog.

"It's a dog!" Tracy exclaimed excitedly. She immediately rushed over to it and started stroking it. Soon, she carried the dog home. Upon reaching home, Tracy noticed signs of the dog being ill. After researching for a bit, she realised that the dog had Stage 4 Lymphoma, which is Cancer in the lymph nodes. Upon knowing this, Tracy fell into a dilemma. She mumbled to herself anxiously," There is no way that I can foot the bill, I have lost my job and have little to no money. But then...this concerns a life." After thinking for what seemed like an eternity, she decided to bring the dog to the veterinarian.

Once reaching the vet, Tracy worriedly told the doctors about the dog's ailment. The doctor swiftly replied:" Alright. However, this chances of the dog surviving this operation are slim, and it will be a long and arduous process." Upon hearing that, Tracy immediately nodded her head in approval. As she saw the dog enter the operation room, Tracy felt very emotional and worried as she really wanted the dog to survive. After the long and tenuous process, the doctor said that it was a success. Tracy was elated and jumped for joy and soon rushed to the counter to pay.

Once Tracy reached the counter, she was handed the bill. Shocked at how expensive it was, she dashed to the nearest pawn shop and sold her family heirloom, her necklace, she was finally able to get the bill settled.

Once they both reached home, Tracy decided to call her dog 'Max'. Tracy started to learn how to take care of dogs as pets as well. Tracy cooked Max's favourite food, played with Max, and even take him to the movies. Tracy and Max both loved each other dearly, and Max even inspired Tracy to work as a veterinarian. After all, it was a veterinarian who saved the dog she loved.

For the next five years, Tracy and Max became best friends. Their friendship and love started out on that rainy day and by chance. Since that day, the bond between them never shattered. Through the years, they shared many moments and memories together. Tracy's unusual affection for Max would turn out to be the bond between them.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: A Bad Day
Word Count: 429 Words

"Boom!" A loud bang pierced through the sky and abruptly woke John up, causing him to fall out of his bed. "Ouch!" John hollered painfully as he struggled to get back on his feet. As he walked down the corridor to the living room to have breakfast, he did not see his helper ambling out of the kitchen. In a blink of an eye, John tripped over her and fell face first onto the floor while hot and creamy soup poured over him. He excruciatingly shouted in anger, scolding the helper fiercely, making her feel wronged. He immediately knew that that day would be a bad day.

After eating breakfast, John swiftly packed his bag and headed for school. When he boarded the crowded bus, he heard loud shouting noises from the back. When he peered to check what is happening, he was scolded furiously by an old lady who saw him peeking," Young boy! Mind your own business!" Upon hearing that, John felt dejected and depressed, and his mood deteriorated. He turned back in frustration and sobbed softly.

Upon reaching school, John saw Beatrix and Potter walking further ahead. They were his arch-enemies in football. Due to his bad mood, John rushed up to them and started throwing pebbles at them. The rocks hit directly at Beatrix's head, and he fell to the ground in pain.

A few meters away, Mr Orwell, the school's principal, saw the incident unfold and hollered thunderosuly," John! Come here now!" Upon hearing that, he trudged slowly to Mr Orwell. "You have just hurt another schoolmate! That is inappropriate behavior! You are suspended for 1 week to go and reflect on what you have just done! Now, go back home!"

Upon hearing that, John felt very apologetic and guilty. He turned around to face Beatrix and Potter and said," I am sorry, hope you can forgive me." Upon hearing that, Beatrix and Potter nodded their heads in unison. Though John was glad that they forgave him, he still felt guilty and depressed about the events that unfolded. He then ambled back slowly to the bus stop, reflecting deeply on what he had done.

As the saying goes," Do not mix your bad mood with bad words. You have opportunities to change your bad mood, but you cannot replace the words that you have spoken." John learnt that he should not have thrown a fuss and take it out on others even though he is in a bad mood. He vowed to stay calm and to control himself better in the future.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: No Title
Word Count: 683

"Coach! How is your day?" I hollered excitedly as I saw my trainer from the carpark. That day was my last football training day as I was about to head off to the States. It has been a long journey training and playing football, and my experiences were plentiful. However, two years ago, I started out hating football training, in particular on the first day of football practice.

"We are reaching!" Mum exclaimed as we headed towards the football stadium. "Are you excited? Today is your first day!" Upon hearing that, I nodded my head hesitantly. Being timid and shy, I  worried that I would not be able to fit in with the other players there. After about five minutes, I got off the car and headed my way to the field.

As I walked into the magnificent looking stadium eagerly, I was shocked. To my dismay, the robust and muscular players playing at the centre of the field caught a glance at me and started laughing hysterically at me. I was clueless at what they were laughing about at first, so, I approached them as confidently and bravely as I could.

I slowly trudged to their direction, my heart beating at about ten times faster than the pace I was walking at. Once I got close enough, I mumbled softly," What are you guys laughing about? Where is the co-". "What are you doing here? Get lost! You have no strength and abilities to be part of this club!" John, as shown by his name tag, and also the team's most powerful player, boomed loudly. Before I even got to speak, I found myself full of the cold, rubbery black beads that were littered on the field. Soon, I found myself face flat on the grass.

I made a feeble attempt to stand up against them, but my attempt was useless. Instead, the muscular players kicked me around just like how they would kick a football. Suddenly, they stopped, and a faint, yet clearly audible voice, came from the distance, "What are you doing to him? Continue with your training!"

Upon hearing that, I immediately stood up on two legs, still shaken from the events that happened. Seeing the coach sauntering to my direction, the other players quickly resumed their training program. The coach came up to me and gently said," Hello! I am Coach Ivan. I assume you are the new player! What happened just now?" Upon hearing that, I spluttered out my long explanation of what happened.

After listening to my explanation, he said kindly," You must stand up against them, and you should not be afraid. I will explain this to them, come along!" Upon hearing that, I nodded my head hesitantly as we both ambled to the other players. Upon reaching there, Coach Ivan immediately explained what was happening, and he even asked me to prove my football skills. I did various tricks and even impressed some of the players. The coach then ordered them to apologise to me.

Upon hearing their apologetic voices, I was relieved, and it felt like a huge stone was lifted off my shoulders. The people that once bullied and teased me for my weak appearance had accepted me despite my small size. Only after the ordeal was I able to enjoy the two-hour long football session thoroughly.

After the football training session, I happily returned home despite being tired. I explained the entire situation to my Mother the minute I got home. She explained calmly," Whatever you do, do not be like them and judge others. As the saying goes, do not judge a book by its cover. I hoped you had learnt the important values of being a friend rather than a bully through this ordeal. Upon hearing that, I nodded my head and proceeded to eat some food that I had been craving since the end of the training session. I realised that being small in size and weak in appearances did not matter as I played just as well as the people who were robust and muscular.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Corrupted Future
Word Count: 760 Words
I've actually ran out of ideas. Once in a lifetime event. So here is my CPIB story!

It was a gloomy day. The sight of starving people haunted me. The news, plagued with stories of how the government is using the National Treasury to build their beautiful resorts for the government officials, rather than giving back to the citizens. It was the worst famine in the history of Singapore. People did not have the funds as the government has been increasing taxes by up to fifty percent for the past five years. Life was hard.

It turned out that I was one of the only few survivors left in my family. My grandparents and my father had all died of starvation. Walking through the deserted streets of Orchard, I looked at the once magnificent glass buildings but now reduced to rubble by the government. They wanted to make life hard for the citizens but luxurious for themselves. Upon walking into Singapore's Botanic Garden, I saw the luxurious and beautiful resort that the government built. Topped with a luxurious pool and lawn. I hoped I could be there.

People are starting to get greedy as well, finding out ways to get resources from their rightful owner. Once, an adolescence walked past me and grabbed my sandwich from me, leaving me without food. I knew that it was over. I had nowhere to go; rescue was nowhere to be seen.

I do not even know where my remaining family members are after government officials split us up. All I hope for is for them to be alive. My stomach started to hurt, groan, and soon, contracted so much that it caused extreme pain. Starvation has hit me.

After five years of government corruption, the country was left with nothing. The Great Famine had unexpectedly struck Singapore after the haze. People were desperate for food, so they raided the supermarkets and grocery stores. All that is left is upturned cars, buildings in the form of rubble and an eerie landscape scattered with hungry, and now greedy, people. Once, my Mum said," Do not trust anyone." Now I believe what she said; maybe she could predict the future. I would not know.

These small thoughts about future predicting distracted me from the reality, I was walking aimlessly, the fact that someone could come up from nowhere and kill me was looming in my head. I could sense the corruption in the air, the greed rising from the ground and decadence from everyone around me. Racial harmony was a thing of the past. Petty fights between the Chinese and the Malay often happened, usually causing mass destruction and death.

As I walked down a ramp to a carpark, one of the only few that remain in Orchard Road, I saw a gang of people loitering around, possibly waiting for their next target to get money. They saw me. I was sure that I could not escape. Despite how hard or fast I run, they were catching up to me at what seemed like the speed of light. Before I even got out of the carpark, I was held back by the gang and forcefully thrown back down the ramp. I tumbled uncontrollably, before stopping just before a pillar. I trembled in fear, not knowing what to do.

Just as I looked up, I saw the gang looming over me. One of the group members said," Where is your money?" I replied hesitantly," I... do not have any money on me." Upon hearing that, they immediately kicked me around like a soccer ball, repeating that if I do not give them money, I will die. I had no choice, no money, and nothing to fight for anyways. I was fighting the losing battle, so I decided just to let go and not fight back.

Once they finished kicking me around, one of the members gave me a punch in the face before they left to find other people. I knew I was going to die. I was severely bruised and bled profusely. I could see white spots appearing left right and centre, before taking up my entire vision. All I could see is a flash; maybe it was the end. However, after five seconds, I felt a sharp pain again, and I saw the blurry image of a man. I was frightened the moment I saw him, thinking that he would beat me up. Surprisingly, he held his hand out and pulled me up. Only when I look at the man's face I knew who it was; it was Dad.

Maybe it was not as bad as I thought after all.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Performance
Word Count: 193 (:D)
Credits: Christabel for giving me this idea

"Audience, let's welcome our next performer to perform on stage!"

My hands trembled anxiously as cold sweat trickled down my cheeks. It was the first time I had sang on stage and in front of a big audience. But not with practice, of course. I trained for three months, just for the big day, which had finally come. I was prepared to do well, hopefully.

As I ambled up onto the stage, I felt chills running down my spine. The glares of the audience frightened me, but I insisted to myself," I can do it!" As I held the microphone firmly in my hands and cleared my throat from the worries of failure, I started singing, smoothly and modulated.

It felt angelic upon hearing my voice echo through the auditorium. As I ended the song on a high-pitch note, the crowd roared with a resounding applause. Upon hearing them, I smiled feebly at what I just accomplished, before bowing to thank the audience. I then swiftly made my way to the backstage.

"I did it!" I thought to myself, elated. Maybe it was not as bad as I expected it was.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: A Well-Deserved Treat
Word Count: 208 Words (I know... I know...)

"How was the run?" I asked my friends with a wink. It was the first time I crossed the finish in front of them. They kept pestering me that he would beat me next time. I assured them that I would defeat him again, before boarding the bus towards the mall. We were finally going to have our well-deserved treat from our teacher.

"Yes! We are finally here!" All of us excitingly exclaimed as we reached the mall. We soon met up with our teacher and ambled towards the nearby McDonald's Fast Food Restaurant. The treat that day was due to our hard work beforehand.

"Not bad! We did our best!" I said enthusiastically after the competition was over. It was a national literature competition, and it was very tough. The oppositions were challenging because others were better. But our teacher promised us one thing: We would get a treat if we go through to the semi-finals.

And that was exactly what we did, going through to the semi-finals. After losing out there, we were still elated that we got our well-deserved treat.

"Yummy!" We all shouted in delight, for we knew that it was hard work and perseverance that got us there.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Test of Imbecility
Word Count: 260
This is a short insert, unlike my other writings.

"Where is it?" I asked frantically to my colleagues. I realised about an hour ago that the priceless gem found in the middle of the office vanished, and until now, we were not able to find it. My heart pounded furiously, running around, trying to find the missing jewel. It was almost as the place exploded into a thousand pieces, people dispersing to search every corner of the building.

Suddenly, a calm man ambled slowly to the customer service counter, which became deserted after the mess. He then placed the shiny gem on the table. When I saw that, my eyes widened and I felt a huge sigh of relief. "It is found!" I shouted loudly. Upon hearing the news, everyone rejoiced and jumped for joy, so much so that the entire building shook from the jumping.

However, we did not expect what was going to come next.

Suddenly, an enormous cyber attack hit the office. Warnings signalled from the office's central computers. Then, it hit me: The disappearance of the jewel allowed hackers to attack the central computers. I stood there, rooted to the ground, dumbfounded at the imbecility that we possessed as more and more files were getting leaked to the hackers. There was nothing that we could do, and I knew that we were going to lose the business at this rate. "Maybe we were possessed by the hackers," I thought worryingly. I dashed that thought immediately as I rushed to the computer room.

What no one knew was that the entire thing was a fluke.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Book of Inspiration
Word Count: 734 Words

My future was bleak.

As I walked along the rocky ground barefooted and looked up and the bright, glaring fireball in the sky, I thought about my future, one of uncertainty and ambiguity. The Haitian forest that shrouded the horizon distracted me as some of my roommates frightened me by scaring me creepily. I burst out in a weak, feeble laughter as we proceeded back to our dusty, and dirty room.

I laid my back on the bunk bed as I grabbed a random book from the small library beside me. The book was placed on my laps as I flipped the rough pages to a random page, depicting an orphan struggling at an orphanage. "Just like me!" I thought to myself while smiling feebly. As I flipped the book to the end, it depicted the same orphan living a wonderful and amazing life. It then struck me, an idea once thought of insane, but an idea that I was hoping for, striving for, and an idea that I was determined to achieve.

I gently placed the book back on the shelf as I ran out of the orphanage, and into the Haitian forest. Without knowing anything, I sat down and drank the muddy water which I found in the pond right beside me. That was a big mistake that I made. I immediately felt extreme pain in almost everywhere on my body. The pain was unbearable to the point where I collapsed, exhausted, onto the leafy ground. I did not think that I was going to survive.

Suddenly, and luckily for me, a hovering "plane-looking" machine hovered above the towering trees and a long rope ladder extended down towards me. I was grabbed forcefully by an officer and was lifted back up to safety into the "plane-looking" machine. I knew that there was a glimmer of hope. However, a spiral of darkness appeared in front of my eyes as my head became dizzier and dizzier. About a second later, I collapsed, motionless, onto the floor.

I woke up at the sound of the doctors reading my temperature,"38 Degrees," the doctor said firmly as he lifted up the screen reader into his view. I was shocked; sweat started to trickle down my spine, and then I screamed," Where am I?" The doctors calmed me down as they explained where I was. After all, I did not know what a hospital was. I realised I had escaped from the orphanage successfully.

I soon ambled out into the city, amazed by the tall skyscrapers I saw. The moment I saw a moving object pass by, I asked confusingly," What is that?" Upon hearing those words, passers-by stared weirdly at me, and the feeling of embarrassment started to kick in. Due to my limited English proficiency, I went to sign up for English tuition at a nearby teaching centre. The moment I stepped in, I was immediately kicked out of the centre by the staff working there.

I was puzzled initially as to why that happened, but as soon as I explored the city enough, I realised that the city was discriminate towards poor people, like me. I had no idea what to do next, but I found my inspiration from the book I read, the one at the orphanage. I realised one thing, I could be a writer! There was no one going to stop me from doing that! I took out some writing paper from my backpack that I took along with me and started scribbling words onto it, words that depict my life story, the only story I could ever write.

As I wrote finished my story, I headed to a publishing firm, which when they saw my story, was immediately touched. They agreed to publish my story at the cost of nothing. I was elated, at least there was something I could do, something I could relate to, something I could rely on, something that works in the epitome that I was in. However, there was one thing I did not expect.

My story spread like wildfire, the day after publishing it, it was found on the news. My feelings were indescribable; I was happy that it could be my saving grace.

The doors of life opened right in front of me. When I walked through them, out came a famous author who would go on to write prestigious titles.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Fruits of a Tree
Word Count: 601 Words
Credits: Ms Hu for indirectly giving me this idea! :)

Another failure in life struck me again.

"Not again..." I grumbled quiveringly as I cleared my boots of the black beads of the field. It was another loss for the team, and one caused by me. Guilt flushed my face with disappointment as I walked back to the squad room by the side of the field. "John, how could you miss the open goal?" My teammate, Patrick, berated me loudly. Everyone sat down with their bags packed up while I sat there sorrowfully, contemplating about the failure I was.

Suddenly, The Coach ambled in and voiced audibly at the team," It's okay that we've lost, but we will fight for a win next time!" The Coach's positivity would always light me up inside, like a candle. I would always be inspired by his words, and that time was no exception.

I resolved to uptake a more positive mindset, one of success rather than failure. I decided to train harder and harder and work better with the team. Fruits of my training started to bear, paying off, improving my skills in the sport in a matter of weeks. I was ready for the next match, a one against an opponent that caused me to tear due to guilt about a dozen times. But this time, I was determined to beat them, triumph against them, and be the winner.

Match day had come, the air was tense. But the atmosphere was lively, hordes of crowds had come in with blue banners, supporting the opposition team. The ratio of blue to red fans was almost 1 to 0. Our team had so little fans due to the bad reputation that the team had in the past few matches. I was resolute that we would change that.

Kickoff! Our team soon fell behind after early goals by the opposition team. We fought back hard but did not manage to score a goal for the whole forty-five minutes. After a quick discussion with the Coach, we were back on the field, ready as ever.

Kickoff commenced again as we soon started to dominate the play, it was our time to shine. We soon tied up the game around the seventy-five-minute mark. When it hit ninety, we managed to get a penalty. A one needed tremendously. I was picked to kick the ball for the penalty. My heart pounded furiously, my palms sweated, as my mind went blank. I could not think, but there was one thing I could only do, "Score". The word flashed through my mind occasionally as a movie of the "perfect shot" played in my head. When I heard "Beep!" I ran up swiftly and took the shot.

I closed my eyes, afraid that I had missed. However, I soon heard the small crowd roar behind me as my teammates rushed towards me. I realised that I scored. The full-time whistle soon blew, and we all rushed triumphantly to the sidelines to meet our coach. I was elated and could not speak the words of emotions. I felt a mixed of relief, joy, happiness, and pride. It was then that I learnt a valuable lesson.

"Life is like a rollercoaster," Coach would always say, those words kept repeating in my head over and over again. I realised that success is the fruit of failure, a product of failure, up from the down. In life, I experienced many failures, but little successes. However, every time I experienced triumph, I tasted the delicious fruit called, "Success".

That day was an experience of a particularly tasty fruit from failure's tree.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Life's First Step
Word Count: 508 Words

It was the first step.

I clambered up onto the couch after a long day of school. The cool breeze from the fan blowing into my face soothed me as I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my WhatsApp messages. It was another typical day, but it was soon about to turn upside down.

Suddenly, Mother came in and started nagging about my dirty socks. I was already tired then, and I did not feel like conforming to her, so I stood up and just walked away, legs sore and arms aching. She suddenly shouted at me," Put your socks on the floor, now!" Her voice went through my left ear and went straight out on the right. I continued ambling forward, with my dirty and filthy socks still on my feet. I did not care one bit.

Upon realising what was happening, Mother turned back and stomped furiously into her room and slammed her door. I was clueless as to why she would nag continuously over this small matter. Only after thirty minutes of staring at my phone screen did I then throw my socks to the kitchen floor. I then proceeded to my room and jumped onto my bed, immediately falling asleep. I did not know the predicament I was about to be in.

The next day, as I woke up, I immediately felt my nose stiffen. Despite that, I jumped out of my bed and dashed into the toilet to brush my teeth. It was then when I felt a sudden ache in my head, and sneezed loudly into the glass mirror. I had no idea what was going on. Mother noticed and brought me into her room and laid me flat on her cushy bed. She rushed to her drawer, took out a thermometer and gently stuffed it into my ear. Before I knew it, it was displayed on the small screen:" 42 Degrees".

I was shocked to the core, my heart pounding, thinking that I was going to die. Mother said that it would be alright, but I did not believe her. Memories of life flashed through my mind, and one of them was yesterday. Just like a video, my memories paused right in front of my eyes, the date: Yesterday. The sight of me being rude and not taking in Mother's advice floated in my eyes. My mind was full of emotions, now that I knew why she nagged at me in the first place.

It was a mixed feeling of sadness, agony, but the most prevalent of all, love. The love that I felt when Mother nagged at me, the love that I felt when she cared for me, the love that I felt when she loved me. My mouth was closed shut, unable to speak the words of emotions. When it finally opened, three words came out," I love you." My mother hugged me dearly as I teared up, and then hugged her back.

I then knew that life's first step was parental love.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Other Side
Word Count: 656 Words

Ubangi was a beautiful place, teeming with wildlife, the clear, glittering waters were filled with fish. Especially after the monsoon, which provided rainwater to feed the river to its fill, giving residents clean water, water so precious, it was a lifeline for us. However, it was about to change, drastically change.

I was staring out at the open, the grasslands, wilted yellow and the sky, bright and blue, the river, oily, dirty and sticky. As I walked through the scrubby, scorched plants, I thought of the epitome the tribe was in. We lived along the Ubangi, a place that suffices our most vital necessity: Water. However, the river is lifeless now, no flora, fauna, and full of synthetic oil.

The reason was unknown, but speculations lead me to one answer. The other side. Their government, full of corruption and the greed for money, planted chemical plants to boost their economy, a human-made disaster as a whole, one that does not affect them but affects us. There was nothing our tribe could do. We had no power against them; we had no strength against them.

The consequences of their actions were devastating, not only have they blocked us from water, they caused famine and eventually, hunger, starvation, thirst, and death. Every day or two, one of us would just drop dead on the grass of a scorching summer day. I was lucky to be alive. It was not a fight against the Congolese; it was a fight against death. However, this soon turned into a fight against ourselves.

Food and water became ever so scarcer, some days, not even a grain of rice enters my mouth, or a millilitre of water to quench my thirst. Because of this, we fought against ourselves, fighting for resources, for food, water, and our lives. I sat down in the small triangular hut, scared to my wits, and frightened till tears started to roll down my cheek. It was terrifying beyond words.

However, Crafty me thought that we could do it, we could fight, just like against ourselves, but fight for our land, resources, and lives. After suggesting this idea to my senior chief, he exclaimed," There is nothing to lose anyways!" It was the final decision, the final decision to charge, the final decision to survive, and the final decision to lose, or win.

Charged we did, off in our rafts on the Ubangi, sailing slowly to the bank on the opposite side. Suddenly, massive military ships appeared, flanking us in all directions. Before we could do anything, they fired, killing most of us instantly, I jumped swiftly into the murky waters, lucky to escape the first round. However, I was not spared, a bullet hit my left thigh, causing extreme pain and blood pouring through the gaping gap. The sticky tar on the water surface was stuck onto me, glueing me to that spot. I knew for sure that I was going to die.

A final shot to the arm did me; I was left lying motionless on the river surface, struggling to breathe. Maybe it was a bad idea; maybe it was a life-costing idea. I laid there, eyes barely opened and mouth wide agape, my mind, flashed through the enjoyable times I had as a child, to the bloodshed I experienced right now, there was no regret. We fought for it, but it did not succeed. It was over.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed me out of the water, pulling me onto a wooden raft. Emergency life services came to me as it felt like I was resurrected from the dead. I managed to get onto the shore of the Congo, a place I hated but loved. A place I had wanted to go to. A place that was a friend, and an enemy. A place I dreamed of going as a child. A promise-land.

There was a glimmer of hope. A weak, flickery hope.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Winter Long
Word Count: 785 Words

It was the start of the long winter.

The dry, cold air blasted into my face as fractal-shaped snowflakes fell into my palms. The avalanche of snow coming down from the nearby mountaintop amazed me while the sight of the Snow Cranes flocking round and round over the neighbourhood fascinated me. I was the kind that gets captivated all the time, and I could not help it. Everything from snow to rain or even wildlife always piques my interest.

Now, because of the long winter, wildlife would migrate to warmer climates, adding on to one of my sorrows in life. It has been a tough time, moving on from last summer when the volcano nearby erupted in a fiery explosion, creating ash clouds as high as the Empire State, and falling debris that would rain down on the towns nearby like many small meteorites hitting the ground. The eruption nearly wiped out the neighbourhood I lived in, called "Mirgorod", which means "Peace-town" in Russian. Not much peace has been going on though.

The recent Siberian bomb testings have left the tremendous impact on the local citizens. People are afraid to go outside, and the amount of Siberian Huskies laying on the ground motionless have been increasing, all leading to one cause: Radiation. Due to all these harmful effects, I have no chance to go outside and play, and build snowmen, and ski down the mountains. Now, I am stuck at home, in the constraints of the squarish building with four walls and a triangular roof. Boring it was indeed.

Only if all these never happened, volcanoes and Corruption, gone, could I then enjoy the winter. The sight of the falling snowflakes made my heart break, in agony, in disappointment, in anger, and in sadness, boredom and fear. Fear of war, corruption, natural disasters, and the boredom. It has been a long time since I took my foot out of the house, it was a memorable experience, but more likely than ever, the last. Ice was melting, water levels increasing, lives changing.

Changing it was, as the sight of people freely roaming around the fields of ice and snow is a rare sight, but yet a heart-touching sight. A sight of dreams, flashing through my head like a movie. However, the reality is, that those dreams were slipping away from me, fast. Dreams that I could be a world champion skier or a world champion bobsledder were wiped right off the table, just like my morning tea. That was how angry I was. Anger, rising from the ashes of the present, and the thoughts of the continuing anger pursuing. There was only one thing I could do now.

Hope for change. "Change" was a word that frequently popped into my mind, from endless flipping of the dictionary to the want for it. I resolved that I could, should and would be the change. There was no doubt about it. There was only one thing dividing me from change. "How?" There was no way a lowly peasant like me would be the one to pave a new course for the people. On top of that, "I was not a politician!" I thought to myself, in a kind of deceiving manner, because at the back of my mind, I knew that I could do it. Nothing was stopping me.

However, no matter how hard I tried, pleading, tricking, imitating, it would not work. Despite my vision of change, the people were in no mood to see it work; it was like they did not want it. I felt crestfallen after seeing that I was the only one, lonely in this fight for freedom and enjoyment. I decided to give up since I was fighting a losing battle. I sat down hard on my chair, turned around 180 degrees, causing a loud screeching sound on the floor, and putting my face right up to the misty window. I felt like breaking it, I was furious. I soon got up and stomped into my rustic looking bedroom, filled with superstitious dolls among other Matryoshka Dolls, a whole collection of them found on my shelf.

I smiled weakly; maybe I could play with them, maybe I could endure the long wait till spring, maybe I could stand boredom, maybe I had found the solution: Changing up the design of the dolls. The word was hard to get off my mind. Maybe I was born for change; maybe I am the change, maybe I am the light in the dark, the white in the black, the one.

I set out for my new expedition, in search of a kind of life, a life of freedom, happiness, and captivation, winter long.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: We Thought They Were Gone
Word Count: 586 Words

It was the biggest shock to us.

Headlines of newspapers were plagued with alarming stories of hearing what seemed like an alien civilisation communicate with us, in English. The words these creatures said were," We are back." Those blood-curdling words repeated in everyone's minds over and over again like a loop tape, making everyone question," Who are they?" "Are they here to harm us?" These questions were left unanswered until the day they relayed back to us again.

"It's been sixty-five million years and counting..." The sudden reception of the message confirmed our suspicions. They were the dinosaurs, the ones that we thought went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period, but we were wrong. Very wrong. So wrong that we did not even have time to prepare, and they were right at our doorstep. We thought they were gone.

As a palaeontologist, I knew that we were no match for the dinosaurs, a war would not even be close. It was for sure a win for them. I had to come up with an idea, fast, to ensure the survival of the human race. After discussing with other palaeontologists, the answer became clear-cut: Birds.

They were our only hope. The only chance of survival. Those innocent-looking flying creatures, with those flappy wings and brightly coloured beaks. Our survival was at their hands. I thought worryingly," Maybe because the birds came from the dinosaurs, they could negotiate with them. Maybe they could save us! Maybe that was the answer!" The game was on; we started to talk birds into pleading the dinosaurs not to come back as the dinosaurs inched closer and closer. Then, we hid. Everyone hid. It was down to the birds.

As we occasionally glanced up to take a look at what is going on, my heart was pounding furiously, it was like the feeling that the world was going to end, and it could. My palms were sweaty, and my face turned pale white, so did everyone else. The atmosphere was tense. The air split between life and death, and I could feel the floor rumbling and grumbling as we waited patiently. There was no guarantee that we would survive, the odds were even. The lives of people at risk. Even worse, humanity as a whole was at risk.

Glancing to the top of the bunker, we saw the dinosaurs fly away as the birds descended, like heroes, to the ground. That was when we knew we were safe. Everyone dashed out of the bunkers, elated and joyous. Streets were flooded with the flocks of people celebrating. It was mass hysteria, almost like a football match, on a much larger scale. However, our happiness was short-lived.

A massive fireball barrelled down onto Times Square, flattening out the whole area and wiping out the majority of people there. There were a few lucky ones to escape, but not for long. Suddenly, the building that once was Rockefeller Center came crashing down, killing the rest. I ducked into the nearby bunker, lucky to escape the carnage that ensued. Suddenly, a loud, somewhat robotic voice pierced through the air," We are the Dinosaurs, surrender at once, or your beautiful home will be destroyed. We are back!" The negotiation did not work, and now we were screwed, and there was no way out.

The dominance of the Human Race was over, just like how it was to the Dinosaurs back then. This was their payback, their former glory, restored.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The One Hope from Dystopia
Word Count: 490 Words
Credits: Qin Guan for giving me this idea 😝

"Boom!" Another flash of lightning streaked loudly across the dark and gloomy-hued sky. Then, a sudden downpour of rain hits the neighbourhood as people dash to get to the nearest shelter. Suddenly, a gust of wind blows from the South-west, knocking down electrical poles and huge palm trees. The lights go out and the house, shaken to its core, collapses. Lucky for me, I escaped the carnage and picked up an old and worn photograph along the way.

As I ran across the street, finding an underground bunker to hide, or any other haven, if there was one, I took a quick glance of the photograph, and saw a massive fossil fuel plant emitting carbon gas into the atmosphere. It was then that I finally knew the primary cause of the epitome of the situation the world faced. Climate change.

The fact that inhumane people could do such a thing that would affect the innocent 100 years later was etched in my mind. In my head, I could see the bright, blue sky in a lush, forested world. The smiles on the faces of people as they watched their television screens. Then, as a picture of a towering fossil fuel plant float through my eyes, my face frowned in anger, and it felt like my ears smoked. Only if they knew the consequences of their actions. Kudos to them, in a bad way.

As I entered an underground bunker that was set up by the local police, I started to wonder about the life of a person back then compared to now. "Maybe they did what they did for fun, or for competition, its effects, shown today as the world is getting more divided. Either way, the consequences of their actions had resulted in the disasters of today. The number of natural disasters rose over the past few decades, and the lives of innocent people, lost."

"Maybe there is room for change." I thought. That exact thought floated in my mind for a while until I came to a solution. Maybe I could be the change. As the saying goes,"The greatest threat is the thought that someone else will do it. Be that someone else." My instincts told me that out of everyone in the world; it would be me. That I could make the world a better place, a world with laughter, fun and happiness, rather than the dystopian reality today. The change had come, and as it came, it will stay.

My hopes and dreams were soon dashed as the roof above me collapsed, trapping me under it. It felt like mortality was approaching, and the utopian dreams that I had were escaping, and there was nothing I could do about it, except hoping or praying that the ideas of mine would land in the hands of someone else. Good hands to be precise.

Or Maybe the world was meant to be like this after all.

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Paper
Word Count: 812 Words (Totally did not exceed by 600)

It was the last day of examinations.

It was another sleepy and eerie morning as night soon turned to dawn. The faint whirring sounds of the nearby expressway and the chirping sounds of the nocturnal crickets filled the air. The sight of the murky water and the bright, crescent moon calmed me. As I boarded the bus at the bus stop, I felt the cold, breezy air from the air condition blow into my face. As I sat down, I took out my Biology file to revise.

My notes were filled with random scribbles of tests and functions of cells. It was very messy. No matter how hard I tried to revise, the jerky bus would always ruin everything that went into my head. I gave up and chucked my file into my bag, and took out my Physics file, Physics being my better Science subject. It was much easier to revise Physics as I was naturally better at Mathematics. Before I knew it, I was at Dover.

As I alighted the bus and swiftly headed left towards the nearest traffic crossing, I checked my mobile phone for any last minute messages, before slipping it into my pocket. I started to try to calm myself down before the paper, so much so that I almost missed the "Green Man". Upon entering school, sprinting up the stairs and headed towards class, I was met with the warm smiles of my friends.

It was like a wet market. People all testing each other what they have revised, and more chatting loudly. It was very chaotic as all of us prepared to enter the examination room. We all calmed down quickly as we entered the room and set up the necessary items needed for the paper. The air was tense, the room was quiet, everyone was nervous and anxious, and I was not an exception. The reminders to students about cheating were repeated over and over again, so much so that I could memorise it word for word.

After the paper had started and I flipped the page, I was immediately baffled at some of the questions. The occasionally ruffled sounds of the flipping of the papers flowed through the air. The difficulty of the paper almost made my brain "explode". As I flipped through the paper, I realised that the questions got easier and easier, maybe it was not as bad after all. However, the moment I glanced at a new question, my eyes widened, my heart pounded furiously out of stress, sweat trickled down my cheek, making my jacket dirty, and my hopes of an easy paper were dashed. The questions suddenly got harder. It was a rather tiring paper, my hand scribbled frantically as I tried to meet the time limit. Before I knew it, I managed to answer all the questions. As the timer slowly ticks to zero, I flipped my paper aimlessly in nervousness, in an attempt to find any careless mistakes. Suddenly, a loud voice pierced through the air," Stop writing. Times up. Stop Writing."

It was finally over. Over. The paper was super stressful until I could not even move. We all flocked out of the examination room. All my emotions rushed through me, I could not believe the fact that Biology was over, all I could hope for now is good results, but for sure it was not going to be the case. I soon fell into an unexplainable feeling mixed with relief, worry, and happiness. I quietly grabbed my recess stuff, ignoring the avalanche of questions that barrelled my way, and swiftly headed straight to the canteen.

As I reached the canteen, my mind was emptied of the emotions that I felt earlier and managed to regain my ability to talk again. The atmosphere heated up like a lighted candle, people started buzzing about the paper, and I was no doubt one of them. It was like a huge boulder taken off my shoulders, but in replace of a lighter one. I reminisced the time I took yesterday to make revision slides, hopefully, able to collate some information for the upcoming Physics Test.

I did not feel like eating at all, my appetite was probably ruined by the paper, but I still went to the cafeteria and grabbed a bite with a refreshing drink. I sat down quietly with some friends and proceeded on to eat. As I finished gobbling up the last of my sausage bun and gulp down the remaining, already water-filled ice tea, I glanced at the digital board and realised that it was time to go back up. I quickly threw away plastics and papers that I had used and fleeted back to the classroom. I was confident that I could score.

It was the final examination, the final test, and the final time I could prove myself and do well.