“Too late,” I thought as I rolled my eyes and slammed the door behind me.

I set off to school. After what seemed like an eternity, school was finally over. As the dismissal bell rang, I darted out of my seat and carried my bag. Then, I queued outside the classroom.

              All the students scurried down the stairs. Just as I stepped out of school, thunder rumbled in the air as white streaks of lightning formed in the dark, grey sky. Big, fat drops of rain fell from the dark, ominous clouds as gusts of wind blew around. The rain started off as a drizzle but gradually became a downpour. My friends had all left the school by asking their parents to pick them up. Only then did I regret not heeding my mother’s advice to bring an umbrella. I broke into a brisk walk as I made my way home, using my bag as a shelter for myself. My house was still quite a distance away.

              I was afraid that I could catch a cold. When I reached a traffic junction, the green man was flickering. Looking around, I saw that there were no other cars. I decided to cross the road although the red man had lit up. I ran across the road and suddenly I saw a bright red Toyota speeding towards me. Terror gripped me and perspiration started dripping from my forehead. I was powerless and frantic with terror. Then ‘Bang’ the car hit me. The impact was so great that I was flung a few metres away from my original place. I landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

              I saw passers-by rushing over to me. One of them called the ambulance while the rest attended to me. Within minutes the ambulance arrived and the paramedics laid me on a stretcher. At that moment, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital lying on a bed. My eyes met my parents’ eyes and I was confused.

I asked my father, “What happened to me? Why am I in the hospital?”

My father told me what had happened. My face was red with embarrassment as he told me that the paramedics explained that I had dashed across the road. I regretted my actions as I had broken my leg.

              That night, as I lay in the hospital bed, I reflected on the stormy day’s events. I regretted not listening to my mother and dashing across the road. I promised myself to turn over a new leaf and never make the same mistake again.

“Sarah! Are you done?”Jane called out to me.

I nodded my head and we both left the classroom, chatting animatedly. We both waved goodbye to each other as I set off from school as usual.

        As I was walking back, it suddenly started raining. Unfortunately, I did not bring my umbrella and within minutes, it was raining heavily. The raindrops fell like bullets from the sky. Soon, I was drenched from head to toe and my shirt stuck to my back like a second skin. My hair stuck to my face and I brushed my sopping hair off my face.  I decided to use my bag to shelter myself as it was waterproof. The wind howled like a wolf and I started to feel very cold and I wished I had a hot cup of chocolate.

        I was shaking like a leaf and sneezing like mad when I decided to make a dash for it. That way, I would be able to reach home faster. I ran as fast as lightning as I knew that I was going to be caught in a thunderstorm if I did not hurry back home. Lightning flashed through the sky like a whip while thunder cracked through the sky. I jumped every time I heard thunder as I was scared of thunder. I also knew that standing under a tree would also be a very bad idea as the tree could collapse on me if lightning struck it.

            I was nearing my house when I slipped and fell. There was a sharp pain in my knee and when I looked at it, I saw that it had been grazed and blood was oozing profusely out of the wound. My bag meanwhile had landed further away and I staggered to it. I grabbed it and searched inside for a tissue to prevent myself from losing more blood. I wrapped it around my leg and stumbled back home.

            When I reached my house’s gate, I placed my student card on the sensor and it opened. I rushed into my house, went into the shower, and freshened up. Once I had finished showering and eating my lunch, my mother helped me to bandage my wound and wanted to know everything that had happened. I told her everything and I kept on sneezing while I was telling her everything. I was then asked to rest and I had a hot cup of milk on my side table. I could not go to school the next day because I had a cold and when I returned, I had to use a lift because of the wound on my leg. I also had to get help from my mother  when I wanted to climb up the stairs to my bedroom which was on the second floor.

            I learned that I should not run in the rain because it is dangerous and that you can get injuries and a cold or a fever. I should always bring an umbrella so that if there is rain I will not catch a cold or have to run in the rain. I have never done that again since that incident.

              "Since I am feeling bored in my room, why not play with the matchsticks?" I thought to myself gleefully.

Opening the box, I saw colourful matchsticks and immediately took one out. I lit it up almost immediately and accidentally burnt my finger.

"Owww!" I winced in pain. I threw the lit matchstick and rushed to the bathroom to apply some ointment to the horrible pain.

              While I was in the bathroom, I heard the fire alarm in our house and my siblings screaming, “Get out! There’s a fire!”

I soon realised what I had done when I saw my bedroom engulfed in smoke and flames. I quickly ran to the main door but while running, I tripped and fell.

              A wall of fire shot fifty metres into the air and the roar grew louder and louder, consuming everything in its path. It was coming towards me. I looked back and froze, saying my last goodbye to the world as I thought I was going to die. This dangerous situation that I was involved in was a horrible nightmare!

Then, my sister pulled me up and shouted, “Do you want to die or stay alive? Get up now!”

I regained my senses and did not lose courage. I got up and continued to run out of the door.

              Luckily my siblings and I made it out safely. I gasped for air and looked through our clear glass door. My brother dialled 995 and then my parents. He told them about the dangerous situation and my parents gasped in shock. They said that they would be on their way. Not long after, the firefighters and my parents arrived at the scene. The firemen rushed in and battled the fire furiously to save our house, hosing down its walls with water.

              After the fire was put out, my parents reprimanded me, “Why did you play with matchsticks? Didn’t I tell you that playing with fire is dangerous? Look at our house!”

There was no use crying over spilt milk. This dangerous situation had taught me an important lesson, not to play with fire again.

Curious, he decided to investigate. He turned to see an old lady, and apples all over the ground.  He decided to do a kind deed and help the old lady.

Smiling, he asked her, “Can I help you pick up your apples?”

The old lady replied, “Sure!”

Sam picked up the apples one by one and put them in the bag. The old lady thanked Sam and tried to lift the bag of apples but it were too heavy for her. Sam decided to be kind again and helped the old lady carry the bag of apples home. On the way, Sam’s arm started hurting. Sam put the bag full of apples on the ground for a second and lifted the bag back up. Sam wanted to give up but he knew that he had to persevere as she was too frail to carry the bags on her own. The trip was very long. He felt that his arms were going to tear off.

After a few more minutes, he was finally there. The old lady thanked Sam profusely for his kindness. She praised him for being a considerate and warm-hearted boy. Sam blushed and smiled shyly. The old lady even gave Sam a box of cookies. Sam thanked the old lady for the box of cookies, and he walked back home happily.

When he got home, he told the story to his mother. His mother praised him. Sam was very happy that day. He was not only happy, but he also felt that he had done the right thing. He would remember the day that he had done a kind deed.

              I walked along the corridor to her front door. When I got there, I saw a stranger dressed in a white shirt, with black hair and sunken cheeks, outside Lynn’s house. His appearance frightened me. He had a bag of tools with him which was placed on the ground. He was acting suspiciously. I thought that I had seen this man before. But where? I racked my brain for an answer and found it. This man was the suspect whom the police  came to warn us about a week ago.

              I stood behind a wall and watched what the man was going to do. He took a tool from his bag and tried to unlock the gate of Lynn’s house. The man was a burglar! I felt nervous and scared. I was in a state of panic. I called the police and told the police that a burglar was breaking into Lynn’s house.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be there in five minutes,” assured the police.

I waited behind the wall and watched the events unfold. After five minutes, the police arrived. I was relieved to hear the siren of the police car. The burglar tried to escape but it was too late. The police ambushed him and pushed him against the wall. The police handcuffed him and brought him to the police station.

              Lynn and her family came out of their house and thanked me for my quick-thinking. My parents had also come back from their Chinese New Year shopping. I told them what had happened when they were away and they were pleased to hear what I had done.

              That night I reflected on the day’s events. I was glad that the burglar had been caught. I had learnt a valuable lesson from this incident. I learnt to be always prepared for any situation.

However, soon, dark ominous clouds covered the once brightly lit sky. It began to drizzle and then pour. All of John’s friends immediately grabbed their bags from the benches and headed home. All, except for John. He wanted to practice his soccer moves to win the soccer game the next day.  It was also the day that his best friend, James, was having his birthday party.  

“Come on John!” James called out, “You can fall sick playing in the rain!”              

John ignored his best friend’s advice and continued kicking the ball around.

After thirty minutes of playing in the rain, John walked home, drenched and covered in mud. When his mother caught sight of him ambling into the house, she was shocked to see him dripping wet. It was then that realisation dawned on her.  

“Why have you been out playing in the rain?” John’s mother demanded.  

“I don’t know,” John lied. John’s mother reprimanded John harshly like a fire-breathing dragon.  

“Go upstairs at once and shower with hot water! Now!” John’s mother boomed.  

Once again John ignored the advice. Instead of doing what his mother had instructed, John went up to his room to play computer games. After awhile he felt tired and slept soundly on the bed.              

The next day at 9am, John woke up. His eyes were feverish, his body felt like it was on fire and his lips were very dry. John quickly put his palm on his forehead and realised that he was having a bout of fever. He weakly told his mother and begged her to send him to the doctor. John’s mother reprimanded him for being disobedient and brought him to the doctor. The doctor examined the patient, John, thoroughly, peered into his mouth, checked his pulse and blood pressure. The doctor decided to prescribe some antibiotics and painkillers.              

Once bitten twice shy. John regretted playing in the rain. As a result of falling sick, he could not go to James’s birthday party. He also had to miss his soccer game. John promised to always obey his mother’s instructions and never to play soccer in the rain again. 

Upon arrival, the familiar cacophony of the arcade washed over me. I hastily exchanged a ten-dollar note for tokens and made a beeline for the racing car game. Despite the surrounding noise, the echo of the quarrel with my mother persisted, casting a shadow over my enjoyment of the game.

Once my game ended, I aimlessly wandered around the arcade. Suddenly, my eyes landed on a Nintendo Switch display set, unattended on a shelf near the counter. It was the very object of my desire. I scanned the arcade surreptitiously. The staff were preoccupied, there were no CCTV cameras in sight, and no security guards nearby.

A battle waged within me. “Should I take it? I could finally beat John at Super Mario. But if I don't, I'll continue to lose,” I mused. Eventually, I succumbed to temptation and swiftly stashed the Nintendo Switch into my bag. A staff member, noticing my suspicious behaviour, approached me and demanded I return the Switch. I stubbornly refused, and he walked away. I checked the time and realised I needed to head home for homework.

As I attempted to leave the arcade, two security guards intercepted me, escorting me to the management office. Panic set in as I realised the staff member had alerted security. In the office, my anxiety peaked as one of the guards called my mother. Before I knew it, she was there, her anger palpable. I reluctantly handed over the Nintendo Switch to the manager, who sternly reprimanded me. I vowed never to repeat such a mistake.

On the way home, my mother revealed that I had actually done well on my math test, falling just short of an A. She promised to buy me the Nintendo Switch, provided I never repeated such a mistake. I nodded in agreement.

This experience taught me a valuable lesson: shoplifting is a crime, and I will never repeat it.

The cool wind caressed my cheeks as the coconut trees swayed gently in the breeze, and the sun shone brightly over East Coast Park. The calm sea glistened like diamonds in the distance, its waves flowing gently as if calling out to me. The air was filled with the laughter of children and the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore.

After finding a shady spot under a coconut tree, I laid down my picnic mat and took out my kite from my bag. Grinning with excitement, I admired the beautiful butterfly design printed on the kite. Its vibrant colours of blue and yellow seemed to dance in the sunlight. Setting it up was exhausting, but the effort was worth it. My butterfly kite danced with the wind, and as I sprinted faster and faster, it soared higher and higher.

When I looked up, I gasped in astonishment; it looked just like a real butterfly fluttering in the sky.

Suddenly, I heard a soft, muffled crying sound. Curiosity piqued, I gingerly walked towards the sound. I gasped in shock when I saw a little girl sitting miserably on the soft green grass, tears welling up in her eyes. Her hair was tied in two neat braids, and she wore a pink dress that was now slightly crumpled. Summoning my courage, I asked gently, 'Why are you crying?

'Stammering, she replied, 'My... my kite got caught in the... the tree and br... broke into pieces.' Her voice was barely a whisper, and her eyes were red from crying.

I hesitated. Should I share my kite with her? What if she breaks it? But she looked so pitiful. Just then, I remembered my mother's words: 'Always share with others and don't be selfish.' With that, I comforted the little girl and offered to share my kite with her.

Her face lit up with a smile, and she wiped away her tears. 'Really? Thank you!' she exclaimed, her voice now filled with excitement.

Soon, we were chatting happily while flying the kite together. We took turns holding the string, laughing as the kite danced in the sky. Her name was Lily, and she was visiting the park with her family. We eventually became best friends and organised many playdates.

Not only did I feel the warmth and happiness of sharing, but I also made a new friend. This experience taught me an invaluable lesson: to not be selfish, but to share with others. It truly was a memorable and unforgettable time. As we packed up to leave, I realised that the joy of sharing was far greater than the joy of keeping things to myself.

          Halfway through my journey, something caught my eye. My eyes lit up when I saw a wallet. My jaw dropped. My eyes were as big as basketballs. It was black in colour, worn-out and it was a leather wallet. I checked the wallet and found $300 in it. I was shocked. This was the exact amount I needed to buy an iPhone 15 pro max. I decided to go to the iPhone store.

          The air conditioner blasted cool air. It felt refreshing on my skin. Upbeat music blasted from the speakers, putting the shoppers in a joyous mood. I went to the iPhone store. iPhones filled every aisle. Sitting right next was the iPhone 15 pro max. the queue was as long as a dragon. I opened the black wallet and found an identification card. It belonged to an old man. I felt sorry and decided to return the wallet to the old man. I decided to go to the address written on the identification card.

          I knocked on the door, I saw an old man. His eyes were pensive. I handed him the wallet. Immediately, he beamed in gratitude. He was dancing in joy. He thanked me for returning him his wallet. He needed that money for his own medicine. I related the story to my parents. They were as proud as peacocks. They rewarded me with the iPhone 15 pro max. Honesty is indeed the best policy.