and this is how it all happened:

“Crunch,Crunch,Crunch!”The dried orange ,yellow and brown leaves went beneath my feet.The crisp Autumn breeze brushed past  and  the trees swayed gracefully as if dancing. Me and my younger brother,Liam were going to Green Grove Park. Mine and Liam’s most favourite park since a young age.

The moment we stepped into the park a strong smelly pungent smell greeted us,we saw rubbish such as plastic bags and soda cans strewn everywhere. I looked around and saw an old lady sitting on a bench knitting beside a mouldy pizza box beside her like company.I ran to her while shouting loudly “Grandmother what happened here?” I knew my grandmother would know as she comes here almost every day.She told us that a rubbish truck had been irresponsibly dumping rubbish at the ally behind the park and it overflowed ,no one bothered to clean up the mess because it was disgusting and they thought it was a waste of time.Liam and I said in unison “If no one will, then we shall!” We rushed home ,kicked off our shoes and socks and  rushed upstairs to  our bedroom. I took out my phone from the charging port and immediately began texting to Liam’s and my friends to ask them if they were free. Fortunately ,they were so we asked them to come over to Green Grove Park and bring lots and lots of trash bags and gloves.

Once  they arrived terrified looks took over their  faces as they stared gawking at the mess. All of us immediately got into action and picked up the debris and rubbish.Passer-bys saw what we were doing,some joined in the clean-up and others threw us disgusted looks at us but we were not fazed infact, we grew stronger.After hours of back-breaking work the park looked as good as new,the pond in the middle of it sparkled like diamonds,the trees and bushes looked as if smiling at us, We felt proud of ourselves. The people that were once showing us disgusted looks stood there mouths agape and looking at us. Almost at once children, adults and even old folks started streaming into the park and once again admiring  it’s beauty. That day, I learnt the value of teamwork and that we should not take things for granted as they may not always be there like our planet mother earth.

Seas of black surrounded me, the sounds of people wailing were deafening. I myself was dressed in a simple black dress with long sleeves and my hair was done into a topknot bun. Frightened by the scene around me, I clutched Mammy’s hand tight and gingerly walked on wondering why I was here in the first place.

Once we reached the front of the humungous crowd, Mammy broke down in tears with Pappy awkwardly patting her shoulder, comforting her. I looked up curious to see what made her cry like the rest of the people there. Instantly, I knew why, in shock, I stood rooted to the ground, my tears slowly flowing down my face like rivulets.

Grandpa’s lifeless body lay peacefully in the transparent glass case in front of me. My sadness turned into immense rage, how could he just leave us like that, without even saying bye. 

“Pitter-Patter, Pitter-Patter” raindrops pelted to the ground with a rhythmic beat. My shoes were sloshing in the mud as I struggled to keep up with my older sister, Janice “Hurry up slowpoke!” Janice taunted, wanting to prove her wrong I increased my pace. 

We were hiking at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve as my sister was participating in a charity hike organised by her secondary school. I decided to tag along to see nature and get some pictures for my project. But now I seem to regret it, not only because my lungs were burning but also because it had started raining.

“Mummy! What is this?” Eadlyn asks me. I look at the photo, tears welled up in my eyes as I recall the day my grandmother perished.

Chickens could be heard clucking and cows were seen lazily munching on the dried wheat spread by Grandma. The instant I entered Grandma’s Kampong house， the smells of my favourite spices and herbs wafted through the air engulfing me in the rich aroma.

 I was at Grandma’s house waiting for her to get ready for our usual trip to the wet market to sell the fish Dad would catch at the nearby river. 

 Once we set up our stall, people lined up as fast as they could to get their hands on the limited supply we had bought with us that day. Suddenly, the smell of burning wood engulfed us. Waves of panic took over the crowd instantly, Grandma stood rooted to the ground mouth agape. A fire had started.

 I tugged at Grandma’s sleeve signalling to her that we had to go. Snapping out of her trance she grabbed my arm and tried to pull us to safety. By then the smoke had increased and Grandma started coughing and suddenly fell. I couched down to my horror realising that her breathing had stopped and her pulse had halted.

 I dragged her the rest of the way stopping once in a while to check how far from safety we were. But by the time we reached the nearest clinic, it was too late.

 “Mummy, are you there?”, I snap out of my thoughts and get her to put the photo back where she took it from.

A snowball effect | Events have momentum and build upon each other | as part of a sentence

A snowball's chance in hell | No chance at all | as part of a sentence

A stitch in time saves nine | Fix the problem now because it will get worse later | by itself

A storm in a teacup | A big fuss about a small problem | as part of a sentence

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure | You can prevent a problem with little effort. Fixing it later is harder. | by itself

As of right as rain | Perfect | as part of a sentence

Bolt from the blue | Something that happened without warning | as part of a sentence

Burn bridges | Destroy relationships | as part of a sentence

Calm before the storm | Something bad is coming, but right now it's calm | as part of a sentence

Come rain or shine | No matter what | as part of a sentence

Curiosity killed the cat | Stop asking questions | by itself

Cut the mustard | Do a good job | as part of a sentence

Don't beat a dead horse | Move on, this subject is over | by itself

Every dog has his day | Everyone gets a chance at least once | by itself

Familiarity breeds contempt | The better you know someone the less you like him | by itself

Fit as a fiddle | In good health | as part of a sentence

Fortune favours the bold | Take risks | by itself

Get a second wind | Have more energy after having been tired | as part of a sentence

Get wind of something | Hear news of something secret | as part of a sentence

Go down in flames | Fail spectacularly | as part of a sentence

Haste makes waste | You'll make mistakes 
if you rush through something | by itself

Have your head in the clouds | Not be concentrating | as part of a sentence

He who laughs last laughs loudest | I'll get you back for what you did | by itself

Hear something straight from the horse's mouth | Hear something from the person involved | as part of a sentence

He's not playing with a full deck | He's dumb | by itself

He's off his rocker | He's crazy | by itself

He's sitting on the fence | He can't make up his mind | by itself

It is a poor workman who blames his tools | If you can't do the job, don't blame it on others | by itself

It is always darkest before the dawn | Things are going to get better | by itself

It takes two to tango | One person alone isn't responsible. Both people are involved. | by itself

Jump on the bandwagon | Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing | as part of a sentence

Know which way the wind is blowing | Understand the situation (usually negative) | as part of a sentence

Leave no stone unturned | Look everywhere | as part of a sentence

Let sleeping dogs lie | Stop discussing an issue | as part of a sentence

Like riding a bicycle | Something you never forget how to do | as part of a sentence

Like two peas in a pod | They're always together | as part of a sentence

Make hay while the sun shines | Take advantage of a good situation | as part of a sentence

On cloud nine | Very happy | as part of a sentence

Once bitten, twice shy | You're more cautious when you've been hurt before | by itself

Out of the frying pan and into the fire | 

Things are going from bad to worse | by itself

Run like the wind | Run fast | as part of a sentence

Shape up or ship out | Work better or leave | by itself

Snowed under | Busy | as part of a sentence

That ship has sailed | It's too late | by itself

The pot calling the kettle black | Someone criticizing someone else he is just as bad | as part of a sentence

There are clouds on the horizon | Trouble is coming | by itself

Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones | People who are morally questionable shouldn't criticize others | by itself

Through thick and thin | In good times and in bad times | as part of a sentence

Time is money | Work quickly | by itself

Waste not, want not | Don't waste things and you'll always have enough | by itself

We see eye to eye | We agree | by itself

Weather the storm | Go through something difficult | as part of a sentence

Well begun is half done | Getting a good start is important | by itself

When it rains it pours | Everything is going wrong at once | by itself

You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar | You'll get what you want by being nice | by itself

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink | You can't force someone to make the right decision | by itself

You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs | There's always a cost to doing something | by itself