Continuous Writing - It was a quiet afternoon. You were doing your homework when ...

It was a quiet afternoon. You were doing your homework when a loud scream pierced the silence. You froze for a few seconds.

The ceiling fan whirred on in a drone, buffeting the curtains. The afternoons were usually quiet and peaceful for no one would be at home. I was concentrating hard on doing my homework. Scribbling furiously the answer to the last question of my Science worksheet, I was ready to take a breather before I planned to go on to a Grammar Exercise.

As I finished off the last word, an ear-splitting scream shattered the silence. I was jolted out of my skin. The scream was high-pitched and obviously laced with terror. I was quite certain it came from the corridor. Shaken, my heart went hammering wildly and my breathing turned shallow and rapid. Curiosity mingled with fear, I decided to find out who the scream belonged to.

I went to my door and peeped out through the window. What I witnessed sent shivers down my spine. I gasped but immediately cupped my mouth with both hands. My neighbour, Miss Lim, was in danger. A fierce-looking man was holding a knife against her nape, threatening to slit if she refused to surrender her handbag. Miss Lim’s face was ashen white. She could feel the sharp point of the knife but I wondered why she was still clutching the handbag so tightly to her chest.

Realising that I had wasted some precious time standing at the window, I quickly picked up the phone and dialed for the police. I hastily gave some description and hung up the phone. Meanwhile, while praying for Miss Tan's safety, I continued spying on the robbery which was taking place under my nose. Would the police arrive in time to nab the crook?

Behind my curtains, I saw the robber mumbling some words to Miss Tan. The next moment, Miss Tan loosened her grip to her handbag reluctantly. “Oh no, please come quickly. He’s going to flee once he’s got what he wants,” I muttered with bated breath. To my utmost relief, I heard footsteps tramping along the corridor. “Yes! They made it in time!”

On hearing that, the robber took to his heels with the fear-stricken Miss Tan’s handbag. The police officers sprang into action and went into hot pursuit of the fleeing crook. I dashed out of my house to console Miss Tan who was still trembling. I assured her that she would get her handbag back soon. True enough, in a matter of less than ten minutes, two police officers returned with the culprit handcuffed. They asked Miss Tan a few questions and returned her her handbag. She took it but was still too shocked to say anything. I thanked the police officers and escorted Miss Tan home.

Miss Tan slowly regained her composure. I politely took my leave. I did not expect I had taken such a long ‘break’ before doing my Grammar Exercise!