Continuous Writing (Picture) - A faulty Ceiling Fan in the school canteen

The canteen sprang into life when the ten o’clock bell rang. It was the long-awaited recess time. The aroma of food wafted though the air. Pupils were seen gathering in groups, talking and bantering away excitedly. Lines were formed in front of the stalls.

Soon, the queues before each stall shortened as more and more pupils settled on the tables and benches to feast on their food. May, a Primary 5 prefect, was on duty. She was to maintain the discipline and order in the school canteen.

At the corner of the canteen, no one had noticed that one of the ceiling fans was hanging precariously. It was droning with a peculiar sound. As it whirred on, it dropped lower by the minute. Within minutes, it was dangling dangerously only on the last screw! Cracks were also spotted on the ceiling around the fan. Danger was looming in the air.

All of a sudden, a loud crack was heard. Everyone swiveled their necks in unison to the source of the crack. They gasped in shock when they saw the fan swaying from left to right, threatening to fall any second. The sight wreaked havoc and sent everyone screaming and scampering wildly out of the canteen. They abandoned their food and dispersed in all directions. The stall vendors fled from their stalls for safety too. There was utter chaos.

May started barking out orders to the pupils. “Keep away from the fan! Move out of the canteen orderly. Do not panic,” she ordered as the directed the pupils. The canteen was vacated in less than two minutes.

Meanwhile, the last screw finally loosened and the fan plunged with a loud crash on the table below. The impact from the fallen fan sent the cutlery flying and smashed the table below it. Luckily, everyone escaped unscathed. Thanks to the quick thinking of May!

The incident was reported and repair work was arranged by the school administrative manager. The area was cleaned up and cordoned off to prevent pupils from going near it. Investigations were carried out and all the fans were inspected to ensure the safety of the school population. Everything went back to normal again the following day.

Picture will be uploaded later...