I am back!!!!!!! Nah, not really. I am always back. So, why had I come back? Oh yeah, I have to put my up the final draft of short story here. You may say it is pretty 'crappd' up, since it only has 2500 words. Yeah, that kinda sucks. I believe you guys are able to do better than that am I right? But anyway, I still have to put it up here no matter how lousy it is.
Life As A Street Sweeper:
Tommy looked at the large pile of rubbish and gave a huge sigh. Fetching his broomstick, he began sweeping away at the junk and churning up dust from the gritty road. Life in Singapore had never been worse. Tommy had to wake up every day at seven just to get to Chinatown to earn what is known as his family income. He had never really known his boss. All he knew was that he was a middle-aged man named Mr. Smith. He did not bother about finding out about him. In fact, all that mattered to him was simply sweeping and cleaning.
He would be sweeping till he got his hands and legs numb. His back had been bent to an awkward angle due to the long hours of sweeping and the fact that the broomstick was only eighteen inches long. Children passing by would be so amused by his camel-like back that they could stand there for up to an hour just to watch him sweep. Children, and I meant those ranging from ages three to twelve, would be playing their games, attending festivals and wearing new clothes every year. Tommy, you would not see any change in his life. It was as though it is part of his routine to be there every day, sweeping and cleaning up the streets of Chinatown.
Occasionally, a bullock cart or two will pass by, its passenger wealthily dressed. Most of them never took notice of Tommy, and neither did they see the point. In fact, the closest one that ever got to him was when Tommy raced up to stop the bullock cart and begged its passenger for money and food. This person was dressed in silk. The passenger was rather taken aback at first. But he soon recovered and hollered at Tommy, “Get out of my way! You filthy pest!” The scrunching sounds of a punch and a kick. Tommy was sent to the ground with a loud ‘thud’. The bullock cart pulled away, leaving Tommy in a cloud of dust. He sat up on the ground and began to cry quietly.
What use was crying, when you could do something better? This motivation seemed crystal clear to Tommy, but he rather sat down in the dirt buried in sobs. There was nothing much he could do. He was a cleaner and he would stay as that for his whole life. His father lost his job a year ago due to the low education and skills he had, leaving his family in poverty and rags. Tommy had to stop school to support his family of five, which consists of two younger siblings. One boy, one girl. Currently, Tommy was unable to save any much money, as all of them had been snatched away by other school children who took him as a money providing machine.
Somewhere in the distance the school bell rang, indicating the end of school. Moments later, children ranging from ages seven to twelve were seen rushing out and towards Chinatown. “Hey, it is that old rat Tommy! Look at how he is all hunched up at the back! Such an ignorant creature,” one of them shouted as he passed by Tommy. Tommy was still buried in sobs. But he quickly sprang to his feet and grabbed his pocket, which jangled as he touched it. “You got money again Tommy?” the boy, whose name everybody knew was Jim, shouted as he was joined by the rest of his gang. “No,” Tommy said flatly, taking a step back. He was trembling from head to toe, and his eyes told of fear and horror.
“To hell you do not have money. Do you think we are deaf? In fact, I think you do since you do not even know you are making all that ‘I have money’ noise by shaking your filthy body.” Tommy stopped trembling almost immediately. Knowing that staying would only result in having his money snatched again, he took off at amazing speed despite the fact that he had not had a good breakfast. Behind him, he heard cries of fury and the loud tapping of shoes on gravel. They were chasing him. Tommy ran as though he had never run in his life. He flew past the coffee shop, past the market which was already crowded with people, past the hospital and the tuck shop. He was staring straight ahead at the small house which he called home.
He got through the door and quickly slammed the door behind him. He knelt down, placed his ear on the door and listened hard. The footsteps outside were getting slower and louder. Finally, they came to a stop. Tommy thought the gang might just be standing right outside the door, ready to pounce on him if he ever appears again. “We will get you next time you piece of junk! We will see how we will deal with you!” Jim shouted and spat on the floor. The footsteps echoed away and there was silence. Relieved, Tommy stood up. The atmosphere of the house seems gloomier than before. He thought he sensed something different. Taking a look around, he finally found what it was. The occasional workings and noises of his mother were missing.
He wondered where his mother had gone, or what had happened to her. Turning around, he saw his two siblings, Jerry and Alice standing at the doorway. “Where is mother?” Tommy asked but that would have been unnecessarily as their expressions told it all. Jerry and Alice exchanged glances and hung their head low. “Where is she? Take me to her now!” Tommy was frantic, afraid that something disastrous had happened. Jerry and Alice led the way to the bedroom, and there, on the bed, looking pale and bony, was their mother. “I think she is sick brother,” Jerry piped in. Alice, who stood beside him, nodded her head simultaneously.
Tommy got to the side of her bed and leaned in over her mother. She looked like an ancient figure, her eyes closed and barely moving. “Mo……mother,” he croaked, unable to control himself. “Mother…...” He sat down and broke into tears. It was too much, too much for him to take. A gentle hand ruffled his hair. Looking up, he saw his mother’s face looking back at him from the bed. She gave a weak smile, closed her eyes and was back to her original position. Tommy stood where he was and stared for what seems to years. Finally, words managed to get to him. “Get me Dr. Koh, now!” he ordered his siblings. Jerry and Alice disappeared for a while. Returning, they brought along an old man in his sixties who Tommy knew very well to be Dr. Koh.
Dr. Koh knelt down beside the bed and examined Tommy’s mother. As the clock continued to tick away, Tommy was becoming nervous. “What is it, doctor? What happened to my mother?” Tommy spurted so suddenly that his siblings jumped. Dr. Koh was silent. Closing his eyes, he spoke in a voice so low Tommy had to stand by him to hear. “I am afraid you mother has gotten anaemia. A severe one. I cannot cure it.” Dr. Koh said with great anxiety. He slowly turned green, as though regretting what he had said. “What?” Tommy exclaimed. He was getting impatient. Dr. Koh took a deep breath. “She has got anaemia, a disease I cannot cure. She has to be sent to the hospital. I am afraid I cannot help.” He was about to stand up and leave, but Tommy got him by the arm. “Help us, sir. Help us. You know we have no money. So help us pay for the fees.”
For a long moment, Dr. Koh stared into Tommy’s eyes. “I am having a hard enough life with my family.” He shook his arms lose and scampered out of the house. Tommy stared at the last spot Dr. Koh was before he was out of sight, the image still burning fiercely in his eyes. Walking out of the room, he went past his father who was sitting on a stool and staring into space. He had been doing that ever since he lost his jobs. His eyes told of sorrow and hopelessness. It was as though the life in him had long gone. Tommy did not bother to look at his father. There was nothing he could do. He went to his room, turned off the oil lamp and lied down on his bed.
Opening his eyes the next morning, Tommy sat up looking even more worn-out than before. He prepared breakfast for himself and his siblings, took some to his mother and went off to the streets again. It was crowded now, being morning. Most people would be at the market and shop keepers would be shouting prices and any worthy customer up for a challenge would be bargaining with them. Picking up the overly short broomstick that has long become his, Tommy started his usual scouting of the alleyways. He had thought that day was going to be just the same as the others, judging by the fact that there was not much activity that was of interest going on.
By noon, most of the customers had gone and markets closing down. The streets were quiet, though Tommy found the silence deafening in his ears. Somewhere in the distance the familiar sound of the school bell rang again. At the last beat of the bell, Tommy’s heart throbbed. He suddenly remembered that he was in grave danger from yesterday’s encounter with Jim and his gang. Quickly putting all his coins in a secured spot behind the dustbin which was filled with old cardboard and trash, he just hoped that the gang would not turn up, which was likely not to happen. Praying to heaven to give him mercy and closing his eyes, he was brought back to reality by a skull-breaking punch in his face. Struggling to get back on his feet, he was met by a hard kick in his stomach. Tommy yelled in pain. He quickly stood up and looking up, he saw what he had dreaded to see.
Jim looked like red devil. He might just as well have come from hell. “Decided to run away, have you? Think we will not be able to get our hands on you? Give us the money you owed!” He yelled like a mad barking dog. Tommy took a step back. His heart was beating fast. Jim was still looking wild and outrageous. Pouncing on Tommy, he tore at everything he sees. Tommy reacted by punching and kicking frantically in all directions. For some reason, Jim loosened his grip on Tommy and seizing the chance, Tommy pushed him out of the way and charged into the streets. He was running in random directions, unaware of where he was going. He was not sure whether Jim was chasing him. But he did not care. All he wanted was to keep on running, as though that would help him escape from the misery he was in, as though this was just a bad dream.
Finally, he stopped at what he thought to be an office building. He had no idea how he got there and how far he had ran. Worse of all, he had no idea how to get back. Seeing a door in front of him, he instinctively went through it. Now, he seemed to be in the main hall. He walked to the end of the hall which separated into two ways. Taking the one that led to the right, he came across the office door that he thought belonged to his boss. The words “Head and Manager of Chinatown Commission: Mr. Smith” were carved into an expensive looking copper stuck on the door.
Though he was not sure, Tommy thought of going inside and asking for Mr. Smith’s assistance in his family affairs. He had long wanted to do this, but lacked the guts. He knew he had to do it. The feeling in him was so strong it seemed to engulf him. Taking a deep breath, he knocked softly on the door. “Come in.” Mr. Smith’s voice was barely audible yet clearly solid through the door.
Cautiously, Tommy pushed opened the door and entered. Mr. Smith was arranging his desk. “Why had you come?” He asked. Tommy looked into the man’s eyes. They were pale blue. “Sir,” he stammered, “Sir, I had come to today to ask for your help.” Mr. Smith looked with interest at Tommy. “Why exactly?” he asked. Tommy hesitated for what seemed like ages before spurting, “My father does not have a job sir. My mother is ill and I still have siblings to take care of. Would you help me sir? Would you help me make my family’s life better and change things round? I would do anything you wish.” The words seemed to come so clear to him he had no idea how he had manage to said them. Mr. Smith sat down on his chair. He closed his eyes for a few moments.
When he finally opened them, he looked at Tommy. “Of course!” he exclaimed. Tommy was taken aback. “Why had you not told me this before?” Mr. Smith shouted again. “Take me to your home now!” Mr. Smith was off his chair. Walking out of the office door, Mr. Smith first, Tommy lagging a little behind as he was still shocked by the sudden turn of events, the two of them headed out of the building and into the streets. It was a little hard for Tommy to find his way back, as he had no idea which way he had come from. But with Mr. Smith’s great sense of direction, they found Tommy’s house easily.
Mr. Smith went inside and examined the place. He saw Tommy’s father who was still sitting on the stool. He too saw Tommy’s mother lying on the bed looking pale. “She is ill sir,” Tommy said. Mr. Smith stole a quick glance at Tommy’s father and said, “Get the ambulance.” Upon hearing this, Tommy was on his knees and shouting, “Thank you! Thank you sir!” With that, he ran as quickly as his legs could carry him to the nearest hospital a hundred meters away. The hospital sent an ambulance to Tommy’s house and brought Tommy’s mother to the hospital. Weeks later, she recovered from her illness and was healthy again. Mr. Smith did not just stop there. He also employed Tommy’s father as a clerk and bit by bit, had him up and working like a man again.
Tommy managed to return to school and continued his education. Many years later when he graduated from university, he revisited Mr. Smith. “Thank you sir. Because of what you did that many years ago, I would not have been where I am today.” Mr. Smith just simply smiled. He was nearly sixty then, and had most of his hair white. It had been great knowing him, and Tommy hoped to be just like him when he starts work himself.
(2526 words)
So, pretty rotten story right? The words used are so simple a primary school kid can write this kind of story. Oh, as some of you asked what the identity here was, I decided to take the honour and explain them. So, the identity here is mostly referring to Tommy's personality and his ways of respect for his family. It makes him find a job in order to make sure his family is still standing and the fact that he actually stands up to the school boys shows how he will always protect his pride and his position in the whole of the society. It is also courageous of him to seek help from a person he do not know well, in this case, Mr. Smith.
So, with that, this post has come to a close. I look forward to all of your random comments. Hehe. May more posts come your way! Good luck on your stories too!
