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Get for me: A short Story

This is a short short entitled PRIMARY BLUES written by Raymond Han in 1999.

All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the author or a licence permitting restricted copying issued by The Cola Plus Company, Singapore.

PRIMARY BLUES

The June holidays soon came to an end. The rest of the year got swallowed up all too quickly and Kai Ming was now in primary six, his final year in New Town Primary School.

Today was 20th January 1970, the year of the Dog was just a week away and Kai Ming was barely a month into his new class, 6B. He had been made a class monitor and life was more hectic than usual. Mr Ong, his form teacher, had in recognition of his abilities entrusted him with more duties which Kai Ming could not refuse to accept. Mr Ong had treated him quite well the past year.

Today, Primary 1B was without a teacher, and Mr Ong had asked Kai Ming to keep the class orderly for the next two periods. Nervous and hesitant, Kai Ming picked up his wooden ruler and walked down the stairs to the ground floor. After a right turn, he reached the classroom. He had not stepped into a primary 1 classroom in the last five years and could not visualise what it was like inside. There was incessant chatter emanating from the classroom. Holding his head up, he flapped open the French doors and marched into the class. The noise was deafening. There were little boys and girls clambering over mini-chairs and mini-desks. One or two were crying. Nobody took notice of this pretentious primary 6 boy standing in front of the blackboard. He was overwhelmed by the unexpected scene.

At last, Kai Ming recovered from his initial shock and smacked his ruler on the teacher's table, in the same manner which he had seen his teachers do it. The sudden sound made all stop dead in their tracks. There was silence at last. He had been noticed at last. Heaving a sigh of relief, Kai Ming proceeded to tell the class what he wanted from them. He landed his ruler twice during his speech as if to emphasise his points. He paced up and down the classroom, taking in the curious looks of these little kids. It took some five minutes for them to size him up and the chattering resumed. First, low pitch mutterings. Then, high pitch screams and shouts. The children were now oblivious to his presence. He had lost their attention.

Being the youngest child in his family, Kai Ming could, in no way, be prepared to deal with younger siblings if any, let alone total strangers. More smacks of the ruler on the table could not yield any results. He tried to hide his embarrassment but in vain. The classroom was a hive of activity. Soon, some children were using him as a carousel centrepiece. They were going around him in circles. One of them tugged at his shorts, nearly pulling it down.

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The Sultan Mosque in North Bridge Road was completed between 1928 and 1928 by the architect Swan & Maclaren.

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News Flash Today, Sunday 19 Dec 1999

In Singapore

Four-time All-England badminton champion Wong Peng Soon was named Singapore's greatest athlete yesterday.

Peg academics' pay to market demand, suggests DPM Tony Tan.

Japanese pop culture is the current rage among Mandarin speaking youths, who dress like their idols.

The Traffic Police will conduct road block checks during the festive season to nab drunk drivers.

Singapore citizens and permanent residents born in 1985 need to register for their identity cards within a year after they turn 15 next year. Those living outside Singapore are required to register within a year of their return to Singapore.

Asia

Jakarta: TNI chief plays down army dispute.

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga was wounded in an explosion at an open-air election rally in the capital Colombo yesterday, witnesses say.

Macau: Macau all geared up for handover tonight.

China: Publisher sues popular swordfighting novelist Louis Cha for defamation, according to local media reports.

Around the world

Washington: A year later, Clinton scandal is fading fast. Polls show he is still popular with the public that wants the matter of Lewinsky and impeachment laid to rest.

Courtesy of The Straits Times

News updated before 8.00 am daily.

Christmas is just around the corner. Have you started shopping yet? For the benefit of those living overseas, we will post here over the next few weeks pictures of shopping centre facades decorated for X'mas.

The editor