P6 MC-ELF - Tan Yu Xun
An Emergency
The cool air was rejuvenating as I opened the front door of my house to pick up the newspapers. Yawning, I bent down and grabbed the Sunday edition of The Straits Times. As I turned and headed back to the dining table, an aroma of freshly cooked waffles from the kitchen made my stomach rumble. I sat down and flipped open the paper, ready to dig into my delicious breakfast.
Browsing through the pages, I caught sight of an article about an emergency on a MRT train. As I savored my honey- drizzled waffles, my mind wondered back to the time when a similar situation had happened to me.
It was a typical Monday morning, or so I thought. I was on a MRT train to go to school. As usual, the cabin was filled with students and adults packed like a tin of sardines, everyone absorbed into their animated tete-a-tete.
BOOM! CRASH!
The train screeched to stop.
As sudden as a flash of lightning, a loud explosion pierced through the chatter. Fire engulfed half of the cabin as smoke and life-threatening flames spilled out of nowhere.
I let out a horrified gasp. “Help!” I screamed raucously.
The acrid smell of smoke besieged me as I struggled to breathe. I heard someone shouting to evacuate the train as loud sirens blared in the train. It was pure chaos. Disorientated, I scrambled for a grip as the smoke made the air hazy and unclear to see. What caused this fire? Why was no one calling the firefighters?
Realization dawned on me. A power bank. A power bank must have exploded and there was no Wi-Fi on the train!
Choking and gasping for air, I stumbled towards the exit. Little did I know that something bad would stop me from escaping this outrageous scene of pandemonium. Without warning, a hand shoved me roughly. My screams of terror could be heard a mile away. The stinging sensation of smoke in my eyes made me tear uncontrollably, which made my vision blurry. Crying and coughing simultaneously, I tried to get on my feet and run away, but a sharp pain shot through my ankle.
Was it twisted? Oh no… What should I do? I could not die here! Wild thoughts raced through my mind. As if things could not get any worse, what started out as a small fire grew rapidly into a blazing inferno, devouring everything in its path like a raging monster.
Just when I thought that all nope was lost, a crisp voice entered my ears.
“Do you need help?” I looked up in surprise at the outstretched hand in front of me.
It was the school bully, Mary.
“Mary? Wha…What?” I stuttered, momentarily confused. Why would she be helping me? Mary, the girl who made other students cry, was helping me?
Crash!
The ceiling of the MRT train crashed down, crushing the debris below it with a ball of fire stricken with horror, I quickly grabbed her hand, not wasting a single second.
As soon as I stood up, an excruciating pain numbed my whole leg, I screamed like a banshee. I stifled my sobs of fear while clutching onto Mary’s hand in a death grip.
Darkness threatened to take over as the lights were flickering portentously.
With Mary steadying me, we finally stumbled to the exit. As we staggered through the dark tunnel, we could see fire fighters battling with the inferno.
I was grateful. Grateful that Mary helped me. Grateful for surviving this ordeal. I found out that Mary was actually not what she seemed. She only bullied others, thinking she could make friends. I felt like lady luck was smiling on me as I survived this emergency.
“Jane! Hurry up and finish your breakfast!” a familiar voice hauled me out of my reverie. I quicky finished my waffles and got ready for my day ahead. Smiling, I thought to myself, I would always remember that emergency.
As the saying goes, “A burnt child dreads the fire.” I hoped that such a dreadful emergency would not happen again and I would prefer to not take a ride on the MRT train after that terrifying emergency incident.
P6 MC-ELF - Everly Liang
An Emergency
DONG!
The sound of the grandfather clock striking at midnight resounded through the silent night. I was still awake, staring blankly at the white ceiling of my bedroom, unable to sleep. Memories of the emergency flooded my mind like a tsunami crashing onto mainland.
Every single minute’s detail was still fresh as I recalled the incident. What if I had been closer to the exit? What if Milan had left me? What if I was not even pushed in the first place? This train of thoughts rushed through my head. This was what had happened…
One Sunday morning, the usual boisterous crowd of families and bubbly voices of children merry making filled the station, another usual Sunday sight. My brother, Milan, and I chatted happily about the latest video game as we made our way to the train platform. We were making our weekly commute to our English enrichment class, unprepared for what was about to follow…
The train rattled in shortly; Milan and I nudged our way through the crowded cabin. There were no empty seats, so we battled for a small standing spot, in the middle of the sardine-packed cabin. The train had merely moved for about five minutes when it came it a sudden halt. The next thing we knew, a deafening blast resounded through the air, silencing the once noisy crowd.
The lights that once lit up the train were now flickering portentously, as if darkness was threatening to take over. The outrageous scene of pandemonium erupted from the crowd. At that defining moment, a voice came through the public announcement system.
“All passengers on board this train. There has been an emergency situation, and we need all of you to evacuate in a safe and orderly manner to the next station. Please remain calm and help those in need of evacuation. Thank you for your cooperation.” Those very words pierced the air and confirmed my worst fear.
Milan looked at me with fear in his eyes, mouthing the words, “It is all going to be all right.” As hard as I tried to believe him, I could not stop feeling an impending doom coming for us.
Clutching my older brother’s hand in a death grip, we followed the anxious crowd who were running to the exit, in a bid to quickly evacuate.
“Hey you! Move it or lose it,” a voice from behind boomed.
While staggering to the exit, I glanced over my shoulder and saw a big man with tattoos etched across his arms and legs was brushing through the crowd. The next thing I knew, he briskly pushed me aside. I stumbled and sprained my ankle. Milan grabbed me by my arms and hefted me onto his shoulders as I wailed in pain, unable to stifle my sobs of pain. From up there,
I could see people going amok as they made their way through the dark tunnel. As I saw the bright lights of the train platform, I felt a weight from my chest lifted. Milan cautiously climbed up and placed me gingerly on the bench of the station. A mix of fear and anxiety flashed in his eyes, a look I never expected from my usually chill brother.
With worry in his voice, he stammered, “A-Are you all r-right, Andrew.” I nodded, unable to utter a word.
The pain in my ankle gradually subsided as we made our way out, but a sight stopped us dead in our tracks. Soldiers armed with rifles and ammunition walked towards the tunnel. Whatever it was that caused the train emergency, it was not a pleasant once with no easy fixes.
Upon seeing the sight, I watched as colour drained from Milan’s face. Without wasting a single second, Milan dialed my parents to pick us up.
“Andrew, you have to sleep now,” my mother whispered, jolting me back to reality.
“Okay, Mum! Good night,” I replied, pulling up my covers.
As the saying goes, “Life is full of surprises.” Today was a day filled with unexpected scenarios. However, this fateful day would always be etched deeply into my memories as the day Milan and I had to overcome an emergency. I realized that although situations like this were unlikely to happen often, we must always be ready for the surprise’s life threw at us and the emergencies that happened when we least expected them to.
P6 MC-ELF - Claire Tan
An Emergency
“Ah Girl! Go clean your room! We have guests coming over tomorrow!” Mother yelled loudly.
“Ok, ok mum, you don’t need to yell at me.” I grumbled as I walked to my room. My room was a mess, stacks of paper placed everywhere. Suddenly, the wind rushed in through the window and scattered my papers.
“Ughhh…” I groaned while picking up my papers.
A specific cut-out part of an old newspaper caught my eye. It was an article on a terrorist attack an Australia’s subway station. Memories of a similar experience that I had gone through flooded my mind like a tsunami crashing onto the mainland. It all happened like this…
“Girl! Go bring your brother to his art class now! I don’t have time to bring him!” Mother called me. I was not pleased with that, but I still agreed to do it. We walked to the MRT station and boarded the train. Everyone around us was seated and chatting away animatedly, no one seemed to cure about two little kids standing in one corner. A few minutes later, the doors of the train closed, and the train began its journey to the destination.
Due to the impact of the MRT taking off, my brother and I stumbled and almost fell. We quickly regained our composure and held onto a pole that was near us.
“Kids, do you want to take my seat?” a kind lady spoke while gesturing to the seat she had seen our little accident and wanted to help.
We gladly agreed and smiled at the lady. The lady walked over to the pole we were holding on tightly to just a few minutes ago.
SCREECH!
The MRT came to a halt. Everyone standing quickly grabbed the pole nearest to them. My brother grasped my hand tightly as he was scared. The train had stopped and the doors could not open. Everyone started panicking. Suddenly, a man asked everyone to keep quiet as there was an announcement going on.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the train has stopped due to emergency reason. Please remain calm as the firemen are on their way and you will be guided outside to a nearby shelter. Thank you.” The announcement blared.
What was going to happen to us? What should I do? What was I going to tell my brother? Worried, a train of thoughts ran through my mind.
“Sister? What is happening now?” my brother questioned me worriedly. I could tell that he was scared.
“Umm… I don’t know.” I answered calmly, hoping that I would be able to calm him down.
BANG! BANG!
A loud bang jolted me. It was the firemen coming to rescue us! I heaved a sigh of relief. I held my brother’s hand tightly as we walked out of the MRT. My brother looked as if he was about to cry. Many little kids were already crying so I guess he was considered… brave? We were led out by the army officers one by one.
As my brother and I were walking down the stairs, disaster struck. My brother tripped and rolled down the stairs. I gasped, eyes wide in shock. However, I quickly ran to him and tried to console him. Hot tears stung his eyes as he howled in pain desperately. I could see that his right leg was in a terrible position, so I knew that it was indeed broken. I was panicking.
The army officers heard the commotion, hurried over and carried my brother carefully. I walked beside them, but my mind was wondering about elsewhere. I was responsible for my own brother, why was I so careless? I kept looking at my brother, worried about his safety and health.
Once we were outside, gunshots were heard. I looked left and right, everyone else was either running or flailing their arms wildly. I was terrified. I’m terrified that I will not make it. Terrified that I might DIE.
“Everyone! Over here!” An army officer shouted at our group.
He was in a small shelter with ambulances nearby, so I knew that it was safe there. Everyone hurried over to the shelter, but the terrifying ordeal was not over yet. More gunshots were heard, followed by the screams of many people running for their lives. Meanwhile, the paramedics were busy helping my brother with his broken bone. I went over to him and hugged him tightly, feeling proud of my brave brother.
“Little girl, we need your help in contacting your parents. Could you tell me their phone number?” the army officer who had carried her brother asked.
“Sure, my mother’s number is …” I answered politely, glad that I had remembered my mother’s number.
He dialed the number in and waited for a reply. Thankfully, my mother was alive and looking for us, the officer told my mother the location of the shelter.
“John! Jane! I was so worried!” In a few minutes, my mother arrived. I ran towards her, tears flowing down my cheeks. Relief inundated me as I buried my head in my mother’s open arms. My mother looked at my brother worriedly, surprised to see a cast on his right leg. I explained our experience and asked whether my father was fine. My mother nodded her head and informed me that he was well but had broken his arm. I was relieved to hear that piece of good news.
“Jane! You done cleaning? I need you to fold your clothes!” my mother barked, jolting me back to reality.
“Yes, yes. I will fold my clothes right now!” I responded.
As the saying goes, 'Disaster strikes when you least expect it.'I had survived this terrifying ordeal and hoped that it would not happen again. I felt scared and worried during the emergency and would always be ready for anything in the near future.
P6 MC-ELF - Ong Rui Heng
An Emergency
The honking and spluttering of the peak hour rush was a familiar morning scene for me. The MRT carriage was a sea of faces, most of them buried in their smart phones or straight blankly at the advertisements lining the walls.
It was a typical Monday morning, and the rhythm mic thrum-thrum of the tracks was almost hypnotic. I clung to the overhead handle, fighting back a yawn completely oblivious to the drama that was about to unfold…
Just then, an announcement was heard resounding through the air, “A train fault is about to begin due to train reservicing. On the way, you might experience the train stopping abruptly and loud, disturbing noises due to the wheels that require repair. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”
Before the train arrived at the next station to be repaired, I managed to grasp the hand be tightly before the disaster struck.
Screech… Screech… The train wheels brake just before a few 100 meters away from the last station and came to a sudden halt. All of a sudden, while everything was normal, the lights started flickering portentously, followed by the darkness threatening to take over what now sounded and looked like a haunted train. The train swayed like a flying curtain, from side to side horrendously.
Deafening pops, bangs and screams echoed through the once shrill, calm and peaceful air. It was then I knew that there would be more horrendous chaos and more drama when loud pop was heard. My back toppled forward and took a hard hit, while a young child also toppled forward and tumbled on to the ground, wailing in pain and then he was knocked on the head, lying on the floor, unconscious. But the most TERRIFYING THING was… the elderly man!
I realised that after I boarded the train, strange things started to happen, and the hypnotic peace vanished instantly. But a few meters away, something scarier had taken place. A man had just gone through s cardiac arrest and had collapsed onto the floor. His face was a sickly shade of ashen grey and his breath came in raged, terrified gasps. For a moment, the surrounding commuters were frozen like statues, paralysed by a mixture of shock and fear. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird, and my palms grew slick with cold sweat.
“I have to do something”, I told myself, snapping out of my fear.
While some passengers scurried away like headless chickens, I remembered the safety briefing I had seen a million times. I lunged for the Emergency Communication Button located near the train doors with a trembling finger; I pressed it firmly.
“Hello, do you copy? There is a man who had just gotten a seizure and a cardiac arrest while a child has also been knocked out in carriage 3 and 5. Please send an ambulance over to the next station train platform right now!” I hollered over the communication emergency button, anxiously trying to get help from wherever I can.
“We will inform the police and paramedics about the man and meanwhile if you know how to Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation(CPR) and take the defibrillator to supply blood to the man’s heart. For the child, do CPR continuously until the paramedics arrive. They would enter the train to do the rest of the rescuing procedure. Wait patiently!”
As I had been taught about the procedure of CPR and how to do it, I steadily scrambled over quickly and pressed on his heart continuously and blowing air into his mouth, which meant that he had just eaten lunch. Meanwhile, I thought: “Did this man get food poisoning or a cardiac arrest? It might be food poisoning because he had just eaten it, but it might be also because of cardiac arrest as his heart was not pumping blood! Strange! How did this happen? Nonetheless I still tried to rescue too until the train reached the train station.
The paramedics swarmed into the train carriage carrying a stretcher, working like an oil machine while stabilizing the man before whisking him away safety. Every passenger was escorted out of the carriages for the engineers to do repair work.
That day, I learned that in the face of crisis, every second counts I walked away not just as a student, but as someone who realized that staying calm and taking action could make the difference between life and death.
