“Ahh…Noo. Please don’t eat me, please…” I winced.
With that, I jolted awake and heaved a sigh of relief, I was only having a nightmare. I calmed myself down and gulped in whooping gasps of breathes. However, just only a few moments after I had settled down, something got my heart palpitating again. It was a sound coming from the kitchen! I froze, and my hair stood on its ends. I listened painstaking again, and the sound reverberated again! I frowned as curiosity arouse my Sherlock Holmes’ mind. My eyebrows raised, the sides of my weeny mouth lifted up and an evilly grin was formed. I deduced that a burglar might have invaded my house and I cackled diabolically at what I should do later to castigate the “burglar”.
I got out of bed and in the pitch-darkness of the room, I stealthily crept to my closet where I groped for my golf club as my weapon, lest the “burglar” was armed. I tiptoed towards the door and opened it with the utmost gentleness. Hardly a creak could be heard. Not wanting to alarm my mother, I padded towards that sound.
“Next stop, the kitchen!” I thought silently to myself as I guffawed happily in my heart.
Down the stairs I padded as quiet as a mouse. I could the suspense got the adrenalin going up within me. Upon reaching the landing step of the stairs, I halted and glanced around for danger which might be lurking by.
I was tempted to switch on the lights to the living room, but soon decided against it so as to catch “burglar” off guard. Sprawling myself flat on the floor, I glided to the kitchen, like a snake, to the living room. Then, I hesitated and wild thoughts came flooding my mind.
“What if the burglar were to kill me? What if it was only Doggy? What if… what if it is a g…ghost? What if…”
Nevertheless, I pushed those asinine doubts away. I peered into the kitchen and saw a dark figure crouching and prowling about. Wait a minute, I saw two! My heart raced in trepidation, and I could feel cold sweat cascading down my forehead. I took a deep breath and hollered “softly” in my heart. “W…What are you doing here? G…get out of h…here now!”
To my stupefaction, the “burglar” flicked on the kitchen lights and I was momentarily floored the moment I lay my eyes on the “burglar’s” face.
He muttered with a frivolous grin, “Hey bro! Don’t remember me? Not so loud, ok?’
It was my brother who was pursuing his degree in United States! I was so bemused by his presence that I tossed my golf club behind me. I was sure I heard a whine but ignored it. Then I strode towards my brother and gave him an ardour hug. After that, he elucidated his purpose of returning to Singapore – to celebrate Mother’s Day with Mum! He was busy adorning the kitchen in the dark when I barged in. I instantaneously volunteered to aid him in the decoration, of course, with the lights on this time. However, I was sure I did see someone from the corner of my eye creeping out…
After what seemed like eternity, the mission was finally accomplished. I yawned and stretched my arms tiredly. We trudged back to my bedroom. I put him up at my room as his room had been rented out to someone else. With that, we hit the sack within seconds.
The next day when Mum awoke, my brother, who had woken earlier than I, was already putting icing on the freshly baked cake. To tell the truth, I was indeed aghast to learn that my brother could actually bake cakes. Mum toddled into the kitchen and gasped to the point of collapse when she espied my brother.
“Mum! Happy Mother’s Day!” my brother and I chorused as we hotfooted to give her an affectionate teddy bear hug.
Mum squealed in delight, but suddenly, the sides of her mouth, which was lit with a smile, drooped and her bottom lips started to quiver.
“I…if, only i…if, your…your daddy is here with us now,” she sighed but my brother simpered and flashed a crafty grin at me. I gaped at him, scratching my head.
“Da da! Surprise!” a familiar voice boomed behind us.
It was Daddy! He was with Brother last night but wanting to surprise me, he quietly skedaddled but was too slow for my golf club as it landed on his head when I tossed it backwards. Like brother, he had returned to celebrate Mother’s Day with Mum. Dad flung his brawny arms wide open and Mum tossed herself into his embrace. Mum shed tears of ecstasy, anyway, who didn’t? Brother and I too entwined our puny arms around their beefy bodies.
We allowed our fountain of tears to shower us freely. I felt so blessed, so loved, and just desired to freeze time so that we would forever be locked in the embrace of love forever …
Vocabulary Bank
whooping – large and huge
palpitate – heart beats quickly in an irregular way
painstaking – very careful and thorough
Sherlock Holmes’ – a famous detective
weeny – small
diabolically – evil or cruel
castigate – punish severely
groped – tried to find something that you cannot see by feeling with your hands
padded – walked softly
guffawed – laughed loudly
got the adrenalin going – make one feel nervously excited
asinine – extremely stupid or silly
raced in trepidation – feeling of fear
cascading – to fall quickly and in large amounts
hollered – screamed
stupefaction – so surprised, tired, or bored that you cannot think clearly
floored – surprised or shocked someone so much that they do not know what to say or do
frivolous – behaving in a silly and foolish way when you should be serious
bemused – shocked and slightly confused
ardour – great enthusiasm or love
elucidated – explained in details
adorning – decorating something
hit the sack – got to bed
aghast – feeling or looking shocked by something you have seen or just found out
toddled – walked somewhere, especially in a slow and relaxed way
gasped to the point of collapse – almost fainted from a shock
espy – to suddenly and unexpectedly see someone or something
chorused – spoke together
hotfooted – walked quickly
affectionate – loving
simpered – to smile in a silly annoying way
crafty – cunning
gaped – looked at something with your mouth open, because you are very surprised or shocked
skedaddled – ran away not wanting to be caught
shed tears of ecstasy – cried happily
brawny – strong and muscular
entwined – twisted two things together or to wind one thing around another
puny – small, thin, and weak
beefy – big, strong, and often quite fat