This piece was written after the student learned how to write a ‘Flashback’ in one of our lessons.

I was packing up the things in the attic when I saw a photograph of my brother.  Looking at the photograph, I was transported back to the time when I was six years old.

It was a bright and sunny day.  I was at home watching television with my sister.  We were feeling bored.  All of a sudden, I had an idea.  “Do you wanna play with matches?” I asked my sister, flashing a mischievous grin.  My sister nodded her head eagerly.  I quickly went to take the matches and my sister waited for me in the backyard.  Soon, we started playing with the matches.

“Stop playing with the matches, Shayanne and Shannon!” my mother instructed from the kitchen.  However, we turned a deaf ear to our mother’s instruction and continued to play with the matches.  Out of the blue, a fire started.  We screamed in horror and my heart almost stopped beating.  My sister dashed to the kitchen and told my mother what happened.

My sister was so frightened that she started wailing.  I froze in terror as the fire started spreading and got bigger.  We rushed out of the house while my mother called the fire department and the police.  Soon, we were safe at the void deck near our house and a crowd had also gathered nearby.  We heaved a sigh of relief thinking that we had managed to escape in time.  Suddenly, my mother gasped in horror and shrieked, “Sammy! Where’s Sammy?”  I stood rooted to the ground when I remembered that my brother was still sleeping inside his room!  My mother crossed her fingers and hoped that Sammy would be fine.

Soon, the firemen arrived and put out the raging fire.  They managed to carry Sammy out of the house but he was burnt partially.  The ambulance brought Sammy to the hospital while the police officers took down statements from my sister, my mother and I.  My father also rushed back from work when he heard what had happened.

My mother started sobbing uncontrollably when she heard that Sammy could not be saved.  She cried her heart out and would sometimes lock herself in the room and cry.  My father also reprimanded my sister and I for playing with matches and told us that this was the consequence.  We were remorseful and promised not to do it again.  From then on, I was afraid of matches as this had cost my dear brother’s life.  Our family was never the same since…

“What is taking you so long, Shayanne?” my mother’s voice jolted me back to the present.  After that, I saw the matches in one of the boxes and went to throw them away.  I would not want to see matches again.

~ By Shayanne Lee (Primary 4)

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