From: Vyn Xyan, Pri 5, Tao Nan School
Alice was sitting alone in a corner in a food court, waiting for her mother to order lunch. It was lunchtime and the food court was packed like sardines in a can. Her mother had brought her for lunch after fetching her from school.
“Hello Alice,” a lady in a black dress approached her. Although it was very noisy in the food court, her high-pitched voice was clear as a bell. Alice stared at her and could not remember who the lady was.
“I am Aunt Susan, your mother’s friend,” that lady said. The name rang a bell, but Alice still could not recall who she was. “Don’t worry if you cannot remember me. Would you like to have a digital pet without needing to take care of it physically?” the lady asked.
It sounded interesting. The lady proceeded to show Alice the phone application named “Pat a Pet” on her phone and the bells and whistles of the application. The lady then asked Alice for her phone number so she could send the application to her. When Alice replied she did not own a phone, the lady asked for her mother’s phone number. This set off alarm bells, as Alice remembered that her mother had told her not to reveal her phone number to strangers.
Just when Alice was hesitating, she heard her mother calling her to help bring the tray of dishes. “Saved by the bell”, Alice sighed in relief, and went off to help her mother.
From: Aurelia-Ann, Pri 6, CHIJ OLGC
“Remember, I want a plain shoebox without all those bells and whistles. Oh, and Lorayne …” my art teacher called. “You still haven’t submitted …” But, she was interrupted by the shrill sound of the bell.
“Whew,” I thought to myself. “Saved by the bell!”
Chatter filled my ears as students strolled and sprinted out of the school gate.
“Hey, you,” the raspy voice cut like a knife through all the cheerful conversations. My heart skipped a beat and began palpitating as I turned around to see a dishevelled man in a hoodie extending his palm towards me. His demeanour immediately set off alarm bells in my head. “I’m Alistair. Does that name ring a bell?”
I shook my head vigorously, trying to run away but finding myself unable to — my feet felt like they were glued to the floor.
“Really? Well, I’m your father’s old friend. He asked me to pick you up.”
Just then, Alistair tried to grab my arm, his cold flesh brushing against mine. What I should have done from the start was as clear as a bell to me. I ran away as fast as I could, not even stopping when my legs ached and my lungs screamed for air.
At home, I told my parents about my encounter with “Alistair”, if that was even his real name, hoping they would help me to sound the death knell for kidnappers. I prayed that something like that would never happen again.
From: Elise, Pri 6, Yu Neng Primary School
“Hey, did you see the new Transformers toy?” my friend, John, asked.
“No, I haven’t but it rings a bell. What is so special about it?” I asked in reply, raising my eyebrows.
“It’s the latest action figure that comes with all kinds of bells and whistles!” John said animatedly.
Just then, a voice rang from the front of the class. “Bryan Tan!” our teacher’s voice reverberated through the air, clear as a bell.
I looked up. She was staring daggers at me. That set off alarm bells in my head.
“Ring…,” the school bell sounded. Phew! Saved by the bell!
From: Cara-Faith, Pri 5, Tao Nan School
“Mary, come down now!” My mother’s voice reverberated across the house, as clear as a bell. I heaved a sigh of relief as I was just saved by the bell from my father’s scolding for not learning my Spelling.
“Coming!” I replied as I swiftly hurried down the stairs. Upon reaching the first floor, I could see a few policemen at the door of my house and that sounded the death knell. Then, one of them took out his clipboard without all the bells and whistles and started to interrogate me.
“Where were you a few hours ago?” he asked quizzically. “Do you know a Mr Thomas Tan?” Mr Tan… Mr Tan? I frowned. That name rang a bell, but I could not vividly remember. “Were you at the supermarket this morning?” The policeman asked once again and that set off alarm bells.
Realisation dawned upon me that Mr Tan was the manager of the nearby supermarket and he had caught me red-handed, stealing a bar of chocolate that morning! Tears welled up in my eyes as I confessed the whole story to my mother and the policemen. I apologised profusely and vowed never to do that again in the future.
From: Li Qing, Pri 5, Temasek Primary School.
Since it was my birthday, my father allowed me to buy a pair of headphones. Without hesitation, I placed my order online. After one week of waiting, my headphones still did not arrive. That set off alarm bells. It also rang a bell — something similar happened to one of my friends last week. I started to get anxious and informed my father about what happened. As soon as my father heard that, he immediately called the bank to cancel the transaction. The bank acted in time, and I was saved by the bell. However, that also sounded the death knell for my online shopping privilege. In the end, my father gave me a long lecture and I could hear every word as clear as a bell. After this episode, I vowed to be more careful when purchasing items online.