Sounding the Alarm by Ben Lim

“Dad! I told you a million times we shouldn’t come to this horribly crowded place. Just moving an inch takes half an …..” I groaned and moaned as patience was not one of my virtues.

Last Saturday, Dad brought me to Jurong Point to buy groceries at the Fair Price supermarket. I dreaded that place as it was usually crowded. It was my worst nightmare! As I was complaining, I sensed frustration emanating from my father. He had become increasingly infuriated with my bombardment of complaints. He bellowed in my face, “You’d better shut that dissatisfied mouth of yours before I make sure it can never be functional!” I knew better than to disobey Dad when he was in such a foul mood, so I dragged my lethargic legs across the floor as I followed him through the boisterous crowd.

After spending an hour and a half at the supermarket, Dad and I made our way to the cashiers. To my utmost horror, there was an unbelievable 5-metre beeline in front of every cashier! Irritated to the point of explosion, I blurted out, “Not again!” Dad threw me an utterly stern look. Instantaneously, my lips sealed so tightly as if they were fused.

Out of the blue, an ear-piercing blare of the fire alarm reverberated throughout the mall. The once joyous place turned into a sight of hell. People went helter-skelter. Screams of terror filled the air. Panic-stricken shoppers scurried to any emergency exit they could access. It was total mayhem.

Mustering all my courage, I tried to stay calm as I was advised during the last fire drill in school. Dad, however, was “ice-cool” throughout the whole ordeal. He ordered me to call for help as he listened closely for any announcements made.

Suddenly, something swift and sinister caught my eye. He stood out from the crowd almost perfectly. He was clad in black and carried a black bag and suitcase. He seemed to be in a hurry to escape from the building, not because of the fear of a possible fire, but of the fear of being caught. I came to the conclusion that the man had most likely stolen something valuable from the supermarket, then triggered the fire alarm so that it would be a diversion for his escape. Excited about the impending adventure, I quickly told Dad my theory. To my surprise, Dad accepted what I had guessed and urged me to report the ominous-looking man to the authorities. As I called the authorities, I continued to spy on the strange man. He dashed, he jumped and he rolled across the floor. Lo and behold! He was trapped by his own escape plan! Being overwhelmed by panic, the shoppers had occupied every single possible exit to safety.

Irate, the man in black pushed through the crowd, but could not get far. With no other choice, he took out a knife and swayed it menacingly in the air. My suspicions were confirmed – he was a criminal! People of all ages backed off, trembling in fear. Now, the people had two causes for worry – the fire and the apparently insane man!

In the frenzy, an elderly man fell onto the ground, unconscious. At this moment, a police officer appeared out of nowhere and confronted the perpetrator. Instinctively, the criminal stabbed and swayed but was finally subdued as more police officers arrived.

Dad, the other shoppers and I were led out of the shopping mall as police officers cordoned it off for further investigation. By now, recordings from surveillance monitors had determined that there was no fire and that the fire alarm was indeed set off by the suspicious man.

News of the day’s events was widely publicized. There was a short feature of how my instincts about the crime led to the timely arrival of the police. However, I did not bask in the glory of my feat. I only had one wish in mind: May world peace be possible one day.