My Student's Writing III

Name: Christz Augustine

Title: A story ending with ‘I realized that my practical joke had turned into a nightmare’                            

                               It was three o’clock in the afternoon.  I had a dip in my school’s swimming pool, enjoying the invigorating coolness of the water.  Under the glare of the sun, the strokes of swimmers created glittering ripples across the pool.  I cast a perfunctory glance at the bottom of the clear pool and my eyes were riveted to a bobbing thing.  I looked at the image the second time but it was distorted by the splashes on the water.

                               I took a big gulp of air and dived into the water, gliding towards the mysterious object.  My excitement turned to disappointment when I found out that it was nothing but a bundle of Monopoly notes tied to a stone.  When I poked my head out of the water, I saw Reyderick sitting on the opposite side of the pool.  He was the top swimmer of my school and no one dared to challenge him.  I swam towards the star athlete and said hi to him.  He did not return my greeting and I was hurt.  “Who does he think he is?” I thought angrily to myself. “The alpha male of a wolf pack?”

                               “You are very arrogant,” I said, pointing my finger at Reyderick.  He gave me a fierce look, flexed his large bicep and said, “What did you say?” Terrified, I replied, “Nothing.” I got out of the water and headed to the locker room. How I wished to take revenge on him.  He should pay a heavy price for snubbing me, the son of the richest man in town.  While thinking hard for a way to teach him a lesson, my eyes inadvertently strayed to the part of the pool where the bundle of fake money was hidden.  An idea popped out in my mind.  My face was overspread with a Mephistophelean smile.  How splendid! It would be the greatest thing I had ever done.

                               After a while, the sky was getting darker. The hues of twilight began to stain the undersides of clouds. I returned to the pool side, carrying the bundle of Monopoly notes in one hand and a piece of cloth in the other.  My mind was screaming with laughter.  I approached Reyderick and said, “Hey, Do you want a bet?” Reyderick laughed nonchalantly and said, “Yes, does it have something to do with swimming?” Nodding my head, I said yes.  With an air of cocksureness, Reyderick clucked his tongue and said, “Don’t cry if I win.” I gave him a sly smile and waved the bundle of notes in front of him.  Reyderick’s eyes dilated at the sight of the cash.  With a few real fifty Ringgit notes on top, the bundle looked as though it contained many hundred Ringgit.  In a pompous tone, I said, “You can have this five hundred Ringgit if you get it with your eyes closed.”  With that, I tied the money to the stone I had put at the pool’s edge and threw it into the deepest part of the pool.  Reyderick eyed the spot where the money sank with greed, his breathing becoming rapid and his muscles taut with excitement. I handed him the cloth and he blindfolded himself. “Once you’ve taken the money,” I continued, “stay in the bottom of the pool for three minutes.  Then, the money will …...”

                               Before letting me finish my sentence, Reyderick   jumped into the pool with a big splash. I was so aghast that I cursed.  To make sure that he followed my rules, I plunged into the water and followed him closely.  Swimming with measured carefulness, Reyderick was estimating the distance between himself and the bottom of the pool.  Despite being blindfolded, his swimming prowess was not much affected.  My heart was in my mouth when he was only several inches away from the bundled money.  Did he have a wolf-like sense of smell? Would he spoil my plan of revenge? Suddenly, his body jerked convulsively and he held his head with both hands.  I could not help smiling. While searching for the money, his head must have hit the hard concrete of the pool’s bottom.  My plan had worked!  He would give up on the money for sure.  However, I was wrong.  Undaunted by the pain in his head, Reyderick fumbled around and grabbed hold of the money with surprising precision. He took off the blindfold and swam upwards without staying in the water for three minutes.

                               Angered by Reyderick’s flagrant disregard for my rules, I quickly swam to the surface and blocked him with my arms. He put up a huge struggle but I was able to push his head under the water with all my might. “You are breaking the rules I have set,” I yelled. “You’re not going to get the money!”  I was surprised by my own strength.  I could not believe that a muscular six footer like Reyderick could not break through the press of my arms.  I was thrilled to be in the authority. His strength gradually sapped under my persistent blocking.  The big bully was now at my mercy.

                               With an unexpected burst of energy, Reyderick pushed his face out of the water. “Let me up, please,” he blubbered. “I am in pain!”  I let out a hearty laugh and pushed his head under the water again. My strength doubled with my growing malice. Looking up to the sky, I shouted, “Reyderick is a wimp, Reyderick is a wimp!” The noise had attracted quite a number of people to gather at the pool side. Just as I was ready to let go of Reyderick, a girl shrieked in terror and pointed to the water. Baffled, I looked down and was shocked to see that the water around me had turned red. There was no movement from Reyderick beneath me.  A powerful surge of fear washed over me.  I realized that my practical joke had turned into a nightmare.