Zachary Lim
Ngee Ann Primary School
The price for taking drugs is just too high to pay
I am Rover, the Wong family’s domestic pet. My young master, Si Hua, was a jolly and caring little boy. Mr. and Mrs. Wong were very busy and travelled very frequently. As a result, Si Hua was often left at home alone with their domestic helper and me. Si Hua treated me like his little brother and shared all his secrets with me, until he made some friends whom I felt uncomfortable about.
The boys always locked themselves up in Si Hua’s room and blasted rock music. Sometimes I even smelt cigarette and liquor in his room. Si Hua hardly spent time with me anymore and I felt something was immensely wrong with this group of young teenagers.
One day, Si Hua brought home a packet of colourful pills. Immediately, I knew that they were drugs as I had seen an advertisement discouraging drugs. “Woof! Woof! Grrr! Woof!” I barked furiously in an attempt to warn him as he opened it, but alas, how could he understand my language?
A strange expression spread across his chubby face as he swallowed a pill. Heartbroken, I lay down on my side whining. My master, who was only at the tender age of thirteen, had become a drug addict.
Day after day, I would see him hiding in a corner of his room, taking drugs. He would not go to school and strangely his friends never came again. It was a heart-wrenching sight to see his cute little chubby cheek become sunken within days. He was like a walking zombie.
One day, I felt that I had to do something before he came to a point of no return. When Mr. Wong was about to leave the house for work one morning, I took the opportunity to tug at his pants, beckoning him to follow me. He was rushing to work and thought that I was just trying to play with him. He tried shaking me off, but I held on as if the pants were my life. He kicked me on my side and I yelped in pain, but I was determined to pull him to Si Hua’s room.
Finally, Mr. Wong got my cue. When he tried to open the door, it was locked. He got out the room key and looked with disbelief as he saw how cluttered the room had become. I sniffed around quickly and found some small empty plastic bags probably used for drugs and a plastic bag of glue. Mr. Wong finally smelt trouble. I could see him almost tremble. He froze for a moment before he dashed into his room.
Mrs. Wong was getting ready to leave for work too when Mr. Wong stopped her. There was a loud exchange of words and banging of things in their room. After what seemed like forever, they emerged from their room. They were obviously distraught.
They ran out of the house and I quickly tailed behind, sniffing around. I realised that they were looking for Si Hua. I trailed Si Hua’s scent to a back lane near his school… only to see him being caught by narcotic officers. I charged forward to “save” my young master and growled at the officers.
Mr. Wong came up to me to hold me down. I was confused. Did they not want to save Si Hua?
Si Hua’s mother was devastated. She wailed uncontrollably. Mr. Wong held her and wept silently too. Si Hua’s head hung low. I did not know what to do other than to stay quietly by the side.
Si Hua did not come home for a while. I heard Mr. and Mrs. Wong’s conversations and gathered that he had been admitted to the drug rehabilitation centre to help kick the addiction.
After what seemed like forever, my young master came home. He had won the battle against drugs. It had been the support and love of his parents that had helped him through this difficult time. However, he had wasted two years and was unable to go back to the secondary school. His parents cut down on their work commitment so as to give him more attention. Si Hua was very regretful for having given in to his friends’ challenge to try the drugs. It was an agonising episode for the entire family. The price for taking drugs is just too high to pay!
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