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Sunday, August 24, 2008

Illustrations for CNB (Central Narcotics Bureau, Singapore) - Essay 14

Chia Yan Min, Kimberly
Zhangde Primary School

“The price for taking drugs is too high to pay”, I thought as I looked out of the window in my room. As the light of dawn seeped into my room, tears rolled down my cheeks. The boys’ home was going to be my new home for the next three years. I will always remember my moment of folly that caused me to suffer this fate. How I got here started like this…

The dappled sun shone through the trees, creating mysterious shadows. I was walking home from school, feeling dejected due to the bad results I got in my exams. I had failed in almost all my subjects! I dreaded the prospect of facing my mother after she came home from work that evening. She would surely blow her top over my results!

I dragged my feet along, my crestfallen face a picture of disappointment. At that moment, a teenage boy approached me at the void deck of my block. He had bloodshot eyes and his hair was unkempt. He wore loose, ill-fitting and mismatched clothes. “Hey boy, do you want to buy these drugs? They are a mix of Heroin, Ice and Ecstasy. They can relieve stress, let you study harder and let you get good results!” I was doubtful of his claim, but I was also burning with curiosity. I peered at the pills. If they could really make me achieve these results as the teenager said, then they were just what I needed!

Although I knew that drugs were bad for me, I was so taken in by the teenager’s words that without even thinking twice, I agreed to buy the drugs. The drugs were quite cheap and cost only two dollars. I continued walking home, planning to take the drugs when I reached home. I knew that nobody would be at home since both my parents were at work. This way, my little secret of taking drugs would be safe with me.

When I reached home, I immediately threw my schoolbag down and ran to my bedroom. I sat on my bed and examined the drugs carefully. My conscience was telling me not to eat the drugs, but curiosity got the better of me. I popped a drug into my mouth, swallowed it down and waited for the effects that the teenager had promised would happen. Five minutes passed. Nothing happened. An hour passed. I started to feel more energetic, but also a little dizzy.

I started to do my homework. Indeed, I could do it at a much faster rate than usual. Days passed and soon I was addicted to a cocktail of drugs. My studies were not up standard but I thought nothing of it, as whenever I took drugs I would be on a “high” and nothing bothered me. I felt on top of the world!

Then one day, my luck changed. I was just buying drugs as usual when out of the blue a man appeared. He walked up to the teenager and asked to buy drugs. When the teenager gave him the drugs in a small packet, he took out an identity card and said in a gruff voice, “Stop! You two are under arrest! Drop all the drugs!”

Zhangde Primary School Chia Yan Min Kimberly - illustration 1 colour

I finally realized what was happening. The man was actually a plainclothes Central Narcotics Bureau officer and was going undercover to expose this drug selling operation! I tried to make a run for it but to no avail. Other police officers soon appeared and pinned my arms behind my back. My heart thumped wildly and my legs trembled like jelly. I was led away into a police car. My head hung low and my shoulders slumped.

My parents were informed of my arrest via a call made by the officers. I overheard my father asking the officers repeatedly whether this was true, disbelieving what they said. I also heard faint sobbing sounds in the background, presumably from my mother. My face was red with shame.

As I was still a minor, I was charged in the Juvenile Court. Being caught red-handed while buying drugs, I had no defence against my crime. My parents were there in court. Guilt was written all over my face as the charges against me were read out. I was sentenced to three years at the boys’ home.

Zhangde Primary School Chia Yan Min Kimberly - illustration 2 colour

When I caught sight of my mother, I could hardly recognise her. She looked sad and woebegone, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her tearstained face was swollen with grief. My gaze wandered to my father. Although he knew that I was looking at him, his eyes refused to meet mine. It finally dawned on me that my taking of drugs would not only hurt myself, but also my family and the people around me. I bitterly regretted ever taking drugs.

The chirping of birds jolted me back to reality. As I looked at the pale blue sky out of my window, I made a silent vow not to take drugs ever again and to turn over a new leaf. I believed that there was still some good in me and that my parents would forgive me for my wrongdoings. This will serve as a constant reminder to me and everyone else to stay away from drugs. It will always stay in my heart and will be etched in my mind forever.

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