A Foiled Attempt

By:
Darshini Menon, 2 Baiduri
It all happened on that fateful night. That night was the unluckiest night ever. His
life will never be the same again after this. Last Monday night, Arman was left all alone
at home and he was feeling lonely as his parents were away on a dream vacation of a
lifetime to France, the famed country which is renowned as the worlds most romantic
country. The trip was actually a grand prize of a lucky draw which Armans father had
won weeks earlier. Arman could not tag along because of his obligation in his studies.
Therefore, he decided to burn the midnight oil, as his final examination was just around
the corner. He wanted to pass with flying colours, so he decided to make hay while the
sun shines. Eventually, he felt tired and decided to call it a night. When he went to bed,
he couldnt sleep partly due to the coffee he had drunk earlier. His desire to concentrate
more deeply into his studies had forced him to doze off.
All of a sudden, a strong wind blew and Arman felt a sudden cold and started to
feel shivering. Then, the thunder struck and lightning flashed. Poor Arman who was
timid as a mouse was scared out of his skin. Then, something out of the blue
happened. Arman heard a faint sound of footsteps outside his house which was very
bewildering. Subsequently, the door opened with a creak. Arman had cold feet and he
straightly hid as swift as a hawk under the safe confinement of his bed. He heard
peculiar and strange noises which came from the living room and after a short while,
someone came up slowly the stairs and went to his parents bedroom. A few minutes
later, the mysterious footsteps came into his room. From the dim shine of the
moonlight, Arman saw a masked man who was holding a sharp knife in one hand.
Arman was so engulfed with fear until he nearly screamed out loud.
Unfortunately, his hiding place was given away when the intruding man saw his
protruding leg under the bed. In a blink of an eye, Arman was pulled out roughly by the
man and he shouted as loud as he could for help. Help, help, someone help me! He
shouted loudly. But his plea for help was unheeded because nobody even his
neighbours heard his desperate shouts. The man who had a heart of stone asked
Arman, Where do your parents keep all the valuable and precious jewelleries? He
asked. Arman was hesitated but when the cruel man pointed the knife at him, he had
no other choice but to blurt out that all the priceless ornaments and jewelleries were
kept in a safe at the back of the store. The man plastered Armans mouth with a
cellophane tape to prevent him from making any more annoying noise. He tied Armans
hands and legs carefully with a strong rope and put the knife at his neck. The man
indicated Arman to lead the way to the safe. Quick, lead me to the jewelleries, he
yelled. After extracting the secret code of the safe from Arman who was as helpless as
a baby, the greedy and money-minded man began to haul all the ornaments and
jewelleries such as pearl necklaces, diamond rings, emerald earings, sapphire and ruby
anklets which worth a fortune.

Arman was petrified and shocked. He really could not imagine that all the
jewelleries which were gifts to his loving mother by his father were taken away by that
uninvited intruder. Oh God, have some mercy, help me! He sighed. He felt very
responsible and so he decided that this was the last straw and he had to take matters
into his own hands. Without any hesitation, he slowly and carefully untied the rope and
took his fatherss baseball bat which was secretly kept behind his closet. He sneaked
up to him while he was trying to get away and hit him on his back. The man was
shocked with that retaliation and fought back with the knife which eventually resulted in
a deep cut on Armans left arm. Serves you right for hitting me you little brat. He said.
Arman was as angry as a wasp took his revenge by hitting the mans head. He was in
disequilibrium at first, and then he instantly fell on the floor. Arman looked at that
moment as an opportunity for him to tie the robbers legs and hands tightly.
Later, he called up the police and they arrived as fast as they could. The police
caught the cold-hearted man red-handed and arrested him for committing a serious
offence. The man was actually a wanted criminal and a bad hat in the community. He
was known to target young victims. Nevertheless, thanks to Armans courageous act, he
had been arrested and kept in custody at down town. Arman was bleeding profusely, so
a kind and dutiful police officer dropped him at the hospital for intensive treatment. He
then called up Armans parents and informed them of their sons terrifying ordeal. The
kids concerned parents arrived the very next morning. How are you, Arman? We
shouldnt have left you alone, they said. They were teary eyed and remorseful but
they were glad that their son was safe and sound and the man was caught and he
would have to face the music. Armans parents had learnt a valuable lesson from the
tragedy which was not to leave their son all alone at home again. They decided to bring
Arman along whenever they go out from the house.