A Good Read...of Twilight Terror, Dinosaurs, Bollywood And A Touch Of Colour

ch of Colour

ood & A Tou w y ll o B , rs u sa o in rror, D

Of Twilight Te

Compiled & Edited by Serene Wee

Copyright © 2008 Reading Plus Pte Ltd Published by Reading Plus Pte Ltd Editor: Serene Wee Copy editor: Sue Flotow Writers: Serene Wee, Sharminni Thamboo, Carolyn Goodwin, Zivlin, Gene Tan, Sherri Lin Financial Advisor: J.H.Tan Character Design: TCZ Studio (Wee Tian Beng), Graphic art for Twilight Terror by Goh Hoong Moon Graphic art for Baby Fever by Yeo Hui Xuan Graphic Designer: Lin Ziyi Volume Eight, First Edition, 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Reading Plus Pte Ltd. For information regarding permission, write to Reading Plus Pte Ltd, Blk 1002 Jalan Bukit Merah #03-16 Redhill Industrial Estate Singapore 159456 or email [email protected]. National Library Board Cataloging-in-Publication Data Of twilight terror, dinosaurs, Bollywood and a touch of colour / compiled and edited by Serene Wee. – Singapore : Reading Plus, 2008. p. cm. - (A good read ; v . 8) ISBN-13 : 978-981-08-1704-6 (pbk) 1. Children’s stories, Singaporean (English) I. Wee, Serene II. Series: A good read ; v . 8 PZ7 S823 -- dc22 Printed in Singapore

OCN262795580

Contents Story Sensation Twilight Terror



Baby Fever



2



13

Time Travellers



21

Minutes before Midnight



30

Graphics Galore Dinosaur Dawn

Fun Facts Not just Bollywood



34

Plastic, Polymer, Metal





37

LETI





40

Art & Craft





42

Story Sensation

Twilight terror Sharminni Thamboo & Serene Wee

One of their classmates was hosting a Red Cross fund-raising party on Saturday at five. It was at Anika’s home. Being a member of the Red Cross, May had insisted that her friends support the fund-raiser. Anika’s garden looked like a fairyland. Tiny strings of light adorned bushes and hung from the trees. Hanging lanterns cast an enchanted glow against the fancily decorated garden. As soon as they arrived, Anika’s service staff handed them a drink each and they felt like they were attending a social function rather than a fund raiser. “Wow! Somewhat OTT, eh?” Anika caught Aini’s whispered comment. “But, it’s worth it, don’t you think? All this stuff is for sale, for the fund raiser. All in the name of charity.” She spun her hands around in a lavish gesture, after which she linked arms with Charles, who promptly disengaged her arm from his as his eyes darted around to see if anyone noticed. Aini smiled and winked at him but she felt her face flush at the same time. 2

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“Um, nice house, Anika. How many rooms are there?” Charles mumbled. “Six bedrooms, a games room, an entertainment room, two studies, dining, living and servants’ quarters, that’s about it. Come on, let me show you around….” Just then, two more classmates, Omar and Rosmawati arrived. “Anika, hi!” one of them called out. Anika returned the greeting and turned to Charles. “Please excuse me while I play hostess. Help yourselves to the food and look around.” Anika left to greet the newcomers. The foursome scoped the place. There must have been at least fifty people so far. Charles’ eyes lit up as he spied the fancy miniature cakes with strawberry and chocolate frosting on the buffet table. “Excuse me, y’all. I have a date with destiny.” May was just about throw him a wise crack when she spotted William. The lanky, bespectacled youth was the one who had indirectly helped the four friends with some information they needed when they were confronted by the ‘mango tree ghost’. He grinned widely as he approached them. “Er…hi!” He nodded at each of them before turning to address May, “I’ve spotted a teakwood chess-set in the garden. Want to play a game with me?” He smiled at her but his mouth betrayed him with a nervous tic. “Go on, May. Have some fun,” Aini gave her a little push. May poked her in the ribs before returning the smile. “Ok, William. Just one game.” William looked relieved and led the way to the garden. Raja and Aini were left standing in the foyer. Raja’s eyes followed May and William to the garden. I should have invited her instead. Why didn’t I? These thoughts came to him, fast and furious, and he felt like kicking himself. Now he’d lost his chance to William. “Let’s explore,” Aini suggested. No answer from Raja. “Heh, Earth to Raja. Are you there?” “Huh? Are you talking to me?” “No, I’m talking to the wind, at least it’s howling in reply.” 3

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“Sorry, I got distracted, I was…” Raja’s eyes went back to the pair in the garden. “You should tell her, you know.” “What? Oh no, not what you think….I…I like chess too, er…why didn’t he invite me instead?” Aini rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Cos you’re not a girl! Come on, let’s explore, maybe we’ll find something more interesting. This girl-boy thing is…not for me.” Just at that moment, the music began and flashing lights, reflecting the shimmering tinsel hanging from the ceiling, made it look like a disco dance floor. At least ten pairs started dancing and right in the middle of the dance floor were Charles and Anika. She was leading the fidgety Charles. As Aini looked at the two of them, she felt an uncomfortable tug somewhere inside of her. She bit her lips and turned away quickly. Then another pair joined them. Raja adjusted his glasses to take a closer look. This time it was May and….James? Where’s William? Raja knew May had a major crush on the school athlete they’d nicknamed Jumpin’ James Jammon a.k.a. J3. Raja caught his glasses just in time before they fell off his nose. Whew! His mum would kill him if he broke another pair. “You’re right. Maybe we’ll find something interesting somewhere else. I’d much rather explore than be on the dance floor. Let’s go.” Raja, Aini and the siblings May and Charles have been friends since they were in kindergarten and together they’ve had enough adventures to last most children their age a lifetime. They are comfortable with each other, but getting split up in a social setting such as this was somewhat uncomfortable for Raja and Aini. The two decided to make the most of their time there. Both headed for the large staircase leading to the upper floor of the mansion. To call Anika’s home a house was an understatement. It was enormous, more like a mansion, and fancily decorated, but nothing really unusual stood out, thought Aini as she led the way. Past the stairs, she entered a study full of books and a large desk occupying a quarter of the room. As Raja studied the books on the shelves, she crossed the room, opened the glass door and stepped out onto a balcony facing the forest that bordered the reservoir. By now, evening had arrived and the surrounding forest looked like a serene 4

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painting. It was almost as if someone had dimmed the lights in the forest, giving it a mysterious stillness, quiet as a graveyard, except for the occasional call of an owl or cricket. As they scanned the trees, Aini heard a scream. “Did you hear ……?” Raja had heard it too. They looked at each other and responded simultaneously. “Someone’s in trouble! Let’s go!” Aini pulled two powerful micro mag-lights from her pocket and handed one to Raja. “Wait for me in the hall,” he said, before disappearing out the door. Raja went back downstairs and looked around. Charles was nowhere in sight but he spotted May on the dance floor, still dancing but with someone else this time. He tried to signal to her. She finally saw him and nodded her head. Raja pointed to her handbag and waved before turning to leave. She waved back but he was gone. Raja found Aini at the entrance of the hall. Together they made their way out of the mansion, through the front gate and towards the forest. “I can’t see a pathway,” Aini said as she peered into the blackness of the trees. “There’s actually a walkway that leads in. We’ll go in through...here.” said Raja. At first, Aini saw nothing. Then, right in front of her were five wooden steps leading to a wooden walkway that weaved into the blackness. Raja hesitated. “Maybe we should……” A piercing cry shattered the blanket of calm. Someone shouted for help. Aini dashed into the forest and the black night without hesitation. “Wait up!” Raja cried. He could hear Aini ahead of him, but her torch light was the only thing he could see. Swallowing hard, he ran after her, feeling like a blind man. Thankfully, the walkway had a hand rail which he used to grope his way. Aini waited for him to catch up. “Any idea where we are headed?” Aini hissed. “Cythaea Walk I believe. Just move along until we reach…..” A sound broke the silence again. This time, it was singing; a tuneless melody that made the whole forest creepier. They froze. The singing stopped. “Sounded like it came from up ahead,” Raja gestured. 5

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As they pushed through some low overhanging branches, Aini spotted a long green tendril. It was swaying to and fro. But there was no wind. Aini reached out for it. “Don’t!” She jumped backwards as the tendril moved towards her. “Oriental whip snake.” “Should I be worried?” “Yes and no. Mildly venomous but won’t attack unless provoked.” “Right, thanks!” They gave the snake a wide berth and moved on. Heading towards the reservoir itself, they rounded a left-turn bend, when a violent splashing sound below them, to their right, stopped them in their tracks. Their light shimmered in the flowing water that rushed down a straggly freshwater stream. The shallow waters were teeming with silvery snakeheads and long-whiskered catfish. Something else moved in the shadows near the stream. Aini focused her beam onto it. A man lay under a bridge, a few feet below them. “Hey, mister! Are you okay?” There was no answer. Aini reached for her mobile to call Police Detective Derrick Mann. Just as she got through and heard Detective Mann’s voice, someone came rushing up behind them. “Help! Reservoir. Cythaea Walk!” she screamed into the phone, before it was hit out of the hand by their attacker. She heard her phone hit the side of the bridge and tumble into the darkness below. “Aini! Watch out!” The man lunged at her. She ducked. A shiny silver blade glinted and slashed through the air. Aini’s right hand shot up to meet her attacker’s wrist. She managed to knock the blade from his hand. Raja tried to push the man from behind. The man staggered forwards, then swung around and grabbed Raja’s arm, twisting it. He pulled Raja past him and pushed him over the rail of the bridge walkway. “Raja!” She screamed. Raja tumbled into the darkness of the forest below. As she watched in horror, she didn’t see the fist flying towards her face, knocking her to the floor as blackness enveloped her. 6

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When Raja came to, he found himself lying beside the stream. He was so close to the water’s edge that he could see the silver glint of snake heads just under the water’s surface. It took a few seconds to register where he was. He held up his head, but he saw only darkness. Raja flinched as the dead leaves beside him rustled. A man grabbed his arm and pulled him close. “Shhh. He’ll hear us.” The man was in the shadows, right under the walkway. One arm appeared to flop uselessly at his side. He grimaced and clamped his other hand over his right thigh. Raja turned to look at the man. Thankfully, the clouds no longer hid the light of the full moon. He noticed a dark stain spreading across on the right thigh of the man’s jeans. “Who are you?” “Lee. You?” “Raja. What happened? You know him, the other man?” The man nodded. “That’s George.” Raja suddenly remembered Aini. He looked around frantically for her.

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“He’s taken your girl friend.” “She’s not my ….we’ve got to get help.” Lee looked at his wound and shook his head. “You have to help yourself. I…can’t move.” Raja tried to get up. As soon as he put pressure on his left ankle, he let out a sharp yelp of pain and tumbled to the ground. “Shhhh!” “Sorry! It hurts, okay! I think I broke something.” He breathed in short, sharp gasps. After a while, he started to breathe a little slower. He closed his eyes, dizzy from the effort. “You too huh? We’re stuck here…teruk…we’re dead!” “No we’re not, we’re still alive. Why did George attack you?” “Long story.” “I got time.” Lee looked at Raja and sighed. “You won’t believe it.” “Try me,” Raja smiled at the man. “George and I used to come here all the time. About eleven days ago, we trekked a little deeper into the forest to explore and came across a Shinto shrine. George made fun of it. I told him to shut up but he didn’t care. No one should make fun of a shrine, that’s suicide. Next day, he had a high fever, was very ill for three days. After that, he was never the same, didn’t want to talk to anyone, including me. His mum said he lost his temper over little things, did strange things like put the dishes in the washing machine and dirty clothes in the sink. Then, two days back, he asked if I wanted to go fishing with him. I thought he’d recovered, so I agreed. When we got here, he started acting strange. It all happened so fast.” Lee shook his head. “He’s probably schizophrenic.” Lee looked at Raja. “Huh? How would you know? Some kind of kid doctor?” “No. I just read a lot.” “Whatever, he has become dangerous.” “Don’t worry. We called the police before he attacked us. They should be along any minute now.” Raja craned his neck in the direction of the Hevea 8

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walkway. His voice quivered as he repeated. “Any minute.” And he crossed his fingers, hiding them under his thigh. Charles was at the buffet table when May came looking for him. “Do you know where Raja and Aini are?” “No. Why?” May remembered Raja pointing to her bag. She opened it and fished out a crumpled piece of paper. “Good ol’ Raj, left a note for us. They heard a scream in the forest and went to investigate.” She looked at her watch. “That was some time ago! We’d better hurry.” As the siblings stepped out the front gate into the night, Charles surveyed the still surroundings. “How are we going to find them? We don’t even know which way they went!” “They might be in trouble.” May gasped. She had caught sight of shadow hounds at the edge of the forest. These were strange spirit-like creatures that May only saw when people were in danger. “I think something’s happened to them, C. I saw shadow hounds.” Charles frowned. Just then, a police car drove towards them. It stopped and an officer got out. “Detective Mann! Are we glad to see you! But what are you doing here?” Detective Mann explained that he had received a call from a very distressed Aini a few minutes ago. It took them a while to figure out on which reservoir Cythaea Walk was located. Charles and May told him about the note. “You’d better stay here. I’ll go in.” He signalled to his assistant to follow him. “Wait, Sir. May can track them down.” “How?” The siblings looked at one another. They could not tell the Detective about May’s supernatural gift of sight. Just then, May saw the vague sinister form again. It slinked into the trees. 9

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“Quick! This way!” she hissed. They followed her through the entrance of the Hevea Walk. It didn’t take long for May to find Raja and Lee. The shadow hounds had been attracted by the profuse bleeding from Lee’s wound. Detective Mann was surprised but took charge immediately. Raja and Lee filled him in on what happened. He turned to his assistant. “Call the paramedics. He’s bleeding.” “The man who did this took Aini deeper into the forest!” “Where?” Raja shook his head. “Didn’t see. But he’s probably hallucinating, not quite right in the mind, so be careful!” “I think I heard George take her deeper into the forest, that way,” Lee pointed over his head to the right. “Thanks! Charles, I want you to go to the entrance. When the paramedics arrive, show them the way here okay? Now I got to look for Aini and George.” “I know where they went,” May said suddenly. “Follow me.” The shadow hounds were weaving in between the trees, some distance away. It was almost as if they wanted her to follow them. May led the way through the jungle. Raja reminded them to look out for snakes. A few metres in, they came to a stone shrine in the middle of a small clearing. George was there. So was Aini. She lay unconscious on the ground. The young man seemed to be trying to carve something into the stone. When he saw them, he brandished his knife and chanted, as if in a trance. Detective Mann’s hand was on his holster as he approached George slowly. He spoke to George in a calm voice as the man was clearly jittery. He also wanted to check on Aini. “Evil spirits, go away! Evil spirits, go away!” He repeated, and with each repetition, he chanted louder and louder. May felt her heart miss a few beats, as she stepped backwards. She accidentally stepped on a branch, cracking it. George turned to look in her direction. In that split second, the detective lunged forward, knocking him to the ground. He whipped out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the struggling man. May rushed over to her friend. There was dried blood on the side of 10

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her head. Aini opened her eyes. “Are you all right?” May asked as she tried to help her up. “Where am I?” Aini asked, her speech slurring somewhat. May filled her in as they made their way out of the forest to the ambulance. The paramedics insisted the kids be driven to the hospital for a full check-up. They rode with Lee, who was lying on a stretcher. He grabbed each of their hands and shook them with as much strength as he could muster. “Thank you. You saved my life.” The paramedic sitting next to Charles nodded his head. “He would have bled to death by morning if you kids hadn’t come along! No one comes here at night, it’s just too dark and deserted.” Aini’s mother was the first to arrive at the hospital. Within minutes, the fussing had turned into animated scolding. Aini frowned. “We saved a man’s life and this is what I get?” she whispered. “You worry me half to death and you grumble, hah!” Aini fell silent. “Sorry, Auntie. We really didn’t mean to scare you.” Charles reached out to touch her arm. It worked every time. Madam Rosni’s features softened as she turned to Charles and smiled. “I know,” she nodded. Then she turned to her daughter, “Sayang. What I meant is that I wish you children would stop playing hero.” Just then, the Angs and Mrs Vellu arrived. “I’m OK, Mum, really! I…I twisted my ankle, but that’s it. See I can still walk, slowly,” Raja took a few steps, dragging his ankle to prove his point. Mrs Vellu still looked worried and continued to check him over for bruises, like she was checking out a chicken in the wet market. “Really nothing else wrong? Are you sure?” “Maybe, just a little tired.” He smiled at his mum. “Yeah, me too,” Aini chipped in. “Me three,” Charles winked. “Me four, we’re the Fatigued Four!” May gave Charles a friendly punch on his arm. 11

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Everyone laughed. Suddenly, a low growl emanated from amongst the group. “Sorry. That was my stomach,” Charles admitted with a grin. May rolled her eyes. “Let’s go for supper, then,” Madam Rosni announced. “My treat, not too tired for food, are you, kids?” This time, she winked. “Not any more. That’s something we can’t miss!” Charles said, nodding earnestly. This time, it wasn’t only May who rolled her eyes.

glossary: Lavish: Given in large amounts. Berth: Moving distance or space. Shinto: A Japanese native religion. Schizophrenic: A person with a mental condition where he is unable to think logically or behave normally . Sayang: A Malay word meaning ‘love’. 12

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baby fever Carolyn Goodwin

“I’ve got a movie of the baby,” yelled Pei Juin as she raced in the door. “Come and see!” She was wildly flapping her arms as though she had just won a million dollars. Michael followed her inside and flopped down beside me on the couch. “Is it born?” squealed Georgia, leaping from her chair with excitement. “No. I’ve got the ultrasound. I’ll show you,” Pei Juin replied. Michael lent over and whispered in my ear. “It’s very boring.” Pei Juin put the disk in the player and we all sat in front of the television watching the black and white images of Pei Juin’s and Michael’s unborn sibling. The baby looked like an alien. I’m serious. The head was huge compared with the rest of the body. And the arms and legs were short and skinny. “Isn’t it beautiful?” exclaimed Pei Juin.

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“Absolutely adorable,” agreed my mother from the kitchen. Somehow, she can see things she wants to, even from that distance. “It’s just amazing.” “I can’t wait until it’s born,” said Georgia. I looked at my mother and the girls glued to the fuzzy, black and white image on the television screen. Could they see something that I couldn’t, I wondered. I couldn’t see anything even vaguely beautiful or adorable. All I could make out was a scary looking, alien-like blob. I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I’m not an expert in this area, but I thought having a baby was a normal thing – something that happened all the time, all around the world. “Watch this bit, coming up. You can see it kicking. It kicks a lot,” said Pei Juin. “It’s a good sign if a baby’s kicking a lot,” said Mum, who’d wandered in from the kitchen to watch the ultra-sound. “A good sign?” I said. “If I had a baby inside me, I wouldn’t want it kicking me. I think it’d be very annoying. Almost as annoying as Georgia nudging me in the ribs when we’re watching television.” Michael laughed. “Mama’s huge. She’s like a beach ball on legs,” he whispered to me. “Yes,” I agreed. “She looks like she’s smuggling a watermelon.” “Mama said that the baby’s head is engaged. It’s so exciting,” said Pei Juin. “Only 12 days to go.” “Head engaged?” I said. “Don’t you know anything about babies?” said Georgia indignantly. “That means the baby’s head is in position to be born. It’s facing down and ready to come through the birth canal.” “Oh, too much detail! Please, spare me,” I said. I really didn’t want to hear any more about this baby or its impending birth. I’d heard enough about babies to last me a life time. And thinking about how the baby comes out made me feel a bit queasy. 14

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We’d had lessons about pregnancy and birth at school, and it wasn’t exactly my favourite topic. I was relieved when we started learning about frogs instead. “Oh, each little baby is a miracle,” said Mum, with a dreamy smile. “I remember when you were born, Hamish. Giving birth to you was the most incredible experience.” “I thought it was painful.” I looked at her, puzzled, because she looked like she was…floating. “Yes, it is. But it’s a positive, exciting sort of pain. One minute you have a foetus inside you, and the next, there is a baby in your arms, a new life. It really is a miracle,” said Mum. I rolled my eyes at Michael and he smiled back. “I reckon the way frogs have babies is more of a miracle,” I said. I looked across at the girls, waiting for their reaction. “What! You can’t compare frogs with a human baby. You’re so weird, Hamish,” said Georgia. “But it’s so cool the way tadpoles grow legs and lungs and morph into frogs,” I said and Michael nodded in agreement. “Frogs are stupid,” said Pei Juin. “No, they’re not. They’re quite clever. Some even eat their own babies,” Michael contributed. “Come on PJ. Let’s go and do our homework,” said Georgia, scowling at us as she walked off. Mum glared at me. “Hamish, that was unnecessary. The birth of a new baby is a very exciting time. Just because you aren’t interested is no excuse for...” “But Mum, everyone is obsessed about the baby, and it isn’t even born yet. I’m sick of baby-talk.” “Me too,” said Michael. “Everyone’s carrying on as though Mama is about to give birth to something rare… like a baby panda. It’s just a baby!” My mother sighed and turned to me. “I promised the girls I’d take them shopping to buy something for the baby. Can you put these potatoes in the oven at 6 o’clock?” 15

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“Yes, fine. Six o’clock. I’ll remember,” I said. Once Mum, Georgia and Pei Juin had gone, Michael and I sat down to watch an episode of The Simpsons. I was just about to get up to put the potatoes on when the phone rang. “Hi Mum,” I said. “I haven’t forgotten the potatoes.” “Hello. It’s Katherine Lim.” “Oh. Sorry Mrs Lim. I thought you were Mum ringing to remind me to put the potatoes in the oven.” “So she’s not home?” said Mrs Lim, her voice tense and loud. Something was wrong. I could sense it. “Um, no. She’s taken Pei Juin and Georgia shopping.” There was silence on the end of the phone. I could hear heavy breathing. “Are you alright, Mrs Lim?” I asked. “Hamish, oh, ohhh,” moaned the voice on the other end of the phone. “Mrs Lim? Mrs Lim?” I held my breath, waiting for her to answer. Then I heard the phone fall to the floor. “Michael. It’s your mother,” I stuttered. My heart was racing. I wasn’t thinking clearly. Michael ran out the front door without responding, racing to get to his mother, and I followed closely behind. My stomach lurched when I saw Mrs Lim. She was lying on a rug next to the coffee table, clutching her stomach. She grimaced as she looked up at us. “Mama, Mama, what’s wrong?” exclaimed Michael, kneeling down beside his mother. “It’s just the baby. It’s coming,” panted Mrs Lim. “Oh,” I said. I just stood there watching her, unable to move. Then her face relaxed a little and she seemed to be breathing more easily. She took a deep breath and smiled. “I’ve phoned Papa, he shouldn’t be too long. Can you both 16

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stay until he gets here?” “Yes, of course, Mama.” Michael helped support his mum and was struggling. I knelt down to help support her, so she could sit up. “Thank you,” smiled Mrs Lim. I was just starting to relax a bit when, without warning, Mrs Lim’s face twisted and contorted and through clenched teeth, she let out a long moan. “Should I ring an ambulance?” I asked Michael. He didn’t answer. His face was pale and taut. “No, no time to get to hospital now,” panted Mrs Lim. I felt so useless. I wanted to help, but I had no idea what I should be doing. “Can you get me some pillows and a towel from the closet next to the bathroom?” Mrs Lim asked, as though she could read my mind. I ran to her bedroom and grabbed the two pillows from the bed, a towel from the linen closet and raced back to her. I handed Michael the pillows and he tucked them behind her shoulders. She leant back, breathing calmly again, holding the towel I handed her. Then Mrs Lim let out another deep groan. I was feeling hot and cold and shaky and dizzy all at once. My mind was racing. I wished I’d listened in first aid class at school, but I don’t think they taught us how to deliver babies. Perhaps I should suggest it to our teacher. “Michael,” whimpered Mrs Lim. “Michael.” “Yes, Mama. I’m here. You’re going to be OK, right?” “The baby’s nearly here, you have to help me,” she panted. “What? But, but…we don’t know anything about delivering a baby,” Michael turned to me and we both paled. Michael began to perspire. My heart raced as my hands began to sweat. “You…you can do it boys, you have to…there’s no one else here.” Mrs Lim patted Michael’s hand. “Just do as I say,” she smiled at us. Mrs Lim explained what needed to be done. 17

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Michael lifted his mother’s dress. “Oh, I think it’s coming out! I can see its head! It’s coming,” he said, forgetting his fear. “What do I do next?” Mrs Lim leant back and let out a deep growl. She seemed paralysed with pain, unable to answer. “Catch it!” I jumped in. “Hold the head when it comes out.” I really had no idea, but that’s what I’d seen doctors do on television. Michael lent forward, his face frowning and damp with perspiration. “I’ve got the head,” he said. “Now what, Hamish? Don’t just stand there, come and help me.” Mrs Lim bit the towel and groaned again. Although muffled, the intensity of the noise made me feel uneasy. “Hamish,” yelled Michael. I knelt down beside him. He had the baby’s small, wet head in his hands. Then the baby’s shoulders started to appear. “Push! Breathe!” I yelled back at his mum. That came from the television too. Mrs Lim breathed deeply and struggled to push the baby out. And instinctively, I placed my hands under the baby’s back as it slipped out. I glanced at Michael, and then back at the baby squirming in my arms. The baby’s legs were kicking, just like in the ultrasound. And to my surprise, the baby looked like a baby, not an alien. An unfamiliar, high-pitched, wail pierced the silence. The wondrous cry of a new-born baby. “Mama, it’s a boy,” whispered Michael. A tired smile spread across Mrs Lim’s face. “Let me carry him,” she said. Together, Michael and I lifted the baby and carefully placed him in Mrs Lim’s arms, just as Mr Lim entered the room. Without saying a word, Mr Lim sat down beside his wife, his eyes welling with tears. They gazed down at their tiny new son wrapped in the towel, their faces full of joy. Mr Lim mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to us. Mrs Lim looked up at us and said, “You did great, thank you!” 18

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Michael and I looked at each other. Then, as though we could read each other’s mind, we jumped up and punched the air. “Yeah! We did it, we did it!” Michael and I turned to look at the baby and then he turned to me and added, “He’s our baby, yours and mine!” And his eyes danced before he gave me a hug. Taken by surprise, I patted him awkwardly. He probably sensed it and suddenly pushed me away, grinned and went over to his parents to admire the baby. I smiled and walked slowly to the front door. “Congratulations,” I said as I turned back to look at the Lims, my voice shaking with emotion. As I was closing the door, I glanced across at the baby and saw its foot kicking. A tiny, perfect foot, belonging to a tiny, perfect new baby. A little miracle. One month later, the Lims invited our family to celebrate the “full month.” Pei Juin explained that in the past, babies often died within a month of birth, especially in China. So the celebration of the birth of a new baby is not held until one month after it’s born.

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Michael and I dyed some eggs red, the colour of good luck, to give to family and friends. Pei Juin and Georgia prepared steamed bean cakes also dyed in red. And friends gave baby Edward presents of money in red envelopes, along with other useful gifts. Even now, I get a lump in my throat when I think of little Edward’s arrival into the world. I still gaze with wonder at his tiny feet, and they’re still kicking. I think I’ll teach him to play football when he’s older.

glossary: Ultrasound: The use of ultrasonic waves to see a developing foetus or internal organs. Queasy: Sick in the stomach, squeamish. Foetus: A developed unborn baby. Miracle: An amazing or wonderful occurrence. Morph: To transform or change shape. Obsessed: Preoccupied, overly concerned Grimace: A look of pain or disgust Contorted: Twisted out of shape (e.g. due to pain) Clenched: Closed or squeezed tightly together Taut: Tense, strained Wail: Loud, high-pitched cry

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GLOSSARY: Pioneer: The first person to do or achieve something. Cluster: To come close together (more than two things). Infanticide: The killing of babies. Carnivore: An animal that eats meat. Herbivore: An animal that eats plants.

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Graphics Galore

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Fun Facts

Hi! I’m Reggie, your music buff. Like the music of other cultures, Indian music includes folk, classical and popular music with a history that goes back thousands of years. Their music tradition includes Carnatic and Hindustani music and it is important as a source of religious inspiration, cultural expression and, of course, entertainment. As a country, India has dozens of ethnic groups, languages and dialects with distinct cultural traditions.

Sitar

Shennai

While the Carnatic music is found in the peninsular regions of India, Hindustani music is found in the north and central parts but both have Vedic origin and these traditions have come from a common musical root since the 13th century. Indian classical music is one of the most ancient forms of music that has survived, altered and developed but its basic elements seem to have remained the same over the ages. North and South India took different directions and their music can be broadly classified into vocal or gita, instrumental or vadya and dance or nrithya. The Indian word for music is sangita and includes drama, singing, poetry and dancing. The most important elements in Indian music are melody, drone, rhythm and improvisation. Hindustani music originated from religious, folk and theatrical performances. It is also well established in Pakistan and Bangladesh and was influenced by Islamic musical traditions. North Indian instrumental music is played by a sitar, sarangi, shennai (oboe-like instrument), sarod or flute, and tablas. 34

Fun Facts

Sarod

Tablas

Carnatic music can be traced back to about 2,500 years and is rooted in the Hindu tradition. Carnatic music rests on two main elements: “Raga” the melodic formulae, and “Tala (music)” the rhythmic cycles. One figure stands out when we talk about Carnatic music - Purandara Dasa who created a system in the teaching of music and contributed to the fusion of bhava, raga and laya in his compositions. He incorporated in his songs popular folk language and introduced folk ragas in the mainstream. He elevated Carnatic music from merely religious and devotional music into a performing art. Musicologists call him the “Sangeeta Pitamaha” or the grandfather of Carnatic music.

Nasgasvaram

Veena

Photos: Stephen Black

Sarangi

Mridangam

Carnatic musical instruments include violin, flute, nasgasvaram (oboe-like instrument), veena and mridangam. Another form of Indian music is Bhavageete or ‘devotional song’ which, essentially, is expressionist poetry and light music. 35

Fun Facts

Bhangra is a form of dance-oriented music that originated from Punjab. This folk music has become a pop sensation in the west. The Bengal were a group of mystic minstrels, influenced by Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhajas as well as by Sufi sects. There are many, many other forms of music from different parts of India and the above are just some examples. An interesting feature of Indian music is the Tāl. This is a time keeping device. A tāl is a cycle of beats as shown in the diagram. A 16 beat cycle is called a tintāl which is divided into 4 sections or matras. Today, we cannot talk about Indian music without mentioning Indian pop music from the film industry as that has grown in interest and importance. In the Indian pop music scene, the big names include Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan and rock bands like Indus Creed, Indian Ocean, and Euphoria. They have gained mass appeal. While classical Indian music still exists and is respected, most Indian melodies are now supported with the use of western orchestration and we see a lot of that in Bollywood movies. Fortunately, classical and folk flavour is retained through the use of Indian classical instruments while the musical harmony of Indian music remains strong. Thank goodness Indian music is not just Bollywood music, even though most of us, especially non-Indians are introduced Bollywood music first. The above is just an overview of Indian music. If you like Indian music and want to know more, tune in to the Indian music channel on your radio, and when you are listening to it, see if you can pick out the instruments played for that piece. Have fun! GLOSSARY: Vedic: Of ancient India or traditional Hindu culture. Drone: A continuous note or chord. Tantric: Of Tantra (spiritual traditions in Hinduism and Buddhism). Ref: The Science of Sound and Musical Instruments by Assoc. Prof. Larry Francis-Hilarian 36

Fun Facts

Hi! I’m Minte, your money guy!

Have you ever come across a money plant? The first time I saw one, I thought it was called a money plant because it grows money. Sounds silly doesn’t it? Well, you can’t blame me, I was only five years old and ready to believe anything. But seriously, has anyone ever thought to ask where our dollar notes and coins come from? I’m talking about the physical dollar notes, nice, crisp notes or shiny new coins that we get from our parents so we have money to spend when we go to school or to buy stuff with. When I asked where or who makes, prints or mints our physical money, some say the bank while most have no idea. No, banks do not print notes. Coins are generally produced in a mint, e.g. Perth Mint, or The Royal Mint of Malaysia, Singapore Mint or The Royal Thai Mint. The same places also produce paper currency, i.e. dollar notes. I’ve asked my dad what would happen if I photocopy a dollar note using our colour printer because with the advance in printing and scanning technology, it looks possible for any one of us to print money, literally. But Dad explained that it won’t work because of security features, e.g. some notes, like the current paper cum polymer dollar note, has a complex clear window with the insignia of the Singapore Arms on the top left hand corner. It is impossible to produce a replica of such a dollar note using a photocopy 37

Fun Facts

machine. Polymer notes are slowly replacing the paper banknotes in circulation and with this new material, it is a lot harder for crooks to produce fake money. Dad also warned that counterfeiting money is an offence. And if you need to show an illustration of a real dollar note, the word ‘SPECIMEN’ must be stamped across it. Take a close look at the dollar note you have and check out what is depicted. In many countries, the designs or face of a famous person on their currency tells you something about the history, geography or some interesting features of that land or people. In the US, the faces of their past presidents are on their dollar notes. In Thailand, you will find the face of their present king. In Singapore, there were commemorative series notes depicting ‘ships’, ‘birds’, ‘orchids’. What about today? Who or what is depicted? It is the face of Singapore’s first president, Mr Yusoff bin Ishak (1910-1970). This is the “Portrait” series notes, first used in1999 to commemorate the millennium (year 2000). His face appears on all the dollar notes where the value of the dollar is colour coded, red for $10, green for $5 and so on. What about coins? Taking the Singapore example again, the 5-cent and $1 coins are made of aluminium bronze, while the 1-cent coin was made of Copper-plated zinc. The rest, i.e. 10, 20 and 50cents coins are made of Cupro-nickel. When you travel, you’d probably have to change your currency to that of the country you are visiting but there is an interesting arrangement between two ASEAN countries, namely, Singapore and Brunei. You don’t have to change your money if you come to Singapore from Brunei and vice versa, because these two countries have an agreement to accept each other’s currency. Isn’t that great? Will the dollar note ever lose its value so much so that it becomes worthless? Yes! It happened right after World War Two. During the Japanese occupation, “Banana” notes were printed in large quantity and so called because a picture of the banana tree 38

Fun Facts

was depicted on the notes. But after the war, these notes became worthless. Today, things have changed. With the careful monitoring of fluctuations in the Singapore dollar, their currency will, hopefully, never again become worthless. Heard of the expression “money makes the world go round”? Now we have Paper, Polymer and Metal, but soon it would be a click of the mouse that makes the world go round as we become paperless. That’s good in a way - it saves trees!

NOTES: Mint: the place where the official coinage of a country is made. Counterfeit money, goods, or documents: these are not genuine, but have been made to look exactly like real ones, usually meant to deceive unsuspecting people. Watermark: a design which is put into paper when it is made, and which you can only see if you hold the paper up to the light. Banknotes often have a watermark, to make them harder to copy illegally. Banana money: an informal term given to a type of currency issued by Imperial Japan during the Japanese occupation of Singapore, Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak and Brunei, and was named as such because of the motifs of banana trees on 10 dollar banknotes. Fluctuates – to change a lot in an irregular way.

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Fun Facts

Sherri Lin

Have you seen the little screens inside a taxi that shows the map of your city or perhaps your dad has one in his car? That is what we call GPS and it stands for Global Positioning System. There will be a small icon of a car on the screen, which moves along the map as the car drives along the road. This little machine is called a GPS.

A GPS is put into a car to help the driver find his way around. You can buy maps of different countries for the same GPS machine, because it works globally, and it is called a positioning system because it tells you your current position on the road. There are a number of man-made satellites that orbit the earth, meaning that they move around the earth just like the moon does. Each GPS contains a receiver that can read the signals sent out by these satellites. By using these signals, the GPS is able to tell the driver where he is at that instant moment. As the car moves along the road, the GPS updates the position of the car on the screen. 40

Fun Facts

The map stored in the GPS has many saved locations, and the GPS has a programme in it that can calculate the best way to go from one location to another. For example, you could save the location of your home and your school in the GPS, and then when you leave your house in the morning, you could select “School” and press “Go”. The GPS would tell you to turn left, turn right, or drive straight for a certain distance, until you arrived at the gate of your destination. Having a GPS in your car can be very useful. If you need to go to a part of the city that you are not familiar with, you can key in the address and it will guide you on how to get there. Or, if you are on vacation, in a strange country, you can buy the GPS map for that country so that you won’t get lost, even though you’ve never been there. Some mobile phones even come with a GPS built inside, so you can carry it around in your pocket wherever you go. GPS is also used by the military for many purposes. It can enable soldiers to find their way through enemy territory in the dark, to allow generals to keep track of their men, or to help rescue teams to find crashed airplanes. Some weapon systems even use GPS to guide missiles to their intended targets. Even though there are already many uses for GPS, technology advances so fast that soon, man will find even more uses for it, and it will become more and more common in our everyday lives.

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Fun Facts

Art & Craft brought to you by

Manga Techniques ~ Colouring The Tortoise Artwork by Yeo Hui Xuan (TCZ Studio)

1 Using a Faber Castell

orange coloured pencil, lightly colour in the skin. 42

2 Pick a pink coloured

pencil and lightly colour the tongue .

3 Use a light green to

colour the shell.

Fun Facts

4 Next, use a light

yellow coloured pencil to shade the sign.

Use a darker orange for the shadow of the skin.

5

6 Use a dark pink

7 You need a dark

8 Use a yellow

9 Use your darkest

green to colour the shadow of the shell.

coloured pencil to highlight the head and shell.

for the shadow of the tongue.

orange to shade the skin and also use your darkest green to shade the shell.

ise is o t r To r u o ! d e r Y u lo o C ow N

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Writers, Illustrators & Advisors Serene Wee (Writer / Editor / Advisor) As the Chairperson of the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and the President of The Society for Reading & Literacy in Singapore (SRL), Serene also works with the National Library Board on some literacy and reading programmes. She was the chief judge for the First Time Writers and Illustrators Initiative organised by Media Development Authority and NBDCS in 2007 and again a judge for 2008. Serene has a B.Soc.Sc from the University of Singapore, a teaching diploma from the Institute of Education and a second teaching diploma for the teaching of German as a foreign language from Goethe Institut, Germany. In 1998 she received the Editors Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry from the National Library of Poetry (USA). To date, she has three picture books, four short stories for children and four for teens published. Sharminni Thamboo (Writer) Sharminni Thamboo is a trained teacher. She did her B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry at the National University of Singapore and her Post Graduate Diploma in Education at the Nanyang Technological University. She is currently a teacher in a primary school where she teaches English, Science and Music. Carolyn Goodwin (Writer) Carolyn Goodwin graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Business from Victoria University. Although she worked many years in the financial services industry, she loves reading and writing and spends a great deal of her spare time creating characters and stories to entertain herself and her two sons. She now writes short stories and novels for children and young adults. In 2007, Carolyn was recognized by the Australian Society of Authors for her children’s writing, and was bestowed an ASA mentorship award. Originally from Melbourne, Carolyn now lives in Singapore. Sherri Lin (Writer) Sherri has been an ardent book-lover since childhood, with a keen interest in mathematics. She graduated from Imperial College (London) with a Bachelor of Engineering (Computing) degree. She writes short articles regularly on her blog, on a variety of topics ranging from technical matters to current affairs, and has also written a short online novel of her own. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, she helps out as the webmaster for a non-profit organisation.

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J. H. Tan (Financial Advisor) J. H. Tan graduated with a Bachelor of Business Degree from the Nanyang Technological University, with Honours and worked in the banking industry for seven years. With her business training and knowledge, combined with her interest in writing for children, she is happy that she is now able to share her expertise about money management with children. Wee Tian Beng Tian Beng is the first full-time Singaporean Manga artist to break into the Taiwanese and Hong Kong market with his story Astronautics. He has created adaptations of the works of famous writers like Ni Kuang and Louis Cha for stories like The Adventures of Wisely and The Return of the Condor Heroes respectively. He received the Asian Manga Prestigious Award at the Asian Manga Summit held in Seoul, South Korea, in 1997. His most important work as a Manga artist is The Celestial Zone which is now distributed world wide. Yeo Hui Xuan (Illustrator) AXN Anime Drawing Contest 2002 - Certificate Of Excellence Safety@Work Creative Awards 2007 - Commendation prize ( Digital Animation) Safety@work Creative Awards 2008 - Silver Award ( Digital Animation Zivlin (Writer / Illustrator) Zivlin has been drawing since young and graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a diploma in Digital Media Design. Having had a keen interest in animals and nature, he volunteered at the Singapore Zoo from 2001 to 2004 helping to look after animals. An avid fan of Animal Planet and National Geographic, he reads up a lot about animals and also about dinosaurs and prehistoric life. Time Travellers combines his love for drawing and nature. An avid musician too, Zivlin plays the guitar, bass and drums. Gene Tan (Writer / Illustrator) Gene Tan completed his Electrical Engineering Degree at the University of Queensland, Australia and is now an educator, specializing in Mathematics and Science. He believes in creating an environment that allows a child to develop a yearning for knowledge, to discover and to learn. Gene also enjoys dabbling in computer graphics, both for business and leisure and his Ninja Fighter series combines his personal love for illustrating comics and his belief in introducing fun in education. To purchase or subscribe to A Good Read, go to www.readingplus.com.sg and download the form, or call us at (65) 6271 2990 or fax your enquiries to (65) 6271 0806. Also available in bookshops.

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