Trouble at the MRT Station

Trouble at the MRT Station

            I stepped out of the MRT train doors, wincing slightly at the sharp glare of the MRT train station lights. I glanced around and discovered that the train I was to transfer to would not come for quite a few minutes. Sighing in resignation that I would be bored to death while waiting, I settled into a seat. Little did I know that those few minutes would become one of the most exciting moments in my uneventful life………

            I frowned, tapping my watch impatiently and held it up to my ear to check if it was still working. The train had not come yet, though it was already time for it to arrive at the platform. I let my eyes wander around and spotted on elderly woman with halting, hesitant steps laden with a variety of full plastic bags. With nothing to do, I decided to help her.  On the way, I was surrounded by a group of people on their way to work. A shrill yell rang out.

            "Help, a robber! Oh, help!" Everyone in the station instantly froze in their tracks and turned their heads towards the source of the sound. I felt my blood run cold.  It was the old lady screaming. I was surprised to see that some people were only shouting but not helping the lady in any way. I squirmed out of the crowd and rushed towards the old woman. When she saw me, she pointed her finger in the direction of the platform on the other side. It seemed to be a robbery. I was indignant and very angry at the fact that no one else lifted a finger to help. I was about to run after the robber when I heard a few “thumps”. I whirled around only to find that the old lady had dropped her plastic bags and collapsed onto the floor, gasping with a hand to her chest.

            “Heart… attack…” she whispered. I asked here where her medicine was, and she told me that it was in the stolen handbag. I looked around frantically and found the robber disappearing into an MRT train. For a moment, I turned into a statue, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, I ‘unfroze’, galvanised into action and leapt for the emergency stop plunger. The rear half of the train stopped, still in sight at the platform.

            My heart pulsating, I raced over to the train and entered a train compartment.

Some other people ran in with me and we looked frantically around for the robber. Finally, we found him trying to escape from the train to the station. By now, most people had recovered from their shock and some gave chase. I was relieved that some people were not so cold-hearted. While running, I spotted a man calling for the ambulance. Some MRT staff were alerted and they managed to corner the robber with our help. I was about to take the handbag from him when I discovered that it was not there !

            "Where's the handbag?"  I demanded, still panting heavily. The robber, who was sullen as he was caught, did not reply. Just when one problem was solved, another surfaced! Since the robber refused to divulge the whereabouts of the handbag, we ran about in the station like mad dogs, looking for it.

                                                                                                                                               

            After a vigorous search, I finally found the handbag in a potted plant and fished it out rather gingerly. But when I was about to give the medicine to the poor old lady, the ambulance arrived. I gave the medicine to the ambulance attendants and the old lady was sent to the hospital. Later, I was told that she survived the heart attack as she was sent to the hospital in the nick of time.

            Suddenly, I froze in my tracks as I remembered that I had to take a train. I whirled around and gasped. "Hey, wait for me!" I began another chase towards the platform. It was no use. My train had just left…