A wish fulfilled (Page 67)

James and William are neighbours. When they were in kindergarten and primary schools,
they were intimate friends. However, things changed when they were in secondary school.
Due to the fact that they had different interests and pursuits, they were no longer close.
William was a studious introvert who kept to himself whereas James was outgoing and
gregarious. James, who also excelled in sports, was chosen to be in the school basketball
team and became a popular student.

Deep in William's heart, he still wished to be friends with James. Even though James felt the
same way towards William, he was aware that his new friends would not approve. Due to
peer pressure and to prove his loyalty to them, he would make fun of William together with
them.

One day, both William and James went on a school trip to a waterfall. When William was
changing in a changing cubicle, James stole his glasses and hid them. After changing,
William was surprised to find his spectacles missing. As he was short-sighted, he could
hardly see well without the glasses. Even so, he started searching for them. While searching,
he tripped over a short stool and fell heavily onto the floor. Luckily, he did not sustain any
serious injuries. While some other students were helping William to get up, James and his
friends laughed at William and made sarcastic remarks about him. James then returned
William's glasses to him and told him to be more careful with his belongings.

The students then went to the waterfall and swam in the pool. All the students had a good
time in the pool. Later, James and his friends swam far away from the other students. After
swimming for a while, William got out of the pool. All of a sudden, one of James' friends
came running.

"Help! James is having a leg cramp. He's drowning!" cried James' friend.

William ran as quickly as he could to where James was. Without thinking of his own safety,
he dived into the pool to rescue James. It was not easy as the current was strong. After putting
in a lot of effort, he succeeded in his endeavor. He brought James to the shore but
unfortunately, James had lost his consciousness/ was unconscious. A teacher called for an
ambulance and not long after, James was rushed to hospital. William went along with James.

In the hospital ward, James woke up. He thanked William for saving his life. He also
apologised for being so mean and cruel to him.

"It's okay," said William with a smile. "I've never had a grudge against you. Just let bygones
be bygones."

Just then, a nurse walked into the ward to check on James.

"Both of you look very close to each other. Good friends, I guess?" the nurse remarked.

James replied, "We were and always will be good friends."

They looked at each other and smiled meaningfully. Deep down in their heart, their wish to
be close friends again fulfilled. (482 words)