Topic: A job I did well

(The following response has been written by Ridwan Abrar)

“Ridwan, why is your handwriting so bad?” my mother shrieked

vociferously.

My pleasant slumber was devastated by this high-pitched voice of my

mother. I was almost about to fall from bed, but it was God’s mercy that
it did not happen.

Within split seconds, my father was present at the spot and he too
began scrutinising my diary as if he was a treasure hunter looking for
treasure. Then a critical analysis came out of his mouth “Did a cyclone
run over your hand-writing? Why do your letters once fly up like an
aeroplane and then land down?” These words might sound funny but I
know that my father hit the roof when he saw my poor hand-writing.
My father is well recognised in the family for his hand-writing but his
son’s writing is definitely not something to be proud of. I often wonder
why we need good hand-writing in the age of typing machines and
printers.

My father left but assigned me with some hand-writing tasks even

when I had other things to study. He took a copy and then handed it to
me. My task was not that easy! I had to write sentences for about ten
pages. If the hand-writing was still not up to his mark, he would return
with glaring eyes and ask me to repeat the same thing. My heart sank
when I thought about the amount of work waiting for me. Improving
hand-writing always seemed a Herculean task for me and I failed that
day too as I had always done. No matter however I held the pen, the
output was always the same.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

I went to bed that day with my hands full of pain and my head filled
with the thought of improving my hand-writing. It was not unusual that
I could not sleep that night. The only solution that hit my mind was
copying someone’s handwriting and who could be a better candidate
for this than Khyrul! He was the topper of our class and received
accolades for his brilliant writing.

Initially, it took me some time to implement this solution. I went to

school and sat besides him. Like a master spy, I took glances at his
paper and tried to imitate his handwriting without making it seem too
obvious. But it was all in vain; my handwriting refused to change so
easily. The following day I adopted a different method: I held the pen
exactly as he did and then proceeded to copy. I tried day after day,
holding the pen like him and repetitively looking at his writing. Deep
down I knew that the only way to be free from the regular scolds from
my parents is to improve my writing. I was determined to do that no
matter what!

After days of trial and error, I found out what I would now call as the
‘golden rule of success.’ I photocopied one of his notes and then carried
it home. Then I wrote on top of the photocopied words and continued
this over a period of month. I got the results of my perseverance soon
enough but the result was as expected: my hand-writing become a
xerox copy of that of Khyrul. Even some of my friends mistook my
hand-writing as his. Everything was okay in my family after this, but
Khyrul was a bit salty about this. Well, you need to make a copyright for
hand-writing these days as well!

Topic : “I was scared stiff”

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

** The following response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan.

“Hey, hold it right there! Put your arms where I can see it.”

Before my brain could even work out what those words meant, I felt my right arm squeezed
between an iron fist. Someone whacked me straight on the face. Blood oozed out like a fountain
from my nose. Someone from behind struck my knees with a stick-like thing which brought me
collapsing to the ground.

I was flabbergasted. Before I could barely catch the drift of the sudden onslaught, I was
kneeling at the middle of the road, piercing the still, morning air with shrieks of agony. It was
only after I had discharged some of my body pain in the form of shrill cries that I looked up to
discover the reason for the sudden turbulence. I saw a tall figure, all cloaked in black,
wearing a mask on his face. The exposed eyes of the figure scowled at me with such fire that
it penetrated my eyes and gave me chills. When I first saw his bloodshot eyes, I knew I was
waist-deep in trouble. I turned my head sideways and found two other well-built men grabbing
me by the arms. By the farthest stretch of rationalism, I could not scour any reason behind that
incident. What did they want from me? Each crazy thought that scampered past my mind
knocked out every possible pillar of explanation. I knew I was not worth even a penny.

Suddenly the cloaked man spoke out in a grumbling voice.

“Don’t move. Give me the MONEY.”

The ‘MONEY’ - I almost forgot. It was the precious bundle of printed papers concealed in my
brown jacket which I needed badly for the operation of the child. That money meant life to me.
They knew about it. I was not afraid for my life, I was worried about the money. Suddenly the
mugger pointed his gun at my forehead- as a last warning. But I could not give up. With a
sudden burst of desperate energy, I shook myself free of the clutches, knocked down the man
standing in front and started running like a blind man.

I wished I could run like a wild dog out of the shackles. But I was virtually limping. Still I pressed
on it. After covering a few yards, when I was about to take a left turn, I heard a whizz past my
ear and a few streaks of fire on the concrete wall. Damn! They were shooting at me. After taking
the turn, I groped my way through a dark alleyway. All the time, I cried desperately for help but
only to hear it fade into the distance- I could not, logically, hope for help at 6 o’clock in the
morning. Added to that was the constant howling of those chasing wolves from behind warning
me to stop; this nearly made my heart throb out of my mouth. Despite an aching ribcage, I
carried on but soon I discovered myself squirming on the street, being rammed into a lamp-post.
I soon found hovering masked faces above my face, their mouths salivating to rip me apart. Still,
like a drowning man would clutch onto a straw, I placed a desperate clutch over my jacket with
all my remaining strength. Like a blessing right from Heaven, I heard the sirens of an
approaching police car. Being fed up with fruitless efforts, the masked hyenas finally took to

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

their heels. I still lay there- bleeding, gasping, wriggling. I let out a cry with all the air in my
lungs- a cry of victory, a cry of having succeeded!

Essay Topic: Survival

The following response has been written by Ridwan Abrar

The metallic bell of the school burst forth and ushered a new dawn in everybody’s life. All these
calm and peaceful who were as silent as tombs jumped up in joy. I also got up but I didn’t yell
vociferously as the others who sounded as if they were going to start a riot. Our teacher was
long out of our sight and we began a crowded competition to get out of school as fast as
possible.

I shuddered when my phone began vibrating. Receiving the call, I realised that it was my father.
With his voice full of worry and tension, he told me that he won’t be able to pick me up from
school. He told me to take a taxi to return home as fast as possible. I did exactly as told. But as
soon as I lighted the taxi, sleep clutched me tightly and I was soon in the world of dreams.

I woke up in darkness as mysterious as the heart of a dark forest. I groped helter skelter but I
couldn’t understand where I was or how I was there. Suddenly, the door opened with a creaking
sound and a switch was turned on flashing bright light in this place of sinister silence. A chill ran
down my spine and immediately I asked that man who he was. With a snarl voice, he hurled
some words at me which meant that they had kidnapped me in order to demand ransom from
my father and if they don’t get it, they would kill me.

Having finished his tirade, he got out of the room leaving me caged like an animal in a zoo. An
idea suddenly struck my mind when I saw the window at the far end of the room. I stealthily
crept towards that window and jumped out. But it was a futile attempt that I had taken! The three
kidnappers were already at that place and they dragged me back into that small house. This
time they tied me to a chair with a rope, extinguishing all my hopes of survival.

I struggled with the rope for more than an hour. But when I pulled forward, the rope set me free.
Fortunately enough for me, they didn’t tie the rope that well. When I glanced out of the window, I
was on cloud nine to find that those kidnappers were fast asleep and they were also snoring! I
seized this opportunity to immediately jump out of the window making as little knowledge as
possible. I was clever enough to grab the car keys before I stormed my way towards the car.
Heaving a huge sigh of relief, I turned on the engine.

But my heart leapt out of my throat, when I found that the kidnappers were already behind me. I
pressed on the accelerator with full might. My time passed once looking infront and once looking
behind. It was a horror indeed when I crashed into a police car on the road. The kidnappers
soon crashed with both cars. When the police officers were out of the car, I quickly informed that
what actually happened with me. The rest of the events occurred quite smoothly. The police
arrested those culprits and I was free of all danger. Survival at last!

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

Essay Topic: Tell a story (true or imaginary) in which someone suffers
because of another’s lack of knowledge

“You can’t believe how lucky you are to have a father and a mother,” tears brimmed in my eyes
as I told these to John.

“What? They are the only people in the world who annoy you!”

“It is not really true John.” I could no longer hold back my tears. I briskly walked towards the
school gate. I knew very well that no one in the world would believe me unless they have los
their own parents.

My parents left this beautiful earth when I was just two years old due to a horrible car accident.
Till then I have been staying at my father’s only sister’s home. But since childhood all that I
received from my aunt and her husband was cruelty and ill-treatment. It is a miracle that they
sent me to school - but even that was after my cousin pleaded them a hundred times, if not a
thousand times. These thoughts ran through my head as our school van drove through the
narrow streets of our little town. I didn’t realize when the van came infront of my aunt’s house. I
got down obediently as the driver told me to do.

My hand trembled violently as I pressed the calling bell. I knew it was the beginning of my aunt’s
tyranny. She opened the door and then tugged me inside the house. I was given a list of items
that I had to bring home from the bazaar. Only God knows what misery is left for me for the rest
of the day. I picked up the list and then rushed out of the house to fulfill my duty. Everything
went well except for the end, and all’s bad that ends bad. I went careless while crossing the
road and unfortunately the eggs were there! A shudder escaped me and it took me a decade
before I picked up the bag from the road. “My aunt’s going to kill me,” I rumbled.

My prediction was not wrong even by a single degree. These malevolent people, namely my
uncle and aunt, beat me black and blue. I told them that it was a mistake but they paid no heed
to my words. That night my cousin came to me and told me to run away from this place to an
orphanage. At first the thought of escaping from this house (and maybe being caught) filled my
whole body with goosebumps. I rejected the idea at once. But as my cousin told me about the
bright lives of people in an orphanage, I began to feel that it would be a new dawn to my life. An
indomitable urge to escape from this place took birth in my mind. I decided to escape from this
house at once.

I knew all the misery that would befall me if my aunt even gets a hint of what I was going to do.
But something deep inside me made me a daredevil at that time. Waking up in the middle of the
night, I sneaked out of my room and stealthily slipped past my aunt’s room. I opened the main
door quite silently and soon I was free from this horrible house. I had taken pin-point details of
the location of this orphanage from my cousin and thought that it would be easy to find it out.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

But it seemed as if I was in the middle of the sea - I couldn’t distinguish anything in this ominous
dark except my own body. Nevertheless I walked on and on ….

I didn’t realise when I had fallen asleep. As the first rays of sunlight kissed mother earth, I felt
the deep urge to escape from this place before anybody notices me and inform my cruel
guardians. I sped up my walking and soon I started running . My cousin was of immense help as
he drew me the location of the place very accurately. My wristwatch told me that it was 11:00
a.m. but the map indicated that I had still a long way to go.I might have walked for another two
hours before I came to my destination. But how would I know that it was the beginning of the
end for me?

My cousin absolutely lacked knowledge of what actually happened in an orphanage. There’s an

wonderful room infront to give people like my cousin a false impression of the real thing. But
inside it was no less than a hell. The children are made to work all day and given very little food.
Regular beating of children goes on, often with no obvious reason. And I had been never been
to any school ever since I had been in the orphanage. My aunt’s house would be a million times
better than that!

Essay Topic: The Audience

This response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan. I made minor edits and changes
to make things look better.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Our honourable Principal is now going to hand over the academic prize
to Sarah Clinton. She has stood first in her class. So, please put your hands together for
Sarah…”

An eruptus applause near blew off the roof and out of the cheer I emerged into the stage. Oh!
How blissful I was! I had been anticipating this day for weeks. Finally in front of this wonderful
audience, I am going to see my dream come true. I sprinted across the stage, almost slipped
but pulled myself together at the nick of time, received the prize and posed for a photograph,
smiling from ear to ear. I could hardly wait to show it to my parents. I scampered across, ran
down the stairs on the other side and was just about to fall into my Dad’s open arms when
suddenly an announcement addressing my name pierced my ears,

“Please wait Sarah! Come back and tell us how you are feeling after scoring the highest marks
of your class.”

This announcement suddenly cut past all the chaos and the world stood still for me. I was
shattered. I had always abhorred speaking in front of the public. I was only a girl of Grade-III
and I wasn’t even told about this impromptu speech- at least I could have rehearsed something!
I looked at Dad- he know what a scaredy cat I was. But he only smiled at me and ushered me
back up the stairs.

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Like a toy robot, I climbed up the stairs and literally dragged myself to the front of the
microphone. My throat got as dry as sandalwood and I began to feel butterflies in my stomach. I
slowly raised my head to face the audience- but surely they did not seem as ‘wonderful’ and
‘warm’ as they seemed before. The entire hall was abrim with people- people of all ages,
complexions and expressions. I was drowned in a sea of unknown faces- faces which seemed
to shoot penetrating stares at me, mouths which seemed to devour me with their heinous
laughter. The audience was so cold and still- there was pin drop silence in the room- a deadly
silence which made me deaf and made me even more nervous. The audience looked so
expectant. The rotating eyes of many were glued to every movement of my limb. I tried my best
to blurt out some words and run down the stage but no word would reach my lips. My mind went
totally blank. I felt as if someone had clutched my throat and whispered in my ear ‘Do not
speak!’ I started shaking like a leaf and my heart pounded against my ribcage like a stone. The
ticking of every second seemed to be like the passing of a year. At this moment, I saw some
droopy faces yawning to tears. I even discovered some of my friends in the corner muttering
and laughing at their sleeves. Fidgeting as I was like a cat on hot bricks, this sight pushed me to
my limit. I breathed in a bucketful of confidence and threw out some words ( I don’t remember if
the language was alien) at the audience which summarized my feelings. I then vanished from
the stage and hid my face on my Dad’s lap, sobbing. The healing voice of Dad said “Don’t
worry, Sarah! You did great. You were fantastic back there. Just look at the audience.”
I turned my body 180 degrees and to my utter surprise discovered the audience on their feet,
giving me a standing ovation (although I had my doubts whether they were doing it willingly or
just to console me). I smeared the welling tears and pulled off a toothy grin. Maybe today the
bread wasn’t buttered on both sides, I thought to myself, but I guess it was not too bad a show I
put up in front of the monstrous audience.

** Write more about the audience and less about your feelings

Essay Topic: The closing of a science fiction “story”

This response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan

I never expected it to end like this. Robots had taken over the world. Everything had been
dismantled, the world had plunged into a terrifying darkness from where there was no return.

It all started fifty years ago in the year 2040. I was only 30 years old back then but I was already
one of the greatest minds of the decade. I had mastered almost all branches of science and
now I proceeded to do something extraordinary. I had always dreamt of a world run by robots -
robots which would run the world systematically and lend a helping hand to the general people. I
strived to make my vision a success. I worked relentlessly for countless days. Days turned into
months and months turned into years and finally I reached the zenith of success. I reached the
world’s first autonomous robot which could comprehend and clearly distinguish the
commander’s voice and carry out implicitly any task asked of it. It was a sophisticated machine
which opened new doors to a brighter future and changed the outlook of those anti-robot
scientists. My invention became an instant hit and the news spread across the entire world like
a bushfire. I signed contracts with the most powerful countries of the world like U.S.A. and

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

Russia which bought my robots and cloned them to create huge robot armies. I was satisfied as
I was being awarded for all my hardwork- my wallets were bursting and my bank account read
the highest of the time.

Time went past quite peacefully for the next few years. My robots were being modified to carry
out tasks which were deemed to be impossible 10 years back. There were the Robocops which
were used to bang the most notorious criminals of the town- the miscreants were helpless as
they knew there was no use shooting at steel-plated robots who shot laser beams which could
pierce through concrete and ran at speeds of over 120 miles per hour. Then, there were the
RDX-medicops which could undertake the most complicated surgeries with zero percent error
and save hundreds of lives. There were many others like Castro 400, Natalaia-EX , ME-
Petronas 100 just to name a few which ran on low fuels but did the work of a million people in
just a few days!

As a result of this robot revolution, the world became more modernized than ever. I was so
happy. But I did not know that my robots were being targeted by bad, unscrupulous people.
Behind closed doors, uncertain international groups were ‘polluting’ the robots to use them for
war and destruction. Eventually all the robots underwent a complete metamorphosis by a
‘default mutation’ programme. Because of this, all robots became rebellious and disobeyed their
masters’ commands. When creating the robots, I had placed in them a ‘third eye’ - alternative
programme which they could use in extreme circumstances to make their own decisions. Now
that all the robots had become free-willed, they were no longer petty steel bodies- they became
highly intelligent creatures, superior to humans. These mutant robots were being misled and
they became rebellious and created havoc around the world.

People were being murdered randomly, buildings were crushed, everything was being
demolished by those destructive robots. The entire world was literally set ablaze, everyone was
burning in that fire and cursing me. It seemed as if it was the end of the world. I felt guilty for my
deed and decided to set things right no matter what might happen.If only could I switch off that
‘default’ programme, everything would be over. I opened my computer and quickly rushed
through all the slides, searching madly for the programme. I suddenly heard loud, crashing
noises- maybe the robots had become aware of my intents and had broken into my house. I
must do something quickly, I could not turn back. At last I found it. Just as I turned the
programme off, I felt a bullet pierce my chest. I was shot. I fell with a thud on the floor. From
outside came a loud cheer of joyous people. All the robots had been deactivated. I was bleeding
badly but I felt relieved as sirens of ambulances sounded in the distance. The robot era was
over. I had done it.

Essay Topic: The Message

** This answer has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

The moment I set my eyes on the computer screen, a green, flickering dot caught my attention.
It was rushing along a straight line without stopping at any station. I sensed something was
wrong.

“Why is the Peak Express not stopping anywhere? Check into it and inform me as soon as
possible,” I voiced the order and went back to my chamber. It had not been even two minutes
that Frederick rushed into my chamber, panting for breath. He handed over a parcel to me. I
undid the wrapper, tore apart the small box and discovered a tape-recorder inside it. When I
pressed the ‘start’ button, a hoarse, scratchy voice sounded, “Mr. Jackson, do you recognise
me? Why would you? You did not bother about me when you threw me out of the department
blaming a scandal on me. It became a national headline- Oh! How much pain you gave me at
the cost of my dignity. I told you that I was going to make you pay dearly and I have kept my
word. The Peak Express has a bomb fitted to it, it’s under the 7th compartment. If the train
slows down below 70 km/h, then it would blast and boom- ashes everywhere! Now whether you
manage to switch it off or not, time is very short. Let’s see how you can save these people and
become a hero. Fly superman, fly, ha ha ha …..”

That uncouth, evil grin set the blood in my veins boiling in anger. “Richard, you villain! You’re
gonna pay for it. Frederick, get me a helicopter,” I shouted and stormed out of the chamber.

When I landed on the roof of the 7th compartment with the aid of a ladder, I realised that the
train was travelling very fast. The driver of the train had already been informed about the danger
and he should be keeping the train on the move. It was very difficult to maintain balance on top
of the bare roof. So, I quickly took out the harness from my bag, put it in circles over my head
and hauled it downwards. When I was assured that the claw had clung onto the metal door
firmly enough, I descended carefully along the wire and flew into the compartment through the
open door.

I was instantly hit by the curious speculations of scores of unknown faces. They all gazed at me
as if I were a lunatic who had just broken out from the Bedlam. It was only when I had explained
everything that they started treating me with some respect. All of a sudden, now that they knew
my identity, panic burst out from everywhere. Everyone started crying and whining, begging to
save them from the disaster. I felt like a V.I.P. and with some attitude I waved to them to calm
down. “Don’t worry, things are under control, nothing will happen.” After that I walked to the
middle of the compartment and cut out a big hole in the floor with my laser gun. As soon as I
took the circular metal piece, I could see the tracks rushing past me with a frightening speed. It
was with a lump in my throat that I squirmed through the gap and hung onto a metal pipe on the
underside of the train. Looking up, I saw a big, black box fitted to the bottom right above my
head. Right then, an alarming voice sounded on my earpiece, “Sir, the Peak is approaching a
vicious turn. It’ll never be able to make it through at that speed. You have to do something
quickly.” When I opened the cover, a mass of tangled wires appeared in front of my eyes. I was
a professional bomb detonator but I had never faced a live bomb facing upside down like a bat.
The blood soaring into my brain and the beads of salty sweat draining into my mouth was not
enough to make my task difficult, there was also the nerve-racking countdown. “Sir, 30 metres

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to go,” Should I cut the blue or red wire? “10 metres” blue or red or that black one? “5 metres” I
snapped the blue wire with my penknife. The box peeped and the timer went off. The train
jerked into a pit stop metres before the turn. It was a narrow escape to say the least!

Essay Topic: Write a short story beginning with the line ‘I was not
afraid until that moment’

** The above essay has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan

I was not afraid until that moment when a waft of perfume suddenly hit my nose. The perfume
was stark and very familiar. Suddenly my entire body cringed in fear as I understood what this
indication meant. Right at that moment the cell phone beside my desk rang to life and almost
made me jump out of my skin. With shaky hands I pressed the “receive call” button. From the
other end a mechanical, broken whisper called out “Sophia, I am coming for you!” Before I could
say anything, my cell phone buzzed twice and became dead. Fear of the uncertainty gripped me
tightly. Sitting at my desk, I looked at the wall clock which showed it was 08:30 in the night. All
my colleagues had departed long ago but I was strangled with some due work. At present, I felt
very insecure and decided I should go home. So I left my desk and went to the M.D.’s chamber
to seek his permission.

But what I saw there made me freeze to my marrow. I saw the manager lying in a pool of blood
on the floor. Fresh blood was oozing out from the hole inside his skull and his head was twisted
upside down. A gasp of terror escaped my mouth. My hunch had turned into reality; he had
arrived. In a state of trance, I rushed to call the guard. But he too had been savagely stabbed to
death by that man of diseased mind. His eyes were gouged out of the sockets and his stomach
was split open but still his body squirmed occasionally at the doorstep making an unearthly grin.
This terrible sight shook the sanity out of my mind and I screamed with all the air in my lungs.
But the next moment I realised that I should not have done that. A faint sound of footsteps came
from the dark staircase. It was too late to leave the building. I ran back to the office room. I was
devastated as the only person, i.e. the guard, whom I could turn for help was also dead. Where
should I hide now? By now the footsteps had inched nearer. I became crazy with fear and ran
into the kitchen where I hid silently behind a big carton of vegetables. I was awestruck and
obscure retrospections glimpsed down memory lane, desperately scouring for an identity of this
serial killer. In the last two weeks, he had killed two of my friends and now he was after me. I
had no notion of why he wanted to kill me. I imagined whether he was like the cloaked axeman
of ‘I know what you did last summer’ or the masked assassin of ‘Scream’ movie but one thing
was certain he was a ma of deformed mentality who liked to smack people’s brains out just for
the “fun” of it. By that time panic had gripped me tightly by the throat. I was feeling suffocated as
rivulets of sweat glided down my neck and my heart pounded against my ribcage like a
steamhammer. I did not know what to do - I felt so helpless that I put my head between my
knees and sobbed silently. Just then a tattered voice reached my ears, “Hello Sophia,why are
you crying?” I stood up instantly with a bolt and saw a lean, stabby man in jeans and T-shirt with

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a scar in his cheek. The tall figure stood in the way of the light which was getting in my eyes and
made me squint.

Suddenly he grabbed me by the neck and hoisted me till my feet could not feel the ground. The
shard edge of the knife shone in the light, ready to be plunged into my belly. Just then, almost
like a reflex action, I flung out my arms, grabbed a bottle of pepper within reach and poured it
into his eyes. As he let go with a heinous cry, I ceased the dagger and dug it into his thigh with
all my might. He fell to his knees, groaning painfully and shouting obscene words. I rushed for
the exit, but it was closed. I took out my matchbox, lit a splint and held it close to the roof. Within
seconds a shower of water emerged together with a fire alarm. After five agonising minutes the
fire-workers arrived sounding sirens of hope. As they arrested the killer, a doctor walked upto
me and explained that he was actually a mentally imbalanced man who had fled from the
asylum. Wrapped in a blanket, my legs trembled even in the midst of all the people- I was lucky
to be alive!

Essay topic: An experience which really frightened me

The following response has been written by Ridwan Abrar

It was freezing cold when I embarked on the Canadian airport where I was to start my first job. I
spent nearly an hour to locate the taxi which my employer had sent. The taxi zoomed past tall
buildings and within a few minutes I reached ‘Hotel Cappuccino’. I barely conversed a few
sentences with the manager before I was ushered to my room. At breakneck speed, I changed
my clothes and without thinking for a second, I jumped in bed.

I didn’t know for how long I slept but I was awakened by a quite high-pitched scream late at
night. I was appalled. Who on earth could be awake at this late hour of the night, I asked myself.
My curiosity made me jump out of bed and I stared at the window to see if anyone was lurking
outside. I jerked my head to find out whether I was in my senses. I was completely sure that
there was someone outside and without hesitating for a moment, I got out of my room to solve
the mystery.

Though I was determined to figure out the problem, my feet seemed frozen. I rarely come out of
home so late in the night, that too in an unknown place made things more frightening. Quite to
my surprise, I found no signs of unusual occuring as I stepped out of the hotel. Hopeless and
disappointed, I set my foot back towards the hotel. That’s when I heard someone shout ‘Help!
Help!’ I was dumbfounded; I dashed at lightning speed towards the source of the noise.

After frantically rushing here and there, I was scared stiff when a torch shone right on my face.
Rivulets of sweat drained down my face as I stared at the dark physique. Moments later, a
dagger came right infront of my throat. I was almost half-dead by that time. However, I stayed
calm and pulling the torch from my pocket, threw the dagger out of his hand.

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I stormed away from him and I was lucky enough to remember the exact path to the hotel.I ran
as fast as my weary legs could carry me and entered the hotel. I didn’t wait for the elevator least
the murdered might stop me in the way. Instead, I took the stairs and reached my room soon
enough. I tried to make an emergency call to the manager, but …

…. There was no reply. All of a sudden, I realized that I left my door wide open! I rushed
towards the door to close it but what I saw next pulverized my heart. It was the manager himself
who was holding the dagger in his hand! He started approaching me and I closed my eyes
knowing it was the end. But it wasn’t over yet! The man suddenly slipped over a wet cloth that I
left apart before I left the room and fell down terribly and hit his head on the floor. I took this
opportunity to grab the dagger with a tissue paper and then ran out of the room. I called the
other people of the hotel who woke after this succession of noises and then called the police.

The man was too fatigued after the previous murder and the scuffle that he didn’t care to raise
himself up. The police took him under custody. It was found under investigation that he had
killed his wife with whom he had a long period of argument and quarrels.

Essay topic: An unforgettable incident

The following response has been written by Ridwan Abrar
To some people, an unforgettable incident would be the one which happened in their life for the
first time. I can remember an incident which opened an empty well within me, for it included the
death of my grandmother.

It occurred before the Eid. I had just slept with one of my cousins in the room which is adjacent
to the room in which my grandmother sleeps. Late at night I was awakened by a cry and I sat
bolt upright on my bed. Before I could recover from this shocking cry, my aunt came rushing into
my room and sat with a dulcet(low tone) voice that my grandmother was dead. I couldn’t believe
my ears; I felt as if someone had poured poison into them. I stared at the figure standing infront
of me and then waking up with a slight jump, I rushed towards my grandmother’s room.

The room was then filled with an air of sadness. I could scarcely find a place to stand in this
room for it was crammed with people. Tears were flowing like fountains from everyone’s eyes
and even the men could not avoid it. Here in this room was gathered all the sons and daughters
of our late grandmother and also her grandchildren. The crying gradually declined but
everyone’s face was flooded with sorrow. ‘The funeral should be held at 11:00 in the morning, I
didn’t notice who spoke those words.

After a while, almost all began reading the Quran and I too followed them. This continued for
hours till the first flash of sunlight entered through the window. It was then decided by the adults
that we should reach the nearest graveyard as soon as possible. We all prayed together to God.
Everyone hurried to their neatest dresses and we had a little breakfast before we set off for the
graveyard.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

It took at least a dozen cars to fit in the huge mass of people of our gigantic family. I was so
jostled and bustled by the children that it was impossible to sit properly. I yelled at the top of my
lungs to signal to my younger cousins to stop the commotion they were creating. But these little
creatures paid no heed as they were unaware of the fact that their dear grandmother had just
left the earth.

Near the graveyard, we were greeted by a sea of faces. Lots of neighbours and distant relatives
had crowded there as if there was a riot. It cost quite a lot time to get past these people. The
dead body was taken to a suitable place to conduct the prayer before the funeral. I was one of
those who carried the deady body; it was very heavy and it took eight healthy and sturdy man to
carry it. The prayer having done we once more carried the body, this time to the graveyard.

At first, the body was buried in the ground. Then we started piling mud over the dead body. I
couldn’t believe that we had to bury the person who had been with us for such a long time! The
work being done, we prayed for her and then we left. Several months have passed since then
but I couldn’t forget that incident. I will bear it in my mind as long as I live. I have made it a
routine to visit her grave everytime I go to my grandfather’s house.

Essay Topic: Discovery, Jan 2005

The following response has been written by Ridwan Abrar

Mr. Rahim’s break time was finally over but he had hardly noticed it. He gulped the last bits of
rice hurriedly. Finishing his tea, he took a brisk walk to reach his office which was only a stone’s
throw away. With a lightning speed, he crossed the front gate of his office and got into the lift
only a moment before it closed.

He got out of the lift in a very awkward way like a mad man and ran towards his room. The eyes
of all the officers were glued on him as he went past them and entered his room. Looking at the
wall-clock, he heaved a sigh of relief. He had arrived on time. Exhausted, he flopped down into
a chair. If the boss had passed by and didn’t see him in his chair, it would have been his last
day at office.

Mr. Rahim was just about to start his work when a shrill cry of terror passed his ears. Somebody
was in danger, he thought. But before he could get out of his chair, he heard hurried footsteps
coming closer to him. Mr. Rahim was suddenly too terrified to move. A gang of men dressed in
black wearing a black mask surrounded him and all his colleagues.

A harsh voice erupted from one of them “Where is the cashier?” The voice seemed familiar to
Mr. Rahim but he wasn’t enough to focus much on that. He boldly raised his hand leaving all his
colleagues with their mouths agape. One of these goons pointed a gun at him. “Give me the
key,” the voice commanded.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

Mr. Rahim was a bit startled at this but he remained cool and collected. He refused to give away
the money as he knew his own life depended on that. This was not what that man had expected
and he was about to shoot Mr. Rahim but a strong hand gripped that man and pulled him away.
This was the same man whose voice seemed familiar to Mr. Rahim. A dozen thoughts crossed
his mind about who this person could be. He suddenly gripped the mask tightly and tore it off to
expose the stranger. A shudder escaped him as the face in front of him was exposed. It was his
loving younger brother. Mr. Rahim realised that he had suddenly discovered how his brother
became so rich in a short span of time and also why his brother was always reluctant to tell
about his job and activities.

Meanwhile someone had called the police and the police stealthily entered that place. The
criminals were at sea as they looked for commands from their boss- Mr Rahim’s brother. Mr.
Rahim’s heart was pulverized when the police took his brother away but he knew that his
brother deserved that.

Essay Topic: Escape

The following response has been written by Ridwan Abrar

Escape! This is exactly the thing I want to do after spending hectic hours at the office; sitting for
a long time and doing nothing interesting. As I stepped out of the office at 7:30 p.m. , I stood
transfixed staring at the road- not a single vehicle was moving. At breakneck speed, I dashed
towards the garage to find my car for I needed to reach home as quickly as I could.

The horrendous jam had just declined slightly when I was on the road with my car. But my car
had scarcely moved for a minute than the traffic light turned red again. My eyes started blazing
with a flame of hatred and disgust. Thirty minutes had already passed but my car remained in
the same position. Beads of perspiration broke out on my forehead and within seconds, my shirt
became drenched with sweat. Out of confusion, I didn’t notice that the cars beside me had
already started running at lightning speed. I pressed on the accelerator and soon I was out of
this horrible jam.

I was lucky to know a shortcut road to my house and I used it to avoid the heavy traffic in the
other longer road. The only problem with this road was the sinister darkness. That day the moon
had moved behind the cloud and the road looked even ominous than before. Silence was
omnipresent excluding the unbearable sound of the car engine. I brushed past the tall, slender
trees which were swaying in the wind and soon I was transferred to the world of dreams. But I
got my bearings when I suddenly saw a shadow standing at a stone’s throw away from my car. I
braked with all the strength I had in my hand and I was fortunate at not having hit the man.

The tall, bearded man dressed in black looked frightening to me but his soft and dulcet voice
extinguished all my suspicions. He requested me to help him get back to home. I felt a bit
annoyed but I readily agreed. As I started driving, I asked him where he came from but no reply

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

came from him. I asked him two more questions but in vain- he didn’t reply to any one of those. I
didn’t hurl any angry words at him for I felt that he was probably too tired to talk. A moment later,
I found something touch my forehead. When I looked at the man, I found that he had pointed a
gun at me. He commanded me to stop the car which I immediately did. He dragged me to a
house and I was horrified to learn that a house was present there - I never saw it before thoughI
frequently travelled through this road. He then came closer to me and spoke with a harsh voice
quite unusual to the one I heard before ‘’Leave your money and valuables and don’t tell anyone
about this.’’ I handled him my money and wrist-watch but then he changed. He bent down and
said sorrowfully ‘’If I leave you alone, you will turn the police on me. So I will finish you here.”

I was dumbfounded. Without hesitating for a second, I landed two consecutive kicks on him, the
first one on his hand which sent the gun out of his hand and the second one on his groins
making him shriek with pain. Then I scampered like a mad man to my car which was still parked
on the road. I was lucky to have the key with me and I drove out of the reaches of that murderer.
But I probably drove too fast; my car skidded and got derailed off the road to hit a massive tree.
The impact was destructive. I hit the dashboard and on the other hand, the car was about to
catch fire. I got out of my seat and started running as fast as my legs could carry me. But before
I was a safe distance away, the explosion set out and bits of the car were flung apart in all
directions. I was lucky enough not to be hurt and I had escaped - not from the monotonous
office work but from death.

Essay Topic: My Journey

The following response has been written by Ridwan Abrar

‘This is enough. I will no longer be in this house. Goodbye!’ I was furious to the core as I hurled
those words at my parents. It is the fourth time this week that my parents suspected me for
something that I never did. As I could no longer hold back my anger, I kicked the door of our
house and dashed out into the streets.

I was made to wait three hours after class by my teacher because I was absent-minded in his
class and didn’t finish his class work. I tried my best with my not-so-brilliant brain and finished
the work four hours after class. My father hit the roof when I returned home late at night and he
didn’t want to hear any excuses from me. I told him about the detention and he immediately
called the teacher. To my horror, the teacher totally denied the real facts. This was a disaster!
My parents paid no heed to whatever I said and they suspected that I had gone to some places
restricted by them.

Now as I knew that living at home would be the equivalent of living in hell, I took a decision that I
never dared to do- go away from home. The first problem was that I had no money. My journey
became totally futile. But within seconds, I had a brainwave. I decided that I will earn money and
I walked towards the brick-field that existed near the bridge in my town. I was uncertain about
the location since I heard it from a friend but deep anger prevented me from returning home.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

I started walking with the afternoon sun on my back and my thirst continually increased. I took a
narrow alley but it was horrible because as I reached the end, there was no turning back. I
retraced my way to the front of the alley but when I reached there, my dull brain couldn’t even
recall where I was actually from. I got up in another alley and yet another, but I had no clue of
where the bridge might be. Fatigued, I sat down on the street and I didn’t even know when I fell
asleep.

I woke up suddenly, my eyes embraced the incessant rain that had been pouring for quite a
time now. It was difficult to see anything in this pitch-black darkness. My eyes were startled by a
flash of flight and for some reason I sensed danger. But in the darkness I didn’t notice when I
had kicked a dog. The result was not unexpected. The dog got furious and started barking. Fear
of the consequence made me crazy and I started running at lightning speed. Even in this
dangerous situation, I realised that I could be the best sprinter of this age if a dog always
chased me before the race. The dog had nearly got me when I found my feet lose control and I
had fortunately/unfortunately put both my legs in an open manhole which saved me from that
vicious animal.

When I opened my eyes, I found I was back home. Tears rolled down my mother’s eyes and I
bet that this strange journey was the best journey of my life as my parents totally forgot about
the blame that they imposed on me.

Essay topic: Acid Victim

The following response has been written by Syeda and edited by
Ridwan Abrar where deemed appropriate

She is called Suzanne, and unfortunately today I have to tell you her
story.
She was a bright student and used to top in most exams. Why wouldn’t
anyone envy such a girl? Men used to glance their eyes on her while
women resented. And who would know that they would protest for her
in a treacherous journey that lied ahead.

Shank was the man who loved her from the core of his heart. He
confessed to her but she refused saying “I want to be independent and
desire to earn for my family as I love them the most.” Proposals started
coming when she turned 18 but she turned a blind ear to most of them.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

An affluent man asked for her hand and her parents agreed due to
their greediness. But she rejected remembering the constriction in her
chest every time he sent a mere glance at her. She used to say “you can
never make me fall for you by your wealth. One day I believe I will be as
affluent as you if I continue my studies.”

But alas! Hope is a devil in disguise. It can give your life a new meaning
and the next second it can morph into a dagger way into your heart
until you’re left deranged, facing your distorted sense of reality. Had
she knew the devil incarnate inside him, she would have been saved.

It all happened when she was walking from her college to home one
day. The man followed her until she came to an absolute deserted
place. He suddenly showed infront of her and splashed something of a
liquid onto her face. She felt a burning sensation spread on the left
side of her face …

By the time she could discern from her numb face, it was too late. She
writhed in pain as the splash of acid branded her tender skin but she
stayed silent and docile while listening to the cruel words of the
terrible man “I wanted your hand but you refused without the slightest
idea of what I can do. Let’s see who marries you and who gives you a
job with this face of yours. Are you thinking of putting me into jail? You
have no proof!”

She fell on the road with tears brimming her eyes, the reality of the
situation came crashing down on her. She couldn’t stay silent any
longer and screamed which echoed across the town and saved her
from the nightmare called reality, the vicious nature of humankind.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

Her dreams to pursue higher education was spoiled as she was broken
into pieces. She stopped going to college and that was noticed by
Shank at first. He stopped by Suzanne’s house one day and heard
everything that happened to her from her parents. He walked into her
room and said “You know, face isn’t everything, it doesn’t actually
matter. I did not fall for you because of your beauty or your face but
for the character and talent that you got. Don’t just stop here, greater
future is still ahead and it will only make you better. I love you and will
always will.” And he smiled. There was sadness etched on that smile
yet it was the most beautiful smile Suzanne had ever seen.

It was the time of truth; it was the time of lies. It was the time of
brightness; it was the time of darkness. It was the time of heaven; it
was the time of hell- and she had no idea which one she was heading
for but she believed in herself.

She restarted her education and soon became that famous Suzanne
everyone had known. All men and women supported her in the college
and protested for her. The news of her diffused through the world and
journalists came from here and there. That assailant was soon
arrested.
She received her degree and kept her promise of providing for her
family. She has sourced her small town to find others in the same
predicament as her and now she provides them as much as she can.

She is also inspired by the group of incredibly strong women from the
victims. She’s an ‘insider journalist’ who talks about the ‘acid victims.’
She’s married with Shank and lives her life independently and happily.

“I am a woman; not to be passed from man to man but to grow, learn

and live,” Suzanne says to the reporter.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

Essay Topic: Little things that annoy me

The following response has been written by my friend Khyrul Anam

Khan

“Hey Jake, you are still lying there! Just get up and go to bed. Your times up!”

“No, Mom! Please, let me finish this movie. It has just reached the climax. The hero is going to
be slain. Please, I’ve been watching this for 2 hours. Please…”

After a period of fruitless whining, I found the T.V. screen going black… once again. Well, it was
not the first time for me. Seething with anger and frustration, I jumped up from the sofa,
snatched the earphones and started from my room.

But suddenly I discovered a brick hard touch on my shoulder from the back.

“Jake, don’t you dare! I have told you a million times to give up this bad habit, didn’t I?” she
started at me with blazing eyes.

“But Mom, you know I can’t go to sleep without listening to Linkin Park. They’re my favourite
band.”

This time, too, the outcome was no different. I was forced to haul myself to the bed without my
‘sleeping pills’- music. How I wished the night would pass like the bullet of a gun.

Yes, the day did dawn as it always does! But it was not exactly the kind of greeting I expected at
the start of the day. When I regained my senses (Mom says I always sleep like a deadman) I
found my ‘dear’ Mother screaming her head out, jerking me vigorously and showering a chain of
meaningless words the summary of which was I was being late for school.

I sat up on my bed, rubbing my eyes till they were red and burning. When I put on my glasses, I
glanced at the wall clock. It displayed at 7 o’clock. Yes, 7 o’clock in the morning and I was still
late. However, I thought it best not to provoke the ‘dormant volcano’ (I meant my Mom) by any
further delay.

When I got ready, I stepped out to face my regular challenge- to reach school on time. And the
best way to do that was to catch the only local bus that treaded in our area. Within moments, I
found myself hanging like a monkey on a crammed bus, swaying to and fro with the sudden
halts of the running vehicle. With all the people sliding past me and pressing on me I got
sandwiched between the standing people and was left with no choice but to shout on my head,
“Why were there so many early-risers in the world?”

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

However at long last cursing my luck, I would step out of that cage, shrunk to half my height,
sweating like a pig, smelling like a rat. Even after all these, I would be late for school and my
ultimate destination would be the detention room. After what always seems ages, when I would
finally enter the classroom, my sensitive ear buds would always be assaulted by the scissor-like
shrieks of the teachers, “Why didn’t you do your homework?” “Why don’t you cut your hair?”,
“Why is your handwriting illegible?”- etc. God, why didn’t you make me deaf?” I muttered under
my breath.

At the end of the day, when I reached home, I would always be greeted by a waft of dramatic
music from the Hindi Serials, which although my nightmares, were Mom’s ultimate passion.
Then I would sit for hours with my younger brother, trying in vain to make him write even a
sentence. After he was done with his scribbling and whining, it was my turn to receive the
downpour of scolding from Mom. At last, when I lie in bed, longing for an iota of sleep, the
creaking fan over my head won’t let me shut my eyelids. When it did stop, ‘thanks’ to an
untimely blackout, the whispering songs of the bugging mosquitoes would leave me beaten up
by myself (I slapped myself instead of those suckers!). I could only crave for relief and think,
with resigned sighs, “Why do these always happen to me?”

Essay Topic: My journey

The following response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan.

“Can life get any better?” I asked myself as the gusty breeze hoisted my hair and the icy night
dew kissed my lips.

Finally, I was alone with him- the man of my life- and that too on a luxury voyage on a lovely
cruise ship. The view from the balcony was simply mesmerising. As far as my eyes stretched,
there was only water all the way and the distant horizon was vaguely obscured by a hazy barrier
of dense fog which mystified the night environment and made the sea seem so charming, so
very gorgeous.

I was, as I believed to be, the only soul awake at the dead of night, extracting precious joy in
watching the blue, wavy waters of the sea, sparkling and glittering in the silvery rays of the
crescent moon. The night was ominously dark except for the moon which lit up the sky like a
small candle spreading its luminescence across a big, dark room. As I looked up, I saw the tall
towering chimneys with their heads high up at the pinnacle of the ship, rhythmically emitting
plumes of smoke into the sky. I was also enjoying the murmuring of the sea water as it collided
against the metallic body of the ship. I felt so happy. I clutched the railing of the balcony and
protruded my upper half out of the ship to feel the rushing breeze. I had been treasuring each
moment of this lovely voyage and today was my last night at the deck.

Suddenly a shrill, inhuman cry shattered the silence of the night and sent a chill down my spine.
It seemed to be coming from the front yard of the ship. I was shocked as I did not expect

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

anyone to stay up at this late hour. However, out of mere curiosity, I approached the fount of
that noise and what I saw left me frozen on the spot.

I saw three men in black overcoats, holding another man who was bleeding vigorously. One of
the men held a bloody dagger in his hand and with all his might pounded it into the stomach of
the man who was held captive by the other two comrades. Blood oozed out from his splt
abdomen and with a cry of agony he fell to the floor. Then one of the men, like a ravenous
demon, gouged out the left eye of the dead men and hammered his head till his brains dashed
out. I was completely terrified by this heinous spectacle and a gasp of terror escaped my mouth,
well heard by the murderers. As soon as they turned towards me with their bloodshot eyes, I
took to my heels with all my energy. I dashed downstairs with the murderers chasing after me
and shouting me to stop. I wanted to scream but my vocal cords betrayed me. I soon ran into a
dark room and shut the door. But after a while, I heard some metal blades clank into life and the
temperature suddenly dropped steeply. In the teeming red light that flickered in the corner of the
room, I saw a “danger” sign and discovered that I was in the freezing compartment of the ship
where fishes were kept. The murderers must have switched on the activation button to freeze
me to death. I could not go out, neither could I endure the biting cold. I felt so helpless. I sat
down, head in between my knees and started crying. Just then, I heard some sounds of
grabbing and pounding on the other side of the door. In a moment, the door opened and I saw
Phil, my boyfriend, standing at the doorstep. As if I had seen an Angel, I rushed towards him
and hugged him, sobbing. He enveloped me with his hands and I realised the danger was over.

The next day, I learnt the violent act of murder was preceded by a fiery altercation between
crew members involving personal affairs. Whatever the reason was, the incident was enough to
leave me mentally exhausted and the journey which ought to be a special one turned out to be
one which would keep haunting me for a lifetime!

Essay Topic: Someone with a prison record trying to get a job

This response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan

“Well, what’s your name young man?”

“My name’s Imran, Sir”

“Imran… we’ve examined your bio-data and your educational background. Look, we’re quite
convinced with you as far as your behaviour and competence is concerned. But...um… is it true
that you have been in prison before?”

“Yes sir, that’s true. But I can explain …”

“Look boy we understand your situation but you’ve also got to think of our plight as well. We’ve
worked for years to set up high discipline and principles for this highly reputed business of ours.
So we’ll have to say sorry…”

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

“But sir...sir, it was not my fault…”

“We’re sorry, you may leave now,” these words assaulted my ears like venomous arrows.

I looked at their stone faces for a moment. It had no sympathy, no mercy for me. Those fiery
eyes blazed my heart and reminded me of the past - a past that I desperately wanted to wash
away from my brain- a despicable past that I wished never came to my life.

As all these things rushed past my mind-with a supersonic speed- a sudden blink of my eyelids
suddenly jerked me back into the cruel reality. I got up from the chair and unwillingly dragged
myself out of the air-conditioned room. No sooner had I left the room, I almost had blisters on
my skin. So hot it was outside that I boarded on the lift and started on my way for yet another
interview.

As soon as I stepped onto the street, the stinging rays of the sun pelted on my head with all its
fury. Rivulets of sweat drained down my neck as I unmindfully strolled to my destination.

How long would I have to endure this humility- this piercing negligence and avoidance of the
people. The interview where I was turned down was my 20th this month. My feet hurt like hell
every time it came in contact with the soleless shoe. I was dressed like any other young man
looking for jobs- formal, white-coloured, ironed shirt and a ruby red tie. But who would ever
wonder that behind this immaculate dressing was hidden an unfortunate past.

My mind raced back to the time of the event that ruined my life. It was a bright, sunny Sunday.
Nobody, as far as the eyes stretch, were to be seen on the street. It was a strike. Suddenly I
came across a heinous sight. Some picketers were setting fire to a private car. All of a sudden,
they were dispersed by charging policemen. By that time, all the miscreants had fled. Suddenly,
out of nowhere, a policeman grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the police van. As if
struck by a bolt, I screamed with all my might, trying to proclaim my innocence but in vain.
The more I cried, the more the police hammered me with their batons. I was forced to stay in the
prison for a week- but this short stay in that place stained my life forever.

This was it! How long would I have to bear all these for something I did not do? What was it
worth struggling like this in vain? I had made up my mind. IT WAS TIME. I slowly walked to the
middle of the road. I stood there, firm, unmoved. A monstrous lorry sped towards me,
sounding its horns. But these horns had no effect on my ears. I was determined, it was nearing
me fast as I closed my eyes. A few seconds later all my miseries would be gone. I would be free
… forever!

Essay Topic: The Black Cloud

This response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan.

“Papa, give me some water. My throat is drying…”

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

As those words of my 12-year son echoed through my ears, I instinctively reached for the
water bag. But judging by the weight and the squashed plight of the bag, I could tell that it was
empty. As I rolled open the top of the bag, the few water droplets that adorned its rim
evaporated into thin air within split seconds. There I was, standing helpless, waterless in the
middle of the Sahara Desert, with the thirsty lips of my son begging for the taste of the precious
thing-water.

As those pitiful dreary eyes of Ikran, my son, gazed at me, all I could do was nod my head
sideways. Our supply of water had run out a long time back. All we had now was some dried
date palms and an exhausted camel. It had been days since we had started this quest for water.
This fruitless search had cost me my wife. I saw her, in front of my very own eyes, groaning in
pain, her dry lips asking for an iota of water. But it was not to be. Now, I knew it was our time.
The beast that carried us this far had already given up. It was all down to the two of us -to
struggle for a chance of survival.

As we walked on the fiery sands of the desert, the bestial fury of the sun pelted down on us and
assaulted our bare heads like poisoned arrows. As we staggered forward, strange mirages of
oasis bordered by green trees occasionally lifted our spirits. But the next moment, our hopes go
smashed into smithereens. As far as the eyes stretched, nothing but sand could be found
within vision. My feet were hurting like hell. I could not carry on any longer ....

I collapsed to the ground, my son followed me. In the midst of this enormous desert, two bodies
lay in the sand, waiting to be swept away by death. My suddenly paced back to the happiest
times of my life- those rare jolly days when it rained and children danced and people sang
songs of relief and satisfaction …

Suddenly, I felt a cold zephyr sweeping over my body. I lifted my head but what I saw was
out of the boundary of my imagination. A cloud- a colossal black cloud- was floating towards us,
as if God had finally heard my prayer. The sun hid its face behind the cloud. All of a sudden, the
entire ambiance turned dark and gloomy, as if nature was preparing to break free- to go wild! As
the cloud inched nearer, I felt a few drops of cold water falling on my forehead and drifting down
my cheek. In the blink of the eyelids, the shower began. I stood up and looked at the sky. My
tears were hidden by the smooth array of cascading water droplets. We were saved. I hugged
my son - we really were saved! The Black Cloud had arrived- it finally had- as the saviour of our
lives!

Essay Topic: The bomb went off shortly after 2 pm

This response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan

“You have to meet our demands. Free Mr. Morshed from jail without any condition. Houses will
burn, the nation will suffer if you do not listen to us,” squealed Mr. Faruk, the chief guest of the
gathering.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

I was only a part of the colossal gathering at the Paltan region of Dhaka where the chief
opposing party organised a protest ceremony. It had been hours since I have been waiting
under the glaze of the sun. I did not even know what the leaders were blabbering about. It all
seemed to be a mad exhibition of barbarism and voice power by a group of block-headed
people. I was there because I was paid money- money which I desperately needed for my
family. Yawning, I looked at my watch which displayed 2:10 at noon. It was only half an hour to
go to the marking the end of this tormenting ordeal. Suddenly, my cell phone rang to life. It was
probably my wife. I received the call, “Hello,.....”

All of a sudden, a loud bang sent me off flying a few metres in the air. When I crushed to the
ground, I felt the touch of a solid, sticky substance in my left hand. I looked at it and let out a
sharp cry of fear and extreme pain- the thing I was holding was my own RIGHT ARM, it had
been ripped off. With a trembling spine, I looked to the right side of my body, my arm wasn’t
there!

By that time, I was near-deaf by the sudden, explosive noise. Hardly had I been able to catch
the drift of the situation, I discovered the place surrounding me had turned into a living hell. As I
ran my eyes over the horizon, I saw people with the lower part of their body detached from
them, lying on a pool of blood- crying for help. Anguished shrieks emerged from a thousand
throats. There was blood everywhere I looked. I myself was bleeding profusely. I got up and
started running, as far away as my legs could carry me, away from that place. I leapt over
countless dead bodies, if they could be distinguished as human bodies. There were parts of
once thriving bodies scattered over the black tar of the road- intestines, a pair of glasses, a
detached head and a pair of glasses with brain sticking out and a hand. As I was running, I
suddenly felt a warm, bloody hand gripping my ankle. As I looked down shocked, I saw a half-
man, cut down from waist below, saying in a hoarse voice “Please help!” A tiny splash of
electricity ran down my spine. I continued to press forward. The stench of rotten flesh and
newly-spilled blood overpowered me. I could not take it any more. I crashed down to my knees.
On my left, I saw a huge crater in the road which marked the origin of the explosion. I looked at
the shops on the sidewalk. They were diminished to rubbles. Minute bits of glass were
splattered all over the street and not a few yards away there were the distorted debris of
vehicles crushed and mounted one over the other, still ablaze. Bits of liver and kidney were
sprayed helter skelter. I was feeling the excruciating pain of every movement of my limb. I could
feel the splinters of the bomb struck deep in my flesh. As far as the eyes stretched, I was the
only thriving piece of flesh. I must have lost gallons of blood- I could not think of anything. I fell
to the blood-soaked earth, awaiting the inevitable. Suddenly, I heard the approaching loud
sound of ambulance sirens. Maybe there was still hope. But I was powerless, I closed my heavy
eyelids, maybe never to open them again.
Essay Topic: Late again …

The following response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan

“Late again?” said the teacher. “What’s your excuse this time?”

“You’re not going to believe this, sir,” I said as I painfully limped into the classroom.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

“Well let me hear but not believe,” replied Mr. Atkinson with a smirk.

I had got myself into these kinds of situations countless times. It was nothing new for me. But
when I saw Mr. Atkinson’s wry, pale face, fear gripped me tightly. Maybe he has had a row with
his wife this morning. It was certainly not a good sign. I knew I was a master of my art. But if I
could not come up with a proper reason today, it was Doomsday for me.

“What happened, Mr. Jackson, out of stock” Mr. Atkinson intervened with nudging hilarity.

“No, sir. Actually a lot of things happened to me today. I was very busy saving mankind. So, I
ran in a little late,” I said with a trembling voice.

“Oh, really! Then please oblige us by telling you the feat of saving the world.”

I cleared my throat and started.

“You see sir, today was no different. As usual the sun rose in the east. The morning was very
lively. The lurks were singing, the sun was smiling and the flowers were swaying in the wind…”

“I believe you are not a weather reporter, are you Mr. Jackson? So can you just skip to the
climax of your story?”, the teacher interrupted coldly.

“Okay sir. As I was on my way to school, I was sauntering across the footpath, whistling to
myself. All went well before I saw a stray dog a few yards away from me. One end of the chain
around his neck was lying on the street and he ogled at me, salivating vigorously. In no time,
with a loud bark, it came charging towards me. I instantly turned behind and started running for
my life, shouting vociferously. It was not clear why it chased me but perhaps I might have
someday stolen his favourite bone. However, after a long run, I was saved by the interruption of
an old lady who reproached me blaming that I kidnapped her dog. Astonished as I was, I had
no energy left in me to speak in my defence. After the lady was done shredding her wrath on
me, I quickly rushed for the bus stop. What a cruel world we live in!

I was already late. As I was waiting for the bus, two men dressed in black leather jackets
whizzed past me and snatched the handbag of a young lady standing near me. Seeing this, I
quickly ran after them with the speed of lightning. I ran as if I had the strength of ten Usain Bolts
in my leg. In no time, I overtook their bike and pulled them out of their seats. I suddenly became
as powerful as Hulk and started beating them black and blue. One of my punches landed
squarely on their jaws and they felt like a sack of potatoes.

P.S. I lost the hard copy of the remaining part. Sorry to leave it as a cliffhanger. The ending was
nice tho.

Essay Topic: A Great Adventure

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

(This response has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan.)

The man in grey moustache and cowboy hat tried his best to clutch onto the rope with his right
hand. He swayed like a daffodil in the chilly afternoon breeze and the next moment with his
arms flung out to his sides he would resemble a bird enjoying sweet freedom flying in the blue
sky. But it was not to be the ending of a fairy tale. Within seconds, I saw the man thrashed to
the ground at breakneck speed. Then the four-legged beast raised its forelimbs five feet into the
air and the hundred pound killing machine came crashing down on the poor man’s chest. I
heard a bone-cracking sound and the man lay flat with his head dug deep in the mud completely
null and void. Four rescue members rushed to the spot and carried him away in a stretcher.
Now, it was my turn to take on the challenge- bull-fighting was no child’s play!

Unfortunately I was not the only one to witness this terrible spectacle. My mother was also
present there. And guess what she did after seeing this … well she did not even have the
chance to deter me from doing what I intended to do - she just fainted on her seat. It was not the
first time I had decided to embark on such a ‘foolish’ expedition. I had abseiled on some of the
highest mountain ridges in the world, I had gone bungee jumping, I had even tried my luck on a
thin piece of rope hung a hundred feet above the ground and … uhm I can not think of any more
right now. Why do I do all these? Well, adrenaline rush is not enough to explain the death-
defying urge that I have for nail-biting adventure. It is not very surprising that my friends and
relatives have often praised me with phrases like ‘Are you mad?’, ‘You lack some serious brain
cells’ etc. but they have not stopped me. What is the wisdom behind restricting yourself from
having ‘fun’ when life is so short? And my life is meant to be even shorter because I have a
brain tumour. If death was already on its way, why not try to rush towards it and have the
pleasure of dodging it every time I come out victorious from the dark dungeon of death.

The gigantic beast now puffed out smoke from its huge nostrils and stared at me with bloodshot
eyes, ready to tear me apart. It was with a lump in my throat that I got to his back presently
confined within a small chamber to resist any movement. My guide fitted a piece of plastic to my
mouth to ensure that I do not lose all my teeth by the end of the ride. He patted me on the back
and said, “Whatever you do, do not let go off the rope!” This piece of advice did not seem to
pacify me at all. My heart beat at the rate of noughts and my feet ran cold. I closed my eyes,
anticipating the worst. All of a sudden, the door creaked open and all hell broke loose. The bull
started jumping for its life. Talking about taking the bumps on your back- I felt my spine twitch
and bend in a way I never thought it could. My stomach jerked up and down and my heart
nearly lept out of my mouth. Still I did not let go, “C’mon you beat, is that all you got??” I
shouted. I rode the bull for an ephemeral 10 seconds, or so it seemed to me before I slipped
from the saddle and fell to the ground. Miraculously, the lethal hooves of the bull missed me by
a few inches as it stampeded away from me. Covered in mud and sticky perspiration, I rose to
my feet with the huge crowd giving me a standing ovation that included my panicked, yet smiling
mother. It was a risky task but it was nothing less than a great adventure.

Essay Topic: A Very Hot Place

The following essay has been written by Khyrul Anam Khan.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar

“So long you ruthless dictator! You’ve cracked the whip on us too long. Now it’s time to get your
‘REWARD’. Rot in hell fire for your entire cursed life.”

These bitter words pierced through my ears and made me freeze to the ground. My watery eyes
glittered and pleaded for clemency but they paid no heed. In front of my eyes, my only chance
of survival was inching away from me. The ship cut through the bottom of the sea and slowly
faded into the horizon. I was left alone - completely alone in this unknown island.

I once used to be the all powerful dictator of my huge kingdom Narnia. But my endless greed
led to my doom. My subjects revolted and now they had deserted me in this parched island to
die for good.

I stood in the middle of nowhere. As far as my vision could stretch, there was nothing but an
endless tract of blazing sand. I seemed to be looking at everything through undulating glass. It
was the peak of summer. No life stirred in this arid and seemingly lifeless land. There was no
chirping of birds; no terrestrial life dared to challenge the scorching heat of the glazing sun.

A few hundred yards away, I could see the border of a forest. I rushed towards it but could
nothing more than trudging across the sand. I was too exhausted to move my legs. The sun was
soaking every bit of my life energy. Rivulets of sweat flowed down my neck and in no time, I was
drenched to my skin. Everything flared and boiled as if the entire place had been set ablaze in
an inferno. I was bathed in perspiration and my body begged for a sensation of moving air- I felt
that the slightest breeze could revive me. But everything stood absolutely still - with no trace of
wind. The mighty sun continued to shed its wrath in buckets on my bare head. With time, the
sun seemed to get more powerful and ruthless. As the venomous rays of the sun pierced
through my skin, I felt my skin crack and burn as if someone had thrown acid on my body. I was
a restless soul in this cruel, burning wasteland- and embodiment of fear. I could hear the
abusing curses and the self-satisfying smirks of my subjects. The shade of the rusted trees was
only a few inches away. I crawled into the shelter of the trees like an invertebrate animal. The
cool shade soothed my senses temporarily. Resting on my elbows, I raised my head to see the
burning land melting under the dominance of the supreme conqueror. I could see the huge
waves of the sea crash on the sandy shore, the water sparkling and shimmering in the golden
heat rays. Seeing the water made me feel thirsty. My throat was parched and I needed to drink
water urgently; only I did not have any. As I lay on the sandy floor like a corpse, my face and
hands smeared with glittering beads of sand, I shivered in the thought of the uncertain future but
I knew I had to press on to stand a chance against the fiery glory of this land- this second hell
on Earth.

Prepared by Ridwan Abrar