It was a cloudy Monday morning. The school was in solemn mood. An eerie silence permeated the whole school. All of us looked serious and attentive. In front of the parade square, there was a boy standing there, who looked flustered and fearful. He shifted his eyes away from meeting anyone else's, and his eyes fixed on the ground. He remained emotionless while waiting for the discipline master to call out his name.
"Lee Kok Keong!" yelled Mr. Tan at the top of his voice. The boy approached him gingerly, with his leg trembling in terror. The boy walked to the centre of the parade square and back-faced the school. Mr. Tan raised up a cane and whipped on the boy. I could hear the groan of the boy which made me feel pity. The sound of the flog with a whip was clearly heard and it was fearful. I could hear the whispers and screams of my schoolmates together with the sighed of the teachers resounding through the entire school.
Tears streaked down the boy's cheeks. His nose and eyes were drenched and he wiped it with the back of his sleeve. This made us feel pathetic towards him. Slowly, the boy shuffled his feet and walked up to the stage. He remained tongue-tied silence for a few minutes and finally, he blurted out, '' I feel sorry for the mistakes I had made. I had did a shame to the school and I was truly regret of it. " The school remained painful silence after hearing this. With tears strangling his voice, he choked out, " Please forgive me and give me a second chance. I promised I will not do this again!"
This public punishment was resulted by the inconsiderate act of the boy. He used to play truant, steal things, smoke and even take drugs. He had neglected his studies and remained staying around with gangsters all the time. He was rebellious and had hurt his parents greatly. The teachers and principal tried hard to pull him back to the correct path, but he ignored their advices and continued making mistake. His rebellious and impulsive manner had resulted the death of his father who had suffered heart disease for a long period of time.
There was nothing the school could do for him, except giving him frequent counselling which was totally useless to him and some serious punishments, such as public canning. This was the second time he being canned publicly. No matter how much advises the teachers had given and the punishments applied to him, he still continue to offend the school's rule. The strokes that he deserved can only apply for a few days. Few days later, he will forget the pain and repeat his offences.
Looking at him made me feel pathetic. We are now still teenager, we still have a long way to go. I hoped the boy will realise his mistake in one day and have a bright future.
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