Our intelligent Muhammad Arshiyan Khan's debut story on the blog. A fairly impressive description of the situation his characters are into.

Just as we flipped our backs we were breathless to see…

Hurry up Kevin or else you will be taken in by the swirling tornado. We did not have much time to talk as the tornado was gaining on us. Kevin a lad of mine was lacking behind and the two of us were in front waiting for him to catch up. The sky was getting darker and darker and with the clock ticking, the sight was becoming unbearable to keep facing at. ’’Can’t the two of you just take me by your arms? I can’t go any further.” Kevin exclaimed. “It’s not the time to ask such bizarre favors; don’t give way so easily.”

The tornado was so vigorous that we could feel its intensity below our feet. It seemed as if it was rumbling for something to feed on. The three of us tried to make way to our boats which were on the sea shore. It was hard to budge through the woods but eventually we were relieved to catch sight of our boats.’’ Come on guys just a little more and we will be cruising’’. James shrieked in a reassured manner. ‘’Guys, guys……..Would you want to peek back for a few seconds’’? Kevin politely said giving us a shrug.

Just as we flipped our backs we were breathless and hallucinating to see hell up in front of us. This was just lunatic. Chills were sent up my spine. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the churning tornado in an uncanny way. Our feet were wedged and no one could dare utter even a single word. The wind that screeched the sand off the earth’s surface was piercing through and now our body was oozing abundantly from numerous parts. We all had given in. My body was getting incompatible and the sand that was infected prevented the blood flow. I was losing sense and getting numb. Suddenly, I fell to the ground and simultaneously the other two fell too.

I guess these are my last words, they are a few but it’s all I have left to say.  You guys meant everything to me and I’ll be expecting you in the other world. I was being sucked in sliding on the ground towards the wicked claws of death. My eyes were getting heavier and the only thing I saw was them both smiling in return.

Muhammad Arshiyan Khan

O’ Levels Final Year

PakTurk International School

Islaabad

Armughan Aslam of class O’ Levels final year came up with perfection this time leaving me handicapped when I tried to spot errors in his story. This too is another episode of our series about developing a story in a setting of snowy weather condition. I feel like shouting out a single word to vent my feelings or appreciation: Superb!

The puddle of blood, sleet and slush sent chills down my spine…

At exactly 7am, my alarm clock sprang to life one frigid morning. Poking my head from underneath layers of blankets, I could perceive grayish-white clouds through the window. I made my way to the bathroom, fogging the mirror with my breath. I put on my earmuffs, boots and mittens and made my way to the yard. The crunch of snow beneath my boots was music to my ears in the dead-silent morning. As I approached my mailbox, which was by now covered with white, cottony powder, a familiar voice caught my attention.

“Good morning Gary!” It was my neighbor and friend, Sam, from down the road. Sam was a short, chubby man with a stub nose and a round face. We waved, and so Sam started crossing the road to catch up with the latest news. Soon, however, my smile disappeared as I saw a car screech across the icy road. Sam’s body plopped to the ground like the ice crystals falling. The puddle of blood, sleet and slush sent chills down my spine.

The blistering cold and the icy breeze had frozen my mind as well, and it was quite a while after which I noticed that the four-wheeler’s chauffeur had fled. Without a second to waste, I escorted Sam to the back of the car; his ski parka was drenched in blood. I got behind the wheel and drove off with speed to the hospital. I could barely visualize objects steering the car through the sea of white, and had to swerve to avoid pedestrians in the way.

            “Gary!” exclaimed Sam, his voice dying. “Please tell my wife and kids, that I love them…”

“Hang in there Sam. Nothing’s going to happen to you!” There was no response. I turned around to see Sam unconscious. As I glanced back at the road, a leafless oak tree appeared out of the blue. I tried to skew the car out of the way, but the slippery road took over and we crashed into the mighty timbre. I fell unconscious.

Upon regaining conscious, I found myself settled in a hospital bed. The nurse told me that I had been in coma for three days which shocked me to the nerves. Upon enquiring about Sam, I was left shell-shocked. My eyes swelled up with tears, for Sam had died.

Armughan Aslam

O’ levels Final Year

Yet another ‘blast’ by Umar Khan of class O’ Levels final year! Same is the setting here: a snowy day weather condition. Even though amount of vocabulary related with snowy day is not as per our requirement, yet see the way he engaged us right from the first word he dropped onto the answersheet; the power of dragging us along till end; and a startling ending leaving you flabbergasted. A big thumb up, dear Umar! We all wish you an A* grade in your Cambridge Exam.

What she said next struck me like the blade of a sword......

I glanced out of the window and ran my gaze through the world now covered in a carpet of white. It seemed as if the earth had buried itself under blankets trying to resist the cold which had now taken over the world.  My breath clouded the window. Kids gave life to the dead world. They darted here and there, kicking mounds of snow into the air. Small and delicate crystals could be seen falling from the sky.

Knowing that today would be the perfect day, I quickly grabbed the ring and slid it into my pocket. The door creaked as I slowly opened it. My eyes pained as a sudden gush of light sprang into the room. After a brief moment, I stepped out onto the porch.

My heartbeat sped up when I saw her and thundered in my chest. She sat silently on the bench. Her face was as radiant as always. The first time I had saw her, purchasing chocolate bars at the local store, I knew it was love. She did things to my heart that I had never experienced before. My steps got heavier as I approached her. My fingertips rubbed against the silver ring resting in my pocket.

Seeing me, she abruptly stood up. Snow lightly showered on us. The chilly breeze pounded my face. Before I could say anything, she started to cry. Tears slid down her cheeks. I couldn't anticipate what was happening. A part of me wanted to rush to her and take her into my arms, while the other part made me stay where I was- dumbfounded. "I have to tell you something ," she whimpered. A chill ran up my spine as I heard the words- there was pain in them. What she said next struck me like the blade of a sword, piercing through the heart. She uttered, "I'm carrying a child."

Umar Khan
O' Levels Final Year
PakTurk International School & College
Chak Shahzad Campus
Islamabad

Boys of O’ Level were asked to gather vocabulary related with a snowy day, and then develop a story in which they would be incorporating all that vocabulary. Let’s see how very successful Muhammad Abubakar Mian’s attempt is. I believe a compelling quality opening; vocabulary capable of representing the situations and feelings; variety in the sentence structure, variety in vocabulary, variety in situations, description of feeling and emotions and situations; use of descriptive verbs + all this coupled with an engaging content; engaging content means the author has the ability to keep dragging his/her readers along till end by keeping their minds hooked up. That’s all what makes a story a truly interesting stuff . See for yourself, Muhammad Abubakar Mian does deserve applause for a job well done --- quite effortlessly. A big kudos, Abubakar

....I called the number back but to no avail…

What I woke up to would have been called a frozen wonderland if it wasn’t for the howling wind still raging outside. A violent and unrelenting blizzard had overtaken the small town of Dearborn, Michigan. This storm of deathly white was unlike anything Dearborn had seen before. Virtually everything in the town was under a blanket of snow, and not a soul stirred in any of its streets. Businesses and most public services were closed, as people trapped themselves in their homes while seeking refuge from the Siberian environment. How much longer will this blizzard last? I wondered, while slowly creeping out of bed and making my way to the kitchen.

Perhaps a nice, warm cup of coffee will fight off the frigid cold that still holds a tight grip over my body, I thought. As I was sipping on the coffee, however, my cellphone rang - but only for a few seconds. It stopped ringing as soon as I took it out of my pocket. The missed call was from an old lady that lived about a block away. Perplexed as to why she was calling so early in the morning, I called the number back but to no avail. Suddenly, the freezing cold came rushing over my body once more. Maybe she’s in trouble and needs my assistance? Being her only friend and contact in the entire town, she didn’t have anyone else to turn to.

A part of me wanted to quickly gulp down the coffee and just as quickly crawl back under the comfy bed sheets. While the warmth of the bed sheets might have shielded me from the blizzard’s arctic grasp, it would not have provided closure as to why Ms. Lee had just left a missed call. As this internal conflict of emotions played out in my head, I unconsciously got myself dressed - ready to face the icy tempest.

With one last deep breath, I swung the door open and trudged out into the snow. Hugging my coat like a joey clinging to its mother’s pouch, I turned in the direction of Ms. Lee’s house and made my way towards it. Every few steps a debilitating gust of sleet and snow hurled itself against me. Bracing myself for more of these aggressions being carried by the blizzard, I thought of my relationship with Ms. Lee. Unfortunately, I didn’t know much about her and neither did she of me. What I was certain of however, was that I was the closest thing to a friend she had anywhere in this town. It was my responsibility, then, to make sure she was okay. ‘Maybe she has fallen somewhere in her house and is unable to get up,” I feared.

After a few more minutes of walking, I finally made it to the house. I rang the bell and then heard a shout from deep within the house. The exclamation put my body into overdrive as I turned the door knob and sprinted inside.

“Ah! Abubakar, it’s so nice to see you. I just finished baking some cookies. Why don’t you sit down and eat?” (…describe your reaction as well --- in a sentence or two. How did you feel like? Shocked? Sad? Bored? Happy or what? Besides, whatever you revealed in the end could have been something more forceful, more enthralling one. That blast surprise I was waiting for turned out to be rather weak here.)

Muhammad Abubakar Mian
O' Level Final Year
PakTurk International School & College
Islamabad

A short story with feedback. The student's name is being held.

I peered out the window and saw that the whole neighborhood was covered in snow. Snow flakes fell slowly from the sky. (If it’s description with which you preferred opening your story, then add a bit of more to depict snowy weather condition to be able to sound mature in writing.) I had a severe headache so I took some painkillers to ease the pain. I went (Use descriptive verb here. The one you applied is talkie verb) to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate when I got a call from my girlfriend (avoid mention of girlfriend since it’s odd in our society and religion). As I was about to pick it up, it ended. I tried to call her but her phone was off which was odd.

I took my gun with my badge and headed towards the car but unfortunately the car’s battery had died. (Taking gun is too abrupt here. You need to develop solid background first as what was that something that really made you feel so very aggressive. Justify it to make it sound maturer.) My mind was ticking like a time bomb (Why? How did you sense and decide that the girl was essentially in trouble? We need enough evidence first) and no painkillers could stop it. Mona’s place was a block away from mine. I had no choice but to walk. The snow was very thick and it was difficult for me to walk. I was already struggling through the snow when it started to snow very heavily (Avoid repeating the same word, that too in such a narrow space. Show variety in vocabulary.) It seemed as if a blizzard was about to come. I was almost there when I saw a man walk into mona’s house (‘Mona’ is proper noun. Write it with capital initial: ‘M’). I took my gun out and started to walk faster because I couldn’t run in this blanket of snow. I finally reached her house.

As I entered her house I shouted “Mona!” and that’s when something struck my head. It was mona (again with capital ‘M’). She struck my head with the baseball bat (why?) and that’s when that man came (Use descriptive verb here to show the manner of his coming). The man pointed the gun at me. He cocked the gun and said “Goodbye john” (Use capital ‘J’). Mona kissed me one last time and that’s when I jumped out of the window and disappeared in the snow. The snow was merciful to hide me. (Why did the man point that gun at you? Who was he? What was the situation like? Why was Mona alone at home? We don’t find a single word about her family? Justify her being alone there. The ending leaves many questions unanswered. Provide us an improved version of the story, and of course with a title as well.)

O’ Level students are fully clear on this point that when getting hold of a topic for story writing, and intending to use first person pronoun ‘I’, they can pose to be anybody, like a mom, a baby, a shopkeeper, an elderly person or a young man etc. See the way Muhammad Abubakar Mian seized the topic, triggered/prompted his imaginative explosive to cause this ‘big bang’ you call ‘a short story’. Intensely engaging right from the first word he dropped onto the sheet, the story is compellingly believable. With crispy, punchy sentences most naturally gushing out like a water spring, and well-connected like pieces in a chain, the story itself unfolds all information, the background, the present scenario and a likely future. You’d feel as if you were watching this incident with your own eyes. It’s like a Hollywood movie scene.

Muhammad Abubakar Mian was asked to generate a short story using the following two sentences anywhere in the text.

“Blood was still oozing out of his nose…”

“I had never expected her to betray me like that.”

Blood was still oozing out of his nose as I slammed him against the wall and continued to beat him to a pulp. His tattered shirt was red all over, but no amount of bleeding would stop my onslaught. My fury of punches continued to rain down on him as I blocked out the screams of my wife. She pleaded me to calm down, but that was like asking a bull to stop and wait as an entertainer tied his shoes - impossible. In retrospect, I’m not exactly sure where all that intense energy had come from, but come it did, and when it came, it was violent. 

The stranger had touched my wife in the privacy of my home. I use the word “stranger” lightly as he was a stranger to me but might not have been a stranger to these walls. My wife could have let him in on a number of occasions. This was a possibility that I did not want to believe, but was forced to at least consider. I had never expected her to betray me like that. These thoughts raced through my mind as my one-sided offensive continued. 

There was one thought that resonated throughout my body more so than the others: ‘This was my fault. It was my neglect that had led my wife to what she has done.’ She was not to blame, and neither was the man at the receiving end of my fists. The latter was only taking advantage of the former’s unfortunate situation. The thought of this magnified my anger ten-fold, but it was through this anger that I realized the man before me was now motionless. His whimpering had subsided and his body grew cold. The next sound I heard was that of a police siren going off somewhere in the distance as two men in blue jackets kicked down the door.

Boys of O’ Level Final, the other day, were challenged by their language teacher to produce a story within 40 minutes time, in a way that the ending must have some sort of surprise. Here is what our writing genius Muhammad Abubakar Mian ‘blurted out’. Witty and amusing stuff!!

I had practiced saying it a hundred times, but when the moment came, I just couldn't open my mouth.

“I had practiced saying it a hundred times, but when the moment came, I just couldn’t open my mouth!” Wasiullah wailed.

Upon hearing this, the entire room burst into a thunderous roar. It was hard not to laugh at Wasiullah’s misfortune. Wasiullah, the shy gentleman in our group of friends, was retelling his failed attempt at befriending the pretty girl living across the street from him.

“And what happened next?”

I questioned while trying to conceal my smile as best I could.

“Absolutely nothing.” He murmured. “She stood there looking at me expectantly with those soft pearly eyes of hers. She waited a few seconds for me to say something, but I guess she gave up as the next thing I saw was the small of her back and her golden-brown hair.”

“Soft pearly eyes? What the hell have you been smoking, man?”

“I smoke only the sweet fumes of love.”

Wasiullah replied as a smile quietly stretched across his face. His mood seemed to have been improving. It was clear, however, that Wasiullah had something special brewing in his heart for this girl, and that it was up to us to get the job done.

It was decided that I would be the one to accompany our lovestruck knight on his next expedition. Wasiullah seemed to be having an issue with introducing himself. For this reason, my task was to take care of the introductions before quickly leaving the two of them to themselves. Wasiullah informed me that the girl went for a stroll through Central Park every day at around three in the afternoon. We decided that this would be the best time for making contact with her. The next day both of us made our way to a bench near the entrance of the park and began waiting patiently. After about an hour of sitting around, Wasiullah let out a nervous squeal.

          

“There she is!” he yelped.

 Mustering as much suave as I could, I slowly made my way towards her.

 “Hi there.” I hollered.

The girl, however, walked right past me. Befuddled, I caught up with her and put my hand on her shoulder. Once she turned around, I told her my name with an inviting smile. This is when the girl pointed to her ear and I made a harrowing realization. The girl, who our dear Wasiullah had so quickly fallen in love with, was deaf.

Muhammad Abubakar Mian, O’ Level Final Year
PakTurk International School
Chak Shahzad Campus, Islamabad

A short story by our intelligent Armughan Aslam, a hard working boy in my O’ Level class. True that some areas and some of the sentences need improvement here, this still is worth reading a text. Armughan, as you will see, can successfully incorporate vocabulary words. His imaginative ability is also commendable. I’m sure he will most certainly be doing lots better in his future attempts.

“I realized that the man walking down the street had done something abnormal…”

I had never been so anxious in my whole life. My blood pressure had skyrocketed, and I was in a state of anguish and confusion. I could never have expected that the new Mercedes, which I had bought less than a week ago, would be stolen so effortlessly.

It was a sunny afternoon of November. I was driving back home after a hectic day in the office in my brand new Mercedes Benz. After years of promotions, hard work and savings, I was finally able to afford this luxury, and it made me extremely jubilant. As I rolled into my street, I noticed a tall, hairy man worriedly searching for something. In the span of a second, I realized that the man walking down the street had done something abnormal: he took hold of a garbage bag near my home and started pacing in my direction. I had to brake hard in order to save the man, who quickly came up to my door. Then, darkness!

When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on the lopsided sidewalk, with a faint pain in my head. I remembered the man squealing “Please forgive me” before landing a blow on my head with a rod. Worse, he had gotten away with my up-to-date Mercedes, which made me angry as a charging bull. Without a second to waste, I headed to the nearest police station and registered an FIR against the culprit. During the while, I overheard policemen conversing with each other.

“Have you heard the news? A bomb cleverly hidden in a garbage bag is out there somewhere in the city.” yelped one policeman to the other. “If we don’t find it soon, it can surely wreak havoc.” Before I had time to think, a sudden newsflash illuminated the LCD mounted on the wall: A bomb had just set off a few miles away from town. Soon the news spread like wildfire, and footages from the scene where being broadcasted live. All of a sudden, I felt a jolt within, because the dilapidated automobile damaged by the explosion was actually mine!

Just then, it struck my mind: the man, who apparently had robbed me of my car, had actually tried to dispose of the bomb as far away as possible from the city. I could not help tear at the fact that he had sacrificed his life to save the lives of hundreds. I informed the policemen of my story, and they too couldn’t help but praise the bravery of that man. That day, my faith in humanity was finally restored.

Name: Armughan Aslam

Student of O’ level Class

PakTurk International School, Islamabad

“He could never resist the temptation” was the topic given to our O’ Level final year students in their monthly performance test for November, 2014, and here is what Muhammad Sohaib Shahid blasted off for us to enjoy. See the engaging style. Words and sentences in his writings shape in a way that they keep you dragging till the end. You feel like finishing the story and then attend anything else in your life. Well done, Sohaib!

“He could never resist the temptation”

Like always, he did not see it coming. His over-weight soccer boots did not balance him which made him skid across the wet floor. Alan had slammed into the fireplace resulting in a bad bruise. To his fortune, Henry had just put off the fire but Alan, strained in excruciating pain, gave a high pitched moan.

 Mum and Henry hurried downstairs and on finding Alan severely hurt, gave him some aid. Wiping charcoal off his leg, Alan tried to walk but with each stride, he doubled the pain. It turned out that Alan had to miss a vital game for his team.

Alan and Henry, being twins were passionate in soccer. Although Henry never played since he froze due to nervousness in an equally important game, he was just satisfied watching his gifted brother play. He would recall the moments  he played together with Alan and always wanted to relive them but Alan, who was the heart of the team, would suggest him not to.

“Tell the coach about my leg……argh …, you…have gotta make it there” Alan insisted.

It did not take much before Henry hit the road. On arriving at the field, he missed the presence of his brother in the squad. Saddened, he grabbed a bench and impatiently waited the team’s recruitment. The coach was shouting the names of the starters when Henry heard him say “Alan”. It was time for Henry to innovate, since he could never resist the temptation.

As Henry seemed totally identical to Alan, he decided to fill his space.

“Just a moment, coach “, he blurted out quickly and then crept into a room where he got strut in the kit. Soon he was among the players and “The Hull Tigers” were all set to attack.

This newly born “Alan” felt overjoyed as the match progressed. It seemed he had overcome his nervousness completely. The crowd would appreciate his every effort, considering it to be Alan’s regular game though it was Henry who had managed to play like him. It was the last moment of the match when out of nowhere, the football bolted into the net. Henry who had barely played a month had scored the winner for his team.

Hull Tigers had won the cup!

Henry, extremely jubilant, rushed back home and beheld before his brother the trophy. Alan on having already received the victory news by a text message chirpily exclaimed, “well, there’s been a while we haven’t played together”.

Muhammad Sohaib Shahid
O' Level Final Year
PakTurk International Schools & Colleges,
 Chak Shahzad Campus, Islamabad

Here you are dear readers. Yet another attempt at story writing by one of our budding writers - Sohaib Zahir of class O’ Level final year. The story begins with a tense moment, and hence is engaging enough. Inhabitants of Ohio need to stay alert!

Imagine you woke up and found an alien in your neighbor’s backyard. Write a story.

"Dear residents of Ohio state, our safe and beautiful city is under attack from some unknown creatures". Security State Minister, Mr.Paterson, announced with dejection all over his face. This petrifying news sent a shivering layer of fear through the inhabitants of Ohio.

"Wake up! Wake up! “Emily shrieked in my ear. "What's wrong!? For God's sake, let me have an uninterrupted nap" I mumbled elusively.

"Liam! Our country has been ambushed by some aliens, but you are busy relishing your nap" she stuttered in a scared sounding tone.

“Whaaat?” I kicked open my eyes.

Soon, Emily and I were busy packing all necessary stuff like clothes, food items, a warm quilt etc. Emily hurriedly fed Harry and I started my ole battered forerunner which was anxiously waiting for us in the garage to fly us to safety. At first, the gigantic ford was reluctant to start but after trying for innumerable times, eventually, it rumbled into life.

We loaded our ford with all the essential stuff. There screamed Emily "Liam, go pick your armlet up. It will come handy against those dreadful aliens"."Damn! You really are making me confused."

I came out of the truck and slammed the door shut. As I reached the store in the backyard, and was about to pick my moldy armlet rifle, our neighbor, aunt Angeline bawled stridently and I rushed into her kitchen.

There with the ugliest look I had ever come across in my life stood a weird looking creature which was busy examining the kitchen's stuff that he had not seen back at his own place.

He had scary eyes, curly messed up hair all over his sturdy naked body plus he had knife-like sharp teeth which were pointing out of his mouth like pianos keys. His scary muzzle was adorned with anger and thirst for human blood.

"Bang........." The bullet shot out of my rifle pierced through his nude body, hurling him onto the squeaky wooden floor of aunt Angeline's modern kitchen. The boating alien was dead at that very instant.

I huddled the corpulent corpse lying there from my instinctive love for humans and care for humanity. Then I bolted back to my truck where Emily and Harry stood, petrified.

From the emergency radio broadcast, I came to know that a ship will be leaving for Mexico City in a few hours time. A whole of hope shone upon us. Emily motivated me, "Come on Liam, we can make it". I kicked the accelerator hard and the ole forerunner caught pace, though it sounded as if it was crying out of pain and asking me for mercy.

In about an hour, we reached the port. Scared and wounded people from different parts of the state were rushing in. Confused and noisy, everyone was trying hard to climb the safety first. The vulnerable, poor administration was trying its level best to save as many as was humanly possible for them.

I took Harry and Emily. We got into a new yacht of some rich businessman with all necessary accessories stuffed into it but they were at that moment useless for victims since they were in a terrible hurry to get to safety. The yacht was laden with people crying out their hearts for their lost beloveds.

After an hour, the yacht shifted through calm waters, finding its way through murky mist which was hanging in the air with frustration and cruelty laden in it.

Almost the whole city was devastated, for thousands of innocent people were heinously killed. There was chaos all around.

What will happen next? No one knows for sure. Will God be merciful enough and give humans another chance?

Lives of the inhabitants of Ohio are under severe threat. Nevertheless, they seem determined to take the bull by its horns. Will government and all the people around the globe respond to the excruciating cries of our people...?

Written by:

Sohaib Zahir

O' Level Final Year

PakTurk Schools

Islamabad

Sohaib Zahir

Zohair Sardar has shared his reflections on the topic “Mistakes” by illustrating his thoughts with a couple of relevant examples. Well done, boy! Keep up good work.

Mistakes

“Ben! Come here this instance!” shouted mom.

On hearing his mother’s intimidating voice, Ben scrammed to the kitchen.

“What happened mom?” Ben asked in fear and confusion.

 “What is this? Didn’t I tell you to put the cake back into the fridge after you have eaten your share?” shouted mom angrily. She had gone red in the face.

“I’m so sorry mom! It’s just that I was so tired last night that I forgot to put it back.” replied Ben.

“Well, go now. This mistake shouldn’t happen again”, reacted his mother in a milder tone.

Ben is an average teenager who has just began his O levels, but he is not even a small bit serious towards his academic progress. Neither does he concentrate in the class, nor has he ever done his homework on time. He has failed to do justice with his notebooks, which are filled with random doodling and what not.  His hot favourite interests are either to play football, or to have a session of pointless chatting with his friends during and after his lessons. Ben has been repeating all his mistakes to the extent that now they have become a part of his life.

One cold, Monday morning, Ben headed for the school without fulfilling his homework in Science, Mathematics and Geography, most of which was assigned to him on previous Friday. At half past ten, his Maths period started. Everyone submitted their homework, except for Ben. When the teacher asked him to submit the homework, he started making up lame excuses to defend himself. His teacher was well aware of his attitude, so he punished him by demanding to do the assignments thrice.

Not long afterwards, his teacher returned the tests which were taken on the previous Wednesday. As always, Ben had not performed well, mainly because of his non-serious attitude towards studies. In the exam, he had done numerous silly mistakes, which were completely unacceptable for a student at his level.

When he reverted back from school at 3 p.m., he was so tired that he fell asleep the moment he hit his bed. He woke up in the evening and had his supper and evening tea. When Ben started his homework, which was only because he had received punishment from his teacher, he absent-mindedly started using his father’s official note-book, which had important agreements with companies written all over it.

The following day, his father received a call from his boss, asking him to bring the agreements on the following day as he wanted to have a look at the agreements made with other companies. His father skimmed through his bag, but that notebook was nowhere in sight. He searched for the copy in every nook and corner of the house, and as he suspected, he found it in Ben’s bag. He was utterly shocked to find all that mess his pampered child had created on different pages. Infuriated, he shouted out “Hey, you silliest creature! Where are you? Come over here!!” And soon he was showing Ben all those nonsensical doodles he had poured out there. “Do you know I might be kicked out of this job if my boss happens to see what you’ve done here?”

He kept speaking for long, advising him to be careful in future. “Let me now think of a way out…” was the last sentence after which Ben was permitted to move back to his own world.

Keeping Ben’s example in view, it can be said that many small mistakes give rise to big problems, which can cost someone dearly. That is why we should always keep an eye out for things and try to learn from our mistakes.

Written by:

Muhammad Zohair Sardar

O-1 Jinnah

PakTurk Schools, Islamabad

Where would an intelligent boy's imagination end up, you can't say for sure. They truly say: 'Sky is the limit', and here we have an evidence of that.You would relish Ahmed Ali's flight of imagination in this story. Do give this a read if you aspire to give your mind a little stretch. A beautiful short story with lots of APPEAL!

‘It was the same bus I got onto every day, but that day as I sat down I sensed something was different.’

That night too, like every other night for the past two years, I was sitting in front of the computer screen, tapping on the keyboard at a speed of 50 words per minute. But then I sensed I needed more caffeine in my system to go on with the project I was trying to accomplish. I prepared coffee, gulped it down and resumed my work. As the clock chimed 4 a.m, I reached the milestone. Eureka!

“Yeeeessss! Huhu!”, I let out a triumphant squeal, hushing it in the nick of time, not to wake everybody up.

Yes, I am a hacker, an amateur one though. I am just sixteen but already I have decided what I am going to do. Hacking is my passion and I ultimately aim to contribute my expertise to Pakistan’s cyber defense. As they say, World War III will be a war of computers. That night, I pulled down the website of one of USA’s sensitive departments, which I noticed was being used to spy on Pakistan’s web users. This irritated me too much, and I decided I had to teach the bloody Americans a lesson. I was ecstatic when I finally did it.

The next day at school was a boring one; I slept most of the time along with my fellow backbenchers. At last, the bell rang announcing the pack-up time. I sultrily walked to the bus stop. It took unusually long, but it did come in the end. I climbed it and scurried towards the last seat.

It was the same bus I got onto every day, but that day as I sat down I sensed something was different. Firstly, it wasn’t the same, aged driver. This one was bald and dressed in English dress unlike ours. Secondly, I noticed others were not present either. Then an alarm went off in my head. “Men in black! Men in black!” it clanged. There were three of them with black glasses and matching shoes. I remembered that secret-service men dressed like that. At that moment, one of them galloped towards me; he took hold of my neck and made me inhale chloroform from a handkerchief. I fainted immediately. The last thing I remembered was being hurled into a Mercedes.

I returned to the world in an interrogation cell. The strange men around me had sinister looks. I feared the consequences. Then one of them spoke:

“Boy, your life was under threat. You teased the Americans by hacking their sensitive website, and they are after you now.”

I froze hearing those words.

He continued speaking,” But you have done something that we couldn’t, in spite of endeavouring painstakingly. You seem to be very good at this stuff.”

Another man continued, “Therefore, we offer you the position of chief hacker in ISI. I am sure you won’t complain of the salary package. We undertake the responsibility of convincing your parents”, he smiled.

I couldn’t believe my ears. My dream had materialised quite fabulously. My vision had come true in a way I had never expected in my wildest dreams.

So here I am, one year later, working for my country, loving every moment. I have already strengthened Pakistan’s cyber fortresses to the extent that they are unable to be infiltrated by even the toughest of hackers.

Written by:

Ahmed Ali

O’ Level Final year

PakTurk Schools, Islamaba

Let’s enjoy Muhammad Abubakar Mian’s response on a topic ‘Natural Disaster’ – a topic meant for story writing. There are many more worthy of getting posted here. The class was giving the challenge of following the theme of ‘sacrifice’ in their stories. So has this one. A very successful attempt, indeed!

Soothing balm on a weeping heart  .............. (Natural Disaster)

Progress in science and technology has now given seismologists (people who study earthquakes and related phenomena) the power to accurately predict where an earthquake is likely to occur. Unfortunately, they are not yet able to foresee when exactly it will happen. So when my wife, Amelia, and I bought our first house, it was not without knowing the danger of a looming disaster. We purchased a beautifully constructed Victorian style home in a small Californian suburb. Everything about it was perfect, except for the fact that it was in very close proximity to a fault line. “It’s nothing to worry about” we thought… oh how wrong we had been.

The earthquake hit without warning on the 15^th of August, 2004. It was an early Saturday morning and my wife and I had been enjoying breakfast. Suddenly, the house began to tremble with ferocious convulsions. With a burst of adrenaline pumping through my body, I took hold of Amelia’s hand and we made our way outside. I still remember very clearly the frightened look on her face as we huddled together in an open field. The tremors lasted quite a few minutes, and were followed by a false sense of tranquility. I knew there was something terribly wrong. Earthquakes usually only last a few seconds and rarely go past the one-minute mark. It was after the earthquake finally subsided did my neighbors and I realize the grave situation we now found ourselves in. This was a large scale earthquake that spread over a span of 1000 kilometers, according to reports on the radio.

Many would imagine the greatest difficulty coming from the lack of electricity. That was, however, the least of our worries. No one knew about the water shortage until the next day. Sunday evening, Mr. Jefferson, the widower living across the street, came running outside. The noise he was making piqued my interest, and I went out to see what was going on. “There’s no more water! There’s no more water!” Mr. Jefferson shouted. Slowly, as his words started to click in the minds of the people around him, terror began to fill the already heavy atmosphere. Aghast, I quickly ran back inside and locked the door. Behind me, I could already hear the others bolting their doors shut in much the same way. No one was willing to help Mr. Jefferson. Once faced with immense difficulty in such an unfortunate situation, people tend to help no one but themselves. From the window, I could see Mr. Jefferson sitting on the sidewalk. His face was already showing signs of dehydration.  

“Don’t even think about it!” my wife screeched. “We have to help him… he’ll die out there!” I retorted. “..But we can’t afford helping him.” She responded. “And we can’t let him suffer either.” I replied. Upon hearing this, my wife came to her senses and opened the door for me. I walked out onto the porch and signaled Mr. Jefferson inside. “Water…” he gasped. I can’t describe in words how very hugely relieved he felt. The expression on his face that my eyes photographed is still safe in my remote memory. I felt as if I had put a soothing balm on his weeping heart.

Once he was feeling a bit better, we started talking about how he had finished all the running water in his house. After a few minutes of deliberation, we concluded that the water in the neighborhood was disproportionately distributed. Some houses had more water available to them than others. This is when I took the liberty of explaining to him that, from here on out, we all have to be very careful with our water usage.

A radio broadcast later that night told us that the situation would not normalize for at least another four to five days. We were advised to stay inside our homes and to ration all food and water supplies. I had done my part in helping someone out, now if only other people started doing their part. If my neighborhood was any example, our community was suffering from a dire need of Good Samaritans. Without them, we may not be able to survive.

Muhammad Abubakar Mian
O' Levels 2nd Year
PakTurk International Schools & Colleges
Chak Shahzad
Islamabad