PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! The sound of our footsteps could be clearly heard as we were plodding on puddles of water. The man finally stopped walking and turned to face me. For a future jailbird, he was polite enough to introduce himself. His name was Sweet ‘Black’ Jackson. Obviously, he was a street thug and the nickname was given to him by his gang members. He even told me why he had picked me and I was right from the start. Sweet explained that the street I was on belonged to his gang and only black people were allowed on it. He demanded the name of the gang that I belonged to and sadly, he was not too happy with my answer. He did not believe that I was not a gang member and tried to beat the answer out of me. As a boy, my mother taught me not to cry like a baby but this was an exception. Sweet not only used his fists and legs, he wasn’t afraid to use his gun and fired a few shots at my thighs to hear the answer that he wished for. One shot came particularly close and if it did hit home, I would have died. Anyway, Sweet finally gave up and decided to finish me off for good. He took out a spare gun and hurled the weapon at me.

Sweet yelled at me and ordered me to get on my feet. Upon receiving the gun, I regained my strength and jumped up. He threatened me to stay where I was until he came back or he would kill me and go for my family too. Feeling concerned for them, I decided to stay put and tended to my wounds. Minutes later, Sweet came back with another man. As a child, I grew up watching western movies which involved cowboys. Seeing that I was holding a gun, I realized that he wanted to settle our feud with a one-to-one duel. The man that he brought along earlier was appointed to be the referee of the death match. It was a do or die situation. The referee started the count. I was prepared for the duel even though my hand was shaking uncontrollably. I was praying to God in my heart before it started, hoping that somehow or another; I would survive the insane act. The moment the countdown hit three, everything suddenly slowed down.

Everything seemed static and still. The birds that were in the air were flying so slowly that you could even count the feathers on the tip of their tail. Both of us drew our guns at the exact moment. BANG! The sound of gunshots could be heard a few blocks away. Sweet collapsed in front of me. I could not believe my eyes and turned away to celebrate my victory. Bad mistake. BANG! BANG! The referee opened fire at me at point blank range. My surroundings turned silent as if it was muted. It seemed like I was taking an eternal fall. THUD! My lifeless body fell with a thud. It looked like the end for me….

“Cut! That’s a wrap! Good job everyone! Especially you Isaiah! This is going to be the movie of the century!”

Written by

Isaiah Tan 4P (2009)