The Present
Tick Tick Tick. As Alem lay on his bed the clock drew closer to midnight, more importantly closer to his thirteenth birthday. Alone. Distressed. Sad. Just as the clock hit twelve, the light went off and then he could hear the door creak. The moonlight from the window in his room helped Alem make out a gigantic figure that stepped in his room. Alem froze, thunderstruck. The ugly, vicious monster looked very gruesome as it drew an axe very near to Alem, who could not help shout, 'Aaaaaaaa!'
Alem was sure he was going to die, but he was wrong. The next moment he saw the monster transform, noticing that the lights came back on. He could hear voices downstairs in the living room. He could not believe his eyes. It was his parents. Alem should have known that the monster was his Mum and Dad as they were both actors. He could make out a chorus of 'Happy Birthday!' from them and Alem ran for a hug. He was so happy that he had tears of joy and happiness in his eyes. Alem followed his parents to the living room, where he saw the birthday decorations which he thought were put on when he lay on his bed minutes ago. He could hear more birthday wishes from his relatives and friends who were pestering him about how he had reacted to the situation.
Alem stared at the beautiful decorations as his mind clicked something, his favourite thing about birthdays - Presents. Alem simply loved presents. He could make out his parents behaving rather secretive recently. They were hiding something from Alem which he did not know about. Alem saw a pile of wrapped presents in a corner. He rushed towards it, but, 'Alem, dear, could you leave those for later,' said his Mum. Why did Mum have to say that, Alem asked himself. Disappointed but excited, Alem trudged towards his cake.
Alem really enjoyed the surprise birthday party. 'About time,' ...
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Alem stared at the beautiful decorations as his mind clicked something, his favourite thing about birthdays - Presents. Alem simply loved presents. He could make out his parents behaving rather secretive recently. They were hiding something from Alem which he did not know about. Alem saw a pile of wrapped presents in a corner. He rushed towards it, but, 'Alem, dear, could you leave those for later,' said his Mum. Why did Mum have to say that, Alem asked himself. Disappointed but excited, Alem trudged towards his cake.
Alem really enjoyed the surprise birthday party. 'About time,' said Alem as the last guest slammed the door shut. Alem received stationery sets, some Playstation games, a pair of trainers and clothes. It was not disappointing but, what Alem was looking forward to was the present from his parents. He would be delighted with a PC or laptop or a bike might do. Finally Alem got his present, but to his utter displeasure he did not get what he had wanted and instead he got an ancient mirror. It was a very elegant mirror with beautiful designs and decorations including a nice and shiny glass that reflected everything very clearly, however, Alem thought the mirror was not useful. More significantly, it was no fun.
Next day when Alem returned from school, tired of listening to his friends talking about their Playstation 2 console, he now desperately wanted one. His other excuse was that he was really bored playing with his old Playstation console and wanted the newer one. Alem was so obsessed for a new console that as he dressed into his tracksuit in front of his new mirror he started talking to himself, 'I wish Mum and Dad bought me a Playstation 2 console.' The next second there was a crunch of gravel outside as Alem's Dad's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors, and footsteps on the garden path. Alem's Dad entered his room and said, 'Hello son, guess what we got for you, a Playstation 2 console!' Alem was simply overwhelmed, his heart full of joy. He decided not to waste any more time and so dashed towards his Dad and saw what he wanted. He straightaway plugged it in and started playing. Alem thought that judging his bad mood after receiving the mirror, his parents got him another birthday present. His parents looked quite satisfied. Was he wrong? Yes, he was completely wrong because at the very moment something clicked in his mind which made him sprint towards his bedroom. It was about the mirror. He stood in front of the mirror and said, 'I wish I had a box full of chocolate.' A box full of chocolate suddenly appeared on his hand!
Overjoyed discovering the magical aspect of the mirror, Alem started wishing for many different kinds of things he always wanted. Soon his bedroom was full of all the things he ever wanted in his life. Frankly, Alem started to get quite greedy. He even wished for food when he could afford it. He wished for unnecessary things which he really did not need. He enjoyed showing off all the brand new games and gadgets to his friends. Alem almost wished for a pet dragon but stopped just in time. But, he could not help himself wishing for a robot who would tidy up his room for him. He had to struggle for a long time to catch the robot as it was very fast. For once he thought that it was too much, but then he said to himself that a little bit of fun wouldn't do any harm.
After a few months of unexpected happiness, Alem made his journey to school in his Dad's car. Alem waved goodbye to his Dad as he made his way to the school. Alem usually took a bus on his way back home when school finished, as his Dad was usually out shooting at that time. On his way home from school to the bus stop Alem came across some older boys. They were insulting each other in a playful manner and Alem could not help laughing at one of them getting bullied. That boy came next to him and said, 'What are you laughing at, fatty?' Alem was quite overweight compared to other boys of his age. The older boys kept bullying Alem all the way to the bus stop, when Alem could not take it and answered back, the boys became furious and started hitting him. He got away as quickly as possible.
When Alem got back home with his bruises, he was frustrated. He was thwarted and felt very miserable with himself. Why couldn't he fight back? Why was he such a coward, running away? He asked himself. He changed his clothes as usual and forgot about the mirror in front of him as he spoke, 'I wish I was never born.'
Next second he was gone. FOREVER.
GCSE Original Writing English Coursework
Abid Rasheek Amin
0S 20300
Ms. Basson Room 103
Page 1