A Burglary
 
       "Historic War ... Sentosa ... Raffles ... Blah ... Blah ... Blah ...," Mrs Chen droned on and on. "History is soooo boring!" Marcus thought. Out of the blue, "Rrrring!" went the dismissal bell. It was like music to everyone's ears. Marcus dashed home happily with his friends.

       When he reached home, Marcus took out his science worksheet and started doing it. His parents had gone to a restaurant to celebrate their Wedding Anniversary. Marcus stopped writing for a while to gaze fondly at his silver pen before continuing with his work.

       Suddenly, a creaking sound made him jump. He looked up at the clock. It was 11 o' clock at night. " I must be hearing things," Marcus thought. Before long, another creaking sound, this time even louder, interrupted him again. He walked over to the window and peered out. There was a well-built man in black shirt and pants trying to pick the lock of his neighbour, Mr Loo, the richest man in the neighbourhood. "Oh no! That must be a burglar! I must do something about it," Marcus thought. He rang up the police and informed them about the mysterious man.

       The police set an ambush outside Mr Loo's house and waited patiently for the burglar to turn up. Sure enough, the burglar reappeared, carrying enormous sacks of valuable antiques from Mr Loo's house. The police surrounded him and tried to handcuff him. The burglar was very strong and put up a fierce fight. Though they outnumbered him, they still had to call for reinforcements. Very soon, they managed to pin the burglar down and took him away to await his trial. Marcus, who was watching the scene gingerly from his window, heaved a great sigh of relief.

       The police thanked and praised Marcus for alerting them about the mysterious man, who was actually a manager of a huge company. He was a heroin addict too. As a result, he was retrenched and had to seek his fortune elsewhere. Instead of working hard to get a job, he went around stealing money and items that were worth lots of money. He needed the cash to pay for heroin to satisfy himself.

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       Marcus went back to his desk. It was 2:30 a.m. and his parents were still not back. When he realized how much homework he still had to complete, he slumped into his seat and sighed. He had a composition to write! Marcus looked at his question paper and his frown turned into a grin. The title of the composition was, "The Most Exciting Day Of My Life." "Hey! I could write about today!" exclaimed Marcus enthusiastically. He picked up his prized silver pen and began to write ...

       Always remember, crime doesn't pay, as you have read in this story. Even if you get away with it, you will have to face the consequences later.

Crime doesn't pay, you do!