A Thief

    

          Samuel whistled as he walked towards his house. He was carrying a packet of chicken rice in his hand. He could not wait to get home and sink his teeth into the succulent chicken. As he rounded a corner, he bumped into a scruffy-looking man wearing sunglasses and a cap that covered half his face.

 

          “Hey!” Samuel shouted. “Watch where you’re going!” However, the man ran off without even an apology.

 

          At that moment, Samuel saw a middle-aged lady running towards him. She was panting. “Have you seen someone running this way?” she asked breathlessly. “He stole my purse!”

 

          On hearing this, Samuel sprinted in the direction that the man had gone. He wondered if it was too late to catch him. Just when he was about to give up, he noticed the man leaning casually against a wall, counting a wad of fifty-dollar notes in a purse. He obviously thought he had managed to escape and stopped to take a break. Samuel took a deep breath and steadied himself before he could pounce on him.

 

          Just then, the lady, who was a few steps behind him, yelled at the top of her voice. Her screams frightened both Samuel and the thief. Samuel jumped in fright and turned around, annoyed that she had thwarted his plan to catch the thief. Realising that he had been spotted, the thief ran off again. He was surprisingly agile and could leap over railings and race up steep steps. Samuel could barely catch up with him. Knowing the neighbourhood well, Samuel took a short cut, hoping to catch up with the thief. However, the man was too fast for him. Samuel saw him dash across a busy road and into a crowded market. It was impossible to catch up with him or spot him amongst the crowd.

 

          Turning around, Samuel made his way back. He was exhausted and his packet of chicken rice was gone as he had flung it aside when he was chasing the thief. He was annoyed with the lady for shouting as he might have been able to catch the thief. He walked for a short distance before he saw the lady waiting for him. She glared at him and called him names for being unable to catch up with the thief. Samuel shook his head in disbelief. Ignoring her, he went home, too tired to return to the coffee shop for another packet of chicken rice.

 

407 words