Noel Visits Singapura!
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It was just another day for Noel. He found himself alone in the new library browsing for the third time that week. It was the newest library in town with the best facilities. Noel sometimes wished he could live in the library.
“I’ve read so many books just to pass time this holiday. Why can’t we go on a family hol...” Dumbfounded, Noel could not complete his sentence. What was a small, thin piece of mirror doing in between the book he just picked up?
It was framed by a strip of glittery silver tape. Oddly, it seemed as if it was meticulously placed there by someone for him because slowly, in front of his eyes, he appeared in the mirror. Except, it was not really him. He had the same eyes, same nose, same lips but his hair was spikier and he had a fancy crescent-shaped glasses on. “Is that… a star on my forehead?” Noel muttered out loud, shocked by his reflection.
Noel quickly took out his mighty pen and started drawing. Once alive, his buddy, Woof32, asked, “What’s with the look, Noel?” The talking puppy which he had quickly sketched sat by him and glanced at the book in his hands. “What is tha- wait a minute. Is that you? No way…” They stared at the reflection for a bit. Suddenly, a gold key appeared as his reflection slowly disappeared in the background.
The key started to point in a direction where it wanted them to go. Right. Left. Left again. Right.
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Then it stopped and pointed to a small door at the corner. “How did we never notice this before?” muttered Noel to Woof32. As they got closer, the door opened with a bright light shining out. To his surprise, Woof32 skipped in to the door. Shrugging, Noel followed suit.
“What is this place…” The sky was an unusual shade of light blue. Noel was transfixed by the colour that it took him awhile before he noticed the majestic rainbow decorating the sky. All the buildings surrounding them were tall, skyscrapers with flashing motivating messages. “You! Have a fantastic day!” said the man, winking as he disappeared to make way for another message. Busy people walked by them, not noticing the curious looks on their faces. Yet, they would greet Noel happily, patting his back as they passed him. The place was overwhelmingly… positive.
Suddenly, a hologram appeared before him. The boy he saw on the mirror started talking. “Hi, I am your avatar in this world! I will appear in any of the work you have submitted. Enjoy yourself today!” Then poof, it disappeared. “I feel so happy here, Woof32!” smiled Noel as he continued exploring the place on foot.
“SINGAPURA,” said a large sign hanging ahead of them. “That has to be the name of this place,” thought Noel. He could hear melodious music in the background. A colourfully designed building with a unique design caught his attention. Watching how people entered the building via a lift that looked like a capsule, Noel followed suit. It was an art museum. He joined the others in viewing the art pieces in a grand gallery. It was unlike anything he had seen before.
“Hop out!” he heard a lady said and she disappeared. Peering from the glass window, Noel saw her walking on the streets. “Cool! Hop out!” he shouted and soon, he realised he was out too, with Woof32 by his side. He saw some street performers and decided to enjoy the moment.
“Noel, look at that. Let’s go there!” Woof32 ran to a quirky looking shop which turned out to be a bookstore. An old rickety sign read, “Book Paradise.” As they stepped in, they heard a voice telling a story and saw some children busy reading or writing. Noel carefully walked towards them and realised that they were reading the book that was being read. The other children were busy drawing the characters that was being described. Noel decided to grab a pencil and paper and join in.
Just before he submitted the drawing, his avatar appeared. Smiling, he put his drawing in a box and left the shop. Just beside the book store, he saw a rather peculiar looking shop. There were stars jumping in and out of the store, with music blasting. Noel decided to go in. “Another performance! Woff32, come sit by me and watch!”
Woof32 started yawning not long after. “Shall we go back?” asked Noel. He took out the mirror from his pocket and the key appeared again, this time showing the way to go home. Noel took one last look at this surroundings before entering the door again.
“Noel? Did you just exit from that door?” said Ms Tina, the librarian who caught him closing the door. “So you’ve found the secret world… I will need to… erase your memory…” trailed Ms Tina. Noel tried to protest but he could not. He looked at his feet, waiting for the memory of the place to go away. “Sigh, it’s alright. Just keep it a secret. The mirror? It’s yours,” said Ms Tina. She gingerly took out her own mirror slightly from her skirt pocket, winking at him. Noel smiled and made his way home.
Story by Mdm Farah Hasinah
Illustrations by Yeo Wei Hsin (6G)