Freedom. [from O Level 2011]

The kind of freedom which we all know best is the absence of restrictions. Whatever position we are in, there is always a kind of limit to our movements which never fails to hold us down. Admit it; at some points of your life, you have looked to the sky and envied the birds for their flying ability. We associate flight with freedom, and we always think the sky is the limit. While we are currently bind by restrictions and always look for a way to acquire some freedom, we never once thought that sometimes, the power of flight has its moments of fall as well.

My very first dose of freedom was when I ran away from home early this year. At that time, I still had a part-time job which I had taken a few months before. That was how I earned some money to feed myself. I had abandoned my phone because it enabled contact and only acted as yet another restriction. The reason why I ran away in the first place was because I felt suffocated in that house; my parents and sisters were breathing down my neck all day and everyday. I needed to breathe, and running away from it all was the only way I could think of to achieve that space.

The first few days of my freedom went perfectly fine. I went anywhere and did whatever I wanted. My everyday routine was an endless cycle revolving around work, sleep, food, and free time. I slept on an abandoned car park rooftop which was inaccessible to most people, assuring the safety and privacy. During my free time, I would either sit at the library or at a quiet cafe near my workplace, accompanied by a mug of hot beverage. It was heaven to be all alone without anyone from the family fussing over me. I was like a bird that flew all around the skies with only clouds blocking my view. I never would have thought that the day I broke a wing was anywhere nearby.

My fall came in the form of a misunderstanding at my working place. As silly as it was, it proved lethal for me because I immediately got sacked by the manager for it. I tried to reason with her but she would not hear anything of it, and I lost my job. Another one of my mistakes was my decision to take up smoking, and the addiction had caused me to spend the last of my money on a box of cigarettes. The day I got fired happened to be the day I only had a few dollars left, which was enough to provide me food just for the night.

Still, my stubbornness deterred me from the wise decision of returning back home, and I decided instead to go loitering around the neighbourhood by my working place. I did not have enough money to get myself anything from the cafe I frequented, so I walked past it, into the alley next to it. That was where my fall picked up speed.

A girl was being harassed by a group of men who did not look exactly friendly, and there was nobody else around to help her so I decided to step in. One wrong move and everything went wrong; all I remembered upon waking up was how I had tapped one of the men on his shoulders. Everything else was a blur. I had probably gotten beaten to a pulp while that ungrateful girl just ran away and saved her own life.

I woke up to see nothing but the clear blue sky directly above me. There was nothing but clouds at first, until I saw the tiny figure of a bird flying overhead. It flew around in circles, gradually dropping more and more speed. I saw that it was coming closer to the ground, towards where I laid, until eventually it dropped just a few inches by my face.

I had no strength to move, but I remembered how I had always thought that freedom was one of the best things in the world. That whole episode of my running away from home taught me that flying does not mean you will never fall; that freedom has its own restrictions too. I laughed at the irony as I rolled back onto my side with the faint sound of an ambulance in the background.

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tomorrow is my English O Level exams, give me your support my Axes! and ALL THE BEST TO OTHER O LEVEL CANDIDATES TOO, DO YOUR BEST.

remember what i said about inhaling and exhaling when life gets tough. (; yeah don't be so tensed, just relax i guess. [though i'm feeling a little scared myself]