Once Upon an April

A new whirlwind of gossip had shaken the small primary school for the past few days; they were merging with another primary school at the end of the year. Someone said it was because they were all so stupid that the school needed at least a few intelligent ones to bring up the standard, but that was ignored, considered insignificant.

But yes, it was confirmed. The school would merge with another school with a standard even worse than theirs next year, in July. An uproar made a steady crescendo within the school walls as students and teachers alike discussed what the merge would bring - perhaps woe?

.X.

Zel was tarrying the recess period away in the presently empty playroom, musing to herself. Jillian had asked the English teacher what their new uniform would be like, to which the teacher was at a loss. Their current uniform for the girls was a white blouse worn under a green pinafore. Green was a nice, neat, colour. Surely it wouldn't be altered? Zel had never before seen the uniform of the other school before. Perhaps it was also green in colour.

Maybe she'd make some new friends. But she was quite sure, at least for the moment, that the students from her school and the students from the other school would keep away from each other at the initial stages.

Zel peered out of the window to see a cluster of addlepated schoolgirls pass by. She recognized them as the Primary Six "big girls". They were lucky, she mused, this being their last year so they did not need to mingle with strangers from another school.

Would there be new school rules? She hoped not, brow furrowed as she chewed the end of her braid thoughtfully. Some goldfish in a bowl quietly sculled around their shining prison on the shelf. They were indifferent. She looked out of another window that faced the grounds outside. A pidgeon glided across the sky, ascending until it was lost in a swirling silvery mist.

Zel sniffed. The lily was being gilded. She wanted her school uniform to stay the same, leastways.

The bell rang all of a sudden, pulling her out from her pensive inertia. She jumped from her Indian style seating on the floor, unfolding her legs, and then rushed to assemble with the rest of the students where she would be led back to class by a prefect.

And as she ran, she knew in her heart that her beloved school would never be the same again.

.X.

Dedicated to Zhonghua Primary School which is merging with Serangoon South Primary School in 2007. I cringe at the thought.