Siow Soon Sze and Alden Siow Yu-Hong
Siow Soon Sze:
小K生于1940年3月26日，那正是日本1942年2月15日南进新加坡后动荡的年代。
四岁多的小K就懂得跟社区里大人们聚集于区内搬油大戏台的戏台前，看着天上的飞机在飞翔。大人们指着天空大声呼喊..“那就是日机！就是日机……”这时的小K就像鸭子听雷，爽的是有机会和大人们凑热闹。
时间过得真快，转眼间日本投降了，英军回来了。在日本南进时，新加坡许多民办小学，基于安全考量，都纷纷自动停办关闭。日本投降，英军回来后，许多民办小学就如雨后春笋般纷纷复办，重新开学。
小K就在这种大形势下和小他两岁的弟弟去了有同乡情谊的老校长所合办的一间锌板 — 木板造成的不算太旧的小学，名叫“统一学校”去上学。可是哥弟俩都不是读书的料，前前后后不到两年就不读了。
书不读，兄弟俩整天陶醉和沉迷于和其他小朋友玩着他们最兴趣的“节目”，如抓迷藏啦，骑人马啦，打小弹丸啦，拔河啦，猜火柴支数啦（小赌的一种），弹橡胶圈啦（小赌的一种），投小石块板，比谁投的更靠近目标线啦等等。孩子们玩起来就连回家吃饭事都可忘记了。
小K这时候快9岁了，渐渐地对钱财有了观念，有早熟的迹象。小K听到有人说外面有老板，其面档正找人，专打叩叩面招生意，有抽佣，收工时还提供一碗免费的面汤吃。小K知道了这消息，问了地址，隔天一早就找到面档老板（在如切一带），老板叫Ah矮叔，是潮州粿条面汤档。小K虽仅9岁左右，但个子高瘦，常被当十来岁的大孩子，也就立刻被录用。
隔天上班，穿的旧拖鞋，知袂加件有袖背心。从老板手上接过叩叩的工具，试敲打着，敲打着，老板笑着说：“还可以！”
小K一天的招徕生意，要走路6-7小时，主要是穿梭各小巷，山路。招到一碗（偶尔有两碗）就得走回到老板档位取“货”，再送到客户的家，或篱笆门口，或客户说定的那里那里。一天辛苦劳碌下来会有七八毛钱收入，收工还有一碗免费面汤吃，小K觉得不错了。
市场这类沿街靠叩叩声招生意的档口据说有三大家，即潮州粿条面汤的Ah矮叔，福建虾面汤的 Ah 空（老板外号），还有就是广东哥乐云吞面的Ah婆。都是老招牌，都是很出名，很好吃的沿街打叩叩面的叫卖档。小K三家都服务过，各家老板对员工都宽宏大量，叩叩手可随意过档，只要没有钱财手尾。
小K在这圈子也混的很熟，有一次他在直落古楼附近一家旅店外受一位中年洋客人招手入旅店客厅，洋人要一碗大的面汤（大碗的五角钱）。小K依时把面汤送到旅店客厅，洋人付了面钱，还掏出五六块钱，叫小K专买“B而”（啤酒），小K不知道什么叫“B而”，就死记住“B而”二字，去杂货店跟内人说，红毛人说要“B而”，并出示手上拿着的五六块钱。店内人就从雪柜内取了两大瓶啤酒，用袋包装好交给了小K，并取了其中2-3块。小K把“B而”和剩钱交回给洋客人，客人很高兴的样子，还赏予小K一块钱。（整个过程都是无声的动作表达）小K那时兴奋地心情真是无法形容，这是他第一次看到一块钱并得到一块钱。
时光飞似的过去，小K进入打叩叩面讨生活转眼也一年出头，现在也9岁多了。有一天，天下着细细小雨，叩叩面档照出街。在如切路附近前，栋材学校斜对面小巷内，有人要一碗粿条面。小K倒回面档向老板“取货”，这时天也晴了。
有两个壮汉（30来岁吧），提着他们自备的器皿过来档口买面，他们操着国语（华语）说今天是新中国成立日（1949年10月1日），以后中国人不会被人看不起了……小K略略听懂他们谈论的事。过后回到区里，也听到许多大人也在谈论这事。
没想到区内那些没读书，不管天下事的人也知道这件事。他们对小K说“就是唐山啰，我们老爸老妈小时候的地方啰，现在变了，以后可能好了……”
这些事塞进了小K的脑袋，小K告诉自己，要赶快学华语，要识字。不然，给人瞧不起，也没法与人谈事……
从那时起，小K就很留意大人们讲这个故事，他联想起老爸老妈和二哥都是那边过来的，现在还有一个大哥在家乡……
转眼间，时空已进入50年代，小K已经10岁出头了。叩叩面的生活也坚持了一年多。走遍街头街尾，穿梭窄巷和小路，狗儿的怒吠声告诉你，它真不想看到你……这种心酸和冷漠也让小K深深体会生活中的难以启口的艰辛滋味……
有一次，新老板 — 福建虾面汤的 Ah 空，因事休息两天没出街叫卖。小K没事干，到同区内的好友（国顺）的家去走走，想看他家里的红毛丹树，也看看他们可爱的小狗。
小K和他们一家人太熟了，可随意走，随意看。无意中看到他们雪柜中有好多好多的鲜鱼。小K好奇地看着。好友的妈意有所指的说“国顺快回来了，你不要快快回，你都好久没来玩了。国顺回来看到你一定很高兴”。
于是，小K就在他们的大客厅内一张藤椅子上半躺着，结果躺着躺着就睡着了。不知过得多久，国顺回到家了，他把小K叫醒，第一句话就说：“咦！你怎么这样又黑又瘦，去做什么苦工呀？”
“没做什么苦工，一样在打叩叩面”，小K回答。
“啊！难怪黑又瘦。”国顺笑笑地说：“不要打叩叩面了，过来帮我，我每天凌晨2点多陪爸爸去加东“呌鱼”，你过后踩三轮车来帮我运去“巴杀”，酬劳一定多过打叩叩面。”国顺像是下命令似的说好友大小K约五六次
“我怕太早起不来”小K诚恳地说。
“没关系，我家的客厅是开放的，篱笆门也没有锁，随你去哪里哪里，几点都可回来。凌晨三点左右从家里踩三轮车去加东，送鱼去樟宜“巴杀”摊就可以了。你就可到巴杀边的咖啡摊去吃早食，吃早食有册子记账，你不用给钱。之后你就把我准备好的鱼和一些食物用脚踏车带回家里（国顺特地用手指着地，意思就是这个家），过后再把脚车踏回摊位，再把三轮车踏回家，你就没事了，每天都是这样。”国顺像大老板在向下层员工演说。这时小K就想起问读夜校的事。没想到提起这事，国顺像是校长一样向小K演说：“很好，很好。你可以报名插班进四年级，读三年小六毕业，拿一张夜校小学毕业文凭，人家就会说你有读书，也乐意跟你华语，现在华语很流行哦，要学，现在上巴杀的人也喜欢讲华语……还有，忘记告诉你，我也是在“民育夜校”插班四年级，今年就小六毕业了。”
听了国顺这么一大篇打动人心的演说，小K没有犹豫了，只是想到还应该告诉妈妈一声。
妈妈没有多大意见，还再三提醒：“国顺一家跟我们是老相识，去帮他们做事要认真，要有礼貌，有规矩。只是每天凌晨三点出门，你可以吗？我知道你是个爱睡觉的小孩。” 妈妈的这个顾虑是真实的，小K开始时也对国顺说了。
妈妈还不忘叮咛：“你还是要及早去你叩叩面的老板好好交代一下。”
“当然！当然！”小K对这点立即反应，他很感谢妈妈的提醒。置于妈妈的那个凌晨三点出门的顾虑，小K想到国顺的那个承诺：“你随时可以在我的家过夜”，认为已是变通办法。
最后，小K接受国顺的邀请，去同这位大他五六岁的好友携手合作……
完
Alden Siow Yu-Hong:
“Can I not do this Chinese composition? It is so hard!” The skinny boy was struggling with his Chinese homework again. He never liked to do homework, be it Chinese or other subjects. Having him to sit down on his seat quietly was almost mission impossible for him. However, there was an exception. This skinny boy would never complain the moment he sat before his computer to play his favourite computer game. The name of this skinny boy was Lil’ A, like any other 10-year-old boy, study was never a joy. By the end of his Primary 4, due to COVID-19 and all the constant HBL, he did not learn very well. His results were not good and his parents were not happy. Although he managed to progress to Primary 5, he barely scraped through.
“Lil’ A, have you done your work? You have been on that phone for hours!”
“Uh-huh, I have done….”
“Hello, can you hear me?”
“Okay, okay, okay!”
This was a daily affair. Ever since Lil’ A’s classmates introduced him to a mobile game where he could immerse entirely into the fantasy world of hunting fantasy creatures like “Slimes” and “Ruin Guards” for the entire day, returning to the real world to study was not that appealing anymore.
On one day, in the world of his game, Lil’ A is a high ranking warrior wielding the “Harbinger of Dawn”, who could kill the most ferocious boss monster within seconds. On the other hand, in the real world, Lil’ A was a schoolboy who would hide stacks of undone homework at places that even his parents would never find, and hopefully forget about them.
“Why are you still on that phone? You’d better get going or else I will get Papa to talk to you. I will….”
“Here we go again…” muttered Lil’ A.
Indeed, days passed by quickly with such similar conversations happening every day. By the time Lil’ A turned 12 years old, he had already played countless games. If he were to be paid for every game he completed, he would be a few thousand dollars richer. He loved playing 3-D war games, especially those in which he could fly-fight and engage in dog fights.
While he was a skillful pilot in the games, topping every ranking board, his study was a great mess bottoming in all the scores of his examinations within his school. As PSLE inched closer, Lil’ A finally realised he needed to do something. It would be embarrassing if he could not make it and be asked to do his Primary 6 for another year. He reckoned that he really needed to buck up. At the very least, he would need to pass his PSLE and graduate. One day, while Lil’ A was trying to study, he lost focus and started to daydream. His mother caught him and the nagging started.
“Your next paper is just around the corner. Could you at least do what you need to do?”
“But I am so tired. Why don’t you try studying for one hour and have a taste of this ordeal yourself?”
And so, the negotiation started until Lil’ A’s grandfather came home. By then, Lil’ A’s mother, who probably had given up on nagging him, left home to run some errands. His grandfather came into his room. “I heard you had a hard time?”
“All this is so, so tiring. Why do I need to do this?”
“Come, take a break. Let’s chat a bit, maybe tell you a story about a boy called Little K. It all started the time the Japanese warplanes flew in the sky of Singapore back in the 1940s….”
Time passed quickly as Lil’ A listened to his grandfather’s story, fascinated. When the chat ended, Lil’ A seemed less grumpy than before and had not talked much. His parents became worried as he seemed like a different person.
“I hope you have not pushed him too hard. Kids nowadays are like strawberries, no, bananas!” Lil’ A’s father complained.
“Bananas? Nonsense! I merely asked him to be serious in his work!” His mother snapped back.
Lil’ A was very nervous. He felt that he was not going to make it for his PSLE as he wanted, as he waited for the result slip. Then, it was his turn.
“Good job, Lil’ A, and congratulations!” His teacher wished him. What a relief! However, Lil’ A was not too happy as he knew he could have done better.
Lil’ A put on his secondary school uniform. It was a new start. He had decided that he would only play games on the weekend. He understood that making a change was not difficult, one would just need to stay determined. Lil’ A signed up for the flying club in his secondary school as ‘flying’ was always something he liked. He finally realised that studying wasn’t so bad after all. It was August 9th and Lil’ A was standing in the middle of the Padang. He was selected to take part in the NDP performance. “Roarrr…” the F-15 SG Fighter Jets zipped past the evening sky.
“I shall be the pilot of one of those… defending Singapore” thought Lil’ A…
The End.
