Merlions and Mermaids - Protectors of Singapore: The tale of the Crimson Ruby

By K O

Twelve year old Ryan thinks he is going insane. He's started seeing a lion’s face when he looks at himself at night in his bathroom mirror, he can swim real fast and even understand killer whales. Just when he thinks he couldn’t go any crazier two well-dressed school counsellors come to his home. They tell him that he isn’t crazy…just beginning his transformation into a Merlion - a Protector of Singapore. Soon he learns that he isn’t alone and that Merlions like him attend school and that too with Mermaids at an ultra-cool school called Sentosa Waterfort High School. The school brings Ryan friendship and dangerous adventures with sharks, drones, artificial intelligence systems all thrown together with his new friends as they work to uncover the mystery of the missing Crimson Ruby. All this is leading him to embrace his true destiny.... a Protector.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alok Toppo
• Release date: May 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9789811174872

Book preview

Table of Contents

Prologue: Squadron IronTalon

Chapter 1: The Orca that spoke

Chapter 2: The school counsellor

Chapter 3: Mernidia – City of the Merlions and Mermaids

Chapter 4: Sentosa Waterfort High School

Chapter 5: House selection

Chapter 6: Shark and Dolphin selection

Chapter 7: SID

Chapter 8: Furyten House Cup

Chapter 9: The tale of the Crimson Ruby

Chapter 10: The Falcon Drone

Chapter 11: Trip to the Design and Science museum

Chapter 12: Detention at the school

Chapter 13: The Slimy clue

Chapter 14: Showdown at the Zoo

Chapter 15: Temasek One

Chapter 16: Rescue at the Gardens by the Bay

Chapter 17: The winning design

Epilogue: The fire breather

Alok Toppo

Merlions and Mermaids Protectors of Singapore

The tale of the Crimson Ruby

Alok Toppo © 2018.

Prologue: Squadron IronTalon

Captain Nathaniel Ong took a deep breath as he stood in front of the door. He looked at the metallic name label stuck to the door.

Major Theodore Khoo - Singapore Navy.

Captain Nathaniel Ong was a trained doctor with the Singapore Armed Forces. The athletically fit young man took a quick look down at his uniform before he knocked on the door.

Come in!

He opened the door into a dimly lit cabin that looked like a submarine control centre. It was a dark room lit up with lights of holographic LED screens that displayed 3D images of ships and seafarer maps. The Major a stoutly built gentleman with perfectly combed black hair was looking at a holo screen of a map of naval routes along the Singapore Straits.

Good afternoon Major.

Afternoon Captain, replied Major Khoo without looking up.

Nathaniel stood silently in front of him waiting for him to look up at him.

The major clicked at a spot on the holo-screen and then looked up at Nathaniel.

Tell me Nathaniel. What is it?

Captain Nathaniel Ong cleared his throat softly.

"Sir, I think there is something very wrong with my Military Artificial Intelligence Companion (MAIC)."

Officer - if there is something wrong with your MAIC then you should approach Tech Support.

I don’t think it’s a technical problem sir, he replied hesitantly.

What is it Captain. I don’t have all day.

Sir my MAIC unit briefed me about my upcoming mission. It mentioned my mission team members are…., he paused in hesitation.

Come to the point Nathaniel?

"It mentioned my mission team members are Merlions and Mermaids!" he replied swiftly.

Yes that’s right, the Major replied swiftly and looked at Nathaniel without even a change of expression.

Nathaniel jolted his head as if he had received a small electric shock.

Sir?

There was a ten second pause…neither man said a word…yet neither broke eye contact.

Captain….are you an Army Doctor?

Yes!

And are you assigned to the Singapore Navy’s Naval Diving Unit?

Yes Major!

You do realize that the Naval Diving Unit is an elite taskforce with special Salvage and Rescue teams.

Yes Major.

Now listen carefully for you are on an important Salvage and Rescue mission, and there is no mistake. Your team members are Merlions and Mermaids from the Mernide Armed Forces, and you will cooperate and assist them in your assigned mission.

Captain Nathaniel was not someone easily perturbed. As an experienced doctor he had seen his fair share of nasty wounds and yet he could complete his duties without even flinching, but this time even he could not help widening his eyes in disbelief.

"Sir!…Merlions…Mermaids…Mernide Armed Forces?" he asked to clarify again still in disbelief that the Major was dead serious.

Major Theodore Khoo’s dropped his head in exasperation and he shook his head.

SAFISA! barked Major Theodore Khoo.

SAFISA (Singapore Armed Forces Intelligent Squadron Administrator) was the artificial intelligence in charge of the Singapore Armed Forces. A holographic blue image of a young lady wearing an elegant ladies army dress uniform and donning a lady army officer’s peaked cap appeared in front of the major.

Yes Major. How can I help you? said the Artificial intelligence system in a polite and calm tone.

Kindly assist the Captain with a clear briefing of his special ops role.

Understood Major. Captain, can you come to the Operational Readiness Centre for a briefing.

The Major turned his face back to his holo screen on his left. Nathaniel Ong continued to stand there unsure of what just happened.

Dismissed, Captain! hissed the major.

Yes Sir, said Nathaniel with a curt army salute and with a swift move he turned around and walked out of the room.

He walked along the hallways and followed the blue floating image of SAFISA until he reached the room with the rectangular door sign that read Operational Readiness Centre. SAFISA stood aside.

After you, captain, she courteously indicated with her hands for him to go in.

He opened the door and saw that SAFISA was already inside waiting for him near the large holo screen.

SAFISA! What is going on?

Have a seat captain, I will explain everything.

Has the Major gone mad, I thought I was being assigned to a very special mission, and now I get the feeling like I am at far end of a poor joke?

Captain, there is no mistake. In the last twenty minutes an Ultra-large commercial freight ship has suffered a massive casualty and is slowly sinking into the sea. Aside from special equipment being carried as cargo there are sailors stuck in compartments within the ship who are now sinking along with the ship and unable to escape. The Singapore Navy has been specifically requested to provide emergency salvage and rescue services to the estranged sailors in the ship.

If the situation is so serious, then why is not being tackled properly. What is this nonsense of Merlions and Mermaids? Are you telling me that the Merlion statue spewing water is going to help bring those sailors to safety? It doesn’t even have arms for heavens sake!! exclaimed Nathaniel in utter exasperation.

Captain, the Merlion statues you have seen in Singapore are a gross oversimplification of what Merlions truly are. It is a purposefully crafted myth that the Merlion has no hands and simply spews water from its mouth. The truth is that Merlions and Mermaids are vastly superior to humans with fully functioning limbs and capable of transforming into various forms.

What! SAFISA are you serious?

Captain - please look at the holo-screen here, SAFISA pointed to a holographic screen behind her. Immediately images of a merlion and a mermaid popped up.

Captain, kindly note that Merlions and Mermaids as a race are called Mernides. Mernides are genetically different than humans as they possess the Hydromorph gene. Mortal beings that possess the Hydromorph gene belong to a class of human-hybrids called Hydromorphs. Genetically speaking, Hydromorph Mernides are capable of morphing into three forms at will. Morphing is also known as instant transformation. In the very first state or traditional state the Merlions have a body of a lion from the waist above with fully functional arms, while the mermaids always have a female human body from waist above. For both merlions and mermaids their lower bodies resembles a fish tail from the waist below during the first stage of morphing. However for a Merlion the tail will resemble closer to that of a shark while for mermaids the tail will be closer to that of a dolphin. SAFISA pointed to the screen and Nathaniel could see the images as described by SAFISA.

In the second state, the merlions can still have an upper body of a lion but they can change their lower tails to human legs, she pointed to the transforming image of ther merlion who still had a lion’s head but now had both fully functioning arms and human legs.

Finally the third stage. The merlions can transform completely into human form and be indistinguishable from any human that only lives on land. Similiarly the mermaids can also retain their human body from waist above and have their lower bodies transform from fish tail to human legs, and pass off a human female.

Nathaniel just kept looking at the holo screen spell bound and simply too shocked to say a word.

The Hydromorph gene gives Merlions and Mermaids vastly superior capabilities compared to humans whilst in water and on land. Within water they can breathe normally like fish, and even communicate telepathically with all creatures in water. When they are in saltwater from the seas or oceans they can heal almost instantly but again provided it’s saltwater from the sea or ocean. They possess superior vision, hearing, intellect, physical strength, and sense of smell vastly exceeding human capabilities whether it be on land or water.

SAFISA looked at Nathaniel’s awestruck expression, his jaw wide open in disbelief.

This….this can’t be true, stuttered Nathaniel.

Apologies Captain, time is extremely critical and this lesson is good enough. For now I need you to wear your combat suit and be ready in the aircraft hangar in the next ten minutes. Your team members are arriving soon, and I need to sync your MAIC (Military Artificial Intelligence Companion) with your Mernide team members.

He slowly nodded his head, got up and walked towards the room that led into the armoury. He stood in front of the retinal scanner that scanned his eyes and a door slid open. He entered the armoury and looked upon the rows of combat suits called the Pedang XF which contained a powerful exoskeleton covered under Kevlar vests and sheathings. He quickly wore the combat suit and helmet and swiped his finger on a LED control panel on his left arm. A voice spoke from within his helmet.

Welcome back Captain, are you ready for your mission now, a young female voice spoke from within his combat suit.

I am sure you’re feeling very proud of yourself Lucy! sighed Nathaniel as he spoke to Lucy the female Military Artificial Intelligence Companion (MAIC) that would help him in his mission.

Well, I am just glad you are convinced that I was speaking the truth about your mission Captain, she said chirpily.

I detect a hint of sarcasm, laughed Nathaniel wearily.

Who me! Never! It’s beyond my paygrade to make fun of Army officers.

Nathaniel laughed heartily for the first time, he looked up and saw the blue holographic image of SAFISA looking at him politely.

Captain, this way please. Your team members are almost here and you need to lift off immediately, she showed her palms towards a hallway that opened up behind a sliding metal door.

He nodded and walked along the hallway until he came up to an aircraft hangar that was devoid of any humans except humanoid robots moving around with military supplies. He saw the Military cargo aircraft and walked up the ramp inside the aircraft. He took of his helmet as he waited for his team members.

Allright be ready, they are coming up, said Lucy excitedly.

Nathaniel took a deep breath and watched as he saw eight soldiers walking up the ramp wearing similar black combat suits and helmets. They walked up to him and stood parallelely opposite in front of him. The blue holographic SAFISA appeared in between them facing the soldiers.

Thank You Mernides. The Singapore Navy thanks you for your co-operation. Please meet Army Doctor Nathaniel Ong who will be part of your rescue mission, she said turning aside to face Nathaniel.

Nathaniel looked at the soldiers as they took off their helmets and gasped. Four of the most beautiful women he had ever seen with their hair tied up neatly stood in front of him, but what made him really gasp were the Merlions. Four tall soldiers as similar as him with normal arms and legs suited in army gear stood before him, but their heads were that of lions. Each of the Merlions head shape was different. Two of them had thinner and friendly looking lion faces, while the other two had larger lion faces and looked much more serious. One of the female soldiers moved forward and extended her hand for a handshake.

Captain Nathaniel Ong, pleasure to meet you. My name is Captain Naairah Othman with Mernide Armed Forces, and team leader of Mernide Special Forces squadron named Iron Talon.

Err…Captain…Captain Nathaniel Ong…pleasure to meet you Captain Naairah Othman, stuttered Nathaniel as he shook the pretty Captain’s gloved hands. Captain Naairah Othman pointed to her squadron members.

"This is Merlion First Warrant Officer’s Kelvin Toh, Faisal Ahmad, and Merlion Master Sergeant’s Vir Singh, Zikri Ibrahim and Mermaid First Warrant Officer Catherine Phua, and Mermaid Master Sergeant Julianna Ling and Whitley Pereira.

The Merlions grunted as Naairah mentioned their names, while the Mermaids nodded politely. Captain Nathaniel couldn’t decide if his inability to speak was because he was shocked to see the merlions or mesmerised by the beauty of the mermaids.

Thank You Mernides, we will prepare for lift off immediately. There is an Ultra large commercial freight ship that has met with a casualty and slowly sinking into the sea, with sailors stuck inside some of the compartments as well as precious cargo. This is a salvage and rescue mission with the primary objective to save all human life on the ship. Captain Nathaniel will administer medical assistance to the sailors once the Mernides have managed to free them.

Understood SAFISA, replied the Mernides and Nathaniel

Captain Naairah Othman is in charge of this operation. I have also assigned one tactical droid robot MILO (Mechanical Intelligent Loadbearing Operative) to assist and protect Captain Nathaniel Ong, mentioned SAFISA as she looked towards the aircraft ramp and a droid robot walked in. He had a sturdy and humanoid robot with a square face and scanner unit for eyes.

Good evening officers, nodded MILO as he walked up and saluted at them.

Officers, I am now preparing to sync all of your combat suits, and MILO with Captain Nathaniel’s MAIC - Lucy. She will provide tactical intelligence during the rescue operation, said SAFISA.

They all swiped their fingers on a panel on their left arms. Tactical squadron synchronisation complete, said Lucy’s voice inside each of their combat suits.

SAFISA instinctively nodded at them.

Your team is complete and you will operate as single team Iron Talon. Best of luck Iron Talon, said SAFISA as she smiled politely at the entire team.

Thank You SAFISA, saluted all the officers and then turned around to be seated in the aircraft. The moment they were seated they could sense the engines whirring and the aircraft moved off towards the runway. Within minutes they had taken off and were already flying rapidly towards their drop off point.

So Captain, said Nathaniel looking at Naairah.

How are we going to land on a sinking ship?

We are not going to land, we will simply make a Halo jump. Actually only you need to open your parachute to soften your drop into the sea. The rest of us will comfortably dive right into the sea.

Oh!!! replied Nathaniel over the din of the engine.

So are you really a mermaid or you’re just a normal human being.

All the Mernides laughed at the question, the Merlions in particular shook their heads and let off soft growls.

You’ll get to see all of us in our true form once in the sea, answered Naairah Othman with a polite smile.

One of the thinner Merlions got up and walked over to Nathaniel and handed him a diver’s face mask that covered the entire face.

Captain, please wear this. It’s a diver’s mask that will allow you to breathe comfortably and also see in the pitch black waters as if you are in daylight.

Nathaniel looked at the Merlion in shock.

You….you speak normally?

The Mernides laughed again and the Merlion in front of Nathaniel looked at him with a wry smile.

Yes Captain…not only that I can turn into a human too,and as he said that his face changed from a lion to that of a normal man with wheatish skin and black hair. Nathaniel stared at the man and looked at his name badge. Vir Singh, it was a Singaporean Indian man. He looked very young with a pleasant smile.

I’m Master Sergeant Vir Singh, he smiled as he extended his right hand for a handshake.

Captain Nathaniel Ong. Pleasure to meet you Master Sergeant Vir Singh, he smiled nervously.

Approaching Drop zone in five minutes Iron Talon,announced Lucy.

Allright Iron Talon, prepare for air drop. MILO please ensure Captain Nathaniel is properly suited for the dive and parachute jump, and open the aircraft latch for the jump

‘Yes Captain," replied MILO and he got up to assist Nathaniel with his divers mask and then walked over to the back of the plane and pressed a latch that slowly opened the aircraft ramp. The red overhead bulb flashed as the ramp slowly opened and the night air entered the aircraft with an extremely loud whistling sound. Nathaniel could see the stars and the clouds shining from the moonlight at a very close distance.

Nathaniel looked back at the squadron who were up and looked ready and at ease to jump. Vir Singh had transformed back into a merlion.

"Captain, my team will jump first and once they have jumped you will jump followed by MILO and then I will be the last to jump off the plane. Once we are all in the sea we will start our mission…..Understood?’

Understood Captain,

Iron Talon, we are approaching the drop zone, begin your descent at the count of 5, cautioned Lucy.

They all stood ready at the ramp looking down at the vast sea under the night sky. Nathaniel could see the outline of a hull sinking into the sea.

5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - JUMP!

The Mernides jumped one by one. Finally it was Nathaniel’s turn and he took a deep breath and took the plunge. It was a rapid descent and the waters were eerily calm except for the outline of a ship sinking into the waters. It didn’t take long for his parachute to open to soften his descent and then he landed into the water. As he tried to be upright he could feel the metallic hands of MILO helping him, he looked up and saw the familiar face of the robot.

Let him adjust your diving gear, said Lucy from inside his helmet.

He nodded as MILO helped him out, MILO then looked at him with his blue scanner like eyes.

Captain, hold onto me as I help you swim deeper into the waters with the rest of the team

Nathaniel nodded and held onto MILO’s hand. The robot had a propulsion jet in his back and easily moved through the water like a submarine. Nathaniel looked through his special diving mask and he saw the Mermaids and the Merlions. Now in the water they were transformed just as SAFISA had showed him. None of them wore any face mask or diving gear and appeared to be breathing normally in the water. The Mermaids still were in army gear from the waist above but now they had a dolphin shaped tail from the waist below, and the Merlions looked just as they did when they dived off from the waist above but now had a shark like tail from the waist below. But what really caught him by surprise was that they were not alone. He could see the mermaids stroking the backs of dolphins that swirled around the mermaids like pets while the merlions were patting the back of fearsome sharks.

Whoa …whoa boy, said one of the Merlions patting the back of a really large menacing shark that seemed agitated by Nathaniel’s presence.

Oh my good Lucy….there are sharks in the water!

Don’t worry captain, sharks and dolphins are our friends and will help us in this mission, said Captain Naairah Othman who swam towards him.

Just think of them as our horses. MILO will assist you to swim while the sharks and dolphins will assist us to swim.

Nathaniel nodded at the Captain, and stared at Naairah’s dolphin tail.

Captain Can I ask you a quick question?

Errr….how does your combat suit change.....and cover your tail?

Nathaniel could hear all the Mernides including Naairah laughing through his combat suit earpiece. Captain Ong, our combat suit is made from a special fabric called Merformene. It instantly changes to the different forms we transform into….clear?

Crystal Clear.

Captain Othman then looked at her squad. Allright Iron Talon, we swim 500 metres east towards the ships. The instructions are clear, we need to save every human life trapped on that ship. Get ready to move.

Nathaniel Ong took a quick look around. Dark black sea water surrounded his view with the Merlions and Mermaids and sharks and dolphins swimming about. Captain Naairah Othman looked at Nathaniel. "Captain we will start the rescue now, are you ready?"

He took a deep breath and looked at Naairah and nodded, Yes, ready to begin.

***

Chapter 1: The Orca that spoke

COME ON RYAN!!! I could hear the crowds screaming from the stadium seats at the Keppel Aquatics centre. It was the final two minutes of the Straits Water Community clubs water polo finals and the crowds were at their feet screaming and cheering for their teams. The left side of the stadium was full of orange and red coloured shirts and flags from the opposing Tanglin Water Polo Academy while the right was surrounded in Blue and White colours of my club, the Keppel Water Polo Club. The ball was in my hands and I looked at the boy in front of me trying to defend his goal post by waving his arms like a flailing inflatable tubeman. His round face was filled with determination to stop me at any cost. It was tie breaker with both our teams at 3-3 and a winning shot would net either team the Straits Waters Community clubs polo cup. He looked at me fixatedly with his eyes wide and mouth hanging open with water dripping from his polo cap. As I held onto the ball and alternated my aim over his left or right shoulder I noticed he grunted each time he shifted his weight from left to right.

Hahaha….you’ve given yourself away my friend (I laughed silently to myself).

I baited him by keeping the ball steady towards his left…and as I expected he grunted before he leapt forward to his left to snatch the ball. I conveniently ducked and swam underneath to his right. From the corner of my eye I could see his face change from a screaming fierce war cry to one of shock and dismay screaming NOOO!!! as I swam past him and was left with only the goal keeper. The large round boy tightened his eyes and curled himself waiting for my strike.

RYAN…..ONLY THIRTY SECONDS LEFT! screamed my head coach Samson Sng. I looked at the goal keeper and raised my hand arching it back shifting it from left to right to gauge his move…

Left, right, left, right, left, right….c’mon you huge blob…show me what you are thinking…oh….there it is …your shoulders.

Everytime he wanted to jump to his left or right in anticipation, his shoulders would do a slight shrug in that direction. I threw my arm back and pointed to my right. As expected he shrugged his shoulders to the right. Sensing that gap I turned my wrists and volleyed the ball to the top left corner.

GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! screamed the loudspeaker just as the final buzzer went off.

The entire right side of the stadium erupted in a frenzy of wild cheering, my teammates swam towards me lifting me up from the swimming pool waters. I looked towards the mass of blue and white colours jumping up and down and tried to look for my mum.

Mum where are you?

There she was dressed petitely in a blue and white polo striped blouse top, blue capri pants with white tennis shoes. She was wearing a blue coloured baseball cap on top of her shoulder length brown hair with her bangs sneaking out and covering her forehead. I knew she was beaming with pride, I was glad…I didn’t see my mother smile too often and I was glad that this match allowed her to smile so much. My mum is visually challenged since birth and so life is a bit tougher for us then other families, but we managed to get by somehow.

The awards ceremony was fun and all my friends from the swimming club cheered wildly as we lifted the cup in our hands. Parents climbed up the stand to take photos with their children wearing the individual gold medals. I went over and helped my mum up the hall stands. The photographer was a very energetic Chinese gentlemen with a really tall and thin frame. His grey Tshirt fit hung loosely over his black jeans and he waved vigorously at parents to quickly get on the stands and take the photos.

Yes…next …next…look here and smile, he would repeat as each family took their photo.

As we stood in front of him and smiled, he stopped to look at the both of us.

Eh!!! Only two of you huh! Why no daddy in the picture? he questioned putting his camera down to look at us.

There was a dull pause. I looked down at my shoes unsure of what to say.

His father passed away when he was very young, said my mum softly.

Oh!!!! Sorry…sorry….sorry, he repeated folding his hands as he apologised.

No problem, it’s ok, my mum replied softly again.

OK no problem, just the two of you get ready yeah! 1-2-3…SMILE!!!!

After the award ceremony was over we sat down and got lunch from the fabulous buffet spread. My coach Samson Sng walked over to our table where my mum and I were enjoying the celebratory lunch with a generous helping of wok fried Hong Kong mee and sweet and sour pork.

Ryan, Ryan, Ryan!….my boy you did so well today. I knew you could do it. I knew you could win the cup for us, beamed my coach.

It was a team effort Sir, I just got lucky, I replied shrugging my shoulders.

Lucky…lucky you say! I could do with that kind of luck any day, burst out Mr Samson thumping my back so hard I nearly choked on the Mee I tried to swallow.

Here, here…have a drink of the lime cordial drink, said Mr Samson in his lively voice as he kept patting at my back.

Thanks Mr Samson….but the patting of the back is not helping right now…

I sipped the cool Lime cordial drink and looked at my mum. She looked straight between the two of us with a big smile on her fair face. I knew she felt proud of me. It made me feel good that she was happy.

You must be real proud of your son Mrs Oliveiro, beamed Mr Samson looking at my mother.

Yes…I am…I always am, she replied meekly.

Coach Samson Sng nodded his head and looked down at the dinner table and fiddled with a fork drawing circles on the red table cover.

By the way Ryan, here is your share of today’s winnings, he passed me a red angpao envelope.

No need sir…no need please. The winnings belong to the team, I pushed back the envelope into his hands.

Oh no no no! We have split the winning evenly between the players and a 15% portion was kept aside for the community fund. You all played a good game today and you deserve this winnings, he said firmly pushing the envelope back into my hand.

I looked down at my shoes feeling slightly embarrassed.

Thanks Mr Samson, I appreciate it.

Not at all my boy, not at all. Now I’ll leave you two mother and son to enjoy your lunch, he said rising up from his seat.

Have a great day Ms Oliviero, bye Ryan.

Bye Mr Samson,

He turned to walk back to the podium where I could see parents still taking photos with the other players. Just as he was about to move off he turned around suddenly.

"Oh Ryan…I almost forgot. I wanted to pass you these tickets he said pulling out two plastic cards.

Here are two complimentary tickets for a visit to the New Marine Aquapark at the Keppel Island. Just exclusively for you two, he said placing the red coloured tickets on the table.

Awwww….thanks Mr Samson, so nice of you, said my mum.

Mention not, mention not, he guffawed as he walked backwards waving his hand and then walking away.

So nice of him, isn’t it Ryan, said my mum holding out her hand to me.

Yes, yes indeed. I replied squeezing her hand lightly and placing the angpao envelope as well as the tickets in her hand.

Oh no no no!….this belongs to you, she said passing back the envelope to me having quickly sensed which item was the envelope and which one were the tickets.

Mum……….. keep it, we can use it for the groceries.

My mum turned to look towards me with one eyebrows raised.

Ryan Oliviero! We have enough money each month to manage the groceries. Now stop being older than you need to be and just enjoy being a kid, replied my mum with an impish smile on her face.

Shouldn’t have said that, she’ll feel sad I don’t believe we have enough.

I laughed sheepishly, and looked at the envelope in my hand. I know life wasn’t bad for the two of us…but it wasn’t great either. Normally we would always have dinner together but there were nights at the month end when mum would be seated and waiting for me to have dinner. When I would ask her why she was not eating dinner along with me she would reply that she was very full from lunch and would eat later. However the fridge would be empty and knowing my mum I suspected she would rather stay hungry just to put enough for me. I would also lie that I had a large helping of someone’s birthday cake just before I left for school and I always forced my mum to have some of my dinner. Yeah….life wasn’t perfect…but it was good enough and I adored my mum and I knew she absolutely loved me. My mum and I always managed to get along by keeping each other smiling and not getting overcome with our problems.

I wondered how much was in it and lifted the envelope cover and counted the money.

Hmmmm…..not bad…$350. Really nice of Coach Samson….really nice.

C’mon mum, let’s go. It’s been a long day and I could surely use some rest.

She nodded at me with a smile and pulled out a foldable walking stick and then stood up.

Let’s go Champ, don’t want you to end up sleeping in the bus now, she chuckled squeezing my arm.

We walked out of the Keppel Water Polo club and I helped guide her towards the bus stand. The bus arrived just as we reached there and the bus captain immediately got up from his seat to assist my mum. I help up my arm to let him know that I will help her and he nodded and got back to his seat. There were always nice people who would get up and offer us both a seat.

Well….there are some perks of being visually challenged in Singapore.

The bus ride would always have a few old aunties smiling silently at the two of us.

Such a good son!

She is so lucky to have a son like him, they would mumble amongst themselves.

I would just smile politely at the aunties. I knew hearing such praises made my mum feel proud that she had done a good job bringing me up. I was grateful for that confirmation from others to keep my mum strong. Indeed my mum lowered her eyes after hearing those comments and smiled to herself. She pressed my knee lightly and murmured softly You are my source of strength. I smile back and press her hand softly.

No mum! You are my source of strength. I hope when I am older I have the strength to face life’s difficulties like you.

Once we got off the bus, we walked back to our three bedroom HDB apartment. I would let my mum open the door. My mum was born visually challenged, but she never let her challenges daunt her from trying to do everything independently. From young she figured out how to cook, clean, and even knew how to operate a computer. Because of her tenacity she held a job as an administrator at Singapore General Hospital National Eye Centre customer call centre. She opened the lock and we walked in to our apartment room. The evening sunlight gave the cream coloured walls of our living room a golden glow. I slumped on the grey sofa and gazed at a large photo in the centre of the living room. The photo was of my parents when I was just a toddler. My dad was a Captain in the navy and he had passed away while saving the lives of drowning passengers aboard a sinking ship. My mum became a widow when I was barely one year of age and since then I had grown up alone with my mum. I looked at the photo in the living hall. My dad had been a smartly dressed navy officer with neatly trimmed hairstyle and a smile that brought out his dimples. In the photo I was in the in the middle of them both lying on bed with their cheeks pressed against mine. My mum looked really happy in that photo, I really wished one day she could see the photo herself.

She sat down next to me and looked straight ahead and sensed I was looking at the photo and thinking of my dad.

He would have been extremely proud of you Ryan.

I am sure mum, I wish he was here to hold this gold medal, I said placing the gold medal again in her hands.

She trailed the ridges on the medal with her index finger, and then looked away towards the hallway.

I know son, I wish he were here too, she said glumly.

Change the topic Ryan! You know she will worry unnecessarily.

Mum, if the weather is nice tomorrow, can we go to the new Marine Aquapark?

Of course my wonderful son. It’s the weekend and we should definitely do something to celebrate, she laughed as did a small clap with her hands.

Allright mum, I’ll go to sleep now, I yawned.

Yes, you must be tired. Go off to sleep.

You going to sleep now?

No, I’ll tidy up the room a bit.

Good night ma!

She continued with her work and I walked to my bedroom. My room was simple with a single sized bed and walls with alternating colours of red and white, and above my study table was a large white poster with the Olympic Games insignia. I jumped on my my bed and stared at those five rings, while holding onto my newly acquired gold medal.

One day…hopefully one day….this will be an Olympic Gold medal.

I closed my eyes and the next thing I know my mum is knocking at my door.

Morning champion, are you ready. You still want to go for the visit to the Marine Park?

Groan……..its morning already

Err…..yeah mum, I want to go. Give me ten minutes and I will be ready, I yelled as I quickly grabbed a fresh towel from my cupboard and ran into the bathroom.

After fifteen minutes, I walked out into the living room. My mum had prepared a nice breakfast of pancakes and I quickly chomped it down.

Ryan, chew your food properly. The way you are eating, the whole neighbourhood can hear you. Relax!!! We have the whole day.

I chomped even louder, and she just shook her head disapprovingly.

In another ten minutes we both were ready and were on the bus to the new Marine Aquapark. The entire interior of the bus we boarded was covered in the concept advertisement of the new Marine Aquapark. Come and watch the awesome adventures of the Orca Twins Cody and Cory at the Keppel Marine Aquapark. I read aloud.

Mum, they have a special Orca show.

What’s an orca dear?

Well mum, Orcas also known as killer whales are a special type of dolphin. They are much larger than normal dolphins and have distinctive black and white markings like a penguin. They are quite beautiful to look at, but because of their size and hunting abilities, they are also more deadly than a dolphin.

Hmmm….sounds like we should avoid the show.

Nah…they will be cordoned off in a large acquatic pool with only trained divers allowed in the pool. We will be watching safely away from the comfort of stadium seats surrounding the pool. There is nothing to worry about.

The bus reached the station and the moment we got off we saw the entrance leading to the Keppel Water Park. A gate within a large glass waterfall wall guided people inside the Water Park. People started taking selfies immediately once they got off the bus and stood outside the main entrance.

Cool!!!!, I exclaimed walking into the glass gate while looking up at the water falling along the glass walls. I gasped as I took in the sights of a large aquarium with thousands of coloured fish swimming around. The water park was specially designed with a 3D printed wall next to each aquarium with 3D figurine displays of all the fish that were inside the aquarium. This 3D printed wall allowed visually challenged people a chance to feel the kind of fish and coral inside the aquarium.

Oh mum come feel this, it’s the shape of a copper banded buttefly fish. Inside the aquarium is a sea of orange and blue copper banded buttefly fish swimming around together like a rugby ball.

I can feel it!!!….Oh… it’s beautiful, my mum giggled holding her two arms in delight.

Oh! To your left there is an aquarium containing an artificial coral reef with blue clown fish. It’s like looking at Nemo except he’s completely blue.

It’s so small and cute, she laughed feeling the ridges of the 3D printed wall.

Mum, take a look at this, it’s a shark inside the aquarium, feel its jaws.

Yipes…..that feels scary, she exclaimed pulling back her hand in fright.

The Marine Acquapark also had quite a number of open glass aquariums that allowed visitors to actually feel some of the water park creatures like Sting Rays and Starfish. I watched keenly at the look of delight on my mum’s face when she felt the leathery skin of the starfish. As we walked around the water park, we reached the entrance of the Orca show.

The Orca show is about to begin. Let’s queue up. I pulled my mum’s hand.

You sure Ryan. Your description made them sound very dangerous, she sounded unnerved.

Don’t worry mum, they are cute as Panda’s. In any case I will pick the seats at the end of the stadium so we’ll be far away from them.

My mum was hesitant but she queued up anyways. Once we crossed the gantries and walked into the shaded blue and white bleacher seating area. The entire seating area surrounded the massive pool in the shape of a crescent moon. The seating area was enclosed with a small metal barricade around the edge of the massive pool. In the centre of the crescent behind the metal barricade was a large floating platform that allowed the Orca handlers to stand close to the pool and feed the massive orcas. In between the massive pool was a man made isle atop which stood a large castle like structure with a super large LED screen. Four trainers stood underneath the large LED screen, while two trainers stood at the open platform closest to the crowd.

ARE YOU ALL READY TO SEE THE BEST ORCA SHOW IN THE WORLD!!!! yelled one of the trainers into his Bluetooth earpiece attached to his ear.

YES!!!! screamed the audience.

I CAN’T HEAR YOU, ARE YOU READY TO WATCH THE BEST ORCA SHOW IN SINGAPORE?

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! screamed the audience even louder.

Allright - then get ready 1-2-3.

A fountain sprung from the edges of the pool and ran around the circumference of the pool crossing each other in a wonderful wave like fashion. Water cannons from within the castle sprayed copious amounts of water at the audience seated closest to the circumference of pool.

The audience screamed in delight, the water spray was so strong that even we felt the damp spray on our cheeks. My mother smiled in delight.

I can feel the water Ryan!

Yeah mum, they are using a water spray to make the audience wet, I chuckled.

They started playing pop music and all the trainers faced the audience and clapped above their heads prodding the audience to clap louder.

Everyone please clap loudly to welcome our Orca super stars. They won’t come out if you don’t clap.

Everyone clapped together, louder and louder. Then another amazing water fountain display ensued with huge bursts of water from the pool into the air that covered the aquarium pool like a small curtain. Suddenly from the behind the curtain of water a large object came and pierced through the water curtain.

The crowd screamed in delight as the two Orca’s swam quickly around the large aquarium sending large waves of water spilling over the edge of the pool.

Please give a loud round of applause for the brothers Cody and Cory!! cheered the trainer loudly.

Now watch as the trainer feeds these massive Orcas, shouted the trainer. The Orcas swam rapidly around the aquarium and then flopped over to the open platform closest to the trainers.

Mum, the Orcas….. You wont believe how something that large can jump so high above the water!!!. The trainer looks like the size of a toothpick compared to the black and white large orcas in the pool.

Is it even safe to be standing so close?

Before I could even answer the crowd burst out laughing when the trainer standing next with the Orca tried to get the Orca to do another flip in the water, but instead it flipped on its back and put down one fin at its side pretending it was tired.

They are fine mum, the Orcas even know how to joke with the trainers.

The show went on for thirty minutes with amazing water aerobatic displays by the Orcas and the trainers. The audience screamed in delight each time the Orcas used their massive tails to make the entire front row audience wet. Finally one of the trainers stood on the large floating platform closest to the audience. He whisteled to the Orcas and the two of them swam to the open area and swam right up such that the trainer was standing in between them both. The Orcas Cody and Cory bared their sharp teeth and pulled out their tongue at the audience and everyone roared in delight. The trainer then turned to look at the audience

Allright patrons of Keppel Marine Aquapark. You will now get a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up, close and personal with our absolutely loveable Orcas Cody and Cory. I will call out a few names who have been chosen to enjoy this opportunity. Now the first name I call is a really special patron who chose to attend our special show even though that person is unfortunately visually challenged. Can I please call Mrs Anna Oliviero down to the stage please, said the trainer raising out his arms and looking around the stadium.

Everyone looked around, I was so stunned I looked at my mum.

My mum simply stared ahead in shock.

Ryan!!!….did you?….when…why?

No…I didn’t, it’s a shock to me. Who would…….oh…Coach Samson!

Of course! It was Coach Samson who gave me these tickets. Crazy coach Samson…I am going to kill him.

Can the attendants please assist Mrs Anna Oliviero down to the stage please?

Two attendants came up to us and looked at my mum.

Mrs Oliviero, would you allow us to escort you down to the stand? said one of the attendants. She was a thin girl with a square face and yellow spectacles and a pleasant smile on her face.

No, no….I don’t want to go, pleaded my mum with a horrified look on her face. She instinctively reached for my hand and grabbed it with such force that my arms turned red from her grip.

I put my palm on her shoulder and comforted her. It’s ok mum. I’ll be there right beside you. Don’t worry, they are harmless and it really is once in a lifetime experience. I think you should go ahead, I reassured my mother.

My mum still looked very unsure so I helped my mum get back.

No Ryan, please..please..please. I don’t want to do this!

I’ll be with you every step of the way, I promise.

I looked at the attendants and nodded at her and she responded