Visual Trigger

DiomedesII. “triumph motorcycle – NYC 2003″ Online Image. 25 Dec. 2003. http://diomedesii.deviantart.com/art/triumph-motorcycle-NYC-2003-4380562

Andy takes a step back to look at his prized possession. His eyes stop to focus on the stylish blue and silver figurine – the very first motorcycle model from his father. He retrieves the little motorcycle and stars to fiddle it fondly, spending the afternoon reminiscing his past.

As a young boy, he fantasize over machinery and robots that everyone sees an engineer growing in him. However, his parents had misunderstood him. What actually drives his interests for engines are motorcycles, and he has a passion to go into motorcycle racing more than anything else. But he cannot bear to spoil his parents hopes for him.

“Andy, are you getting dressed already? You’ve got a reunion party tonight!” his mother’s voice come screaming through his ears. He puts the model back and opens his wardrobe. Moments later, he is ready. He looks at himself in the mirror. This has got to be the best suit ever. Smartly, he walks out of his room.

“Son, do you need me to drive you..” his father pauses. “What is that you are wearing?” he continues. His mother emerges from the kitchen, eager to see his son in his new suit, only to find herself in shock and disbelief.

“Look, today’s theme is Be Yourself. And I’m going to the party with this riding suit and jacket. I look fine, and I don’t see anything wrong with it.” he tries to reassure them. All these years, he has successfully hide his desire for motorcycling in front of his parents. It is not what they can accept when all they wish for him is to become a pilot, architect or an engineer.

“Well, I hope this is just one of your jokes, Andy. You did so well for your A Levels, don’t tell me you’re gonna..manufacture motorcycles or something?” his father looks at him, sternly.

Mustering courage and wanting to tell them the truth, he heaves a deep sigh, “No.” His father remains curious but feels slightly better on hearing his answer. “And I don’t need you to drive me there, see you later tonight.”

Andy feels great that he is in his racing suit, everyone is casually dressed for the party. “Don’t you feel hot in that jacket?” Edmund, his best friend, teases him. “Look what our top A level student got himself! A motorbike jacket, when he doesn’t even have a bike of his own!” And then, everyone starts to gather and make fun of him. They continue to joke but Andy cannot find himself laughing at any of them. The more Edmund talks about it, the more he reminds himself how hard it will take for his dream to come true. He gulps down another drink and sighs for a second time. After that, he decides to immerse himself in the party and dance all night, leaving all his troubles behind.

When Andy takes his handphone out from his pocket, he realizes that he has 12 miss calls from his parents. He dumps his phone aside and continues to party. Till midnight, when everyone starts to leave, he looks at his phone again.

“Wondering whether to return your parents’ calls?” Edmund is like a worm in his stomach. He makes a decision that shocked Edmund , “I’m not calling them back.”

“Let’s go somewhere else and chill!” he shouts to the remaining people. A loud cheer ejects life into the room once more.

Being worried, Edmund decides to follow his best friend. They are hanging around the streets when one of them starts destroying a vending machine. All the while, Andy lurks around, with a can of beer in his hand. “Andy, it’s time to go home. The party’s over.” Edmund urges. “Who says it’s over? I call the shots tonight!” He pushes Edmund aside to join in the vandalism. “Those cars is next! Whoever the unfortunate owner is!” Sounds of windows smashing and car sirens take over the tranquility.

“Okay, enough! It’s almost 5am and you’ve got yourself into enough trouble, better leave now!” Just as Andy is about to give in, his wandering gaze catches sight of a blue and silver motorcycle parked behind the row of cars. “No, wait, wait..” he walks slowly towards the motorcycle. He sits on the bike, pretending to ride it.

“Hey, it’s someone else’s bike! Get off it now!” Edmund tries his best to get him off, but receives a scolding instead, “Shut up, you pest!”

Andy pretends to accelerate, and imagines himself on a highway, speeding through the night. He starts to wonder why his father gave him the motorcycle figurine if he did not intend him on riding one. If only the engine can start up, he will show them what he wants.

And, as if magic is working again, the engine starts to roar. The others start to gather around him again, giving him credit for starting up the bike. “It’s nothing, I’ve got the skills.” he claims. “C’mon then, ride it! You didn’t wear this suit to the party for nothing!” they urge him on. Elated, and thinking that is must be his destiny calling out to him, he kicks off the kickstand.

“You’re not going to drive that off, Andy. You haven’t even ride a bike before, you’re insane!” Edmund’s shoutings were drowned by the cheers. Seeing Andy’s figure fading into a silhouette, he promptly takes out his phone.

Andy feels like a night rider. Riding a bike is easy, just keep your balance, and concentration…but when he hears a siren coming from behind him, he knows that he has forgot about the speed. Horror strikes him, if he gets caught, he will be in deep trouble. He accelerates, the only thing left for him to do now is to shake of the police.

As he reaches the highway, he starts to wonder how the police got onto his tail so fast. Edmund, he must have rat on me! He is reaching a neighbourhood estate soon, an area which he cannot speed and avoid the police’s trail. He glances back for awhile, the police will catch up on him soon. He will abandon the bike once he finds a suitable spot in the neighbourhood.

He enters the neighbourhood he encounters the first sharp turn of his life. Wide turns and straight roads are easy to handle, but not a sharp one. He looks back again, the police close on him. He has no choice, but only one chance.

Closing his eyes, he swerves the bike left. He prays that nothing will happen and heaves a sigh of relief when he has successfully overcome it. His third sigh. Just as he feels like Tom Cruise accomplishing Mission Impossible, a figure appears in the middle of the road. Andy opens his eyes in horror, he has no idea how to stop his speeding bike.

All that Andy can remember is the squeals of a female voice when he wakes up on the hospital bed. He right leg is casted and he has difficulty moving. Searching through the room, he sees a familiar face. It is Edmund’s. “You bastard, you called the police!” he casts a fierce glare on Edmund. “What are you talking about? I called your parents after you sped off. I never called the police…”

Just as he is about to call Edmund a liar, he hears familiar voices outside the ward. “Is our son alright? We heard that he was involved in an accident!” It is his mother’s voice filling the hospital corridor with her cries. Slowly, Andy recalls himself speeding on the highway and the police on his tail. Flashes of memory surface in his mind. A badge. A little boy, an innocent looking boy standing in the middle of the road. Yet, he cannot remember what happened after that.

“Andy! You got us so worried! You did not return any of our calls..only Edmund called us.” his parents have come in with the doctor. He has no answers for them but only one burning question to ask, “Doctor, what happened to the little boy? There was a little boy, right? And a woman if I’m not wrong…” The doctor casts a cold look on him.

“He died.”

Andy opens his mouth in disbelief. “You crashed into him. The police say you tried to avoid him but couldn’t. You made a nice turn but did not succeed in speeding down.” Andy does not want to hear these. Tears start to flow from his eyes, and his mother’s tears are wetting his clothes. “You mean my son is not the victim, but the culprit of this accident?”

Andy looks up to see his father by the window. He has no idea what to say or do. He takes out his phone and call for the lawyer, leaving the room. He sees Edmund, and feels guilty of accusing him something he has not done. And he finds himself looking at his hands – the hands that have taken the life of a child. A murderer.

Later on, he gathered from the hospital staff that the squeals came from the mother of the little boy. His mother decided to let him cross the road by himself since it is a pedestrian crossing. But he never made it to school. He is also the only child of his family.

Andy leans back on his bed, thinking of what he had done. Back at the party, they call him the “top A level student in a cool biker outfit”. Back at home, he is the aspiring engineer or pilot. And now, he is but a murderer of a six year old boy who was going to school happily. Due to his own foolishness, he had caused the sufferings of others.

When he heard footsteps later, he knows that he is not going to run away from them again. The police.