Highly Commended Story - A Stitch In Time Saves Nine

“A Stitch In Time Saves Nine” by Rahym Hussain Naqvi, Beaconhoue School System Primary VI North Nazimababd, Karachi, Pakistan, is the Highly Commended story in the sub-junior category of the second biannual Short Story Contest 2020.

Rahym is dedicated and puts a great amount of effort into everything he does. He comes to class every day with a smile on his face and a desire to learn. He does a fantastic job of staying on task in class, turning his work in on time, being respectful of both his peers and his teachers, and volunteers to answer questions in class. He is compassionate and kind; he has been there for others who need a friend, and is dependable and reliable. Moreover he is supportive and collaborative with his peers.

A Stitch In Time Saves Nine

‘TING! TING!’ The alarm clock whirred, creating a tumultuous sound that awoke Mr. Martin from his deep slumber.

Conspicuously, the weather was really muggy as the sweltering and blistering sun materialized on the sky, sending its boiling waves. Only the flamboyant sounds of wrens and nightingales could be heard. For last two months, the atrocious invasion of Covid had nonplussed people and they were confined to their homes like petrified mice, fossilized by the calamity. Therefore, in such circumstances, online classes were the only option and every teacher was said to get ready for them. However, Martin had concerns about it as he was far behind technology and was not a computer buff.

At High School, he was a history teacher but was mostly called cynical and sardonic. He had a son called Mike who was an eighteen year old home boy.

Mr. Martin was an acerbic, cold-hearted and malevolent person whom you’d expect to be the last one embroiled in these classes. In addition, he was a person who despised technology and had knowledge about it by a hair’s breadth. Initially, he struggled to take the online classes. He couldn’t open the mic and camera sometimes and his students made fun of him at such silly mistakes.

However, the online classes Mr. Martin was taking for past few days were abysmal and agitation was quite evident on his face which was easily be comprehended by his son Mike.

A clammy dawn had arrived and in great wrath, Mr. Martin dressed up and whizzed towards the launch room to take online classes. When he saw himself in the camera, his hair was unkempt so he went back to comb it properly. His head was boiling with rage and volcano seemed to erupting at any time.

When will the schools re open? When will I get rid of these crap classes? Simple pen and paper is better than this junk. Face to face classes in a schoolroom is a great idea. Who had the idea of these virtual classes?

These questions were moving in his mind and somehow it was becoming a challenge for the man of his age to gain interest in the technological world and get used to it.

Unfortunately, the classes he took that day were not apt at all. That was……. Without a doubt for Mr. Martins unscrupulous reaction over his arch-enemy didn’t change a bit. Certainly, this continued for weeks…….. The same attitude.

Covid invasion did not come to an end. Henceforth, the schools did not open and online classes continued.

No luck yet. Things were getting out of hand but Mr. Martin was……. Indubitably, not perturbed about anything.

Few days had passed by. It was Saturday, a usual day of scorching summer. It was Saturday and well……. For Mr. Martin……. It was none other than a day of delight and joy. Relaxing in his rocking chair, sipping fresh, chilled lemonade, he was having a time of his life.

“TUCK! TUCK!”

The door created an uncanny and funny sound. Mr. Martin meandered towards the door to open it and on his way he found an envelope. On it, there was scribbled, “From the head of High School”

Nevertheless, he was conjecturing that what would be there in the letter, his gut feeling told him that there is going to be something wrong.

Giving the letter a handier look, Mr. Martin read it prudently to himself. After reading it, he was in shock.

The letter said that Mr. Martin was not taking online classes properly and was not paying attention to them therefore, if that continued, the school would fire him from his job.

Traumatized, Mr. Martin felt as if his heart would stop beating. His stomach wobbled as if someone had appallingly poisoned him. He was rooted to the spot like a tree………….. he was frozen like a statue whilst his blood got as white as ivory.

With tears running and glittering on his cheeks, he dashed towards the room in great misery and started talking to himself, “What the hell was going on with me? Why did I take these classes inattentively?”

Mike then witnessed that his father was ailing and looked ill. The boy was bemused that what was happening to his father. “What happened dad……a…..are you okay?” Mike inquired him, befuddled. Mr. Martin told him about what he was going through.

When Mike got to know about the matter, he felt really blue and down hearted for his father thus, he abetted and tried to encourage his dad.

“Look, dad……. Hereafter, the world is all about technology. We all have to pace up with this fast growing world otherwise we would be left behind, you aren’t going to succeed. Please, you have to understand it else you would be no here.”

Mike persuaded his dad earnestly.

“I think I should do that!”

Mike waggled his head at his father.

From than onwards, Mr. Martin tightened up his screws and assiduously, started focusing on online classes. Moreover, he learned a lot about computer from Mike and then, faced no problems while taking online classes.

Moral: Technology is really important. In future, there is no way to succeed except technology. If you don’t have knowledge about it, triumph wouldn’t be yours.