Indonesia
Riding On the Police Car
Popo was enjoying his new blue bicycle, when mom came out with an umbrella. “We are out of sugar. I’m going to get some. Are you coming?” Mom asked under the umbrella she used to cover from the sun. Well, of course Popo chose to stay with his bike. “Don’t go anywhere, i’ll be just a minute,” mom said while opening the fence.
Popo went on with his bike. He went circling the mango tree for six times, round the while backyard three times and riding across the stones in the park twice. His stomach began to growl, but mom had yet to come back. Popo decided to go look for mama. After all, he knew the store she used to go for sugar.
But -ouch!- riding a tricycle in the highway turned out thrilling. Popo was paddling slowly when a dump truck went by fast. “Be careful little panda!!” the driver shouted. At the corner of the street, he came across a cement mixer that vibrated the road as he was passing by. Oh my…Popo was so scared. He wanted to go home but too afraid to turn over. And mom’s grocery store was still two blocks away.
At home, mom was shock when she couldn’t find Popo on the lawn. She searched to next door houses for his six years old son. Nobody saw him. Mom went to the park, he’s not there, so was at the candy shop. Mom was getting anxious as she traces the road, looking for Popo. Suddenly a cop car stopped beside her. A well built cop came out. He opened the back door and oh dear, look who jumped out happily. Popo! “I found him wandering around alone on a bike in the street. It’s extremely dangerous. I meant to take him home but on our way, he started shouting, ‘That’s my mom!’,” the officer explained her.
Mama apologized and promised to pay more attention to Popo. The police took Popo’s bike out of the trunk of his car before saying goodbye and drove with loud sirene sound. Popo’s mom was grateful to find his son. Popo was even more grateful because he could finally feel sitting in a police car with sirene, something he used to see every time he went to school. That was fun!
HAFIDA INDRAWATI
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTOS
