Puppet on a String

Part I

As he stared at the grim walls of the Changi Prison, Charlie felt a shiver run down his spine. This was to be his home from now on. He had been sentenced to detention under The President’s Pleasure – the dreaded code word for indefinite imprisonment. He had no idea how long that would be except that it would not be short. Was this a fate worse than death? Well, he would have plenty of time to find out.

Some said he was lucky. Had he been 18, he would have received the death sentence, like his partner-in-crime. But somehow, Charlie did not feel very lucky. Not when he had to celebrate his 17th birthday in prison – and many birthdays thereafter.

As tears welled in his eyes, he saw his past flash before him. He could see himself as a young child with his mum and dad, brother and sister in the comfort of their home – the comfort he would now miss. As the youngest of three siblings, Charlie was much loved by his parents. Being the typical Asian parents, they did not openly show their affections but he knew it was there. They worked long hours and seldom saw their children during weekdays. But weekends were different. Charlie still remembered the happy family outings they enjoyed during the weekends.

Charlie loved animals. He reared fishes, tortoises, birds and hamsters. He also enjoyed fishing with other boys. Although he was naughty and playful, he did well in his studies. For his good performance in Primary One, his proud parents bought him a BMX bicycle. When he was in primary four, his aunt rewarded him with $300 for being one of the top students in his school.

But things started going downhill when he was in primary six. Being close to his brother, he followed his example of skipping classes to go fishing. Ironically, it was his brother who asked him not to follow his footsteps. He even advised him to spend more time on his studies. It was the classic “do what I tell you to do but don’t do what I do” type advice, but Charlie did not listen.

Charlie’s brother later dropped out of school, joined gangs and got into fights. Although Charlie was influenced by his bad example, he still managed to move on to secondary school. But when his brother was enlisted for national service, he felt lonely and this loneliness drove him closer to his friends although there were few he could confide in. His best friend was Jonathan who was not only more streetwise but richer than him. Charlie loved hanging out with Jonathan after school and the two often played pool.

His parents were often busy at work but they cared enough to send him to tuition classes when he was in secondary one. They also told him to be home before 10 pm. But when he was in secondary three, his parents started to relax their hold on him as they felt he was old enough to act responsibly. It turned out to be misplaced faith. His studies went from bad to worse. He passed only three subjects in secondary four. Not that it troubled him. By then, he had many girlfriends. But all his relationships were short-lived and superficial. He first experienced puppy love in primary school and discovered his second love in secondary one. Another girl, Eileen, took up with him in order to win a bet with her friends. But the one who broke his heart was Cheryl who left him for another guy after a month.

It was at this time that Charlie picked up smoking. It was his panacea for the pain of a love lost. His father was furious when he found out but Charlie pacified him by assuring him that he would never do drugs or join gangs. Out of respect for his parents, he did not smoke at home. Despite being under-aged, he also drank and would share a jug with friends on nights out.

Like most teenagers, Charlie always felt he could do with more money. When he was in secondary one, he started working part-time as a banquet waiter to supplement his $8-a day pocket money. Other jobs included helping out at a drink stall and working as a sales assistant in a hand phone shop.

In late March 1996, he bumped into an old friend, Paul, at McDonald’s in his neighbourhood – a chance meeting that would change his life forever. He first befriended Paul a few years ago while the 33-year-old was walking his dog in the vicinity. But when Paul moved house, they did not meet each other until now when the older man shifted back to the locality.

Charlie introduced Paul to his friends, and it proved to be the start of a series of regular meetings between Paul and the youths over the next few weeks. It was at one of these meetings that Paul dared the youths to kill for pay and asked what their asking price would be. After each had jokingly named his price, Paul said that he was willing to pay $100,000 to anyone who would kill his wife, Michelle. When they heard this, they started laughing, thinking that Paul was joking since he too was laughing.

Part II

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