You Cannot Judge A Book By Its Cover

• Peace Yeo, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2020

Jane has always been a great friend. She helps me in my times of need and is always there for me. She is the model pupil in school as she never forgets to bring her homework and never gets into trouble at school. We have been friends for close to four years. But our friendship ended after something that happened during the holidays…
I was alone at home that day as my parents were out working. The house is quiet and creepy when there is no one else at home. I had decided to call Jane and invite her to come over to my house to keep me company. It was not before long that I heard a loud commotion outside my neighbour’s house. Curiosity seep through me and I went to investigate. Soon, I figured out that the loud commotion was actually a mixture of sounds which included meows and angry shouts.
“Who is that? Could it be a psychopath harming someone’s cat? Someone who has a bad history with cats and now wants to harm them?” Many thoughts raced through my mind. I decided to peek from my bedroom window on the second floor where I had a bird’s eye view of the outside of my neighbour’s house.
To my surprise the ‘psychopath’ turned out to be someone very familiar. “Jane?” I thought disbelievingly. It was to my extreme horror that Jane, my best friend, was beating up a poor defenceless cat with a thick tree branch. Could this really be Jane, goody role model? Jane had told me once that she despised cats but I had never thought that she would go to such extents as to abusing them.
I recognized the cat as a stray which roams the neighborhood. Being a stray, this cat has to hunt for its food and look for shelter. Now, besides having to fend for itself, it has injuries to deal with. I felt sick in my stomach, not knowing how or why Jane had to do such a thing.
When Jane came knocking on my door, I could not look her in the eyes. Seeing my downcast gaze, Jane immediately asked, “What’s wrong Emily? Did something happen?” Finally I mustered my courage and whispered softly, “Why did you beat that cat?” For once, Jane was at loss for words. In the end she stuttered, “I … I did not want the cat to scratch me.” Jane went on further to explain that she had a bad history with cats ever since a cat had scratched her across the cheek when she was younger. Still it was no excuse to why Jane would go to an extent to abuse the cat. I mentioned this to her and she retorted angrily without a sense of guilt, “What’s wrong with that? I can do whatever I like with them!” With that, she ran off angrily.
The proverb is right, ‘You cannot judge a book by its cover’. Jane may be model pupil in school and a friendly person, but she is actually a cruel person who could harm animals without even batting an eyelid. After the confrontation Jane and I walked our separate ways. I still treasure the four years of friendship with her but I could never forgive Jane for what she had done to that cat.