4054. Creative Non-Fiction. Wildlife at Yishun Pond Park on 31 Oct 2025:

 

 

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Creative non-fiction makes true stories from the raw material of experience, and settings are an important part of the storyteller's craft. Time, place, weather - they can be much more than just the background against which the action of your story plays out.

(Weather and other elements in your Settings can intensify the mood or power of a scene.)

CREATIVE NON FICTION
1. Use the weather and other elements in your setting to intensify the mood or emotional power of a scene.
2. Show, don't tell

 

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Alertness
Territorial

 

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22 July 2025. 9am. Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital Botanic Garden. Morning. Blue skies, 

 

A gentle breeze blew ripples over the clear waters of the Yishun Park Pond lake. Not many passers-by. I felt the peace of the silence of this hospital garden.

A small bird chirps and flies away. Clean air as no smoking signs are prominently displayed. 

A Botanic Garden for sick people. Small one. Running water. A plopping sound along the walkway across the small pond. Was it the sound of the suction pump? A few small fishes. No dragonflies or butterflies seen at first.

 

One young man exercising in front of me - facing Pond, hands up and stretched out, jumps up and down, repeats.

Senior over 80s, tanned, slim, with phone in his left shirt pocket listening to his audio --- no need to carry it. Heart affected by phone's EMF? 

Women wearing head scarves zoom past me on the PMAs. Bright sunshine. A glorious day to be outdoors. Joyful to be alive. 

Looking for dragonflies and butterflies to photograph. Only one was seen hidden. It fluttered to another branch in the shade of the plants and leaves. 

An overweight female Security guard in her 50s, round face,  bespectacled, white blouse on black pants sauntered to me, authoritative demand, "What are you doing here?"

A tripod with Canon R5 pointing at the middle of the Garden. She thought: "Was this Senior trying to spy on some patients walking past me?". 

"I was taking photographs of the dragon fly," I said in a patient manner as some security guards do exercise their duties to prevent photography by individuals carrying a large digital camera and tripod. If they use their handphones, the guards usually do not feel a need to exercise their authority as such acts are common.

There is no warning sign prohibiting photography in this ground-level Botanic Garden of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. A tripod helps to shoot sharp images of dragonflies, hence I used it.

The Security Guard backed off: "It is okay if you just take dragonflies." Who was I shooting? Patients? The morning sunshine filters onto the leaves of the Botanic Garden. I got a good photo of the rare dragonfly.

To buy a photo of dragonflies:
www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets