Jane slipped the shiny metal-cased pen into her pocket.
She had been eyeing that gleaming treasure for about a month.
Every time she went to the shopping centre, she would head straight to that department store which had that pen.
Besides, Jane was
green with envy at how the other children at school always had more beautiful pens than she.
When she found this particularly unique-looking pen, she was sadly disappointed to find that it was too expensive to afford.
That's when she decided to steal it.
Nervous and shivering at what she had just done,
she put both her hands into her pockets and continued to walk around the department store to avoid looking suspicious.
After browsing through the stationery section, she headed for the exit.
She was surprised that she got off so easily and she sighed with relief.
Thinking that she did not want to spend another minute at the scene of her crime, she walked
briskly towards the main entrance of the large shopping centre.
She was five steps from the main exit when a security guard tapped her on the shoulder.
"I believe you have a silver pen from Isetan?" Jane was stunned.
She did not know how to react. She saw the security guard communicating with someone else through her walkie-talkie.
Jane's first instinct was to run from the security guard,
but she knew that it would only make a scene and attract more attention since people were already beginning to stare.
The security guard detained Jane and took her to the manager's office.
The manager called her parents and explained the matter to them.
Later, when Jane's parents arrived, they paid for the pen and took her home.
Since Jane was a juvenile and a first time offender,
no police report was made. Jane regretted stealing the pen and promised not to disappoint her parents again. |