SERDANG: The last memory Mohd Fazrul Mohd Nasir has of his 12-year-old son Muhammad Harith, who died following an electric shock at school, was of him waving and smiling as he was being dropped off.
"We arrived at school at 7.50am, and usually, as soon as he gets out of the car, Harith would wave and say goodbye, but yesterday he just walked away.
"Then he stopped, turned around, and waved with a smile. That was the last time I saw him smile," said the 40-year-old when met at the Sultan Idris Shah Hospital forensics department.
He noted that his son's behaviour seemed unusual yesterday as he took longer than usual to get ready.
Fazrul recalled how his son, the eldest of three siblings, had led the Asar prayer as imam just 30 minutes before the tragic incident.
"I often told him, 'if Abi (Fazrul) passes away, Harith must lead the funeral prayer for Abi,' but it turned out that Harith was the one who left before me," he said.
In the incident, which happened around 5.30pm, the Year Six pupil was reportedly playing with friends on a walkway when he is believed to have received an electric shock after touching a metal pole and collapsed onto a drain cover.
"Coincidentally, I couldn't pick him up after school, so a friend helped by dropping him off at his religious school in the afternoon. That evening, I arrived at the school around 5.34pm when his teacher called to inform me about the incident.
"The teacher said Harith had received an electric shock, and his mouth was foaming. I knew then that he might no longer be with us. I ran to the school," said Fazrul.
An assistant engineer at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Fazrul added that, although losing his son is painful, he and his wife, Norhidayah Husin, 39, accept the incident as fate.
"I was very close to Harith, spending almost every day together. He was a good, helpful, and friendly child, loved by many, and very responsible, especially in looking after his two younger siblings.
"He was like a friend to me. We always talked, and on Monday and Tuesday, we even fell asleep together in front of the TV after watching a movie.
"We talked about so many things then. He invited me to try Muay Thai. I often encouraged him to be brave and lead prayers. At school, he would take turns with his friends to lead the Asar prayer," said Fazrul, who resides in Dengkil.
He added that it was particularly heartbreaking as today was the announcement of the Penilaian Sekolah Rendah Agama (PSRA) results, but they had not checked them yet.
He also felt sad remembering his promise to buy Harith a video game if he did well in his exams.
"I told him I would take him for umrah if we had the chance, and I had booked horse-riding lessons for him this Saturday because he loved horses. But all these plans are now just memories," he said.
Meanwhile, Norhidayah said Harith, who often joined his father for Maghrib and Isyak prayers at the mosque, also worked part-time at a horse stable during school holidays and weekends to nurture his passion for animals.
"Once he finished his tasks, the stable owner would let him ride the horses a few rounds. Harith even asked me to find a tahfiz school with horses.
"He recently treated us to his favourite fried chicken, which is now a treasured memory for me," she said.
Yesterday, the media reported that a Year Six pupil died, believed to be from an electric shock, at a school here.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner A.A. Anbalagan, confirmed receiving a report on the incident about 6.30pm.