New Journeys to the West
Clearwater Bay School , Chan , Hayley - 10
This was the moment . I was going to move to India . I was going all by myself . Being the daughter of a soldier meant being brave and strong . But I wasn ’ t , instead , I felt small and weak . I didn ’ t want to leave my family , my mother , my father , my little sister …, it felt like a dream . My mother insisted , being the wife of a brave soldier never leaves his side and never leaves the country . I hope when I wake up the next morning , everything will be back to normal .
‘ Cuckoo … Cuckoo …’ I was awoken by the sound of crowing roosters . The sky was bright blue , the grass was emerald green . The view was so attracting that I thought nothing bad could happen . But then , I thought about last night , I thought about India , I thought about my parents . My mind was racing with thoughts I could barely think . Just then , mother came into my room . She held me tightly to her chest , then grabbed both of my hands . ‘ Ahmei , my sweet girl , the time has come . You must pack your sack now , the ship will be at the dock by twelve .’ she said while tears streamed down her face . ‘ Mama , I don ’ t want to leave you !’ I whispered , while hot tears stung my eyes . ‘ You must ! I ’ m doing this to protect you . China will soon be involved in the war , go now , live out your life .’ Mother sobbed . We hugged each other tightly to savour every moment slowly before it was too late .
When we arrived at the dock , the crowd of people was massive . My hand was in mother ’ s . We walked to the entrance with a heavy heart and waited behind the gates to the ship . I wished the world would live in peace , I wished mother could come to India with me , I wished things weren ’ t the way it was . However , I was interrupted by the sound of metal clanging . The gates were opened , I knew I couldn ’ t change this , there was no way to turn back . Before I boarded the ship , mother gave me something . ‘ I will always be with you , look at this and it will remind you of me .’ she croaked before tears slowly rolled down her face . ‘ Mama !......’ I screamed . My hands reached for hers . But something was pulling me back , as if a wall was separating us . ‘ Be brave Ahmei !’ Mama called to me . I nodded although tears were taking over me . The ship started moving . After a while , Our village was no more than a tiny dot in the horizon . I was not sure if I could return to our beautiful China and see my family again . I couldn ’ t help but blink back tears .
I didn ’ t know how many days or nights we went through . I looked around the surroundings , babies were crying , elders were coughing , some were ill , the scene was too painful to watch . I opened my right palm . The memory mother left me was a necklace which she wore all the time . We would clink the turquoise stone together to represent mother and daughter love . I couldn ’ t control my emotions . I had to let all my tears escape me . Mother ’ s last words kept repeating in my head . ‘ I will always be with you ’....., I stared up at the sky , it was filled with bright twinkly stars . But above all that , a bright star burned brightly upon the sky . Mother once said to me , if I wasn ’ t by her side , she would look at that star and think of me . ‘ I love you mama ’ I whispered softly , ‘ I will always be wi- ’ Someone tapped me on the shoulder . I sharply turned my head around and saw a girl , ‘ My name is Changyin , do you want to be friends ?’ hesitatingly , I stood up . Together , we overcame the darkness and the rough sea .
The weather was astonishing . Fluffy white clouds hovered above our heads . ‘ Good morning !’ Changyin said to me . We sat on the roof of the ship and indulged the view . One cloud shaped like a butterfly caught my eye . That brought me back to the moment when mother and I were catching butterflies in the garden . Suddenly , a huge wave of tears crashed into my eyes . ‘ Be brave Ahmei , be brave ,’ the encouragement mother gave me before I left . Quickly I wiped my tears away . During the day , Changyin and I walked on the deck , slowly , we became friends .
In the middle of the night , A big crack woke me up . The captain and his crew were shouting frantically . I peeked out the edge of the ship , the reflection on the water showed light flashing through the sky , I felt very scared . ‘ Wake up Changyin !’ I cried out desperately . She rolled from side to side , then sat up . She covered her mouth in horror . ‘ What happened ?’ She asked me , frightened . As I was about to answer her , rain leaked from the sky and started pouring onto the ship . Thunder roared and the waves grew stronger and stronger . Many were screaming . I doubted in my mind , was this going to be the end of my life ? Am I ever going to see my family again ? I didn ’ t think it would be possible . ‘ Please ! Everyone just calm down !’ The captain shouted . ‘ We will be out of this at no time .’ As if it was a miracle , the sea immediately calmed down and the rain stopped . The rest of the night was quiet .