Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 126

A Memorable Trip to the Past
Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Miu, Astrid - 10
I
t was a fabulous day in Shanghai. I was strolling along the sunlit pavement when I saw an ancient combination
lock tangled in some fern bushes. I picked it up, and a blast of wind blew on my face, as if a dozen daggers were
simultaneously plunging into my soul, exploiting all my darkest thoughts. I became unaware of the fact that I was
being lifted off my feet, due to the extreme pain eventually causing me to fall unconscious.
When I finally regained consciousness, I realize that my hands and feet had been replaced by four paws.
My ears drooped floppily, my nose had somehow turned into a snout and I had a short, slim tail at the end of my
body. My hearing and olfactory senses were extremely acute as well. I tried speaking, but all I heard was a
high-pitched bark. I realized with a jolt that I had become a Chinese Chongqing Dog. Looking around, I
noticed the beauty and intricacy of the peculiar garments that the people were wearing, and their magnificence
rendered me speechless. The women wore qipaos that had flowery patterns reaching their ankles, and the men
wore old-fashioned suits. Also, looming in front of me in all its glory was the Yu Garden. I could hear sharp
voices of foreigners yelling. Finally, the pieces of the puzzle clicked and I realized that I had travelled back in time
to old Shanghai, around the period of the French invasion.
I padded along the streets of old Shanghai clumsily, marveling at the monuments.
The French had transformed Shanghai into a place where all outlanders could come and sell their precious
goods, and it became a famous place for businessmen to advertise their products, making it quite a crowded
trading point.
Meanw