Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 328

Nyroc and the Crazy Governor
Norwegian International School, Lai, Justin - 9
N
yroc looked around the museum. He had been in the history museum many times, but he had never been
in an exhibition hall so dark. Nyroc looked for the name of the exhibition hall. The entrance was labelled
“Old Shanghai” and it had lots of red lanterns hanging around. Nyroc went back to the other side of the hall,
where his class should be waiting. When he arrived, nobody was there! He wandered around, hoping to find his
class. Then, in one of the paintings hanging on the wall, something amazing was happening. The painting was
showing some people wearing crude Chinese robes. They were swinging Shaolin Sticks in front of a noble
Chinese man. It was a nice painting, but unlike other paintings, the people inside were moving like in real life!
Nyroc stared at the picture in amazement. He looked at the information next to it. It said that this was a Kung Fu
performance ordered by the Shanghai governor. Nyroc saw the governor standing outside his house, watching the
people performing. Suddenly, there was a bright light shining on Nyroc…
“Ow!” Nyroc landed headfirst inside the painting. Inside. Not outside. Nyroc quickly pulled himself up and
ran towards the nearest house to avoid the crowd. It was the red governor’s house Nyroc had seen earlier in the
painting. He could hear the wooden floor creaking when he ran in. Once Nyroc was in the house, he saw the
governor of Shanghai came in.
When the governor saw Nyroc, he stared at him. “You must be a traveller from Britain! Your clothes are
funny.”
The governor noticed that Nyroc was confused and explained. “I have some friends living in the British
Settlement, so I know how to speak English.”
The governor’s English wasn’t very good. He looked at Nyroc’s jeans and T-shirt, then at his own noble
robes. He ordered the guards to give his best robes, Shaolin Sticks and jades to Nyroc. Then, he told Nyroc to
give his clothes to him. Nyroc was so frightened that he obeyed immediately. He and the governor went to
different rooms and changed. When Nyroc saw himself in the bronze mirror, he yelped in surprise. He looked just
like the governor in the painting he had seen. Nyroc and the governor both had chubby faces, so they look alike.
The only difference Nyroc could spot was that his face was much younger. The robes were also too long for him.
Nyroc went slowly out of the door. When he went out, he saw the governor twirling in a circle, showing off
Nyroc’s clothes. The clothes were too small for him so his belly stuck out, but the governor didn’t seem to care.
“How do I look?” he asked when he saw Nyroc. “Do I look like my British friends?”
Nyroc laughed. He laughed so hard that he fell on the ground.
“What is so funny?” the governor frowned at Nyroc.
“You looked ridiculous!” Nyroc was choking for breath after he laughed so hard.
“Rediculos? What is that?” the governor pronounced ridiculous as if it was hard for him. Nyroc took a
dictionary out of his bag. However before he could show the governor the definition, the latter snatched the book
out of Nyroc’s hand and looked at it. “Ho! A new weapon!” He began using the dictionary to whack his Chinese
guards and soldiers on their heads. Nyroc expected them to dodge, but they just stood there and let the governor
whack them.
Suddenly, the governor shouted so loudly that the whole house rattled. “Practice with this! This is a new
useful weapon that we can use to claim back our land in the International Settlement!” He shouted, waving the
dictionary around.
“Do you have any more?” He asked Nyroc. The governor expected Nyroc to be as obedient as his guards
and soldiers.
“Give that back to me! That belongs to the school! Not mine!” Nyroc shouted and tried to snatch the
dictionary from the governor. “The school have a lot of dictionaries in the library.”
“Are you talking about the Cathedral School for Girls built by the British priests?” the governor’s face broke
into a grin.
“What?! Are you nuts? Do I look like a girl?” Nyroc yelped.