A Cup of Water and A Bowl of Congee
Diocesan Girls ' Junior School , Deng , Shirley - 11
K nock knock !" The wooden door shivered weakly . Wu dashed to the window and peered out . A foreign girl with chestnut brown hair was standing on the doorsteps in tattered rags . The girl raised her little fist and knocked again , this time more desperately . Wu opened the door and gasped at the very sight of the girl . Months of malnutrition had reduced the girl to a bag of bones . " Food … Wa … Water …" the girl breathed . As Wu reached out to her , she staggered and fell forward into Wu ’ s open arms . Wu shook the lifeless figure but was in vain . Setting the girl down , Wu sprinted to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of water and a bowl of congee leftover from lunch and hurried back to the door . Wu lifted the girl ’ s head and cautiously poured the congee into her gaping mouth . Soon , the little body warmed up and her long eyelashes fluttered open . Excited and anxious , Wu exclaimed , “ Are you feeling better ?” The girl ’ s mouth curled into a weak smile and nodded gratefully .
Gradually , the little girl regained her strength and sat up . Wu invited her in . The two girls curled up beside the fire and chatted heartily . The girl introduced herself as Daniella and began on her tragic past .
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Daniella ’ s mind flashed back to the time when she stepped off the ship from Germany to Shanghai , arriving at the Huang Pu River Ferry Wharf . Ignoring her mother ’ s nudges , she looked up and saw magnificent buildings lined in neat rows . Roads were packed with trams , carriages and people wearing eccentric clothing … She admired in awe . She had never seen anything so incredible in her life . When she turned , the crowd had swallowed her mother up . The wharf was disordered and jammed with people : they were having animated discussions , enthusiastic about escaping from the grave war and starting a new life in Shanghai . Daniella looked through the vast ocean of people , desperate to find her mother . She pushed her way through the crowd calling for her mother . Her flame of hope was burning out . Maybe , Mother had left the wharf . Daniella ’ s spirit lit up and squeezed out of the wharf . She elbowed her way , tripping and running , hoping to see her mother ’ s figure around each corner . “ Careful , girl !” “ Look where you are going !” She was too troubled to notice the scornful remarks . “ Mother ! Mother !” she sobbed and felt as if her heart had been stabbed by a million needles . Her vision blurred as tears began to shine in her eyes . “ I will never see my mother again .” At this thought , Daniella collapsed onto the floor .
Daniella wandered around Shanghai , not knowing what to do . Having starved for almost a month , she was so hungry that she could gobble a huge tub of fruits in a second . Her stomach growled , demanding for food and water .
Daniella took a deep breath and knocked on a wooden door . The door creaked open . " Yes ?" a tiny voice squeaked . " Err … I ’ m homeless and starving . Ca ... Can you please …" Daniella stammered fearfully . " IGNORE THAT TRAMP !" someone thundered suddenly . She sped away to the next door , traumatised …
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“ Wow , how terrible ”, Wu whispered . Daniella continued , “ And now my life is a mess , the Nazi trapped my grandparents in a concentration camp and shot my father and I lost my mother at the Huang Pu River Ferry Wharf …" Daniella sighed in despair . " Oh ! You poor soul . I wish you the best in future ," Wu gave Daniella a comforting hug . She thanked
Wu again and left .
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Much had happened in two years . Wu ’ s family had a hard and poor life . They often struggled with school fees and many other difficulties . Her father died of a deadly and contagious disease : tuberculosis . So , they lost their