Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 211

Mr Kuat disappeared into his office to prepare the bill.
The Englishman walked up to Lin, who was silently dusting the shelves.
"My name is Charles," he said. "Please take this business card and this small gift. If you ever come to England, know
that you will have a home with me."
He gave Lin a small bar wrapped in gold foil and a card with delicately scripted words. Later that night, Lin
unwrapped the bar and bit into the milky, crunchy, sweet substance. She took a nibble every night and promised
herself she would find the Englishman one day again. Except, she had no idea how.
One morning, when Mr Kuat failed to return from a night out gambling, Lin knew what she had to do. She took
a little bit of money and slipped away into the early dawn. It was dark, but the streets were still illuminated by red
lanterns above her. She ran through musty alleyways and streets where the traffic gathered into a storm as the day
started.
At every street she saw crowde