Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 214

The Quest for Freedom
Harrow International School Hong Kong, O'Connor, Angus – 11
I
t is a dark and dingy night as I walk in between houses which are shadowing down on me. The night is gloomy
and I have nowhere to go. I am on the run from the authorities and, if they catch me, I will be in deep trouble.
I suppose you are wondering why I am on the run. Well, it’s rather simple actually. All I have done is steal
four-thousand-yuan worth of silk. That’s all, nothing big, right?
I weave in and out of old, damp, narrow alleyways looking for a place to find some char siu bao. I eventually find a
place where I can get dumplings for a reasonable price (8 yuan). I have about a hundred yuan so I still have some
money left over. I have to make it last though until I get to Hong Kong to find a new job and make a fresh start.
Right now I’m worried I’ll never reach there and instead end up in prison rotting away for the rest of my life.
A few hours later I reach the small water village of Zhujiajiao, around one hour from the centre of Shanghai. I
wander around in awe at this incredible little village. It may not be big but it is very, very beautiful. After
exploring a little I take a boat to the town outskirts.
It is then I finally realize that the police are following my boat on both sides of the river. I am trapped. Out of
nowhere the river splashes up the sides of the riverbank and drenches the police. It’s pretty hilarious to see their
faces when they were splashed but the distraction is just time enough for me to get away.
I figure the best way to find Hong Kong is to just walk along the coast. The coast, however, is rugged and indirect,
making it very hard to follow. So I resort to another way of transport, train. The only problem is money. As I am a
child on the run I have no money. Well I mean, I have the change from the dumplings but I am going to have to
use that to buy more food on the journey.
It is only then that I have an idea of how to make money. The reason I am on the run is because of stealing.
Maybe I could earn some money by stealing for other people or even just steal the money myself. I know I’m so
clever. I’ll think about it during the night.
Now it is a beautiful Sunday morning in the middle of nowhere. During the night I thought again about how I
am going to get money. I think I might just steal the money for myself. The only problem is, no one rich lives
here, so I think I may have to walk back to Shanghai! Great, another day of walking! I decide to use the rest of this
day to explore the town some more and I’ll walk back to Shanghai tomorrow.
Walking around, I over hear someone talking about a typhoon heading towards this area of China. I think to
myself, maybe the splashing further back up the river wasn’t a miracle out of nowhere. It was maybe the wind of
the typhoon. This also means I have to work quickly to get to Hong Kong before the typhoon hits in roughly a
week. Perhaps I should start to walk back to Shanghai today to maximize my chances of getting to Hong Kong
before the typhoon. Around midnight, I’d say, I will be back in Shanghai.
Once there, I have to begin work immediately to ensure maximum stealing time. I decide to start at the big posh
houses, when the children are on their way to school. I make my way to the eastern central district, the most
expensive and elegant neighborhood in Shanghai. When I arrive, I figure I’d best start at the empty houses.
Number six. This has no-one home and, yes, there’s an open window. Perfect! I make my way up the tree
outside the house towards the window. The window is a little way from the tree. I need to lean on the branch so
it sways over. It works like a dream.
Entering the house, it looks like I’ve picked the perfect house to rob. I descend quietly to the lower floor. There is
a cabinet filled with money! Just money. I have no idea why any one would just leave it lying there, but there it is.
I decide to take just enough to feed me and get me to Hong Kong. I slip out of the front door and head for the
train station. This is the part I worry about. If anyone finds out who I am, I am dead. Dead as can be. I arrive at
the station around an hour later. I head for the ticket booth and buy a ticket on the express to Hong Kong. It
should get me there by tomorrow night. So I hand over the money and look for platform three and there it
is………..my train to freedom.