Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 223

As fast as he could Kipper swam back to the main pond. When he arrived he listened closely to what the other fish
were saying - and then he realised that he recognised the words - the words his mum used to teach him… slowly
it occurred to him that he must be in China where his mum was born and raised. Many years ago she had been
given as a gift to a Duke and delivered to England to live in his ornamental pond, the place where Kipper had
called home.
Kipper took in the beautiful pond and gardens surrounding him – he felt content knowing he was in his mother’s
homeland and thought it would be a tranquil place to spend his old age .However , as he gazed around, he caught
sight of a willow tree to one side of the pond that reminded him of home and he felt a pang of sorrow for his lost
friends. But just as he began to weep, a delicious morsel of steamed bun drifted past him and he thought joyfully
that maybe it wouldn’t be too bad here after all.