2016 , America , New York
The Independent Schools Foundation Academy , Sze , Pak Hin – 9
L
eo just couldn ’ t sleep . He tossed and turned on the bed , counted sheep , but nothing seemed to work . After a few hours of hopelessly trying to sleep , he decided that he needed to go to the bathroom . Just when he was about to grab his trusty flashlight , a small and frail light blinked at the end of the corridor . He rushed over and tried to touch the light . With surprising speed , it darted away and reappeared closer to the basement floor . As Leo repeated this a few times , he discovered that the light was trying to lead him to a place … of course ! The basement ! He ran down the basement stairs and each step he took , the light grew brighter , and brighter , until ... the light grew as big as the whole door ! Fear and curiosity fought for domination through his mind . Not long after , curiosity overcame his fear . He slowly approached the source of light , and only for a slight second , he thought he saw something in the hazy light , but as he leaned in to examine the image closer , the light swallowed him and he was sucked in an endless tunnel of brightness . “ I don ’ t know what is going on , but I have this feeling this is going to be a long journey .” He closed his eyes as he plunged into the warm and fuzzy light .
As Leo opened his eyes with a start , he found himself in a busy city overloading with people . You couldn ’ t go to one place without hearing a voice . People were screaming on top of their lungs “ Fresh meat ! Only for a dollar !” “ Freshly caught fish from the one and only South China Ocean !” “ Good looking good-luck charms ! Buy 2 get 1 free !” Within minutes , Leo was already tired of all the shouting . He tried to get some peace and quiet , but as I said earlier , every inch of that city was covered with noise . Suddenly , a hand slapped him on the back . “ You ’ re new , aren ’ t you ?” Leo spun around , only to see a Chinese boy with ash black hair , a seemingly yellow face , and a tall body . The boy also had a heavy Chinese accent . “ O-Of course !” Leo managed a grin . “ Do you know where this place is ?” The boy asked curiously . “ Uh … L . A .? Washington D . C ?” The boy ’ s eyebrows wrinkled into a frown . “ What ? Never heard of those places before . Anyway , this city is Shanghai , and clearly you should know which dynasty we ’ re in .” Leo didn ’ t answer . “ What ?! You really don ’ t know ? Do you even live on this planet ?” The boy asked sarcastically . “ This is the Qing dynasty , when Kang XI is now currently emperor . Sorry not to tell you earlier , my name is Tommy .” They shook hands . “ So , what do you play ?” “ Oh , we play Chinese chess , read , play sports and- “ “ You don ’ t watch TV ?” “ What is TV ?” “ No video games ?” “ What are video games ? “ Are you serious ? No video games or TV ? Life must be torture without those essential items !” Tommy was really anxious to change the subject . What about we go eat some food ? Lunch is on me .” Tommy exclaimed . “ Sure ! Why not ? After all , I ’ m starving .”
As they ascended through the misty entrance of the restaurant , the mist unfolded , only to see the cramped and dense room . The room was very noisy and was cramped with people . The ceiling was very low and the room had obviously not been cleaned for a very long time , so as a result the ceiling was peeling off , cobwebs were everywhere ; and the room smelled of animal dung . Leo immediately wanted to throw up , but Tommy , he acted as if he were very used to this place ; he whistled and strolled around . There were waiters in pitch black uniforms serving strange white things with noodles . A waiter came to Tommy ’ s side and they muttered something . IN just about 5 minutes , that same waiter came over and offered them the same food that Leo saw earlier . “ Won-Ton meen . Is very good !” The waiter smiled at me , then left . He obviously didn ’ t learn much English . Over the few minutes , he noticed something strange . Everyone in this room was sipping some sort of element ... like smoking nowadays . Leo elbowed