Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 517

Mission Impossible
Western Academy of Beijing, Exbrayat, Issari - 10
D
ad, when will we arrive?; my feet are worn out!” Zheng Ming whined. She and her dad were climbing
Mount Tse Yang in Shanghai hoping to find the elixir for immortal life because Zheng Ming’s grandma was
dying and she was full of good advice and wisdom so they didn’t want to lose her; it would be a big loss.
“ My dear Zheng Ming, I do not know when we will arrive; legend says that the elixir for immortal life is buried
deep underground.” Zheng Ming’s dad replied.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake and rocks were falling of cliffs. “ Quick Zheng Ming, run into the cave over
there!” Zheng Ming’s dad shouted to her, pointing at a cave a few metres away from them. They ran as fast as they
could toward the cave and then went to the back to explore it.
A few hours later of exploring, they found a spot to set their tents and they fell asleep quickly.
“ Who dares come in the cave of the mighty Khan?” Said a booming voice in the
middle of the night. Zheng Ming and her father immediately woke up and found themselves in the grasp of a
mountain dragon.
“ We came here for the elixir for immortal life.” Stuttered Zheng Ming’s dad. Zheng Ming didn’t say a word; she
was petrified. “ Aha, so you came for the elixir? To get it there will be three tasks.
The first one is a riddle; here it is. What object has keys that open no locks, space but no room and you can enter,
but not go in? You have one hour to figure it out, starting now!”
Zheng Ming and her dad thought and thought while the minutes ticked by.
Suddenly, Zheng Ming interrupted the silence. “ Excuse me Mr. Khan, I think I know what it is.”
“ Yes child? What is it?” Khan said in his booming voice.
“ I’m positive that it is a keyboard!” Zheng Ming said in a confident kind of way.
“ My dear child, you are right! What is your name; you are the only child that figured it out.” “ My name is
Zheng Ming.” Zheng Ming’s dad stared at her in disbelief.
“ How did you guess that?” He repeated this several times.
“ Now, do you want to do your second task now or later?” Asked Khan in a more gentle voice than before.
“Now!” said the both of them in unison.
“ Okay, now your second task is to find a hidden treasure at the bottom of the river outside of the cave,” Zheng.
Ming’s dad told Zheng Ming that it was too dangerous for her to do it; he was going to do it instead and she
would make sure no one was looking especially the great emperor Ling’s guard’s since they were very fierce.
Khan told them that they had as long as it would take them and that he would be waiting near their tents. Zheng
Ming and her dad went outside and she watched her dad jump into the water and arrive at the bottom of the river
and start digging with his hands. After what seemed like hours, he popped out of the water taking deep gulps of air
and he said: “ I found something at the bottom of the river but I need helping hands. Can you come down and
help me?”