Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020 | Page 87
Hong Kong Young Writers Awards 2020
Slabs
West Island School, Eyunni, Gayathri – 14
Falling. Slowly, into darkness. Around me the earth is turning, gradually getting smaller
and smaller, almost gone… Then it stops. A surge of power propels me back to the top.
Ambition. The driving force behind most of our actions, what makes us feel pride in what
we do. It is surely a good thing, in healthy doses. But once you cross the line, it could be
blinding. Its bright rays of light stop you from coming back to earth after having taken off
into space, because once you’re there, you don’t know how to come back…
***
The clock had struck midnight hours ago, but I didn’t know the exact time. Crickets
chirped loudly outside as if they were anticipating something that was to come… had they
sensed my fear? It was a new moon day; the only light that found my eyes were from a distant
building that I could barely make out through the thick trees that surrounded my lonely
home. 1, 2, 3… the clock chimed three times. Sleep had cursed me with the unfortunate
phenomenon of sweaty palms, negative thoughts, a throbbing headache and breathlessness.
It is a wonder, how you are often the greatest barrier stopping you from doing something.
We like to blame others for our panic, but it is really ourselves who create this sense of fear.
We are our worst enemy, an enemy we have no weapon against. We are left in the darkness of
our own terror, then we realise that our greatest fear is ourselves.
***
I sat on my seat, directly below where they sat. Them, the ones who decided everything
that happened. Their faces stern, an expression that rarely changes. A mask, perhaps, of
professionalism, hiding the greed and ambition that resided deep down. I wondered what it
would be like if I were one of them. If I was able to make decisions that affected the future
of everyone. Like a lion, would I sit in my den all day, while my kin went out to bring food
for me? Or like a bee, would I create a successful society, where everyone knows their roles
and can work independently? My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the announcement
addressed to all sitting in the grand hall. They were to now launch their new plan.
Something that was to be revolutionary, something that would bring us all the ‘nectar’ we
had been searching for, like insects on flowers. Around me there was excitement; shuffling
and bubbling. But I sat with a placid face. I was not tempted by any of these ‘plans’ they
created for us.
***
I glanced up into the ceiling, something created to shield us from the harsh rays of the
sun in the summer, the pouring rain in the monsoon, and the cold in the winter. It was there
on good intentions, with a good purpose. But in a rush to create something so large, one had
neglected the small potential problems. Like the small cracks in the material, the gaps where
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