Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020 | Page 94

Fiction – Group 4
“This is one of the many restaurants in Hong Kong which sells congee which is one of the
most traditional types of food Hong Kong has! The woman that runs this place recognises
me, and will always give me some food to eat. Let’s go!”. We fly in together, and perch onto
the counter. A kind looking woman in her sixties looks up at us, and smiles at the sparrow.
She reaches her hand forward towards him, and I flap my wings in alarm, but he merely
stands there as the woman gently strokes his feathers. The woman then turns and stares at me
for a while, and murmurs something under her breath, seemingly shocked at my appearance.
She then turns around and gets to work in the kitchen, whisking around pots and pans with
expert skill. The sparrow looks back and me, and assures me: “Relax, I’ve visited this place
for the last two years. This human is caring and considerate, she will not hurt you. She does
look very surprised to see you though, you are a very rare bird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen
anything like you before, and I’ve been all over Hong Kong!”. I replied: “My kind are from
the north, and rarely come so far south. I am one of those that have travelled far away from
my birthplace, and I was living in Shenzhen until recently. I wish to settle down here for a
while.” My companion flaps his tiny wings in excitement and responds enthusiastically: “If
you want, I can be your guide for your time here! I know a lot about Hong Kong and I can
make sure you will have an amazing time here! Oh look, the food is here now!”
The old woman had returned with two tiny plates, each containing chopped up bits of
youtiao (chinese breadsticks). She sets both down on the marble surface, and gently nudges
them towards us. I look over to the sparrow, but he is already ravenously chowing down on
his plate of youtiao, his beak aggressively pecking the golden brown dough. I tentatively
take a bite out of the youtiao, and instantly hunger overwhelms me, and I also began eating
voraciously. Within several minutes both our plates were completely empty, and our host put
back the two plates with an amused expression on her aged face. “We should go now.” my
companion announced. “I’ve got an idea; I’ll take you to some place interesting tomorrow.”
he added. I nod in agreement, and with a call of thanks towards the restaurant woman, we
flew out and up, soaring gracefully upwards until we disappeared from her sight.
It is night now, but just like Shenzhen, the sky is bright, filled with colourful lights
from skyscrapers lining both sides of Victoria Harbour. My companion points at them, and
informs me that a light show will begin soon. Right on cue, the tallest skyscraper emits
a powerful beam of green light, arcing through the sky. Many others soon join in with a
dazzling display of searchlights and lasers. All of a sudden, there was a massive BANG, and
an explosion erupted several metres next to us, creating a colourful burst of light all around
us. The sparrow turned and yelled: “The humans are releasing their fireworks! Quick, fly
upwards and try and get out of this area!”. I accelerated and spun upwards, narrowly avoiding
the next firework as it zoomed past me and released another deafening burst of light. On my
right, my companion dodged three consecutive shells with astonishing agility, even as they
lit up the sky with a blinding flash. I was much faster than him though, and soon climbed to
a safe altitude, while he struggled to push past the waves of explosions. I looked back with
sudden horror as one of the projectiles exploded right in front of him, enveloping his body in
a flash of sparks. I dived back down as he plummeted, reeling from the shock. Willing myself
to fly faster and faster, I finally catch up with him, and slap him forcefully with my wings.
He blinkes several times, and as the water below rushes up to meet us, he finally realises his
predicament and flaps his wings in panic. A wave surges up and brushes against his minuscule
body as he regains control and skims across the surface of the midnight blue seawater. I glide
along him, and breathe a sigh of relief. Above us, the fireworks have stopped, and all is quiet.
We land on a nearby tree back on the Central side of Victoria Harbour. The sparrow looks at
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