Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020 | Page 107

Hong Kong Young Writers Awards 2020
people to eat instead of ending up as an entertainment break for those wedding party guests.
Think of that! Actually, feeding people instead of going in for the looks.”
“Yeah, you’re basically Robin Hood. Or Marl Karx. I must have led the people’s
revolution in my past life to have a sister like you.” Andrew was grinning. My grin spread
and matched his. Yeah, that’s my brother. The same height and build as a basketball player but
milder than sweet Japanese curry. I think I’ve always been the Sichuan hot sauce of the family.
“I offer thee my most sincere thanks.”
Andrew struck an exaggeratedly melodramatic pose. “But, Mia! What are they going to
do now? You know, they need a break from doing all that mental gymnastics, pretending like
they what they’re talking about. No one expects anyone to know anything about fish. How
could you! How absolutely horrid! That’s like sending a missile into a field of oil. Ruthless.”
“Yeah, I know. Sometimes I have my doubts too. But you know, you just have to pull
through. Just think of that American president and drive on. What’s his name again?”
“Donald Trump.”
“Ah, yes.”
The wind tickled Andrew’s hair. The dying sunlight painted his brown strands a glowing
red. Did he know that he deserved only the best, the very best, of this world?
But I felt our conversation tonight to be strained. Did he feel it too? Maybe the sudden
awareness of the uncertainty of how many conversations we had left between us made
everything seem too serious. Kind of dumb, isn’t it? The more important something becomes,
the harder we make a conscious effort to enjoy it, to savour the moment, and then the harder
it is actually to do that.
Our conversation trailed off into the waves. We shared each other’s presence under the
heavy turquoise sky.
Shin
After Shin settled back into the uncomfortable leather chair, he saw a paper jammed in
the booklet. The 10 MUST-Knows of selecting a suitable candidate.
1. We assure you all candidates have been sifted for safety. The decisions you make would
be mostly ‘cosmetic’. Many happy client testimonials talk about a gut feeling!
2. Though scientifically inexplicable, our scientists have discovered a post-surgery
personality change with a strong correlation between the manifesting traits and the
disposition of the candidate. The important the organ is, (i.e. heart compared to the
kidney), the more severe the effect.
3. We’ve found opposite genders to have the greatest success rate. It is theorized to be
due to the attraction between remaining pieces of the soul, which existence has been
confirmed by scientists at Peking-Hong Kong University in 2111.
4. Although no effects on surgical results have been observed, the social class,
age, occupation and relevant background of candidates have been provided for
your convenience.
… Shin skimmed over the pages of bland description and unremarkable faces. No, he didn’t
really want Joe Skinner, 70, the lobsterman to be a part of him. He didn’t even know what part
– his parents wouldn’t tell him. Shin grew up as one of those fragile children who ended up at
the hospital every few days. His parents always hid the reason. He’d gotten a lot better since
he’d graduated from secondary school, so he was pretty sure it was a small problem that more
or less solved itself. He didn’t really think the surgery necessary. A perfectly healthy son just
fits my parent’s vision of a perfect family. So he went along, like everything else. They probably
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