Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020 | Page 111

Hong Kong Young Writers Awards 2020
Future Adventures of The Greater
Bay Area
Yew Chung International School Secondary, Chen, Chia Yi – 16
The year was 2035. Millions of people sit in their homes, eyes fixed on their screens. The
ceremony was about to begin. This cool October morning marked the beginning of a new
era, one where Guangdong, Macao and Hong Kong became one. This was the start of the
Greater Bay Area.
“That will be 234 GBD, just scan the code on the desk to pay.” Gu Yun said to the pot-
bellied man behind the counter. He waited patiently as the man fiddled with his phone in an
attempt to pay. He looked to the collection of demonic looking antique dolls sitting on the
counter, their soulless eyes staring into nothing. Why someone wanted to buy one of those
things was still a mystery to him, but there was a high demand and he - being one of the only
antique sellers in the area - needed to provide. After scanning the code on the man’s phone,
he wrapped the antique and handed it over the counter. The man took it and stumbled out of
the shop with the wrapped doll tucked under his arm. Shortly after he left, Yun glanced at the
clock and said “Close shop”, which gave the signal for the shop’s AI to lock the door and flip
the sign from open to closed. He sighed and leaned back against his chair, business had been
rough these couples of months, he didn’t know if he would have enough revenue to make it
through the year.
His eyes landed on an old antique rotary phone sat on a display stand in the corner of his
shop, probably dating back to the 20th century. The phone was simple, unassuming, made of
black plastic with a gold number plate engraved with swirling patterns. It had been sitting in
that corner ever since he took over his parent’s shop. No one was really into old electronics
anymore so it had been sitting in the corner for over 20 years collecting dust. Maybe it was
time to take it off the shelves and put it to rest in one of the various storage boxes behind the
shop, but there were more important matters to deal with now. Standing up from his seat at
the table he picked up his tablet and began walking around the shop, cataloging items and
inspecting them for damage. He occasionally stared longingly at the restaurant across the street
serving local delicacies such as roasted suckling pig and the best Portuguese seafood rice in the
entire Pearl Delta, counting down the minutes before he could finally close up shop and go
eat. He had just finished inspecting a selection of antique cigarette cases when he heard a faint
ringing sound. He walked over to his desk to check his phone and realized that no one had
called. He glanced over at the antique phone sitting on the stand. It couldn’t be, right?
Hesitantly, he shuffled over to the phone that was sitting on the display stand in the
corner, wondering if that ringing sound was just a figment of his imagination. As he stepped
closer, he found that it was actually ringing. How was this possible? Looking around, he saw
that the phone was not even plugged in, with the end dangling inches from the bottom of the
stand. Who could possibly be calling? He stood there for a few moments, staring at the piece
of plastic, pondering if he should pick up. “Well, what’s the worst that could happen right?”
he thought to himself as he picked up the phone and held it up to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Hello? Who’s there?” came a gruff voice on the other side of the line.
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