Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020 | Page 95

Hong Kong Young Writers Awards 2020
me, and pauses. After a while, he finally proclaims: “Well that was an eventful day.”
It is morning, and we are on the move again. My companion has told me we will be
visiting Macau, a small cluster of islands that is the most densely populated region in the
world. We fly a short distance to the Kai Tak cruise terminal, which is where the humans go
to take their ships. He explains that many humans will visit Macau for leisure and gambling,
which I have learnt is when the humans take their chances and try and earn more money.
Of course, as birds, we won’t be able to truly understand what the humans are doing.
Nonetheless, since the humans decide to merge Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau and several
other areas into what they call the Greater Bay Area, all these areas have experienced great
economic success, declares the sparrow. Especially Macau, which is why we are visiting as
well; They also have an interesting history too! “Aha, the ferry to Macau is starting to move
now. Be careful, the ship will move quite fast, especially once it moves into open water.
Remember to keep focus on the ship!”
Just as he finishes speaking, a sleek red and white ship turns out of port, and we hastily
follow. Soon enough, the ferry picks up speed, and begins to raise itself up and out of the
water. I watch astonished, even as I breathe heavily, beginning to feel exhausted from the
effort required to keep pace with the swiftly moving ship. The sparrow sees my look of
surprise, and informs me in between gasping breaths that the humans have used some sort
of technology that increases the speed of the ship by lifting it out of the water slightly. After
that, there was only the sound of the ship’s powerful engines as we kept silent, both having
no energy to spare on conversation. Around one hour after our departure, we finally arrive
in Macau. Overwhelming fatigue forces us to take a rest on a nearby palm tree. Once we
finally regained our energy, my companion spreads his wing and announces: “ Isn’t this place
beautiful?” Yes, yes it is. I increase my altitude, flying higher up to get a better view. Macau’s
past is shown in it’s architecture, with many buildings dating back over a hundred years. Yet
Macau’s reputation for being a resort city filled with casinos is also true, with luxurious hotels
and over 30 casinos. I spend the rest of the day exploring the territory with my companion,
visiting historic sites such as the Ruins of St. Paul’s, and circling the Venetian hotel casino,
hoping to catch a glance of the extravagance inside. Time flies however, and as night
approaches, we follow the last ferry of the day back to Hong Kong island.
Several years have passed. I have lived here in Hong Kong with my friend, the sparrow,
for a long long time, nesting in a beautiful country park, but now I feel like it is time to
return home. To Shenzhen. Back where I truly belong. I bid farewell to my friend, and
promise to return next winter. Looking back one more time, I take flight.
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