Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 8

The Secret of the Greater Bay Area
Creative Primary School, Lee, Bridgitte - 8
"Watch out!" A woman shrieked in terror, as car horns blasted, tires screeched and a car swerved past.
Alexa let out a soft cry. She was almost hit by a car! These days she was so miserable that she did not even
watch where she was going. "You could have gotten yourself killed!" the woman yelled. "Sorry," Alexa
murmured. She had just moved to GBAHK, the Greater Bay Area, a smart city where everywhere was
drowned with noise and flooded with people. But even that could not stop her from feeling lonely. She
found the city cold and uninviting.
"Ouch!" Alexa felt her head being yanked back and gave a small cry of pain. Two boys came up from
behind her and grabbed her by her ponytail. These boys were her new classmates. Alexa felt terrible
because she was always the one being picked on. "Stop it!" a girl shouted and shoved the boys away. The
boys seemed to be afraid of the girl and scattered off. The girl was Julia, who was sitting next to Alexa in
class. "Such cowards, those boys. Are you okay?" Alexa nodded and suddenly, Alexa burst into tears and
started to cry uncontrollably. Julia seemed to understand and put her arms around Alexa. She comforted
Alexa until she calmed down.
Then the girls walked in silence. Julia knew Alexa was not happy living in GBA. It reminded Julia
when she moved in 2 years ago. She also felt the coldness of the city and the chills of loneliness. She
wanted to help Alexa. "Come on, Alexa," said Julia. "I know a place that will cheer you up."
Julia took Alexa's hand and led her to walk down an underground passageway. Then, she pushed
open a side door and made her way further down a long dark tunnel. The tunnel was so dark that both girls
had to run their hands along the wall to find their way. Suddenly up ahead, a light appeared. That must be
the exit of the tunnel! When Alexa came out of the tunnel, she was stunned by the beauty before her.
There were lines and lines of trees glowing by themselves. The grounds were covered by lilies, daisies,
roses, tulips… There were hundreds of butterflies dancing and thousands of fireflies twinkling. The ceiling
was violet and orange and pink dazzling with glittering stars. Alexa was mesmerized by the scene. She
could never imagine that an underground garden could grow under a smart city! "This is Eden, the first
underground garden built under GBA. There are many underground gardens in GBA to provide the source
of energy for the city above," Julia said. "GBA is not just a place for business. It is also a Green Sustainable
City. You will love it when you give it more time." Alexa looked up and saw Julia's warm smile. "Maybe
living in GBA isn't that bad after all," Alexa thought happily, holding the hand of Julia.