Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 104

Having learnt that her greatest nemesis was having a tough time and convinced that her project would win the judges’ hearts, Kei snickered to herself, "There’s no doubt that I’d win!" Therefore, she ordered her assistants to help her plan a trip to the aged Tai O Stilt Houses, which was once her home until she was three, her foster mother had mentioned. ********** The manually operated drawbridge, the greenish blue calm waters and the distinguished shed wood houses of Tai O, Hong Kong, were unique and picturesque. Whispering stories laden with history, the waters splashed tirelessly against the wooden stilts. The shrimp paste scent, oddly familiar to Mei, was complimentary to the labyrinthine-like alleys. Yet Mei somehow knew exactly how to find her home -- turn right then go forward until it was no. 39. She brushed her hand against the wood of the rickety house, feeling the tinge of salty air caress her cheeks. ********** Turn right then go forward until it's no. 39…those were her foster mum's instructions. Kei did so, but as soon as she reached no. 39, she spotted a girl with long ebony black hair and sharp eyes which seemed to bore into her -- wasn't that her rival Mei? "What’re you doing at my old house?" Kei hollered irritably. Mei was just as bewildered when their eyes met. Of course, for someone active in the research field like Kei, Mei would have recognized her identity. What was she doing here? Three decades ago, there was the day, when the family was separated due to China’s one-child policy, twin girls were obliged to live apart in two cities. There was the day, when the bond was broken abruptly, yet all steered clear of mentioning the cruel tragedy. The burbling waters then spoke of abandoned memories and mimicked the chuckling of two toddlers once so gleefully displayed. Of course, when Kei was ‘interrogating’ the supercomputer about Mei, she noticed Mei's birth date which was exactly the same as hers. Kei had assumed it was merely a coincidence and shrugged the matter off. The same thought crossed their minds spontaneously -- Were they the twin toddlers who once flicked the sighing waters with their chubby little feet? Were they the twin sisters who tried exuberantly to capture every silhouette of the pink dolphins? As they strolled along the quaint fishing village in each other's arms, the Great Buddha behind them winked and nodded tenderly.