Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 221

Nameless
School of the Nations, Leong, Cheng Xin - 10
The potion sizzled and popped. It stirred and bubbled. The laboratory air smelled of fresh mint and a hint of
murkiness lingering in the air. Hazel smiled, satisfied with her newly made formula. It was a potion, or sortof.
That very liquid right there could change the Greater Bay Area forever. Maybe even the world.
It was a potion to make trees grow faster, better and it practically could stop climate change.
Hazel’s hands went to her lab coat, pulling out a small bottle from her coat pocket. This was the activator.
One wrong move and the tree will overgrow, leaving Greater Bay Area to pieces. She hastily poured the
potion with the activator in a small jar, mixing it together for a full three minutes.
“Get it together,” Hazel muttered to herself. She looked at her proclaimed ‘test’ tree, a small sapling she had
bought from a plant shop near town. She made sure to pick her test subject carefully. A fully-grown tree
would make no difference when the potion was added, or it would simply wilt.
Carefully taking spoonfuls of the potion, Hazel slowly sprinkled it over the damp, lumpy soil.
To her surprise, the potion worked perfectly. The small sapling became a small, sturdy apple tree.
A few days breezed past, and Hazel’s invention was all over town. People were sharing it everywhere on
social media, and she even made it to the front-page of the town papers. Rebellious scientists have tried
desperately to recreate what Hazel had ever so carefully made, but always ended up failing miserably. They
do not have the patience and strong determination of Hazel.
“Aww,” Hazel gushed, staring at the nice comments she was getting on social media:
“Amazing. I’m impressed. To help spread the awareness of this amazing project, would you kindly join me
in the annual Greater Bay Area science fair? Kindly message me privately for information regarding this
topic.”
-Mr. Hong
Hazel paced back and forth, glancing at the science projects that seventh graders made. Some were simple,
some were rather interesting, or some were simply replicas of an attempted potato battery. Her foot shifted
on the damp sand, her nerves were really getting on her.
“Please welcome our new guest judge, Hazel Ranger, the creator of Growth, the new science formula that
is possibly stopping climate change!” There was a round of loud applause. Hazel grinned, making a small
awkward wave, sprinting to her place beside the judges.
“So, Hazel, how do you feel to have accomplished so much?” the host asked.
“I feel great! It’s amazing. All the support I am getting from fans is incredible!” Hazel flashed a smile hoping
it wasn’t too fake.
“How did you think of the project?” the host asked.
“Well, stopping climate change was number one on my to-do list. I constantly worry about the Earth.
Indonesia’s forests were all burning, so I thought, ‘why not make something to make trees grow faster?”
“Can you demonstrate your project?”
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Hazel smiled, she ignored her doubts and exclaimed, “If it’s what the people want, that’s what I will give to
them!”