Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 290

Saving the Greater Bay Area
The Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Lent, Annabella - 9
Thunder roared as enormous, heavy raindrops beat upon my window. The sky turned from cheery
blue to inky black. Forked lightning flashed across the sky. I held my dog Sophie tightly, my heart pounding
as loud as a drum. The sky, full of gray, stormy clouds, parted enough for me to see a huge dark blue and
black bird. It was a thunderbird! “We must go now,” the thunderbird said in a deep voice. “The oceans
have been dreadfully polluted. We must save the suffering sea creatures. Now! Hurry!”
“Did you say ‘we’?!?” I asked uncertainly.
“Hop on tightly!”
Confused, I replied, “Wait, what? Um…no…you have the wrong girl. Ahh!”
He flipped his gigantic wing to pull me from the window, and I slipped onto his feathered back. “Wait
for me, Sophie!” I shouted over the thunder. My house vanished.
As we dashed at great speed into the heavy clouds, the thunderbird explained the situation. “Call me
Neptune. An unknown villain polluted the waters, so aquatic life is now deadly for its occupants. Look
below”. I did, and what I saw was awful.
I saw water that was a mixture of garbage, poisonous black sludge, murky brown, and sickly green
colors. Shuddering, I watched as Neptune landed on the man-made island in the Greater Bay Area. A giant
man in a black cloak was dropping specks of a green substance into the water. I stole a glance at the bottle.
The label said: ‘POISON’. When the liquid touched the seawater, there was a vicious hiss, and smoke
poured from the surface.
“Who are you?” I asked (more bravely than I felt). The figure was three times my size. “Call me
‘Danger Doug’ and despair! I will put these creatures to sleep and sell them at a high price in the markets!”
“Not going to happen,” I said. I was fearless now. Neptune roared in fury.
“Oh yes, it is! You see, foolish little child, the only antidote to cure these waters and the animals”,
Doug cackled pointedly, “is with me, and you will never get it!Even if you do find it, I’ll just pollute these
waters up more, and the antidote will have all run out!” Then, laughing madly, he vanished.
I heard a sharp, hissing sound, like acid bubbling, and realized that this was the poison touching the
water.
“Follow that noise to find Doug!” I said to Neptune. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I was angry. We crept
toward the other edge of the island, and found the hissing sound louder.
Through the thick mist, I could make out a cloaked figure in a small rowboat. Doug had a large net in
his hand and he was smirking, pleased with himself. Staring closer into the net, I spied a flailing, helpless
pink dolphin.
“No! Neptune, Doug caught a pink dolphin, he’s going to kill it!” I cried. Neptune did not need
persuading. He dove as fast as I’d ever seen him move.
We hovered near Doug’s boat. “How nice,” he taunted. “It’s the child and her pet bird.”
Neptune snarled, glaring intently. “Sink his boat,” I cried. “He will be knocked out from his poison.
We can move him ashore, take the antidote, and put it in the water.”
“What about him?” Neptune asked. “Take him to the police and he will be put in prison!” I replied.
Neptune rammed into the side of the boat. It tipped over, Neptune and I, mouths shut and holding
our breaths, were engulfed in dirty water. I freed the dolphin and kicked hard to the shore. Neptune
grabbed Doug’s cloak with his claws, used his wings like paddles, and sped to shore.
We flew above the island, circling for a good view. “Maybe there?” I called over the wind, pointing at
a white, small, high tech house. We zoomed there, gathering speed and hope.
We walked in uncertainly. I found a light switch, flicked it on, and found Doug’s lab. There was a
whole cabinet of poisons, a larger table of antidotes, and a cupboard of paperwork. We collected it all as
evidence for the police.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, we took the antidote for polluted water and flew around the
Greater Bay Area, pouring it out evenly. Soon, the ocean began to heal. It was a beautiful sight.
“Well, that was incredible. Nobody will believe me when I get home,” I said.