Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 302

Suddenly, light burst from the model, dragging Victoria back to land, though she didn’t know
where. Gasping for air, Victoria felt her clothes magically grow warm, then dry. The model shook for a
moment, then lay still in her hand. Then she knew this was the correct object.
Glancing around, she saw casinos all bearing the sign:
Only people over 21 years of age can
enter the casino.
“Macau!” cried Victoria happily. “The second object!” She skipped down the roads, stopping at a
small shop selling Macanese products. The scent of almond biscuits filled the air as Victoria ventured deeper
into the shop. She saw a small box lying in the corner, labelled,
Rubbish, Throw away
Curiously, Victoria opened the box to find an old golden trophy in the shape of a lotus flower. She
felt it, and she knew that it was the second object. Just then, she heard muffled voices outside. “If I catch
any more customers in my study, I’ll-” Victoria didn’t wait to hear anymore. She grabbed the trophy and
fled, the shopkeeper at her heels.
Running as fast as she could, she turned a bend and gave the shopkeeper the slip. Once again, she
felt herself being dragged away by the trophy, not knowing where she was going…
After a while, Victoria found herself in a crowd. Pushing her way to the front, Victoria saw that a
stage had been set up and people were performing with masks, Chinese robes and heavy makeup- “Peking
Opera!” whispered Victoria.
Excited, Victoria dashed behind the curtains. She peered at the actors putting on masks and
applying makeup. Just then, a woman looked up- and right into Victoria’s eyes.
Victoria froze. Was the actress going to scold her?
But then the actress smiled. “Hello, little girl. I am a Peking opera actress. I suppose you wanted to
see the Peking Opera? Come, I want to give you something that I try to present to every kid.”
Curious, Victoria followed her. They stopped in front of a door, and when the actress opened it, a
bunch of masks fell out. The actress picked a red one, and presented it to Victoria. “Th-thank you,”
stammered Victoria, and fled.
Taking out the two other objects, Victoria held her breath, and slowly, a beam of light surrounded
her, and whisked her away into the air…
Back home, Victoria felt her repaired legs with nothing but gratitude. From now on, she would be
able to go anywhere she wanted. Anywhere.