Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 374

The Greater Bay Area in 2040
Dulwich College Beijing, Kang, Ellie - 13
It was about half an hour after sunrise, when my alarm snapped my eyelids open. As I roused from a heavy
slumber, I was first aware of the coolness of the air. Finally, a cooler day approached the island of Hong Kong.
My feet dragged my body up and out of my soft, warm sheets, as I had big plans today.
I rode the super-highspeed train and traversed to Guangzhou. I’ve taken the train there many times; however, I
still found it difficult to see the landscape outside clearly because the train moves so fast that the scenery seemed
to merge into a blend of colors. As I arrived in Guangzhou, I passed the customs in a breeze with automatic face
recognition and strode out of the station, where my favorite robot Gracey was waiting for me. She took me to
the Tree Tower, where I was to meet the clients for my recent case. Everywhere in the Greater Bay Area uses
the same legal system, which is convenient for me as a lawyer because I can practice law easily in the area
without any difficulties. The Tree Tower gets its name from its thriving appearance which consists a plethora of
many different plants. I always admire the beauty of the tower because it reminds me of how much people care
about green and the environment these days.
Lunch time caught up quickly after a few hours of heated discussion and brainstorming with my clients. A quick
grab of some Dim Sum filled my stomach quickly, as I had to go back to Hong Kong to pick up some of my
books and to meet up with my team to discuss about the points I gathered from this morning. As Gracey drove
me back to the train station, I recalled how cars in Hong Kong used to drive on the left but it has switched to the
same side as Guangzhou a couple of years ago. The transition was made easily because all cars have been driven
by AI nowadays.
Time seemed to elapse faster on the way back than when I came. As I was about to sink into a novel again, my
phone rang. Two of my long-time old friends called. We came to know each other at a summer camp when I
was about 17. Akari is from Japan and she is the sweetest girl I know. Natasha is from San Francisco and she is a
computer genius. We were inseparable at the camp and was called the Gang of Three. They happened to be
visiting the area and suggested to catch up through a dinner. I was so excited that I endeavored to be calm during
the rest of my journey. I tried to get back into focus as I had to talk about a serious topic with my team in a few
minutes.
After work, I went to Hong Kong Global School to pick up my twin daughters. They just came back from a
volleyball match with a Shenzhen school. They were so excited that they kept talking about it the entire way
back home. After I settled them down and prepared dinner, I went on to Macau to meet my old friends.
Daylight had begun to forsake the setting, and the beclouded afternoon was tending to drear twilight. At this
moment, I suddenly recalled a beautiful part of Jane Eyre, my favorite book: “Where the sun had gone down in
simple state – pure of the pomp of clouds – spread a solemn purple, burning with the light of red jewel and
furnace flame at one point, on one hill-peak, and extending high and wide, soft and still softer, over half heaven.
The east had its own charm of fine blue, and its own modest gem, a rising and solitary star: soon it would boast
the moon; but she was yet beneath the horizon.”
When arriving at our designated location, Akari, welcomed me with a big hug it felt like a squeeze. Shortly after,
Natasha came rolling in. Three hours flew by with laughter and eating. When we bid goodbye, the stars had
entered their shining life up in heaven. While on the train back, the moon, which was full and bright (for the
night was fine), came in her course to that space in the sky opposite my window.
Finally, opening the door back into my cozy apartment, I checked the clock. It was 2 hours before the next day
arrived. After everything that’s happened today, my eyelids were loaded with heaviness. That was one of my days
in the Greater Bay Area in 2040.