Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 572

Slabs
West Island School, Eyunni, Gayathri - 14
Falling. Slowly, into darkness. Around me the earth is turning, gradually getting smaller and smaller, almost
gone… Then it stops. A surge of power propels me back to the top. Ambition. The driving force behind
most of our actions, what makes us feel pride in what we do. It is surely a good thing, in healthy doses. But
once you cross the line, it could be blinding. Its bright rays of light stop you from coming back to earth after
having taken off into space, because once you’re there, you don’t know how to come back…
~~
The clock had struck midnight hours ago, but I didn’t know the exact time. Crickets chirped loudly outside
as if they were anticipating something that was to come… had they sensed my fear? It was a new moon day;
the only light that found my eyes were from a distant building that I could barely make out through the
thick trees that surrounded my lonely home. 1, 2, 3… the clock chimed three times. Sleep had cursed me
with the unfortunate phenomenon of sweaty palms, negative thoughts, a throbbing headache and
breathlessness. It is a wonder, how you are often the greatest barrier stopping you from doing something.
We like to blame others for our panic, but it is really ourselves who create this sense of fear. We are our
worst enemy, an enemy we have no weapon against. We are left in the darkness of our own terror, then we
realise that our greatest fear is ourselves.
~~
I sat on my seat, directly below where they sat. Them, the ones who decided everything that happened.
Their faces stern, an expression that rarely changes. A mask, perhaps, of professionalism, hiding the greed
and ambition that resided deep down. I wondered what it would be like if I were one of them. If I was able
to make decisions that affected the future of everyone. Like a lion, would I sit in my den all day, while my
kin went out to bring food for me? Or like a bee, would I create a successful society, where everyone knows
their roles and can work independently? My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the announcement
addressed to all sitting in the grand hall. They were to now launch their new plan. Something that was to be
revolutionary, something that would bring us all the ‘nectar’ we had been searching for, like insects on
flowers. Around me there was excitement; shuffling and bubbling. But I sat with a placid face. I was not
tempted by any of these ‘plans’ they created for us.
~~
I glanced up into the ceiling, something created to shield us from the harsh rays of the sun in the summer,
the pouring rain in the monsoon, and the cold in the winter. It was there on good intentions, with a good
purpose. But in a rush to create something so large, one had neglected the small potential problems. Like the
small cracks in the material, the gaps where it met the walls, the faded colours… flaws were present at every
step. Yet no one had done anything to fix it; no one had even taken a look. It scares me sometimes, how
many of us were born with the gift of perfect sight, but we act as though we cannot see.
~~
The plan had now been announced. The buzz of enthusiasm resumed. It was going to be something beyond
what our world had ever seen. We were all shown a block, the third largest in the world. A block which
was filled with many smaller slabs. The plan described the merging of the eleven bottom most slabs, out of
which two were situated outside the block, linked by a thin string built for connectivity. This was a special
block, which held a great amount of power. The merging of these slabs would bring about great changes…
positive or negative, I still wasn’t sure. They had told us that the merging of these slabs would mean the
implementation of innovation-driven development to further deepen the partnership of these slabs, which
together created the block. All around me there were intrigued and curious faces, ready to embark on a
journey to find out whether this plan would come into our existent world, or remain a fantasy in a block.
~~