Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 76

Precious Jewels
Chinese International School, Vuchot, Eliette - 9
Hi! My name is Malinda. I live in Cantonesia and I believe I am the perfect example of a Cantonesian. My
mother is British and Indian, while my father is Chinese and Portugese. I look exactly like my mother with
olive skin, wavy brown hair and bright green eyes. If you are wondering what Cantonesia is, it is a region
that used to be called the Greater Bay Area. It is made up of eleven different cities in South China, including
Macau and Hong Kong. Hong Kong used to be a British colony and Macau used to be a Portuguese colony
but now it’s one big area which brings together these different cultures and histories. I live in Guangzhou
with my family.
For about a month, the adults in my town had been speaking about something odd. I was curious. They had
been talking a lot secretly and, naturally, I wanted to find out. So one night, I snuck out of bed and heard
my dad reciting something from an ancient text. He was reading to my mother.
“Once upon a time, in Kowloon there were nine tall mountains. Inside each mountain, there was a gem
that emitted a bright light. Each time the citizens of Cantonesia were threatened, the glow became brighter
and brighter. Until, one day, things got too out of hand and from each jewel a colourful dragon emerged.
The nine dragons kept our city happy and peaceful. The sacred gems soon merged together, forming an
invisible layer of peace and protection around our home.”
My dad stopped reading. I could hear his voice tremble as he continued.
“Just the other night, someone stole one of the jewels. The black dragon gem! The peace spell has been
broken which means our home is exposed to countries that want to harm us, leaving us in eternal danger!”
I could hear my mother sobbing. My parents were obviously panicking. I raced down the steps, determined
to help. I yanked the door open and ran to my friends.
“Asmita! Dhyana! Hong! Hurry up and get here quick! It's an emergency! I found out why our parents are
acting so weird!” I quickly shared what I had heard.
“Wait, wait! What!?” Dhyana asked puzzled. “So you’re saying that our city is in danger if someone doesn't
get the gem thing back!”
“Yes!!” I said in despair.
“Hey, what if we go?” Hong suggested eagerly. “We live in Guangzhou where the Black Dragon Gem is
from and we all want to save Cantonesia right?!”
Suddenly, I remembered that there was a dragon gem tracker in my father’s drawer! I snuck back and
grabbed it. My parents were asleep. I could hear them breathing heavily in their sleep. I left without waking
them.
My friends and I were grim and silent, as we left our city. We were saying goodbye to our home and we
didn’t know if we would ever see it again. We walked for what seemed like hours in the darkness, until we
finally arrived at the former border of Kowloon and Guangzhou. We stopped to take a rest.
“Ahh my legs are about to fall off!” Dyhana complained, as we started to walk again.
On the contrary, I ecstatically whooped. “Woo hoo! Only one mile left! C’mon guys!” I wanted to
encourage my friends. I wanted to help save my home.
We trudged through what seemed like a thousand muddy plains, taking occasional breaks here and there.
After two days of walking, we finally reached a beautiful clearing. It was covered in lush green grass, crystal
clear lakes, delicate weeping willows swaying in the rhythm of the wind, and large gray boulders. Asmita self
consciously smoothed out her weather beaten clothes and walked over to a tree. As she was about to sit
down, we all heard heavy footsteps approaching. Feeling scared, I sprinted forward to yank Asmita off the
ground. I pulled her behind a giant rock where everyone else was hiding. A man wearing a blue suit with a
thick velvet cape lined with emeralds and a large golden crown perched atop a mop of messy blond hair was
sitting on a throne carried by his servants was jabbering loudly.
At that moment, I saw a shiny black jewel poking out from the side of his pocket. I tapped my friend’s
shoulder and gestured to the stone excitedly. We all started to run and hide behind trees, getting closer and