Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 99

Through the Looking Glass - Adventure to Laboratory 155
Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Ho, Nga Kiu - 10
“Congratulations! You are the lucky winner of a rare adventure to the Greater Bay Area 2030. Please
join us at Laboratory 155 at 9 am on Wednesday January 1 st 2020. You can bring one additional guest to join
you. See you soon!”
What an amazing surprise! I actually won the lucky draw for the Future
Smart City campaign! Excitedly, I ran to ask my parents if I could go along with my cousin. Fortunately,
they agreed, and two weeks later, I stood with my cousin Carol at Laboratory 155, our Oculus headsets in
hand.
In the count of “3, 2, 1,” we put our headsets on and were transported to the world of
the Future Smart City.
The first thing we saw was a gigantic holographic menu. It had seven cities and things to do on
it. Curious about what would be in Hong Kong, Carol touched the caption and we were immediately
transported to the bustling streets of Hong Kong.
There were only autonomous electric cars and taxis, and much more trees and greenery. The air
smelled fresh with a pleasant fragrance of wood. The roads and sidewalks were also clean and orderly — and
no more garbage bins!
“It seemed they have found ways to recycle everything now. Everything can be sent to the recycle
centres for recycling,” I looked at the signs on the row of boxes nearby. “Yes and not only with milk cartons
or juice boxes, but even Styrofoam and plastic items that used to be non-recyclable.” Carol echoed.
I flagged down a taxi and said, “Please take us to one of the best cafes here.” “But we don’t have
any money!” Carol whispered urgently. The taxi heard us and said, “No worries, miss. All your expenses on
this trip will be covered by Laboratory 155. Please enjoy!”
When we had arrived at the café, we realized there were only robot servers. There were no
menus. Instead there were holographic assistants at each booth. “What would you like to eat? We have all
types of cuisines here at Palantir Café. You can also specify what types of nutrients you would like to
have. Calcium, protein, vitamins… we have everything!” Our holographic assistant projected a list of
suggestions for us to choose from.
“How?” I asked. The robot pointed to an enormous 3-D printer. “With this, anything you would
like to eat can be printed in mere seconds.” We ordered our food using the holographic menu and the order
was sent to the 3-D printer immediately.
After the delicious breakfast, we decided on going to Shenzhen, and took the taxi to the train station.
Ten minutes later, we arrived at Shenzhen and went into Mixc mall. Household robots were
everywhere, carrying all their owner’s purchases and shopping. Carol looked around and took me to a
shop to look at the latest watches with AI holograms and implantable phones which were as small as
SIM cards.
“This is so amazing!” I said. “I wish I really had one.”
Carol also suggested that we go and try out the newest Oculus virtual reality headset. It was
extremely realistic, which made Carol scream very loudly when she played the VR game.
We looked at a lot of latest wearable technology and clothing made out of smart fabric, including
some that were 3-D printed. The merchandise was quite affordable and was especially popular
with teenagers. We also had a scrumptious lunch at a sushi restaurant.