I t happened again , again and again . It was the feeling that made my blood run cold , that feeling that made me quiver , that dreadful feeling that stopped my heart beat . I stared out into the vast abyss of land . This land wasn ’ t your normal land covered in a luscious green sheet of grass - it was a wasteland of grains of tempered sand .

Abuss stood by me , a few feet below me . He was panting as the scorching sun billowed its fiery breath down on upon us and his thin coat of golden fur reflected the harsh light of the sun , just like he was a mirror . ‘ Why am I doing this ?’ I questioned myself . I didn ’ t want to think about why I was sent out , even though I pretended I didn ’ t know why .

We took our first step onto the sand . It felt like I was plunging through water to touch the bottom of a lake . It was like I was crossing a border to a different country . I took my final look back . No one was there , not even my family . My insides churned . A tear was coming out but I had to force it back in , as I knew I couldn ’ t waste any water .

Abuss and I set off into the blissful pink sunset . Minutes became hours , hours became days . When night came we set camp . I stared into the moonlight . It was beautiful but harsh as it illuminated on my sins and bad deeds . Abuss drooled as he fell into a peaceful sleep lying by my feet . I tried to go to sleep but the thin midnight air seemed to pierce my eyes open . However , when I slowly drifted to sleep , I was awoken by my mind as I couldn ’ t handle this situation - ideas and thoughts flew around my tortured mind . When the moon went back to a peaceful rest and the baking sun awoke , we set foot once again on this abhorrent journey to who knows where . We only saw sand , lots of it . This way of life repeated many times . Slowly , I lost count of the days ; the times the sunset came and the nights I couldn ’ t get a sliver of sleep . When the time came when I ran out of water , food and hope , all of these things seemed to become a delicacy .

My mind rapidly deteriorated as I lost vital water that my brain so needed . My mind raced as in the vast distance stood a oasis , with an abundance of rich water and fruits .“ Have I hit the jackpot ?” I eagerly questioned myself . A walk became a jog and that jog rapidly became a sprint . It was a race against myself . A fearsome race for survival , Abuss trailing behind . When I arrived , I couldn ’ t look at it - the sight was ghastly , breath-taking . The oasis was no oasis but now a mirage . TOO MANY TIMES !” I shouted to god , If there was a god , the holy one , the one who created us . If he was out there , I now knew he was definitely not on my side . A tear swelled out of my puny eye . I couldn ’ t hold it in any more . My feet and legs began to crumple down till I hit the golden wasteland .

Sorrow consumed my wasted body covering me like a horde of leeches , as I howled in pain , fear and dread . In that moment , I wished I could crawl up in a small ball away from the abhorrent West but out of the blue , I found courage , strength and hope to push me to the end . I stood up , my heart bursting with courage and set off into the vast endless desert , to find life .

Months have passed since I started this journey , living off the bitter sap of dried cactus . In this vast wasteland , food was always scarce . I lived off small rodents scuttling around at the brisky cold night . Shelter wasn ’ t as big of a problem as I used the same crimson red cloak to cover me like a blanket , even though it contained some rips and got smaller each night as Abuss couldn ’ t stop toying around with it . Even though it was only a few millimeters thick , it was there to comfort me at night , repelling the monster in my head . However , the heat was unbearable as it bellowed a steaming hot ray of light down on us . When the torturous heat became unbearable , we had to travel by night . The darkness blindly led us to an endless loop of fear . We travelled through the vast West by foot , our maps were our guts ( just like I was attracted to a large magnet ).

I was awoken by the dreadful words of the sun shouting at me . Abuss was also awoken by the heat . I still remember Abuss before I got banished to the West , even back to when I received this bundle of joy and happiness . He was your normal terrier with an abundance of energy . His excitement seemed to always radiate from his gorgeous face . Everyone from where I came from , was given a companion from the age of ten , that reflected our personalities . My brother was given a turtle to reflect his shyness and resilience . He is

Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 101