Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 309

remembers how his mother had taught him to be kind, and he holds his bag up, giving him a few
centimetres.
There is a moment’s pause in the world, and the boy feels it, feels it like it’s natural except that it
shouldn’t be because it doesn’t make sense and science doesn’t explain it, but he accepts that he’s no
longer where he should be and that he should adapt to this new environment, like his mother had
always done.
The creature garbles, miraculously understanding his intentions, and grabs onto the bag. Its claws are
still sheathed and the boy is relieved because he couldn’t bear it if the bag his mother painstakingly
worked to buy is ruined. The boy pulls down experimentally, but the movement becomes rapid,
almost like he is in gravity (but he isn’t because his feet are still on the ground) and the creature jerks
forward, landing on the boy. The boy grunts and watches with wide eyes as the paper slip he’s
cherished somehow slides out of his pocket.
He races after it, trying in vain to grab it, and it’s flying away, flying away-
***
That tiny slip of something clearly means something to the thing, and it had just saved him, so Saesryc
easily reaches out and plucks it from mid-air, squinting at it. His eyes widen at the address written, and
he has half a mind to just march over to elderly Trinket and ask why in Labyrinth’s name is his address
written on this thing from another place, but there is a rough tug at his leg.
He looks down where the boy has extended a hand, and blinks, confused. The boy’s eyes are fixed on
the slip, and Saesryc even wonders if the boy can read it. This is one point that they can both share, if
the boy can read it. He kneels down.
“Can you read this?”
The boy frowns in concentration and shakes his head.
“You can’t?”
The boy shakes his head again, squinting up at Saesryc.
“I can take you there.”
The boy shakes his head.
“You don’t want me to take you there?”
The boy reaches out for the paper, and Saesryc feels like an idiot. The boy probably doesn’t even
understand him. Alright, time for some acting.
He looks down at the boy, points at the paper exaggeratedly, then himself, and pretends to stride in a
certain direction. Wrong move, because the boy whacks him with his weapon again and Saesryc nearly
lets go of the slip.