Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 125

“Oh, my goodness. Why are we going there?” I bet that’s why I’m here .
“There was a rumour going around that there was an evil snake that lurked under the surface, waiting for its next
victim. Multiple swore they had seen it, a thick rope of dark green swaying in the water.” Then he shrugged. “But
obviously, that was just a rumour. A ship like this can’t get taken down simply by some big waves.”
“Heh. Yeah. Of course not.”
“Anyways, tell me about you. Why are you here? Why do you know nothing about anything?” He asked bluntly.
“Well, I, um, got on the ship here.” I pointed to the Philippines.
“We didn’t dock in the Philippines.” He sighed. “Fine. If you don’t want to tell me, don’t.” He began to walk
away before I called him back.
“Okay. If you really want to know, I need to tell you in a quiet place. Somewhere no one will listen.” He
smiled brightly at me before grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me back downstairs.
Once we were safely in what I guessed was a room for weapons because it was full of gunpowder and what I guessed
were cannons, we both sat down. “Okay. I’m just going to say this quickly and get this over with. You’re not going
to believe this. I’m taking a huge risk telling you this.” I took a deep breath. “I’m a time traveller. I’m only going to
get back home after I fulfil my task. I think I know what it is, but I’m not completely sure yet.”
I watched in worry as Brendan remained silent, preferring to react through his eyebrows which were currently sky-
high. “I think your eyebrows are trying to escape your head, Brendan.” I joked. He tried to look up at his eyebrows
before relaxing them.
“You’re… a time traveller?”
“Uh-huh.”
Brendan stared at me a little longer and I stood there, waiting for him to do something. “I don’t
understand.”
“Okay, I’m a person who can go through whatever time I want. I can go into the future or I can go into the past,
but every time I do, there’s a task I have to fulfil. I sometimes have to save a group of people or defeat a monster.
Things like that.”
Finally, after what felt like centuries, he spoke. “I think – I think I believe you.” He spoke slowly like he was still
trying to come to terms with the fact that there was someone who could tell him all about the future in front of him.
Understandable.
“Oh, good.” I was relieved. “Most people would send me to an asylum.”