Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 33

“The punishment for murder was to be thrown out of the ship, into the ocean.” That is why I always glare at
the ocean, I added mentally. “I was preparing for it mentally, so that I wouldn’t get hurt. I told myself that he was
guilty, that he deserved it, that he killed a man. But I just can’t.”
My voice cracked. “He was allowed to talk to me one more time before they …” I looked down and lowered
my voice “threw him out”.
“I was crying too much to listen to his words, but one sentence stood out: ‘keep your promise, and try not to
think of that night too much.’ It took me by surprise. He never talked about what happened when we were kidnapped.
Suddenly another vision flashed: a person was shouting at me to stop, the voice was familiar. I was still hitting
something, and I think I was sobbing too. I was also shouting ‘No! No! I will get out!’ The familiar voice was suddenly
close to me, and it was troubled. I heard cleaning and scrubbing. Then I was lifted into the air. I couldn’t make much
sense of it, I could just see a blur.” I glared at the ocean coldly.
“When the vision finished, he was already at the edge of the boat, ready to jump.” I switched my glare to my
belly and smiled, “then I felt the first kick.”
Stranger
“I was immediately rushed into a room and I gave birth to my baby,” the same smile crept up her face, the creepy one.
It was scary to see how she could phase so quickly from sad to happy.
“It was ironic, one life is gone, another is born.”
Ying
“I closed my eyes, trying to push back the tears. The three minutes of holding my baby were the best three
minutes of my life. I remember the feel of his soft skin and his big wide eyes. The way he looked at me made me feel so
happy. He smiled and reached his tiny arm at me, trying to reach my face. I put my head down to let him touch me.
Right then, he let out a small giggle, which was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. And at that moment, I
truly felt complete. The nine months of waiting was truly worth it. I let my eyes close softly to fully absorb the
moment, and I let some tears of joy escape. But then I felt my sunshine being pulled away.”
Stranger
She stood up, flying her hands around in anger and pulling her hair out so hard it scared me.
“I only got to hold him for three minutes before they took him away. They said it was a punishment for
marrying a murderer!” she screamed.
Stranger
When she finally calmed down, she sat back on the floor, where I eagerly waited for her to continue. “Then everything
really started falling down, when I saw the full vision,” she suddenly jerked, unwilling to remember the vision again.
She curled up into a ball again, her eyes becoming blurry. This time she didn’t hide or glared at the ocean. It was like
she was talking to thin air, “I don’t deserve Na’Lan, I don’t deserve my baby, my sunshine, I don’t even deserve you, or
a soul, or a life at all!” She screamed at the air, “I will never forgive myself! Ever!”
I didn’t know what was happening I didn’t know what to do. I tried to find my voice. “What did you see in
your vision?” She started to sob again.
Stranger
She wouldn’t talk. She just kept on shaking. “Please, I beg of you. What happened?”
“Nooooooooooo!”
I grabbed her hands tightly, looked at her straight into her eyes and asked again forcefully. “What happened?”
She finally calmed down, and spoke in a hushed and shaky voice “It was all my fault. In the vision, I saw - I saw - I
saw m- NO! I CAN’T!”