I stayed at home with mama and sat next to her while she sobbed into her shawl . I didn ’ t really understand what was happening , but I knew something was wrong . Mama was strong and she never cried before , not in front of me .
“ Mama , did Papa go to Tian ?”
I could see her posture stiffen slightly , but she tried hard not to show it . Slowly her eyes lifted from the dampened fabric , her eyes glistening with tears .
“ Yes , son . He went over the walls into Tian where he ’ s living happily now ,” she took a deep breath . “ He died a hero .”
The walls .
For centuries , they had guarded our beautiful city of Shanghai . Each and every piece of the strong bricks was laid upon each other by the hands of our ancestors . They went through blood and sweat , hoping that this wall would bring us peace , protecting us from jeopardy . For centuries , they had left enemies out of reach , their weapons too powerless to bring the walls down . We took pride in these beautiful walls , and we cared for them regularly .
They had protected our city for centuries . They would protect our city from the British too .
After lunch , I took my dragonfly out again . Again and again it flew down the streets and passed people , going to wherever the winds took it . It skidded around the corner and landed at the foot of a magnificent wall of stone bricks .
I sprinted over to where the dragonfly lay in the soft stubbles of verdant grass , to where men had worked on and on for centuries building this structure .
It was what defined peace and ease in Shanghai .
I allowed my fingers to run along the cracks of the walls , the ebb and flow , the wax and wane . The small crevice that reached my fingers triggered my curiosity .
The sea . It was vast and blue . Fishermen relied on this beautiful expanse for their living , the moat between the walls and the sea was also what have kept us from danger and trouble for so long .
It was peaceful , until I saw that grey ship firing red balls at a distance , and it was coming towards us . Almost immediately the gongs were struck from the watch tower , the boisterous ring enveloping the entire city .
Mothers came out of their homes carrying their babies ; children waddled out of their backyard , ball in hand , dolls cradled in arms . It was a split second when everything turned to chaos . I saw mothers scooping up their young ones and taking the hand of another , their faces were a mixture of fear and worry . The air was clouded with a new sense of danger , and the gong was still ringing in our ears .
Mama had taught me what to do when the gong was struck : get home immediately , and find yourself a hiding place .
My instincts acted first before my brain did . I was halfway home when I realized I left my dragonfly by the walls . At once , I did a sharp turning of my body and started running back to where the walls were , close and closer to danger . I slipped past waves and waves of bodies , parents that were rushing back home at the sound of the gong .
“ Chao !” I heard a voice call my name . When I turned around I saw Lee running towards me , her expression frantic . “ What are you still doing here ? You have to go back home right now !” A loud barrage resounded at the tip of her words .
I shook my head , that dragonfly was my everything . It was my only toy and my only memory of Papa , I would not let it go . Lee seemed frustrated . “ What are you waiting for ? RUN !”
I made no move .