Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4567 | Page 204

caught Mama hiding behind the chairs, laughing when I was scared from behind, discovered from my hiding
place. I could always easily find Mama, not today.
My screams and shouts must have alerted the neighbors when I saw Lee running from a distance.
“Chao… shhhh little boy shush,” she whispered in an undertone. “How could you run away from me
yesterday? Did you know how dangerous it was?” Her angry voice did not help my situation as I continued to
sob. I watched with teary eyes and a blurry vision as her eyes softened. “Okay now, it’s okay. You are fine. What
would your mother say if she knew you have been crying, hmm?”
My head sprang up upon the mention of Mama.
“Mama?” I said, I didn’t know if it was a question or not.
“Yes, Mama,” she said. “Go get your Mama, okay?”
“Mama where?”
Her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed in worry. “Chao, have you seen your Mama?” I tilted my head
and looked at her in confusion. Slowly I shook my head no. I watched as Lee’s face transformed from worry to
realization as the horrible truth hit her.
“No, this is not good. Oh my heavens where did she go?” she whispered to no one. She turned to me. “Chao,
go in and play by yourself okay? Don’t leave home.”
I nodded, my tired body now finally hitting my senses. Almost drifting off, I tumbled back to the house and
climbed into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
When I woke up, there was a buzz in the house. I could hear Lee talking loudly, shouting out orders to people.
With groggy eyes I went into the background, where at least 5 people were gathered around the household well.
It was for a while until the crowd noticed my presence and Lee immediately ran over and scooped me up,
putting myself in her arms. She patted my head, gently pressing my head into the crook of her neck. It was
supposed to be a sign of reassurance, of comfort and love. But something was wrong. The atmosphere did not
feel right. She was hiding something from me.
I confirmed my instincts when I looked up, as she immediately tried to take me back into the house, but alas I
saw what happened.
There, by the well, a body laid lifeless. The crowd was grave with misery and whispering to one another,
shaking their heads. I couldn’t see the face clearly, but one look at their hand and I knew who it was.
Clutching my father’s teapot in her hand was my mother’s body, her clothes damp from the well. “Did she got
splashed by the waves when she went to wash our clothes by the sea?” I asked myself. My eight-year-old self
was innocent and too childish to understand the truth.
“MAMA!!!” my shout was full of happiness, delighted to see my beloved mother again. I could see the crowd
smiling at me, but the smiles looked forced. I wanted to ask questions but all I could do was to continue kicking
at Lee, shouting for my Mama as she quickly brought me inside the house.
It took months, months of explanation when I finally understood that Mama wasn’t coming back anymore. It
took a long time, years until I understood what really happened. Mama had hidden herself in the well, ready to
wait the night till the chaos were over. Over the night, the oxygen in the well was used up and she died of
cerebral hypoxia. Even by death, she held close to Papa’s teapot.
A few weeks later I clung onto Lee’s hand, and watched as the tall soldiers marched into our beautiful village of
Shanghai. All the villagers were standing by the streets as these strangers took over and invaded the village. Tears
were shed and anger was expressed. The years went by and I lost count of the days. I was brought up by Lee till I
was an adult. I worked hard for a living and got married. I made sure that my children could grow up in a
complete family- being an orphan was one of the most painful experiences I have ever encountered. Every day
was the same work and the same routine. Life wasn’t interesting to say the least.
Three generations passed and I watched as my great-granddaughter sat foot on where I once called home, now a
popular tourist spot of the 21 st century.