Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4567 | Page 299

had managed to secure better living quarters for his family. But he had never met her father even after all these
years, since he had been busy.
Sum grinned. “How was the performance today?”
Her eyes twinkled as her lips stretched into a smile. “Oh, just the usual…” She trailed off, “…except this time
I’ve been invited to perform at the Richards’ Hotel and Restaurant tomorrow night. You know, the one with a
fancy ballroom?”
“Congratulations! And, the one outside the old city walls?” Sum raised an eyebrow.
Lian’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing! You can go outside the walls, and you get to perform for foreigners?”
Serene laughed, “Yes, and my father is going too! Oh, I wish I could bring you along. But I’ll tell you
everything afterwards, deal?”
“Deal.” Lian replied cheerfully.
His bike rattled on the cobblestones as he sped past small brick houses with faded shutter-windows under the
early morning sun.
Abandoning his bike outside the pub, he headed into the pub. A strong smell of smoke and alcohol slapped him
in the face as he stepped into the entrance of the dingy pub. He sat down at one of the poker tables dotting the
right side of the room, facing away from the dimly lit bar on the other side of the room.
“My boy! How was the mission, eh?” A large man strolled over to the table, clamping a firm hand on Sum’s
shoulder as he walked past to take a seat.
Sum sat up straighter. “From what I have heard, the Mr. He has arranged for papers to be signed tomorrow, at
eight o’clock, and then his counterpart will be free to trade as they please, with no restrictions.” He still doesn’t
have a clue as to the purpose of collecting this information, as Lin refused to disclose anything else about the
issue.
Lin whistled. “Well, he’s decided to move quickly. Good that I’ve reached out to some contacts…”
Sum looked at him curiously.
“Sea bandits are ruthless and sometimes unpredictable.” He murmured, eyes focusing on the reddish chandelier
above them. “But they can take a job. They would enjoy this task, especially.”
“Sea bandits? But they……”
“I do not agree to their methods more than you do. But forget morals and principles now.”
He turned back to Sum. “You will take this task, yes?”
“Yes, but……”
“Hush. They are here.”
Lin straightened up. He looked at Sum, wary.
A scraggly gang of grimy figures entered the room, the thick soles of their feet scraping at the tiled floor.
Sum suddenly felt very small. The small band of sea bandits filled up the room with an acrid smell of stale fish and
sea salt. It was suffocating.
The man in the lead strode up to Lin at a leisurely pace. Sum caught a glimpse of his face as the man turned his
head to survey the room, and barely held back a gasp.
Bloodshot eyes and a large bumpy nose. Small nicks and scratches dotted his face. But the most monstrous
feature, was this gigantic scar that ran across his face from his right eye to the corner of his mouth. The raw pink
tissue glistened in the light, its crud dirty stitches crisscrossing the gaping wound.
He wasn’t a large and bulky man like Lin. In fact, most of the pirates were thin, with gnarly looking fingers and
their clothes hanging limply from their bodies. But their presence seemed to fill the air with menace and
trickery.
Scarred Eye regarded Lin scrutinizingly as he took as seat opposite to Lin. He grinned, showing off his crooked,
yellowed teeth. “Let’s get on with it, Lin? Who’s the man you’ll be sending out with us?”
Lin gestured to Sum. Scarred Eye raised an eyebrow. When Scarred Eye raises his eyebrow, the skin around his
scar tightens to a whiter shade, which made it quite frightening to see.
“That little runt? Pshew. How old can he be, nine?”