Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 114

As I entered the lower deck, the smell of the horses grew more evident. I paused, took a deep
breath and walked in, ready to meet the horses, at last. Wow. My eyes followed each stall of horses; rows
and rows of them! I parked the water barrel and stroked the silky black hair that seemed just like my own.
Suddenly I was startled by a growl. It came from a beast with black dots and burnished orange eyes.
“Cameleopard” it said on the cage. Then I noticed. There were many more different creatures in the stable
-- colourful birds that made talking sounds! Fantastic feathered fowls with green and blue tails and grey
wrinkly cows labeled “Rhinoceros”. Weren’t these animals supposed to be on the bao chuan , as they were
“treasures” given to our Emperor, too? My solitary awe was interrupted by a sense of being stared at. I
swung around and searched for the eyes. There it was, in the far corner of the room, an animal that
resembled a cross between a deer and a lion -- or more like a horse and a dragon? I tread over to it, and
the closer I got the animal seemed to grow taller. In fact, my height came up to just around its lanky legs.
My eyes followed up its spotted body all the way up the towering neck to its enormous bulging eyes. They
were delightful, dazzling and divine and looking down to me. I got a feeling that we may become great
friends when we got back home.
I couldn’t think of leaving this haven of exotic creatures until I heard someone calling for me.
Reluctantly, I tiptoed out of the room. At least I would get to come back once more tomorrow.