Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 88

The Symbol
Carmel School Association Primary, Golovsky, Milly - 10
L
i Xiu Ying, unable to sleep, held her mother’s crown in her hands, tears streaming down her face. It had been
just over a year since her mother's passing, now all she had was her brother and father, both of them barely
paying any attention to her. Her mother’s passing was not the first loss the family and kingdom had
experienced in recent times, with her younger sister going missing when playing in the castle garden a few
years earlier. She was just seven.
As she gripped the crown more tightly she noticed something she had never seen before. A strange carving
engraved into the sides. It looked like an ancient language but she did not know what it was.
She made her way to the royal library, where bookshelves spread across all the walls holding all the knowledge and
stories within them. One book looked familiar. She opened it and out fell a frayed, seriously damaged, ancient map.
Even in this state she could tell it was the castle grounds. Looking closely she saw a mark near where her mother’s
grave now lay.
As she arrived at the grave, she glanced upon the precious Azaleas tree bending over it, almost like a shield
protecting its friend. Memories flooded into her head and took her back to happier times when her family were all
together. As she looked around trying to work out what the marking on the map could be, she noticed a rough
marking on a nearby tree.
She moved closer and could tell immediately, the marking matched the one on the crown and book. As she placed
her hand gently on the marking, a faint rumble came from under her feet growing gradually louder. Then as
suddenly as the noise had begun, it stopped. The floor below her shattered, leaving her falling deep into the
unknown. Darkness surrounded her as she continued to fall, with the constant spinning making her feel dizzy. As
she landed with a thump, the map still in her hand, there was complete darkness. She had fainted.
What felt like hours later, she woke and it took her a few moments to recall what had happened. Even though
there was not much light, she seemed to be in an underground cave with many tunnels running off in different
directions. Though mostly silent, there was a very faint noise, which sounded like the song of a young maiden.
Following the sound down one of the passageways, it got louder, meaning she was definitely going the right way.
She found herself at the end of the tunnel, the singing louder than ever, but no way in. Discouraged but determined,
she started looking for another way in. Tripping on an unseen stone, she fell to the ground. Scrambling over to it,
she pulled on it revealing a trapdoor. The door was moldy and practically falling apart. Sliding herself through, she
landed gracefully into a lighter room, where singing could be heard from all around. It was a beautiful sound. She
could smell the scent of fire burning. She stopped in her tracks and darted behind a stalagmite for there, around the
fire, were dwarf-like creatures. Goblins. They were greenish with scaly skin, fluff sticking out of their pointy ears.
Then behind them, in a rusty cage, was a girl sitting cross-legged, singing. For a second she thought the shadows
were playing with her, but then she realized, it was her sister.