Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 13

As I reached my bed, I dropped in exhaustion as the pages fluttered to the floor. I gazed at them before
making the decision to reach over my bedside and grapple for my phone. The line was ringing before I'd even
thought it through.
"Hello?" The sound of her voice made me realise how long it had been since I'd heard it.
"Oh... Hi, Annabelle." I replied hesitantly, suddenly at a loss of what to say despite having known her for
sixteen years. "How are you?"
"Good, thanks... You?"
"Actually, that's not why I called. I know I'm moving soon but that doesn't matter... We have phones and the
internet and I could even write you letters, if you wanted. I don't even remember why we're not talking anymore
but I know I miss you." I held my breath as I heard a huge sigh on the other side of the phone.
"I... I miss you too. I guess it kind of felt like you were leaving me behind and I didn't know what to do.
You're right, though." She laughed nervously, "Can I come over? I'll bring ice cream!"
"See you in five. I have something to show you!" I smiled to myself, feeling lighter than I had felt in the last
months. I hung up, before picking up the papers and heading upstairs again. In a way, I had Li Na to thank. I wanted
to show Annabelle the box and return these to their rightful place. This time, I successfully grasped the tin container
but to my surprise, it wasn't empty. I reached in, preparing myself for what I was about to read.
"This is my last entry. News has arrived from China. The war has finally ended. September 9th 1945 will
forever go down in history and I'm unsure whether the loss of thousands can be considered a victory, but we have
finally won. I've made a happy life for myself here. I've settled down with the man I love and come home every
day to my beautiful children and maybe someday, when the time is right, I will tell them about how we got here. I
will tell them about the Black Cat, about the war and about my best friend, Yang Mei. When the time is right, I will
tell them the new tales of old Shanghai.
-Chen Li Na, November 20th 1945"