Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 285

The New Tales of Old Shanghai
Renaissance College HK, Kwan, Hayley - 11
I
s it harder to fall asleep or to wake up? One might say that falling asleep is harder, but Allison, Alisha, Agnes and Avery
felt relief every time a dream ended and every time their alarm clocks sounded.
The four girls had absolutely normal lives. They went to school like any other kid. However, all that changed as they
went to bed at a sleepover in Allison’s house.
That sleepover was one of the best ones they ever had. They played games and gossiped. It was impossible for them to
fall asleep. They tossed and turned for what seemed like forever. Finally, after the third time Allison’s mom came to ask
them to be quiet, they managed to lose consciousness. As the girls dreamt on, they mysteriously got transported to a
different dimension!
The girls ended up on a beach. Alisha looked around and exclaimed, ‘we’re in another dimension! Judging by the things
around us, I think we’re in Shanghai.’
The girls started down a straight path. They saw a young woman, and without thinking, Agnes jumped up to her and
screeched, ‘hi! I’m Agnes. This is Allison, Alisha and Avery.’
The woman replied, ‘and I, am the famous Pan Yuliang!’
Alisha stepped up and greeted, ‘I’m Alisha. Would you be so kind as to tell us the date right now?’
Pan Yuliang answered, ‘it’s the 25th of July. Why do you ask?’
Allison answered, ‘we’re from a different dimension. What year is it?’
Looking at them like they were the weirdest people she ever met, Pan Yuliang replied hesitantly, ‘It’s the year of 1926.’