Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 421

“Am I ,” I halted and took a deep breath,“Dead?”
I blinked my eyes open and shut countless times, thinking this might be a dream but stopped after feeling like an idiot fluttering
my eyelids like butterfly wings . I walked forward in pitch black calmly while there was only one question running in my head ;
Dead or Not.
I suddenly stopped and stood still. My eyes shut like I felt a need to close them. I was positioned there, hands on the side of
my hospital gown, feet sticking together and my back still.
I inhaled a long and deep breathe as I opened my eyes. I couldn't believe what I saw- RED. Yes, red everywhere, lanterns, scarves
and shades. It was a marketplace. It was beautiful. Yet it was empty. I looked up in the upper right hand corner, red flashing in
my eye and saw some characters which was chinese. Underneath it said ‘Welcome to Shanghai’ That was when I realised where
I was.
Chinatown, New York City- My favourite place, Shanghai. I always loved Shanghai and its history. Of course I was in
downtown New York, ambience of China. However this could be all just my imagination. When I glanced up and saw a
Brobdingnagian sign “Astor House Hotel”. Why would this sign be there? Anyway, I kept walking straight, I passed through so
many canons staring at my slippers. I look down at my feet and I realised that I wasn't wearing my hospital gown and flip-flops.
I was decked up in a red shirt, khaki shorts and sneakers. Something about this outfit jogged my memory but I casted it aside. I
heard a small shout which was more like hearing someone scold. I ran down an alley to see what was happening. I hid behind
a radish cart. There stood a man in all black. He was tall and had a strong build. He wore a black hat over him with strands of his
blond hair showing. He had a rather Caucasian colour and a black stick in his arm. This man raised his stick and was about to
hit a man opposite to him. That man was short and wore a round cap with dragons on it. He wore a light blue gown with
pants . As he raised his hand in front the man I shouted, “stop”.
I closed my eyes to avoid the scene. I was looking at the back as I heard a loud shriek of pain. Didn't that man hear me. I
walked closer and closer until I was so close, I bet he could feel my breathe. However, he didn't budge. He kept talking to the
man. Before I said an ything, I took a moment to notice his clothing . He wore very primitive attire. He looked exactly like a
British army general. That's when I noticed a surname on his left hand side chest. ‘Warren , ’it said. Then I saw a boat and a
beautiful ocean in front of me. I looked on to the ground and saw opium- yes opium in the 21 st century. A thought rush
through my head, maybe this wasn't Chinatown or the 21 st Century. I was in Shanghai, in old Shanghai. And that short man was
illegally shipping opium. I stood there frozen. I wanted to pull away but it wasn't right… I know it sounds like I'm the Good
Samaritan, saving other people but truly… I just felt sorry. I threw a random, sharp radish as far as I could in his direction.
Miraculously, the radish punctured his nose, giving the Chinese man a chance to escape. I could hear his bone crack even from
a distance. He shouted obscenities that could bleed any person’s ear. He sent his gang of tough-looking men to kill me.
Fortunately for me, I had a head start and before I got cancer, I was in the running team and the marathon team. I could run fast
to get rid of them and I would jog while I find a safe place. After around 20 minutes of running, I found a nice-looking tea shop
called Yang’s Cha Chaan Teng. Even though there was nobody there, the tables were full of delicious Shanghai delicaciesI sat
behind a fan near to the various Shanghai tapestries near the exit. After stuffing my face with dim sum, suckling pig and put chai
pudding. After the hectic run and the amazing food, I began to nod off… I woke up to a sound of dishes shattering. A man’s
voice floated from behind the fan saying,”Look. Look. Girlu Girlu behind fan fan.” I knew that it was the local gang. I
immediately headed towards the exit. Unfortunately, I had to completely destroy different artefacts to get to the exit. I shattered
a golden dragon statue to pieces with my rear end when I fell whilst my attempt at fleeing. I finally reached the exit and I ran as
fast as I could. It felt terrifying but exhilarating as I leapt from pavement to pavement. I kept running until I noticed the first
being I had seen in a long time except for the gang. I stopped. As I proceeded, I saw a shadowy image of a tall lean woman with
wavy hair about a block away. I slowly crept toward her . I was trying to picture her face. When suddenly I stopped, I couldn't
believe my eyes.