Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 457

Jin-Zhong starts “One of us wears this watch, and we’ll walk with the tourists but in the opposite direction so they see us. The
tourists are walking down the street, so we’ll walk up the street. The other one of us will listen for anything those wretched
tourists say.” I think that it’s a good idea “It’ll be nice to see their reactions of seeing a watch that’s practically ancient.”
We’re at the very bottom of the street, and we start to walk up. “Here goes” I hear Jin-Zhong mutter. We see some old
men, who point and give a nice wave and a smile. We return the smile. Then in front of the us the tourists from the western
world come. I take the watch out of my shirt-pocket and reveal it. The first few tourists don’t notice anything, but one child, not
older than eight, points at me and says, rather loudly “Dad, why is his watch on his shirt, not on his hand?” The dad hushes him
and tells him not to be rude. “Oh that’s quite alright” Jin-Zhong moves forward and puts a hand on the child’s shoulder. “This
watch has been in my family for hundreds of years, and it shows a man’s status and taste.” The child is immediately fascinated “So
even watches can show a person’s rank and how important they are?” “That’s right” says Jin-Zhong, as the child with the tourist
group walks away. We continue walking down the street, and a couple more people point and whisper. One tourist even comes
and holds the watch for a while before hurrying down the street. Both of us look at the tourist amusingly and as we arrive back
at Jin-Zhong’s place, we both burst into laughter. “That kid was so cute!” Jin-Zhong shouts with tears in his eyes. “Did you see
the tourist who held the watch and looked at it without permission?” We both are hysterical and overcome with joy. It’s
hilarious seeing how the modern world reacts to the olden days, and how one watch can fascinate so many people. “Well, I guess
it’s time to go, the sun is about to set” Jin-Zhong says, and he’s right. The sun is almost at the ocean, erupting entire rays of
different colors in all directions, creating light. If you squint and look closely, you can even see the smoke from the water as the
sun touches down. I thank him for hosting me, and walk back to my place for a quiet dinner.
What an exciting day, I say to myself. Isn’t it great, that these people are my friends? I think as I have my own peaceful
dinner. Why did the tourists react that way? How should we react to their technology, whatever they call an I-flown or
Sam-sings with their gadgets and gizmos. It does bring the human race a step forward, but it also abandons traditions that were
once common and encouraged. I finish my buns, and throw the wrapper into the trash bag. I stare out to the empty street as I do
every night, and I find Jin-Zhong’s house. Now I realize, that Jin-Zhong’s name means “golden watch” exactly in Chinese,
which I find very interesting. But if you peer into his house, through the glass door. You can just make out:
The reflection of the golden pocket watch.
~End~