Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 458

The Descendent The Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Cheng, Miriam - 12 “H ow’s it so early already, I didn’t sleep enough,” Dan muttered as his wife shook him. “What’s gotten into you? You’re setting a bad example for your son,” his wife pulled him up and whispered into his ear, “Breakfast is egg and goat milk, your favourite.” Dan got up to go to eat. Breakfast was his favourite, so he quickly devoured it. His wife walked with him past the streets of Shanghai with his fishing net and sun hat. On the streets were all his friends setting up their stalls. One of his friends was an acrobat, and he was really good at it. Dan watches him balance bowls, sticks and a chair on his head. As he slowly puts on a second chair, his wife pulled him down the streets, “Stay on task,” she reminded. They reached the river, where his boat bobbed with the waves. Dan kissed his wife goodbye and got onto his boat, lay down the net, and then took his fishing rod out. His wife helped push him deeper into the river. “Wish me a good day,” Dan shouted, and with that he took the oars and started to row. He took his rod to fish, but then put it down again. He was still sleepy after the goat milk. Was it just him, or did the milk taste funny? He felt a little drowsy and dizzy, in fact he was a little seasick for the first time in his life. If only he could sleep a bit more. He laid his head against the boat and felt his boat spinning in circles, slowly to very very quickly. Surely he was just hallucinating. Quickly, he drifted to sleep. “Where is he? How could he just disappear like that?” Dan’s wife cried to the emergency river rescue department man, “I sent him away yesterday, he was fine.” “We couldn’t find him on the river, he might be gone already.” The man replied. “Gone?” Dan’s wife was crying, “He was with me this morning! How would he have be gone on a calm day?” “Maybe he’s just caught a lot of fish and wants to stay on the lake. No matter what, we have men across the lake. If they don’t find him, he’s gone.” Dan’s wife died very soon after this incident. Her son, called Ting, grew up himself. When Ting grew older, he married a poor girl. Together they went to a Divinator. The divinator told him: “A curse has landed on your family, that’ll make you poor for centuries. You must find your father, but till then, everyday you have to pray to the god in the afternoon. It’ll make sure your family won’t die out before that happens. Your dad will be found by one of your descendent.”