Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 57

I was so hungry I bit my lip. Then I fell backwards as the train screeched to a halt. I had eaten all of my food within a
few days. I wasn’t sure how much longer the journey was but I was so hungry. I opened some of the luggage and
found some German biscuits. They were so good. I tried to ration myself but a force took over my body and I
couldn’t stop; I ate them until I was satisfied.
After what felt like forever, I peeped out and saw a sign in a language that I didn’t recognize. This must be the place.
Before the train fully stopped I stuck my head out to see if I could jump down but all I got was a face full of soot. But
the train had started slowing down; this was the perfect time to jump.
I felt sick. But there was no going back now. And anyway, it couldn’t be worse in life in Poland. As the train slowed
in the station, I jumped. I hit the ground hard. Standing up, I pulled myself together and made my way towards a
crowd to try and blend in.
There were people everywhere, but they looked different to the people in Poland. They weren’t speaking any
language that I recognized. I felt lonely. I was used to feeling lonely in Poland, but in Poland at least they spoke the
same language as me. It was like that book on your shelf that you never read; just knowing that it was there comforts
you.
Here I was standing in the “Paris of the east”. I was lost, confused and scared, but I was FREE. I looked up and saw a
sign “Peace Hotel” - only a hotel? It seemed the whole city was a Peace Hotel. It was for me. And then my ‘normal
life’ startered…
The end (for now)