Once Upon A Time
Shanghai Singapore International School, Tang Ziying, Fiction: Group 2
I
have a pair of leathery hands and a wrinkled face. Each wrinkle symbolizes an experience
I have been through in the olden days. My grandchildren gathered around my 80 year old
body. “Grandma! Grandma! Tell us a story!” my grandchildren’s voices as fresh and lively
as mine, the young me. That wrinkled face as wrinkled as ever. But I was peaceful, I was
happy. I drank a cup of water, ready to tell my story, my life experience.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was me. I was the third child of the five my
Uhmma gave birth to. However, I took on the role of the eldest when my two older twin brothers
disappeared on their way to school. They never came back after leaving for school one morning.
We searched the rocky and harsh land from our home to school but we were unable to trace their
steps. Uhppa and Uhmma didn’t let us go far from our house from that day on.
One day, I was washing the clothes with my two younger sisters, Amisi and Azeneth, when
Azeneth suddenly fainted. I carried Azeneth back home while Amisi went to find Uhmma and
Uhppa. Around a week later, the doctor told us Azeneth had a type of deadly blood cancer. At
that time, technology was poor and medication was pricey. Despite the price of the medicine,
the ‘best medicine’ doctors said were not really helpful. We spent most of our money on
Azeneth’s medication. Our savings were quickly depleted. No matter how many times Uhmma
tried to explain to Uhppa that the medication was too expensive but useless, Uhppa insisted on
purchasing the ‘best’ one. In two months, our family had to starve to save money for medication.
At first, Uhppa had a lot of confidence. He told us, “We will definitely cure Azeneth!”
However, his confidence was soon replaced by fear and stress after weeks passed and Azeneth’s
health did not improve. Uhppa turned to gambling in the hope of winning a fortune to find the
best medication for Azeneth. Uhppa lost interest in farming as the work was hard and harvest was
little. Soon, Uhppa started borrowing money to feed his addiction. Uhppa was gambling that day
when Azeneth died.
Debtors came after us in the farm. Uhppa dealt with them while we ran for our lives. I still
remember that day when we were on the run. “Aloli…Go on your own to find some food and
water.” Uhmma whispered. After a long time, I finally found an oasis and a berry bush. Looking
around me, I suddenly remembered what Uhmma had taught me when I was little. Running
towards the bush, I plucked some leaves and started making a leave bottle.
Returning to Uhmma and Amisi, I gasped. The debtors crowded around them. “No!” I
whispered, with tears my eyes. Shrinking behind a gigantic cactus, I covered my mouth and held
on to my fears. I peeped. Uhmma’s eyes bulged as she saw me. Smiling with tears in her eyes, she
muttered, “Aloli, my child! RUN!” I shook my head.
“QUIET OLD LADY! IMMA TELLIN YA, YA BETTA KEEP QUIET!” a debtor croaked, pointing
the knife at Uhmma.
“NO!” Amisi and I screamed, pouncing on the debtor. Amisi was snatching the knife from the
debtor when she collapsed on the floor, blood flowing from her chest, dyeing the sand red.
“AMISI! MY DAUGHTER! LET ME JOIN YOU!” With that, Uhmma dived straight into the
dagger used on Amisi. Her last words were, “rr-ru-run my child…”
The debtors were so stunned that they didn’t move. I remembered Uhmma’s words and ran for
