Shortlisted
An Act of a Selfless Daughter
St. Mary’s Canossian College, Katie Ng, Fiction: Group 4
I
t was already my 192nd hour without water. I was standing in the middle of this desert. The
blazing sun burnt my skin to extreme redness. It was like I was in a living hell and I just
wanted to tear my skin off. My feet were full of blisters from the struggle earlier with the
soldiers. I had walked for days and days and still couldn’t find any presence of life. I stared
straight into the sun, regardless of how the cruelty of that huge ball of flame would blind me. I
could sense myself drifting away from my body and taking me to a peaceful place as memories
flashed before my eyes.
“It’s time.” my mother sobbed, “I can hear their footsteps - ”
“It’s alright mother,” I pressed my lips on my mother’s forehead, “don’t worry.”
“Please Ah Qiu, forgive me! I wouldn’t have done it if there hadn’t been a drought. We have
nothing left, no food, no water, no crops to sell…”
“I know, it’s my responsibility as the eldest,” I looked at my brothers and sisters. They were playing
with sand bags - toys I had made for them. Their eyes sparkled and they had huge grins on their face.
With so much satisfaction! I could never bring myself to take away their genuine innocence.
“I have never blamed you Mother.”
Suddenly, the door suddenly burst open. The light seeped through from the door instantly. I
could only make out the silhouette of the intruders. It was when they stepped into my house that
I could see clearly that they were the servants of the Wong Family. “We’re here to take her away.”
The death bell chimed along with the muttering of the man. The servants from the Wong family
began to pull me away from my mom.
My mom shoved a jade pendent into my hand, “For you, my darling. Behave well in the
Wong’s Family. I will see you soon.” They urged me forward and I took one last glance at my
mother, saying goodbye. I silently prayed that my family would live a happy life forever.
Suddenly a loud piercing stream of sunlight landed on my face. I groaned and unwillingly
opened my eyes. I realized I was somewhere unfamiliar to me. I searched in the back of my mind. It
finally clicked. I was in the barn of the Wong family – my master. They had offered a large sum of
money to my family to ask me to become one of their maids. There had been rumors that the son of
the Wong family was an abuser. Some say that the servants of the Wong family will carry the dead
bodies of the maids who had suffered from extreme beatings and bury them at night. However
because of how desperate the situation was, the only choice my mother had was to say yes.
“Wake up!” A man said with sternness and authority, “Go wash up and make yourself
presentable. I have fetched some clothes for you, go get dressed. You have 10 minutes.”
It was exactly 10 minutes later when I was standing in the front yard with Mr. and Mrs. Wong
standing beside me. I was now dressed in the most extravagant dress I could ever imagine wearing.
Mr. and Mrs. Wong seemed very nervous, with their hands intertwined with each other repeatedly,
and shifted uncomfortably. I was counting down the time when I would meet the young master and
start my nightmare. I started preparing myself for the beatings and other dirty deed.
However, what I saw next completely caught me off guard. It was the reason why Mr. and Mrs.
Wong were so nervous all morning. A marching band approached us - the same marching band
that signified the emperor was coming. The degree of luxury was beyond anything I had ever
seen. The sedan chair in the centre of the marching band was decorated with so much gold and
pearls that its shininess pierced my eyes. The music was so festive and melodic as if it came down
