Fiction: Group 3
“Oh no, it is time for the meeting. Let’s go to the conference room first. You can listen to what the
other ecologists say,” Dad panted as he stumbled to the building at the far end of the street.
As if that would cheer me up, I thought. I’ve attended these meetings a thousand times, and it always
satisfied me. I could sit comfortably at the back of the seat and sleep because ecologists were as boring as
teachers. After a few years of research, I found out teachers and ecologists were born to be boring.
However, ecologists were
slightly
more boring than teachers, which upgraded them to be the most boring
creature in the world. Sleeping at the back of the conference room didn’t work after all, as my dad found
out the last time and insisted that I sat beside him.
We went into the conference room, and not long after we sat down, the meeting began. I sat down,
trying to keep my eyes open. It worked in the first fifteen minutes as an ecologist was able to answer the
question I just asked my dad.
The ecologist said something like this, “After a few series of research, we found that this serious water
pollution is caused by the factories which dump lot of harmful chemicals into Pearl River Delta nearby…” I
was starting to get bored, my eyesight was getting blurry, and I fell asleep.
I woke up with a start, sweat dripped down my forehead to my bright red cheeks. I dreamed of
myself swimming in Pearl River Delta, cooling down from the unbearable heat. I decided to walk around
this stinky place to know more about it. Besides, I wanted to get out of this conference room. I sneaked out
of the room to the exit, grabbing my bag, and ran towards the dam. I took a set of equipment out, laying
them on the floor. My dad gave me this as birthday present when I was seven. I used them to measure the
level of pollution of the water and the surrounding air. After analysing the water, I found that there were
really a lot of harmful chemicals, for instance, heavy metals and toxic pollutants. I remembered one of the
speakers with a flat nose and chubby cheeks said that not only Pearl River Delta, but 70% of China’s rivers,
lakes, and even reservoirs were affected by water pollution, a major environmental problem. I looked at my
watch; it was 5:45, and almost the end of the meeting! I rushed to the building, jumped three steps a time
on the stairs, dashed for the door, and … I just made it! The meeting hasn’t ended, and a thin ecologist was
standing in the middle of the conference room. Wait a second, my dad? He looked smart in his suit,
talking about how to prevent pollution. “Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibilities. We not
only talk, we act. My son always says my job is a garbage cleaner. He’s not wrong! All of us should clean
the garbage in Hong Kong, and make it an environmentally friendly city!” There was silence, suddenly,
everyone was standing up, clapping their hands vigorously. I stood there in awe. Funny how people’s
views changed when they thought differently. My dad’s haircut didn’t look that ugly, he looked smart and
tidy.
I was standing there daydreaming, my dad saw me. “Why are you panting?” Dad asked, probably
puzzled.
“I just ran back from the washroom, don’t want to miss anything interesting
and
meaningful. It is
wonderful!” I tried to sound exciting, I was still dumbstruck by my dad’s lecture.
After a tour around Pearl River Delta, Dad and I took the bus to the airport and boarded the plane.
On the plane, I told dad I would never be an ecologist, but I would like to make inventions to help reduce
water pollution.
“But this means you will be an ecologist. I thought you don’t want to be one?” Dad asked in a
mysterious voice.
“No, it’s not. Only inventors do these things, ecologists merely clean up the polluted areas. Now,
don’t say anything else, or I’ll probably change my mind,” I said.
Dad pretended to be annoyed when he heard that ecologists only dealt with rubbish, but I swore I
saw him smile.
