Fiction: Group 3
New Tales of the Pearl River Delta
ISF Academy Secondary Division, Tam, Andrew - 13, Fiction: Group 3
p the Pearl River, there was a little village built on the sides of two colossal mountains. Fewer
than five hundred lived in this arcane village and it was mired in poverty as it was isolated from
the modern world. The smog-covered sun was setting as a familiar bustle of laughter and chitchat
filled the blackened air while figures appeared in the afternoon darkness.
The children had just left school and stuck in big groups while they flooded into the uneven streets of the
village as they all went home to their wooden huts. All of the children except one had returned home. He
was a slightly taller boy aged eleven, who was surely as wide as three of his bony and deprived classmates put
together.
The boy was called Chang, and was infamous for being the greediest boy in the village. Each day after
school, Chang would stay at the snack shop and eat until he was full to the brim. Most residents of the
village suffered from the severe lack of wealth, however Chang’s family was somewhat wealthier than the
rest of the population. Chang’s father, Chao, was a tradesman, who used the Pearl River to his advantage,
trading goods in various other villages and cities down the river.
“Here you go,” Chang reached into his tight trousers and took out a fistful of coins as he dropped them
on the counter, paying for his meal.
Chang then ran home, gasping for air every now and then. He trudged down the muddy street as he
reached the sturdy oak door of his house. Compared to all the other little shacks, it was like a giant,
towering over the others, covering them in both darkness and jealousy. It was a well built house which was
located at the edge of the mountainside, right next to the Pearl River. Chang’s family had spent years of
hard work building and earning enough money for this masterpiece. It was certainly worth the work.
“Welcome home dear, but did you go to the snack shop again?” Chang’s mother asked him accusingly.
“Of course I did not!” replied Chang as his cheeks blushed red while sweat oozed out of his scalp.
“Well anyway, I have some bad news. I sense a horrible flood coming our way in a few days time, so
come back home as quickly as possible okay? I don’t want any of my precious children getting lost and
hurt.” Mother solemnly said as she hoped for the best. She had the gift of foresight and was able to predict
events before they occurred, but her vision was sometimes obscured and unclear.
The days passed but rain fell heavily. The farmers continued farming; the women stayed at home; and
the children continued going to school. Then on one particular day, Chang’s life changed forever. That day
was especially moody and the clouds were intangible dark sponges filling the afternoon sky. The air was
even more polluted than usual and filled everybody’s lungs with filth and chemicals. The wind was strong
and it had started raining.
As the children piled and tumbled out of the school gates, voracious little Chang forgot what his
mother had told him and did not return home as quickly as possible and instead was consumed by his own
greed. The chubby and blithe eleven-year-old boy bounced all the way to the snack shop and bought
himself some delicious steamy fish balls.
While Chang was enjoying himself as he licked his greasy fingers, he did not notice a massive wave of
polluted water coming his way. The Pearl River was extremely rough today and smashed its waves against
the grubby village with its tremendous strength.
Wood was sprayed everywhere and huts and stalls were smashed into smithereens as the villagers had
no time to react. The flood was quick, however had been predicted. The once-developing village was no
more than a ruin. All but one house survived, the one that was the tallest and sturdiest. Everything in
between and on the sides of the mountains had been destroyed and wrecked. The menacing waves still
continued slushing onto the remains of the village, drowning it slowly and mercilessly. Not a single house
remained, as bodies floated in the sickly water of the Pearl River.
Everything was silent. Nothing moved. No sound was heard. The deafening silence was miraculously
broken when a short thick hand shot up from the water, grabbing the big and flat piece of wood that used
to hold the snack stall together. Out of pure luck, Chang had survived. His round head popped up from the
water as he desperately inhaled air. Chang tried to pull himself up, but every time he tried, he just splashed
back into the oily water. It was as if the water was clinging onto him like some sort of slime.
Chang continued to clutch on to the piece of wood like a baby clinging onto its mother; regretting not
following his mother advice, therefore scolding himself for not doing so. The river continued to carry him
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