Fiction: Group 3
Jake and Pearl
Renaissance College, Jiang, Freddy - 12, Fiction: Group 3
hadows of men, brandishing bludgeons, closing in… suddenly, one grabbed a net and threw it
forward. Jake struggled and squirmed, as panic overwhelmed him. He was trapped….
Jake opened his eyes slowly. Relief flooded him as he realized that it was only a dream. He
was still safe in Baiyun Park, Guangzhou. The sun peeked out from behind the green hill. Some early birds
began to chirp as they glided gracefully into the pale blue sky. It was the start of a normal day.
Jake was a one-year-old Kintamani dog, with snow-white fur and a bushy tail. His black, olive-
shaped eyes shone and his tongue came out to lick his fur, still spiking from his nightmare. Men capturing
dogs. Some of his friends had already gone missing. Something horrendous was happening around here....
A nearby bush quivered. Jake jumped around and gave a bark, as a small gray head poked out. A
cat! She had huge, amber-like eyes. Her gray fur was covered with bluish black stripes that fluffed out when
she saw Jake, and she let out a warning yowl. Jake lowered his body into a sitting position, to show that he
was not a threat. He pressed his fur into the ground. The cat looked straight into his eyes.
‘What are you doing? You shouldn’t be out here. This isn’t a good time. What if the netters come
back?’
‘Netters?’ Jake was puzzled.
‘You know. Every day, for a couple of weeks now, netters roam around to capture dogs. You
should never come out in the daylight. It might be good if you leave... you know, to find a safer place.’
‘Um….’ But where shall I go? What are netters, anyway? Confusion clouded his gaze.
‘You can try Hong Kong. A safe place, and it’s not far from here. A dozen days of walking should
do.’
That far? Jake murmured, ‘I don’t know where it is.’
‘Take the Greenway to Shenzhen. From there, to Hong Kong! I can journey with you.
Sometimes, the netters catch cats....’
‘Oh!’ Normally, he wouldn’t so readily accept an offer that might change his life forever, but he
didn’t want to be captured.
The cat is serious.
I can trust her.
‘Let’s go.’ Jake started padding towards a stone path. When he realized that the cat was not
following, he stopped. Amusement glittered in her eyes. She meowed, ‘you’re going the wrong way.’
‘Oh. Maybe you should lead the way. I’m Jake. What’s your name?’
‘Pearl. Well, Jake, follow me!’ Pearl proudly cat-walked in the opposite direction, and Jake quickly
scampered over and caught up with her.
* * *
Pearl knew her way well. She picked a hidden trail, well protected under ancient Banyan trees.
The grass was tall, so Jake and Pearl were barely noticeable from afar. They zigzagged until they reached the
Greenway.
While Jake followed her, he pondered at her words. ‘Tell me about the netters,’ he finally barked.
‘There is a festival in Yulin,’ she meowed. ‘On the summer solstice, people there celebrate by
eating dog meat.’
‘What’s Yulin?’ Jake asked.
‘It’s a place. Many netters come here to capture dogs for the festival. No dog is safe!’
‘Why come here?’
Pearl looked at him as if the answer was obvious. ‘Because there are many dogs here.’
What have happened to the dogs there?
Jake mused.
For a long time, Jake and Pearl walked in silence along the Greenway. It was a reddish bike lane
that gently meandered through the woods. Tall bamboo trees grew in thick patches, dotted with lush
bushes. Some bushes had glossy, huge fan-like leaves. Some were blooming with pink and red flowers.
Although overhead the June sun was shining fiercely in an azure sky, it was shady and cool down here.
They travelled peacefully for many days, sticking to the Greenway because the netters’ trucks could
not get in. Occasionally, some people cycled past them, but they were never unfriendly or hostile. They
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