Fiction: Group 3
Pearl River Delta
South Island School, Li, Timothy - 11, Fiction: Group 3
he landing wheels of my plane touched down on the grey worn air-strip as I arrived from the
country side. Around me were the grey smog induced sky choked the dulled blue sky. Then I
looked onto the earth an a grisly sight woke me up. There were people coughing and wearing
masks, some were plastered to their faces in sweat and some were torn to shreds. However I had yet to
behold the most horrific sight of all, the Pearl River.
The once sparkling magnificence of the Pearl River was obscured in a think grey layer of industrial mortar
and oil. The dead weeds and fish were bobbing around. I was shell-shocked, the pride of Guang-Zhao,
reduced to a stream of mud and junk.
A little bit about myself first, my name is Timothy. I am an average environmental activist from the
Guangzhou Province Environmental Caterers Committee (G.P.E.C.C.) coming to inspect the Pearl River I
love the wild with a passion. As soon as the landing gates opened I went to my phone and I told
G.P.E.C.C.: ”The Pearl River is in a horrific state, I require backup.”
While I was waiting for a reply. I dropped my luggage on the rack in the Pearl River Hotel. Once I had
settled into my room and ordered some lunch , I received a call from HQ: ”HQ to Timothy, Joe has arrived
and coming to your room.” I sighed in relief as I could confide my unpleasant surprise in Joe. Joe was the
man with all the equipment if I had noticed anything weird with the Pearl River. Over the last ten minutes,
I was trying to convince myself that the pollution of Pearl River was not happening. A few minutes later,
Joe rang the bell and I welcomed him in. He is a British man and has sky blue eyes and he shared my
inflamed passion for the wild. He is my best friend who persuaded me to join G.P.E.C.C. he also had a
sunny disposition which would seem to blow the clouds away. I handed him a glass of gin and said: ” The
river is in a disgraceful state and we really should check it out.”
So a moment later, we decided that we would have to go down to the river and check it out ourselves and
whlist we were doing so the HQ sent us a permit saying that we were allowed into the Pearl River area for
a series of experiments. We printed those out in to the hotel’s computer room and head down there to
check on the water itself.
When we got down there, we found an old stone path leading down to the riverside. The river-side looked
sick too. It was bare of any vegetation and there was a smell of some sort of industrial cement or some sort
of gravelly oil trickling slowly down the river side causing a thin grey streak of liquid coarsing down the
Pearl River. Then if I waited for a while I might spot the odd floating dead body of a fish or two floating
down the river. The water was muddy and green, the foul fumes of the river made me nauseous.
Joe took his equipment down there and tested the pH of the water to check if the pH was irregular from the
usual 4-5 This time, the foul smelling water was an acidic 2.4 which had me quite concerned. The other
people who G.P.E.C.C. employed had not measured such low figures and this was against all records. I
looked at Joe and said, almost at a loss for words: ”Keep doing tests, I-I-I’ll contact HQ with the
information. They will find it most concerning. “
I dashed back onto the lawn and dug out my phone from my duffel bag. I phoned our leader on the direct
line and Chan Wing, our strict leader answered and said: ”Mr. Wing here.” then I replied: ”Mr. Wing, this
is Timothy reporting in. I have observed that the water is unnaturally acidic. Has this ever
happened?” ”Timothy” he said. “I was waiting for you to call, acidic you say, what was the pH
level?” ”2.4” I replied. Judging by how silent Chan Wing was I could tell how shocked he was. ”Go, see
who is behind all this.“ he said in a forceful voice. I was shocked: ”But-but-but I’m an environmentalist
T
