Fiction: Group 4
The Feud
Good Hope School, Mak, Lydia - 15, Fiction: Group 4
ne more week to go,” he mumbled, gazing into the darkness.
The smell of rice dumplings and the stagnant water mingle in the air. Trees in the gale twist
vigorously like criminals tortured by a whip. He shivers, unable to discern the chilliness and
his anxiety.
He remembers, at the very spot he has been staring at, he was sailing in the warm breeze, waving at his
supporters along the river bank. Ambitious, passionate, and confident. That was when he noticed the
silhouette of a fancy speedboat, thrice the size and speed of his cramped fishing boat, heading squarely
towards his direction. Its engine’s deafening roar suggested menace, as if a beast approaches its prey. Silence
fell abruptly when the two ships were merely half a mile apart. Still and tense, the crowd stood in mute
astonishment, while a familiar figure rose from the speedboat. It was his brother, his bitter rival, his
opponent for the Pearl River Delta region representative election.
Another crowd with distinctive flaming red accessories swarmed towards the bank, undoubtedly the
supporters of his brother. More people emerged from the speedboat, and he recognized them all. Time was
never adequate for the memory to wane, it simply cling to his mind like spider webs. There on the
speedboat were his parents, his cousins, and all the family members he knows. He clenched his fists and bit
his lips, yet tears were rolling down his eyes. He tucked away into the cabin of his shabby little fishing boat.
He has pretended that it was only an election, not a family feud, he has treated his brother simply as another
opponent for the election, and he has reminded himself not to vent his anger towards his family in the
election, but the sight of his family all standing on his brother’s side was like rubbing salt in his wounds.
“Forget the past! Time to change! Polish our Pearl!” rang the voice of his friend.
He managed a feeble smile and took the hand his friend offered.
“This is the reason why I’m here, not for taking revenge on my family,” he thought.
He could see the supportive and determined countenance of his comrades; he could hear his supporters
chanting “Forget the past! Time to change! Polish our Pearl!” against the backdrop of hoots from his
brother’s supporters and he know that he is the more capable candidate, unless his brother cheats again.
Crackling of firecrackers broke the silence. It is New Year’s Day, and he has been sitting alone along the
river for more than an hour. His hatred towards his family was once again triggered.
New Year had always been the days he dreaded in his childhood. He was an outcast of the family.
Whenever he meets his relatives, this is what his parents tell them,
“Shameful kid,”
“Stupidly honest,”
“None of our plans could carry on unhindered, with
him
snooping around,”
The last bit is true; he was always the one who alert the victims whom his parents and brother planned to
cheat. And all he received for New Year were red packets – with coins only.
A heavy hand drops on his shoulder. He jumps, and turns around. It is his brother. A surge of fury heightens
in him. The cold air inhaled has boiled into steam, rising through his trachea. His enmity is about to burst
out, but it stuck in his throat. “Calm down,” his mind has been struggling to suppress his anger. The steam
condenses and he swallows it.
His brother breaks the awkward silence, “I’m sorry, mother and father insisted to come. It must have
distressed you,”
He scowls.
“All I want is a fair election, for the benefit of the area,” his brother continues calmly.
He stares at his brother blankly. That was the least he has expected.
Abashed, his brother carries on, “Look, I’ve got a red packet for you.”
He takes the red packet suspiciously. Coins, he feels it. He was right not to have high expectations on his
brother.
His brother must have noticed him feeling the coins inside. “You’d be surprised when you open this red
packet – it is more than coins inside,” he adds, “and wish you a happy New Year and good luck for the
election.”
He grins and melts into the darkness.
“O
