Fiction: Group 4
“Jok, Jok!” Shouted an enraged woman. Her fists on her hips, she futilely attempted to rein in the toddler
that was running around in the fields.
A seven-year-old Jok sprinted carelessly through the lush green fields. He deftly avoided all the trenches
that he knew contained muddy water from the last time that it rained. Ignoring his mother, Jok continued
to stray further and further from his home. The stone and brick shack seemed smaller and smaller the farther
away he got. His whoop of exhilaration briefly calmed his mother, as she stood with a small smile on her
face, observing him intently from a distance.
“Alright, Jok, let’s get back inside, your dad is waiting. We’ve got some great news” Jok’s mother said.
Jok dutifully followed his mother back inside the little shack that they owned. The stifling indoor air
buzzing with nervous energy. His mother was unusually subdued. His father sat at the dinner table, hands
clasped on the table in front of him. He looked up at the sound of the door opening. A grin blossomed
across his face.
“Jok! Glad you’re here little buddy!” His father exclaimed. “Such a wonderful weather today no?”
Continued his father.
“Honey, you’re rambling, get to the point” Interjected his mother.
“Of course, of course, Jok, you know how you’ve always wanted to see the city? Well, I just got a job in
the city!” His father shouted gleefully, his volume rising with every word.
“Oh isn’t that wonderful Jok? Just imagine us in the city. I hear they have lovely beautiful clothes there!”
His mother said, sighing. A faraway look in her eyes, as if imagining how she’d look dressed in the newest
dresses. Her name, Mei Lin Lee woven in the fine silk
Jok couldn’t have been happier; it had always been his dream to go live in the city, where there were cool
cars and cleaner places. Jok would never have imagined the tragedies that would come.
Joke would never have imagined that his father would be killed in a car accident in eight years.
Jok would never have imagined that his mother would fall ill with cancer in thirteen years.
Jiang Sha Building, Apartment Seventeen was always full of life. People moved around, shouting at each
other. There was never a dull moment in there. On this day, Shiang-Chi, the resident of the second room
was currently berating Mui-Lai the resident of the third room. It was to this scene that an utterly exhausted
Jok came home to.
The apartment was a small run down apartment with cracks in the walls and old floorboards. It contained
three rooms and a single bathroom, shared between the three occupants of the apartment. Each room was
approximately a three by two metre rectangle. It provided little comfort, but it was the only thing the
residents could afford. These areas were created to house those that society has turned a blind eye on. Old,
small and often filled with people who just needed opportunity to get some money. If life was a race, then
these places held those that had been born with no legs.
Of course, it was unsurprising that in a place that had such rapid economic progression, many would be left
behind by society. Although they were not hated by society, people often liked to pretend they did not
exist. They didn’t like confirmation that their world was not perfect, so they often looked the other way.
Jok headed towards the small bathroom, looking for a cold shower since it was almost impossible to get hot
water here. He sighed at the sight of the beer bottles on the sink counter. Shiang-Chi had never gotten
over his PTSD after being discharged from the American Marine Corps after his battalion had been
completely killed in an ambush. Jok cleaned up the bottles and took a shower. Knowing that Mui-Lai, the
designated cook, would have a small meal waiting for him afterwards. Mui-Lai cooked in the shared
kitchen that was located every other floor. She couldn't cook much (they didn’t have enough money), but it
was enough to keep him going.
Jok got out of the shower, feeling more relaxed and cleaner than ever. Looking into the mirror he muttered
to no one “At least you don’t live in Hong Kong, all those tales about cage homes and coffin homes are
enough to give me nightmares, brrgghh!”
