Fiction: Group 4
Nothing is worse that the sound of phlegm coming out of someone’s throat. I would rather stab out my eyes
than watch another yellow ball of spit fly and splatter on to the road. It’s like a minefield here. I need a place
to sit down, a place to work and finally finish what I came for.
“We’ve turned the coffee machine off, breakfast hours have just finished.”
As if there was nothing you could do! Turn it back on then! I smile, nodding.
“ You have ice chocolate?”
“Yes, no problem.”
“And a chicken pie. Thank you.”
I sit down, finally, some peace and quiet. I rest my head on the table. I pull out a book, removing the
bookmark and start reading.
“Your ice chocolate and pie. Careful, it’s quite hot.”
I am a grown person. I think I know how to operate a plate.
“Thank you.”
“What you reading for?”
What I’m reading for? Wow, that’s a really deep and philosophical question. I’ve only been asked what I am
reading, but never the purpose. Maybe I’m reading because I don’t want to end up being a waiter in a lousy
restaurant.
“Just waiting for the food.”
“Enjoy your meal, sir.”
I take a sip through the straw. Flavourless. Argh! I catch the side of my lip. I wash it down with another
suck of the straw. It’s like licking a cold metal pole, a mixture of metallic bitterness from the blood and the
coldness from the ice.
I look out the window. I lift my laptop screen. I open my document and I start writing. Whose idea was it
anyway to write about the Pearl River Delta?
Tap, tap, tap. Pearl River Delta, a region of wealth, prosperity and a salute to humanity’s success. Shenzhen.
My job is to lie, to mislead, and to persuade people to come to places and have their dreams crushed and
broken. You may think it’s great; I get to travel a lot; I get to see more and experience more about the
world. Try spending most of your life on a transport in the air, eating disgusting food and facing
disappointing realities. I’m tired of writing like this, using fancy vocabulary and filling my reviews with
words that seem glamourous but nobody understands. I wish I could write a real review for once, a real
evaluation on my experiences. But the reality is, this is my job and I’m paid to deceive.
