Fiction: Group 4
Cat and Mouse
Island School, Yik, Thomas - 14, Fiction: Group 4
he Pearl River Delta is one of the regions in China that experiences extreme
economic growth.
Skyscrapers have risen replacing crop fields, fancy restaurants
replacing old warehouses, wealth replacing poverty.
In spite of the astonishing economic growth, two major components that fuelled the
growth has become scarce; land and labour. Both are needed in the upcoming plan for a
high-speed railway system, by the Government, that would link up all the cities in the
Pearl River Delta together.
The Government sought solutions to reduce costs, efforts and time spent. Even so, no
one would have thought that they would take it that far.
I was looking outside the window when they came. The cold touch of the window bit
on my cheek, but the scene outside intrigued me.
A pair of mice were scrambling for their life, chased down the alley by a cat. The cat was
more than 20 yards away from the mice but it was larger in size and easily caught up. The
mice fell a tail-length short from their safe haven in the walls, dying horridly as they
entered the cat’s meat grinder. They never stood a chance against the jaws of the cat.
As the cat turned away satisfied with its meal, an army of rodents raced out from the
cracks in the wall. Like a pride of lions hunting an elephant, they climbed onto the cat
and tearing at its fur.
He jumped around in circles, making futile attempts to shake the
mice off, but it was too late, overwhelmed he collapsed under their weight. Suffocating
under the mountain of mice.
It was not something that happened often, but it did happen.
“Dinner’s ready, dear.” Mother called from the kitchen. I climbed down from the
windowsill.
Something was wrong, we normally did not serve dinner until an hour later.
I walked into
the dining room believing my mother had a surprise for me. Everything looked normal,
except for one thing. The room was empty. My attention was quickly drawn to what was
on the dining table. A bowl of steaming noodles, its mesmerising scent inviting me to just
take a bite. My legs walked for me, slowly and steadily, but in my head I was feeling
uneasy and uncertain. Something was definitely unordinary.
T
