Fiction: Group 2
The Journey of Epic Riches
Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Choi, Ching Lam - 11, Fiction: Group 2
eep, one unread message.”
Dear tomb raiders,
Your tomb raiding skills have led you to the acme of success. Your fine recoveries of the ancient world
have proven you worthy of this grand quest. The sole reason of this message is to have you find the riches of
your lives in the region of the River of Pearls. Greed and vanity have always been your Achilles heel, so don’t
let it get the better of you. Anonymous
“A
Rive
r of
Pearls
? No such place!” scoffed Jasper, chewing on his tobacco “That’s clear as day! The
region of the Pearl River Delta!”Clement said.“I should’ve thought of that too,” mumbled Ruth. With that,
the threesome left their homes for Hong Kong, a major city in the Pearl River Delta region.
“Keep your eyes peeled for anything sparkly, might be a carbuncle.” reminded Ruth. After checking in the
treacherous Chong King Mansions, Jasper noticed some marks on the carpet.
The secret lies in this torch,
Eclipsed by North and South.
Why don’t you give the international centre a shot?
This abound city of opportunities,
Bustling with grasping businessmen.
In the beating heart of the hub, you see,
You will find the key.
“Ah! Central is the region’s finance centre!” Even arrogant Jasper had to agree with Clement.
The streets of Central were overflowing with people; everyone was rushing here and there, going about
their own business. Burly skyscrapers towered over the place, casting a long, fearsome shadow upon the
tomb raiders, staring them down. Inside these magnificent buildings were blinding glares of light. The whole
city was in fast forward mode.
“Skyscrapers, symbol of wealth and prosperity! We’re on the right track.” As they scanned the building, a
glistening scroll caught their eyes. A possible clue to their fortune, the scroll, was dangling on the building’s
lightning rod. Arriving at the top floor, the threesome discovered an unlocked entrance that leads to the rod
and were about to enter, when a guard noticed and locked it. In the middle of their tiff with the guard,
Jasper managed to unobtrusively slip away and came to a length of frayed cord. Pulling himself up the cord,
Jasper discovered that it was attached to a rusty hook, just below the rod. Clinging onto the cord, Jasper
grabbed for the scroll, short by an arm’s length. With resolute determination, he lunged, caught the scroll,
made his way down the cord and finally into the building. Then, he opened the scroll he so imperishably
sought for with the others.
Unswerving, abiding, enduring, unyielding,
Holding all the aces, achieving with approaches grotesque.
Braving the foreboding, courage and defiance you are fielding,
As dignified individuals, you tolerate no burlesque,
Raging waters, ships with cargo all abundant,
Responses and reactions essential, nothing redundant.
Only if you decipher this riddle, will you luxuriate in the plush riches.
That’s cryptic!” “No, there’s something about the first letters of each line, it spells...HARBOUR!”
Clement cracked the puzzle.
“B
