Fiction: Group 2
One Bullet Can Change a Life
French International School-Primary Section, Vashishtha, Tanisha-10, Fiction: Group 2
ooking back makes me cry. Even the slightest peek at those days, forces tears out of my eyes. I try
to forget him, but it is rather impossible to do so. We had such boisterous days, we would play
together, go to the river and swim together, he would make us rafts to race on, although the rafts
were useless, but that didn't matter, what mattered was HIM and his sweet smile.. But then he was gone,
my beloved brother, was no more. I always question God, why did you take him, why not me?!?
Ours was a very happy family and we lived a blessed life with my beloved Ma, Pa, and brother. My brother
and I would spend our days playing police - thief games pretending we were police and arresting helpers,
guards and our parents for various crimes. We would arrest A-yi Jiayi for not closing the door of Pa’s study
after giving him his tea, we arrested Ma for forgetting to water her precious cabbages. I still remember how
she scolded herself, repeating the same words over again, "How could you forget, how could you forget,
how could you forget?!?!?"
We would go to the river (our second home), and swim, race on rafts, and most of all, my brother's
favourite game, pretend we were soldiers fighting in the war. We never expected the game to turn into
reality, in fact, we never wanted the game to turn into reality.
I wasn't allowed out to the river, in fact, neither of us were. However my brother and I would sneak out to
the river that had no name back then, and play all sorts of games. Though these games were all for little
children, but playing with him would never tire me. Practically, my brother and I would live by the river,
whenever we got a chance. My brother had built a small bamboo hut that wasn't really a hut but I never
gathered the courage to tell him that as it would hurt him, something which I would never do to my
beloved brother. Unfortunately, Ma never let us sleep in the bamboo hut that he had made for us.
My brother was adored by everyone. The weary travelers, sailing the vast seas to arrive at our mansion
doorstep, their mouths always twitched into a euphoric, gorgeous smile when they set their eyes on my
brother. I had a few moments when I got slightly jealous of him, but everyone envies someone at some
point. It was weeks before some travelers even considered leaving. Without a doubt, every traveler wanted
my brother for themselves.
He did not have any particular thing that every human admired about him, he wasn't that handsome, nor
was he super talented. In my case, he was the candle that lit my heart and soul. Even on the depressing,
low-spirited days of war, he made our lives seem worth living, despite all the miserable hardships.
4 years before, was when our happy free, lives turned into days, sitting between 4 walls. Yes, the war had
begun.
I can't remember the early days of war. It seems all blurred and long lost. I recall the evenings we spent by
the river, telling stories whilst the fish nipped at our feet. I can remember it with astonishing clarity. But, the
start of the war, it's just fading away. That day is one of my most dreaded days ever.
A macabre series of deaths took place during that war. We were prohibited to even open the door or even
window of any room. I felt so depressed, so bored, so dull. For once, I could notice my brother feeling
slightly bothered. Ma would try make us enjoy the indoors by reading stories, playing Chinese chess, all sorts
of entertaining things to keep us busy and try to divert our attention from that appalling war. But, my
brother and I were made for the outdoors, that part of our personality, couldn't be altered.
One strange afternoon, there was an unusual calm, no sound of a bullet, not a soul lost, everything seems to
be as it was before. So, I thought, time to rejoice, war is over!!!! I opened the door of our balcony, my gaze
swept upon my brother, and he knew. "Yes." We jumped off the balcony and landed in Ma's rotten, odious
and foul prize cabbages and got ourselves filthy in the mud. We laughed to our hearts content. WE WERE
FREE! It was as though there was no war, just the same good old times earlier.
What i saw next made me wail. We ran across to the river. Our rafts, house were all ruined but that didn't
matter. We were finally by the gorge..... Suddenly the shots rang out. All I recall was me bursting into tears
and my brother desperately clinging on to me. However both of us knew it was too late. One thing that
puzzled me though, were his last words. He whispered,
"Our place to play
Shall have its name
Tell the world.... The Pearl River Delta."
L
