Fiction: Group 2
A New Hope
German Swiss International Primary School, Gureja, Ariana - 10, Fiction: Group 2
s I slowly awakened, I squinted as the harsh sunlight hit my face. Bewildered and scared, I gazed
into a blur of faces. Where was I? What was happening? Disorientation and fear magnified my
confusion. Despite the loud noises I could hear my own heart pounding madly against my chest.
Staggering to my feet, I tried to weave my way out of the crowd. Bright lights were flashing all
around me, vibrant colours in every corner and the aromatic, exotic smell of delicious food being cooked. It
was intoxicating and exciting at the same time. A feast for the senses.
Suddenly a bunch of beautiful lions ran through the street roaring and making lovely sounds. They
had big eyes, golden hair and red bodies. They were doing amazing dances and people dressed in silk
costumes were playing the drums. The lions were jumping, twirling and spitting out confetti. Following
them were many dancers doing acrobatics and some of them were waving at the crowd. Wide eyed I stared
in fascination. Even in my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined this spectacular, breath-taking city.
My
emotions were in turmoil. Inconceivable as it seemed, this was actually happening. Slowly it all started to
come back to me.
I too had dreamed of being a dancer. But it was nothing more than a childish fantasy. In our world
there is no place for dreams. All our dreams went out when the electricity went out. For a long time, there
seemed to be no end to the fighting. Fighting to survive, just fighting to stay alive. Things are slowly
changing. People have accepted their fate and are slowly working together to rebuild society.
But one day something extraordinary happened. I met an old man living in one of the abandoned
houses on the outskirts of our village. He looked like any other old man trying to survive. But he wasn’t.
He was magical! I’d promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone what I’d seen. It’s not as if they would believe me
anyway. Michael said that people have become greedy and instead of accepting his gift as a means to help
them, they would destroy him. But I felt so guilty.. A few days ago I had the most delicious, decadent
chocolate cake. The day before Michael gave me the most most beautiful dress. But I could never wear
it...people would know. So I hid it where no one would find it. You see Michael is very special. Anything
he paints, comes to life. He painted my cake and my dress and as though it was the most normal thing in the
world, he put his hand into the painting and gave me the real thing. Today he painted the most beautiful
city and told me it was a phenomenal city called Hong Kong as it was before the electricity went out. He
also said if I walked into the painting, something extraordinary would happen. So I did and then ended up
here in the past, in the year 2015.
This was real. I was actually here in the past. In Hong Kong! Looking around at all the tall, majestic
buildings lit up in different colours and patterns, I felt like I was surrounded by towering giants. It was so
entrancing. I was being given a chance to see into a time unspoilt by destruction and darkness. I felt as if I
was catching a glimpse of beauty so fleeting, that if I closed my eyes it would all disappear. Suddenly a
brightly lit billboard caught my eye. It read “Global energy forum tomorrow! Make your vote count!”.
Slowly it dawned upon me. Michael had sent me here for a reason. But how could I make a difference? This
was daunting. I needed a solution to instigate change. And then it struck me. Recently Michael had hinted
that as a young, frivolous artist he had made a foolish decision that had cost us our future. He had convinced
a large group of young students at university to protest against the Global Energy forum and without their
votes, renewable energy had lost. And with that, our future was lost. I desperately needed to find
Michael...To convince him to do the right thing. This could change our future. But in a city this large how
was I going to find the one man that held the future in his hands. The famous protest! That’s it! I quickly
made my way towards Exchange Square. It was still early hours, it wouldn’t be until the evening that the
protest would gather momentum. It didn’t take me long to find him. Even as a younger version of himself,
Michael was still oddly familiar. Now to convince a stranger that he could save the future. Nothing is that
simple.
Michael wouldn’t believe me. It was so frustrating. He treated me as though I was a delusional girl
seeking attention with crazy, irrational, stories about the future. I tried again and again to explain to him that
I knew him in the future. Michael was adamant. He didn’t believe me. He wanted proof. I reached into my
pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. It read “My decision not to vote at the Global Energy
forum destroyed our future. Renewable energy is the answer. Michael”. That was all it took to convince
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