Fiction: Group 2
The Tale of the Pearl River Delta
German Swiss International Primary School, Poon, Sylvana - 10, Fiction: Group 2
he daughter looked around, her eyes taking in the enchanting night sky. The Delta was her
childhood home, the place had she lived for years. Her eyes were swirling with dark memories. The
harsh beatings, the abuse, the cutting words, she could still feel the scars on her back. Her stepfather
was a drunk, addicted to poker and gambling every night, rarely winning more than a penny. With a
shudder, she donned a jacket and faced the cold winter winds.
She stared at the broken eyes of her mother. They were black with a slither of brown.
“Shaya, my dear. Why return?” Her mother asked. A wrinkly hand softly touched her, such a
gentle touch but with a clear message. “The memories are too painful.” The daughter looked into her
mother’s eyes.
“I miss the beauty here. Alas, the scars on my heart have yet the heal, but fears must be faced.” She
whispered. “My back might have been black and bruised, blood streaming down, but home is where the
heart is though.” The daughter smiled shakily.
The mother suddenly rushed into a room and soon wandered out. There, in her hands, a
photograph. That photograph said a thousand words that could never possibly be penned. It was a young
girl, barefooted with a waterfall of hair flying everywhere. Beside her, a young man with a smile that shone
with the intensity of stars. “Father…” He had left when the daughter was at the tender age of 4. He was
killed in a car accident. After the police left, the last people at the scene were a mother and her child, both
crying.
The melodious chirping was the first sound she heard. The daughter climbed out of a lavishly
decorated bed. At her feet was a smooth bamboo tray holding a plate of cakes and a hot piping cup of green
tea. She raised the cup to her lips, nearly dropping it in surprise at the heat. The daughter downed the
scorching hot tea though; energy is needed for the healing process.
When she went down, she saw, at the family shrine, was her praying mother.
“Hello.” The voice broke the peaceful silence. Her mother stood up and held her daughter’s hand.
The touch sent a warm feeling of belonging through the daughter’s veins.
“Daughter, yesterday, you told me you wanted to mend. Your journey started here and fate
brought your life here again. There is something necessary to start your adventure hidden in the Delta. We
must find it.”
The mother and daughter walked silently along the pavement, ignoring the loud horns of cars that
wouldn’t be heard before. They silently ambled to the sacred temple of Bright Filial Piety. The monks
graciously invited them in. The temple was prideful in its belief and dedication to Buddha.
The sun rode its chariot across the sky as the pair prayed with their hearts. The jeweled eyes
revealed nothing, except for a secret that the daughter was determined to crack. When the moon started to
cast its magical glow on the Delta, the mother and daughter slumped their shoulders in defeat.
“Mother, before we go we should remember this day, before this world spins around yet again and
changes.” The daughter said. The mother only nodded.
At the dinner table, the family of 2 members sat around a table, which should had had 3 members.
The silence was uncomfortable. The other seemed more distant.
“Mother, before I depart, how has the world changed?” Questioned the daughter. Strange curiosity
burned inside her, she didn’t know why but there was a feeling that this answer would help her.
“The Delta is like a painting, my dear. The canvas used to be plain, peaceful. The world has
been… electrified. It is more city than country now, but even though there is change. The past is still there.
It reminds its citizens to stay true to belief and the past is a lesson that will help in the problems they face.”
“I suppose that applies to me.” The daughter grinned, eyes twinkling.
“Yes… indeed.” The mother replied.
T
