Fiction: Group 2
New Tales From the Pearl River Delta
Glenealy School, Mok, Kendrick - 9, Fiction: Group 2
ong ago, I lived in the beautiful and peaceful Pearl River. The water was crystal clear and the sun
was always scorching hot. I lived with many dolphins that were pink just like me. We loved to swim
and play exciting games in the pristine and deep blue water. Each day I would wake up and swim to
the surface with all my friends to splish, splash and splosh in the calm waters of the Pearl River. The sky
above was sapphire blue, the mountains on the coast were always green but the best thing about going to
the surface was looking at the sunset behind the green mountains and the crystal clear river. Those days were
the best days of my life - I could feel it in my heart. We were content with our peaceful life.
Villagers from a small town on the coast worshiped Emperor Delta, who was God of the River. He always
provided the villagers with good weather for their crops. For many years, the villagers were blessed with rain
and sunshine. However, this particular year, there was a terrible drought so the villagers prayed and prayed
to their God for the crops to be saved.
The next day, something very strange happened. A mysterious and unknown merchant came into town. He
wore a black trench coat with a dark hood so the villagers couldn't see him very clearly. The merchant
carried an enormous bag in his cart and kept a vigil eye on it. This was all very strange. He told the villagers
that he had brought gold bricks to their town for sale. “These bricks will change your lives and will make
you filthy rich,” the merchant said. So the villagers bought the bricks and in a few months, the coasts were
lined with marvellous, stunning and golden buildings. The golden bricks had a magical power - it would
turn anything into solid gold. The villagers made a small fortune out of the bricks by selling and trading
them.
After a few weeks, the greedy villagers wanted more but more gold meant that they had to pay double the
amount. So they paid and this time, factories were built. Unfortunately, the factories caused pollution which
made the river muddy, foul and grimy.
Months later, the pollution started to spread along the Pearl River
Delta. Many dolphins died, villagers became ill and soon, the clouds above turned grey.
Shortly, the villagers ran out of gold bricks so they had to buy even more from the merchant. However this
time, the merchant was nowhere to be found. They looked for him everywhere but still, he could not be
found.
Suddenly, a fiery red flash as bright as the sun shook the sky and all the golden high rises crumbled before
their eyes into old and dingy houses. I knew exactly at that moment that this had something to do with
Emperor Delta. A few minutes later in a puff of smoke, Emperor Delta appeared in front of the puzzled
villagers. He explained to them that he had tricked them by being that mysterious merchant for two
reasons. First, they didn’t appreciate the gold that the merchant had given them and second, they had
become greedy, bought more gold bricks and built factories without thinking about the impact on nature,
causing pollution and destroying the environment. After all that talking, as quick as a flash, the God of the
River disappeared.
From that day onwards, the villagers always appreciated what they had and took care of the environment.
Soon, the sky was blue again and the sun shone brighter than ever, letting everyone rest in peace. As for me,
and the rest of my family, we just led a quiet and serene life and we were never disturbed by the humans
ever again.
L
