Fiction: Group 2
The Magic Locket of the Pearl River Delta
HKUGA Primary School, Shek, Tso Yee Chloe - 11, Fiction: Group 2
ella was strolling in the silent park just beside her house. It was six o’ clock in the morning, and she
rarely got a chance to relax because her brother, Martin, could never stop bothering her. Martin
never woke before ten in the morning and after he woke, both her parents spent their time fussing
over him anyway.
Bella sighed and settled herself on one of the hard wooden benches in her favourite corner of the park. It
was secluded and surrounded by lots of bushes. She sat there and stared at her pretty locket, her 10
th
birthday
present from her mother. It was oval-shaped and there were two tiny Chinese white dolphins inscribed in
it. The chain was fine silver, and her mother had said anxiously that day, “Always take care of this, and
never lose it. It was your great-great grandmother’s, you know.” It was the family treasure, and legend was
that it was magical. Bella had never brought herself to believe it. Suddenly, the locket glowed eerily blue.
Bella blinked and opened it to see graceful writing inside saying,”
Come with me
”. She screamed as the blue
light spread everywhere and sucked her inside.
Two
Bella found herself on a disgusting, rubbish-strewn river bank with looming factories, streaming polluted
air out of them. The river itself was brown and nothing seemed to survive in it. The locket in Bella’s hand
was becoming warmer and warmer, until some kind of force pushed her into the repugnant river.
Bella stood up and shook the water off her. She looked around to find a sparkling river with joyful
dolphins swimming that looked like the ones on her locket. There were emerald-green trees on the banks
and little village huts, but no factories. She turned around to see a small girl wearing old villager clothes.
“Who are YOU?” they shrieked at the same time.
“I’m Ling, and would you mind…Ooh!” Her eye caught Bella’s locket and inspected it seriously.
“Er…my name’s Bella…” Her voice trailed off as Ling prised off the locket from Bella’s hand and
said in awe, “Why would you have this locket? According to legend, it’s magical. Anyway, where are you
from? I’ve never seen you before.”
“I don’t know how I got here, but I’m sure it was the locket! I was in the park downstairs and…”
Bella told Ling what had happened. She didn’t know why, but she felt that she could trust her.
When she finished, Ling said, “I’m certain too. The locket is really powerful according to my
father. It can summon people to places when it wants. Usually it does this when something is happening to
the Pearl River Delta…I mean, here.”
“This is the Pearl River Delta? But this’s the stinky river I landed beside! I thought it was full of
pollution?” A suspicious feeling arose in Bella. “Is this the past?”
“What past?” asked Ling. “The River has always been the same.”
Bella now saw that the Ling’s clothes were old-fashioned and worn, and the huts were quite aged.
She suspected that the locket had brought her there in the past, but what did it want her to do?
Three
Bella and Ling sat in a dingy room in Ling’s hut. She had brought Bella there to talk about her plans to get
home. Her parents had gone fishing by the river so they could talk safely.
“I think the locket wants you to do something for the river,” said Ling thoughtfully. “If you solve
its problem, then it’ll bring you back home. Perhaps that’s the reason it brought you here in the first place.”
“Like… pollution?” suggested Bella. “Or endangered animals in the river?”
Ling frowned, tiny wrinkles appearing on her forehead. Then she shouted, “I get it! Yesterday’s
newspaper said something about people wanting to build factories here. My father said that these factory
owners are never responsible and they hide sewer pipes, so they can secretly release chemicals. I bet that the
locket wants you to save the river. Do you know that the river covers lots of places in China? It could
seriously harm these places.”
“But how? I’m not a superhero or magician…..oh. I could try using the locket…” said Bella in an
uncertain tone.
Ling had already put on her muddy shoes and rushed out of the door. Bella sighed and followed.
This kid sure is decisive,
she thought.
B
