Fiction: Group 2
Left Behind
HKUGA Primary School, Wong, Sonja - 11, Fiction: Group 2
he train started slowly. People with bulky baggage crowded inside tiny compartments.
All passengers were chatting cheerfully, except Yuan, the 13 year- old boy, who sat quietly beside
the window alone. He looked tired, as he had walked more than three hours from his home to the
train station. By the time the train had moved out of the station, his mind was immersed in the gorgeous
view of the countryside. The sun was glittering in the clear blue sky. Only the yellow soil was visible in the
paddy field. All these reminded him that the farmers in his village on the hill would also reap the paddy
harvest before the Spring Festival.
Rewinding back eight years ago. Yuan was only five and lived with his parents in a hill village near Liannan.
They had a small field to grow paddy-rice and corn. Yuan often played with other kids near the fields.
Lunch, brought by his mum, would then be consumed in the fields. Though they lived poorly, they were
happy and content. Unfortunately, a series of droughts resulted in decreasing crop yields. In order to earn a
living for the family, Yuan’s father decided to go to Guangzhou to find a better job. At that time, Yuan was
too small to feel the pain of his dad leaving.
The great change came three years later. Yuan’s mom also went to Guangzhou to join his dad to work on a
construction site. Yuan still remembered the moment vividly when his mom left; he ran towards her and
gripped her hand tightly. He didn’t want to lose her. Seeing this, his uncle came and pulled Yuan away. His
heart sank as his mom boarded the bus and he started kicking aimlessly. He used all his strength to struggle
away from his uncle’s arms. By the time his uncle let him go, the bus had departed. Yuan tried chasing the
bus, but the back of the bus grew smaller and finally disappeared. He slumped on the road, crying
uncontrollably. He gave a big kick to a frog hopping by the road. Yuan was in despair.
From that day on, the whole world changed. Yuan had to take care of himself. To feed the fire under the
kitchen stove, he had to gather up wood and chopped them by himself. Then he perched a wooden stool to
start his cooking. The shivering cold night alone at home proved to be the most difficult. He would always
found himself with watering eyes when he woke up.
He jolted awake as the train arrived to a city full of factory buildings. Surrounded by the foggy air, he could
smell the smoke from the factories. People started to cough and tried to cover their mouths in the train.
The woman sitting next to Yuan stood up and prepared to get off the train. By accident, her luggage
snagged onto Yuan’s backpack, dropping it on the floor. A piece of crumbled paper slipped out. Yuan
picked it up quickly. It was his letter written on his 11 year- old birthday. He read it quietly.
“Dear mom and dad,
Today is my 11
th
birthday. I am alone at home. I miss you both so much. When will you come
back?
One day, when I passed the office of my primary school, I saw a telephone. If only I had your
number and could call you. But all I could do was to stare at it and cry.
If I had your number, mom and dad, I promise I would not bother you at work. I would call you
only when you are free. I hope you would call me too.”
But he didn't have his parent’s address so it was of no use. He touched the lines of words crossed
out. He could still experience the frustration and the disappointment he felt on that day.
“We have arrived Foshan station.” The train announcement woke Yuan up from his deep memory. When
the train door opened, people rushed out of it eagerly. They hugged their family members tightly. Bright
smiles lit up their faces. This scene reminded Yuan of the moment when he got a letter from his parents last
week, which included a train ticket. His parents wanted him to go to Guangzhou to join them for the
Spring Festival. He was so excited to see the ticket. He jumped up and down and screamed, “Yeah! I am
going to Guangzhou! I am going to see my parents soon!”
Suddenly, Yuan heard a noise behind. He turned back and saw a tall man grabbing the two hands of a thin
little child. In the child’s hand was a wallet. Yuan realized that it was his old wallet with the recognizable
stain on it. The tall man announced to the people around, “Thief! Thief! I saw him squatting down on the
floor. He must have stolen that wallet.” The thin child looked nervous, unable to say a word. Then Yuan
spoke to the tall man, “That is my wallet. It dropped out from my backpack earlier. I know what it
contains.”
T
