Fiction: Group 2
Hidden
International Christian School, Tsang, Novyanna - 9, Fiction: Group 2
s Shadow walked around the Pearl River Delta, a sharp edge of a rock scratched his foot. When the
pain faded, he bended down to pick it up. “Hey Zoe,” he shouted, “I found this weird looking
rock that looks polished.” As Zoe bounded over, the rock slipped from his grasp. “Ah!!! I dropped
the rock! Help me find it! Since it seemed so smooth, the owner must’ve paid a fortune! If we return it, we
might gain lots of coins for our family!” Shadow cried. “Calm down and scoot over. Let me try to find it.”
She replied. He scooted over a few boulders away. “Found it,” Zoe said triumphantly, a smirk on her face.
“Now let’s go home little brother. It’s nearly sunset.”
When they arrived home, Shadow hid the rock in a hole beside his bed. Coming out of his shared
bedroom, he broke the good news to his parents. “I found a really polished rock that shone brilliantly.” He
showed them the rock. “Son, that’s a gem, not a rock.” “Wow! I found a gem!” he exclaimed.
Meanwhile at the Delta, a dark person, emitting a dangerous aura, came back to the place where he
dropped the piece of jewelry in his rush to throw the trackers off track. He felt angry. No, beyond furious!
After all his hard work of stealing the gem, it was gone! He needed it to bribe someone to help change his
appearance so the Chinese army couldn’t find him. “Who dared to take it!?” He shouted. Then he noticed
the footprints that led towards the village.
The next morning, Shadow wore his torn red leather clothes, buckling on the loose straps. He
heard loud commotion outside. His mom was boasting, “My boy found such a beautiful polished gem in the
river’s delta. We are going to trade it to a merchant for thousands of coins!” She gushed to her neighbors.
Hiding in the shade of trees near the village, the man growled, “So that worthless mother’s boy
found the gem. How foolish. Now anyone can steal the gem.” That night, he followed her home and saw
two children, a boy and a girl. “Such nice hostages to trade for my gem,” he thought. “I shall wait, and like
a cobra, I shall strike at the right moment. I will get it back.” With that final thought, he left.
“The traders have arrived!” An over excited boy cried, waking Shadow up. As if cold water poured
on him, he stood up immediately, full of energy. Today he was going to try and get some of the wealthier
traders to trade money for the gem. As the boy walked outside, gem in pouch, his sister’s voice made him
jump. “Hey little brother, where are the wealthier traders?” Shadow pointed towards a large tent, filled with
accessories.
When they finally found a trader and showed him the gem, he paled and looked deathly afraid.
“No one is going to accept that kid. We all heard about the escaped thief that stole a gem while he
escaped.” Shadow felt devastated; their one chance at money, gone! With heavy hearts, we trudged home,
heads hanging low.
As they folded the thin blankets and prepared to sleep, Shadow spied a shadow in the corner of the
room. It disappeared after a blink of an eye. The boy hoped he dreamed the entire scene.
The next morning, Zoe was not in her bed. With tear-filled eyes and a sorrowful heart, he
searched the house for her, realizing that she wasn’t there. The boy went to investigate his room. In there,
he found a piece of ragged black cloth. He found tracks leading out the window and towards the Pearl
River Delta. The water would’ve washed the tracks away, so the effort was rendered useless.
While he sat on the shore, a glint of metal caught his eye on one of the boats. A glimmer of hope
came. Could it be? As he ran over to take a closer look, it actually was the necklace Zoe wore. He
borrowed an empty boat and paddled towards the closest island. As he walked, the boy found a hidden
trapdoor under a tree root. He found a ladder leading underground. Once he climbed down to the bottom
of the ladder, Shadow scouted around. Bags piled up in the left corner, food lay in crates in the far left, a
stack of ropes, and a limp body lay in the far right corner. He heard voices coming from the door to his
right. Shadow focused on waking Zoe up.
“Hurry.” Shadow whispered into her ear as she groggily sat up. As they turned around, a huge man
blocked the way out of the hideout. With fast movements, Zoe hit a pressure point at the side of his neck.
He collapsed. Next, they used some ropes next to Zoe, making sure he stayed. Then, Shadow tore off some
cloth from a bag and tied them on the man’s mouth. When they climbed up to the top, they locked the
trapdoor. At the village, the children showed the guards where the thief laid.
They reported to the traders that the man was captured and the gem could be returned. They
agreed the village could have all they brought in return for food to feed them on their journey to the capital.
A
