Fiction: Group 2
The Tales of Two Brothers
Singapore International School, Kok, Zi Suen - 12, Fiction: Group 2
erched at the windowsill of the International Finance Centre building, his piercing blue eyes peered
out across the horizon, sweeping across the entire stretch of water that filled up Victoria harbour.
Dressed in a smart blue suit, Raymond looked every bit the businessman he was supposed to be. Yet
hidden behind those deceptively clear blue eyes was another identity that he had kept seamlessly mum for
the past 3 years. In his adopted father’s mind, he was an orphan with the surprising wit and cunning to
become a businessman, potentially the next heir of the childless father. But wit and cunning also kept his
son's double identity from him. Raymond is also an underground spy for the CIB. The thrill of it was his
main drive. Little did he know, he was about to open a door into the secret world of his own past, and find
his way back to a missing piece of his history.
Wiping away the bead of sweat that had inadvertently come to rest next to his lips, he gave a raspy cough
and sighed with resignation. This seemed like the thousandth pair of shoe he had checked today. He often
wondered if there was a more mundane, psychologically detrimental job on earth than the one he was so
‘fortunate’ to possess. Foo Ming retrieved a black and white photograph from the pocket of his worker’s
overalls and gazed at it.
He looked at the young couple in the photograph and silently prayed.
Mama, Papa, where are you? If you’re looking at me from up above, like what they all say, then give me
strength to continue surviving in this hellhole, give me a miracle, alright? I’m so lonely in this desolate place,
so please help me. If only I had a sibling, how different would my life be?
Raymond walked out of a toilet dressed in a shoddy worker’s uniform. Clutched between Raymond’s slim
fingers was a slightly dog-eared document, which was a new assignment given to him. He had earlier taken
a 6-month leave from his ‘father’ supposedly to venture the world. However, his undisclosed assignment
was to gather evidence to prosecute a shoe factory manager in Dongguan suspected of selling intelligence
from China to Japan. “Seems simple enough”, Raymond thought aloud, but subconsciously withdrew a
black and white photograph from his pocket. A young couple beamed in the photo. This was his last gift
from the orphanage manager before his adoption by his current Hong Kong-based “father”. He had a
sibling in China, she said. His fraternal twin. And this secret, Raymond carried with him for two decades,
with numerous futile search attempts.
“Good morning everybody! Here is Raymond, your new quality control manager.” Foo Ming glanced
upwards in disinterest from the monitor before lowering his eyesight and continuing with his mundane daily
routine. He felt a dizzying sensation of déjà vu despite the short moment of eye contact. Uncanny, he
thought. Raymond also had a feeling of familiarity as he shook hand with Foo Ming.
Over time, Foo Ming and Raymond got to know each other, even becoming the best of factory buddies at
the shoe factory. For the first time in his life, Foo Ming felt like his worker life was significantly brightened
P
