Fiction: Group 2
Village Life
Bradbury School, Chiu Gonzalez, Ines - 10, Fiction: Group 2
i Chan walked the narrow paved streets of her hometown, Xiao Zhou. As she passed the grocery
store, she encountered her grandma's friends, whom she greeted respectfully. Rewarded with a small
sweet, she started to run towards the 100 year old banyan tree in the distance. She ran until she
could feel the golden aerial roots touching her hair, making her laugh. She never got tired of that sensation.
She looked up, marvelling at the tree's beauty and then promptly pulled out a sketchbook from her school
satchel, sat down and began scribbling. Minutes later, pencil pressed against her lips, she looked at the
drawing critically, head on one side. That was the last page of the sketch book she'd received last year on
her birthday. Maybe today she would get a new one. She stood up and continued her journey home. She
crossed bridge after bridge counting the carvings on the balustrades…
When Li Chan reached home, Auntie Zhou’s bamboo yoke was propped outside. That was a good
sign. Entering the small house, she found her family inside and was greeted with hugs, kisses and 'Happy
Birthdays’. The dinner was a feast: dumplings, fresh fish, vegetables, Nai Nai’s special meat buns and, for
dessert, a small fruit cake with the number 11 on it.
“This is for you, Li.”
Inside the red parcel, Li could feel a hard cover. She slowly opened the gift, savouring the moment, to
reveal a professional sketch book!
That night, Li went to bed happily and woke the next morning to the sound of bird song. She
went downstairs.
“Good morning!”
The family was crowding around a piece of paper.
“Can I see?” questioned Li. She took the letter from her father's hands….
“A wedding!... but only one of us can attend.”
“Well, it makes sense if Ba goes. After all, it is his brother.”
So the flight was arranged and off Ba went to Xiamen.
Days later, a welcome back feast awaited. The family sat around the television, waiting for Ba to
come home and tell them about the trip. Suddenly, the fishing documentary switched off, and new
headlines filled the tiny screen:
Breaking news: airline collision… hijacked by terrorists... in the small airport of… few survivors…
Li ran to the TV to switch it off. It was like someone had punched her. She sat down on the floor
with a sudden bump. A sad silence crept inside the house. Grandma Liao held Ma; brother Kaipo looked
ahead as if he was searching for something, his eyes still scanning the screen as if it had been lying. Li could
feel her eyes tearing up. She did not even bother to blink and her vision blurred. Finally, the tears started to
spill down Li’s reddened cheeks.
A storm was brewing. Li went up to her room. Downstairs, Ma sat grieving. Li could hear the low
whisper of Aunt Zhu’s reassuring words. She took out a picture of her father, smiling and holding Kaipo and
herself. Then she furiously began sketching. She sketched her whole family until she had them all, especially
Ba, safe in her book. She hugged the book to her chest and drifted into fitful sleep.
L
