The Hundredth Child
Nicol Tsang, Group 2: Fiction, Diocesan Girls' Junior School
he sun rose steadily into the cloudless sky, its brilliant rays shining on the mountains, awakening the
creatures that lived within it. Despite the fine weather, the event happening inside the Great Walls of
China was not pleasant at all.
in c
A General with dark, fierce eyes and unkempt hair was surrounded by a group of warriors, waiting
omplete silence for the Emperor’s order for execution. The Emperor stepped forward and yelled,”
General Li! I thought that you were my biggest ally……but you have betrayed me.” There was a hint of sadness
in the Emperor’s eyes as he spoke. “You have disclosed the secret of our kingdom to our enemies, and you even
plotted with their leader to murder me. I have treated you like a brother, but all my effort has been wasted.” The
Emperor paused for a moment, and then yelled angrily,” You are to be executed now!” “You may kill me……”
The General roared in outrage. “However, no matter what happens, I will have my revenge! You will not survive
the tenth full moon, unless you sacrifice a hundred children each day!” The warriors lunged at General Li. The
General fell to his knees, and a deathly silence settled over the crowd.
T
Two thousand years later, a young child, Guo Qiang, who had curly hair, and beady eyes, discovered a
hidden chamber at the Great Wall. He got lost from his teachers and classmates, and accidentally stumbled
across it during his educational visit. The hidden part of the Great Wall was actually an abandoned fortress built
on a lone, windswept cliff. Although Guo Qiang was determined to find his way back, he did not know his
location.
As he looked for a place to spend the night, he fell into a massive pit dug deep into the earth. Suddenly, a
brilliant white light engulfed him, and he was blinded for a while. Just as he reached the bottom, blackness
seemed to wrap him up, and his limbs felt numb as he landed on the ground with a thud.
Guo Qiang awoke to the voices that came from a crowd nearby and sat up with a jolt. “An intruder is here,”
yelled a soldier. “Bring him to the Emperor!” The crowd backed away immediately. A group of soldiers grabbed
Guo Qiang’s shoulders and marched to the Palace.
The Palace was grandly decorated. Two gold pillars stood in front of the pair of heavy jade doors with
handles made of sliver. On the marble floor, a thick, red carpet was being folded as a few servants polished the
floor. And at the very back, a golden throne embroidered with precious gems and covered with sculptures of
almost every type of dragon you could imagine were carved on it, and on it sat the Emperor.
The soldier that had led Guo Qiang to the Palace stepped forward and bowed deeply to the Emperor, and
then he began to speak, “Your Majesty, I found this spy at the outskirts of town pretending to be dead.”
Guo Qiang studied the Emperor’s features, and realized he had dry, cracked skin and he only had a few tufts
of hair left. And there was a big swollen mass in the neck. Those were obvious\ signs of Goitre.
“
Silence!” the Emperor shouted. “Who are you? Are you in league with General Li? Tell me the truth, or
you will be executed.” Guo Qiang shook his head. “Then what brings you here?” asked the Emperor. Guo Qiang
quickly launched into a quick explanation of what happened to the Emperor. But after hearing what happened,
the Emperor’s expression turned to disbelief. “You claim that you fell into a deep pit, and then you were here,
right? I think that you are telling a lie, or if not, you must be……having illusions!” Hearing the Emperor’s
words, the officials burst into laughter.
“
But, I guess we have no further use of you, so I’ll add you to the ninety-nine children to be sacrificed today,
and that makes a hundred! Great!” the Emperor exclaimed.
Guo Qiang trembled with fright, and he shook with such a force that a packet of dried seaweed dropped to
the ground. And in a split second, an idea formed in his mind.
Guo Qiang gathered his courage and asked, “Excuse me, your Majesty, what made you slaughter so many
children?” “Well,” the Emperor said. “I am going to die if I do not sacrifice a hundred children per day. Now,
go!”
“
Wait, your Majesty!” Guo Qiang shouted at the top of his lungs. “I have found the cure to your illness! You
have not eaten any fish in a long period of time! And I guess that you have constant difficulty in breathing,
severe chest pain and you have been feeling extremely depressed these days.” “How would you know, kid?” the
Emperor said, clearly shocked by Guo Qiang’s words. “Well, the way to cure this illness is to eat…..this!” Guo
Qiang picked up the packet of seaweed. “Your Majesty, you can eat more fish, eggs, seaweed…… and I will
assure you that you will regain your full strength in a few days.”
Ten days later, the entire Palace was filled with joy.
“
All the children will be freed, and you, Guo Qiang, I will grant every one of your wishes, and you will live
happily in my Palace forever. Now, tell me your wishes!” the Emperor ordered. “I……I wish to go home.” Guo
Qiang answered. The Emperor gestured for the servants to come forward. ‘Escort him back to where he came,
for he is my savior and he must be honored.” The servants bowed and hurried away.