The Great Wall's Protectors
Aerin Mok, Group 2: Fiction, German Swiss International School
iang, the god of the Great Wall, stood suspended in mid-air, brows contracted, as he muttered to himself
about a terrible problem. A long time ago in China, a mortal came before the gods and begged them to let
him win the wars and unify all of China. In return, he would build a Great Wall to honor the gods. The
gods granted him his wish and in 221 BC Qin Shi Huang became the first Emperor of a united China. He
soon set about building the Great Wall of China. The gods had made Jiang the protector of the Great Wall.
However, there was an evil god Jong who became powerful every time there was war amongst men. He
had waited all these years for mortals to be their most evil. He wanted to destroy the Great Wall and use the
rubble to build a great castle from which to rule over all mortals. A million men had died building the Great
Wall, and the earth, stone, and bricks that they used to build the wall were stained with their blood. “I sense the
powers of Jong growing. I must hide these three magical objects that protect the Great Wall. If he takes them
and destroys them, it will be the end of the Great Wall! The legend is that if the Great Wall is in danger, I must
find three brave and courageous mortals to help. But will they be able to defeat Jong, who has powers I will
never have?”
J
It was 2008, and close friends and Olympians Jade, Rose, and Jess lay on the grass outside their villa
enjoying the crisp, fresh air. They had come from Hong Kong to compete in the Olympics in Beijing. Jade was
a gymnast, Rose was a table tennis player and Jess was an archer. They were all imagining snow covering the
Great Wall like a gigantic blanket, glistening in the fiery sun. “Isn’t it lovely to visit China? And even better,
tomorrow we’re going to have a day off see the Great Wall! Do you know how long the Great Wall is? It’s
more than 8,000km! It’s magnificent!” said Rose.
Jess said glumly, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to enjoy tomorrow. I want to win a gold medal, but I haven’t
been able to hit the target at all in the last few practices!”
“
It’s ok Jess, you just try your best. How about we go back inside the villa and have a few jam
doughnuts?” Rose suggested. “Good idea!” Jade agreed. But as they got up, a magnificent figure stood before
them. They gasped in wonder, hardly able to believe it. “I am Jiang, god of the Great Wall. I have chosen the
three of you for your bravery and I have set a task for you. The objects I am holding now protect the Great Wall.
One is a bow, to show that we will always work together in fighting our enemies, an arrow to help defeat them,
and finally, a piece of paper that says courage in Chinese. If the evil god Jong takes them and destroys them, the
Great Wall will fall and the race of men will be ruled by Jong. Only if you shoot this arrow directly in Jong’s
heart, will his powers be gone. It’s up to you to find Jong and destroy him. I must go now. Good luck.” And
with that, Jiang vanished.
The three friends stood dazed. Finally finding their voices, Jade croaked incredulously, “What are we going
to do? We must save the Great Wall! But Jong is a god, so he must be up in the sky! How are we supposed to
fly?” At that moment, they were whisked up into the clouds. When they stopped, they were standing right in
front of Jong sitting in his throne. When he saw Jess holding the bow and arrow, he knew what they were there
for. He yelled in fury and grew as tall as a ten-storey building. He grabbed Jess in his enormous hand. She
struggled in vain. Rose grabbed a ping pong ball and paddle from her backpack and bounced it madly on the
marble floor, making a ‘ping ping’ sound. It distracted Jong, so he dropped Jess and scooped up Rose instead.
Then, Jade started performing tumbling gymnastic moves and Jong stared at her. As he lunged for Jade, Jess
aimed the magic arrow, her heart pounding against her chest. She had missed the targets in her last few
practices, but Jess could only think of her friends, who had risked their lives for hers. With all her might, she
released the arrow. They all held their breaths, as the arrow went soaring through the air. It struck Jong square
in the heart, and he grew smaller and smaller. Jong lay crumpled on the floor, his magical powers flowing out
of his body.
At that moment, Jiang appeared. “I can’t thank you enough. What would you like for an award? Gold?
Anything? I can arrange for you to win gold medals in the Olympics! How would you like that?”
They were tempted to accept, but in the end their conscience told them not to. Jade replied graciously,
“
Nothing, Jiang. We were just happy to help!”
Jiang looked very glad. “You are more selfless than I thought. But to remember me, I will give you each a
precious stone. Jade’s will be a jade, Rose will have a ruby and Jess will have a diamond. Keep them safe.”
They gazed at their stones, admiring them.
“
Thank you very much!” the friends chorused gratefully. And with a blink of an eye, they returned to the
human world.