Great Wall
Leo Michel-
ar far from now, when the dragons still hunted for men with their flames, the Chinese empire was
terrified when it was time for the creatures to arrive. People died, suffered through burns and distress…
there was nothing to do. But soon, the Chinese empire would forge an army which would once and for
all, beat these dragons and create the GREAT Wall of protection.
Grosjean, Group 3: Fiction, British International School Puxi, Shanghai
F
‘
Goodnight mom,’ said the boy
‘
Good night Great Wall’. I was so happy that the whole world (most of the people in Manchester),
called me ‘Great Wall’ because I was a great defender in football. Everybody believed in me becoming a
professional football player thanks to my great skills. As for me, I knew my skills also came from magic: I
believed in magic. Okay! now I really needed to sleep, this wasn’t going to help for tomorrow’s intense day. My
martial art &football boarding college was only reserved for the most resistant and able children. To get in, you
had to be extremely good… I closed my eyes gently and from the whispers repeating themselves in my head I
fell asleep.
The beam of light was shining through the window into my eyes forcing me to close them again.
Closing them again, I realized that I hadn’t been woken up by my alarm clock to go to my intense day but by
this unknown beam of light. I was so sure that I had closed the curtains last night. Even if they were opened, the
beam of light would never shine into my eyes like that. I knew something was wrong. The texture I was lying on
was also rougher and rather itchy compared to my silk bed sheet. All of this was rather queer. I knew this could
only be a dream and so I persuaded myself to sleep again. Suddenly, I was alarmed when I heard this feminine
voice coming closer, it was definitely not my stepmother’s voice, plus she was speaking another language I
couldn’t even perceive. It sounded like some sort of ‘qing chong qiao’ language. I was surprised but I just didn’t
understand: was it a joke, a prank? My mom wouldn’t do that; was it just a different world? Had I lost my mind?
I decided to open my eyes to find out! Oh…my…..God!
I was scared, everything was different, the chairs were tiny and made out of wood, and the tables too.
The place I had woken up in was a sort of hut with a circular hole at the very top. It looked so old, so dirty! The
bricks looked like if they were fed up of holding the weight. It was also incredibly small; the center (kitchen)
had a chimney with big metal bowls hanging from it. There were basic mattresses everywhere around the hut.
This terrifying feminine voice was still coming closer and closer, and then I saw her. I was dazzled by her nice
looking face; she was a long black haired woman, with small, timid, almond-shaped eyes and a nice smooth
tanned skin. This was the moment of truth.. But then she ruined it by saying this ‘Ni Hao ma?’ I reckoned she
was asking a question but I couldn’t tell what. It sounded a bit like Chinese that I had heard on TV but I was
uncertain.
1
year later
(
The first attack)
I had had the time to get used to my new home and learn some Chinese. Communication now wasn’t a
problem anymore, but I still didn’t understand why and how I had come here? Anyway, I had to deal with it. I
figured out that the family I had fallen into was pleasant, with good manners. I had now embraced these
strangers as my family because that was what I really needed. They taught me their culture, their history, the
dangers around, their inner peace.
They spoke about 1 myth saying that 100 years ago the kingdom had been attacked by dragons that
wiped out the population, and that is why they had started the most extraordinary construction ever: a Great
Wall. Since, nothing had happened, I could not believe it. But could magic be true? Could Dragons exist?
One night, I woke up sweaty in my hut and I saw lots of light through the cloth, I didn’t understand since we
were in the middle of the night, and it seemed to be so hot. I didn’t know what was going on... I called my
‘
family’ but nobody answered: “Somebody there?”
Nobody was in the room, I started to panic and sweat ran down my face. I threw on my clothing and
ran outside: Oh no! There was blood and fire everywhere. It was like a war, people shouting and fighting
strongly and courageously. I walked slowly towards Noni, the girl I found pretty and I couldn’t believe that she
was wielding weapons like a bulky grown man. Then I heard a huge roar behind me, I turned around and that is
when I saw it: a huge, bloody, muscular, robust, and dark monster. He was staring at me with his big red eyes
and his smoking nostrils: it was a dragon, yes a real one!