The Race to Freedom
Kimberly Ann Esc
hat scares us the most is the thought of not being able to protect what we love.
stre
Bui
onc
aro Lopez, Group 3: Fiction, HKMA David Li Kwok Po College
The Great Wall, built by hundreds of people who risked their lives completing it,
tches past mountains, grassland and plateaus—and seems endless when looked at from one end.
lt to defend its nation, this enormous dragon seems fierce and indestructible in daylight, but
e the sky has been laid over by a piece of black velvet and begins to be illuminated by millions
of stars; it looks more delicate and somewhat mysterious. What makes this wall even more beautiful is when the
full moon shines upon its surface. When one witnesses this picture-perfect scenery, one can almost feel the
sorrow of the people who had lost their dreams to building this monument.
W
According to a legend passed on through many generations in Guanghai City, the first
person to run from one end to the other of the Great Wall during a full moon will have his/her greatest desire
fulfilled. However, one must reach the other end before the sun comes out, otherwise he/she can never return.
This prophecy was famous in that city, especially amongst three brothers—Chen Li, Ben Li and Xiao Li.
The Li brothers were still youthful when they had their freedom stripped away from them. As farmers working
in a small part of land in Guanghai City, they spent most of their teenage years digging fields, milking cows and
feeding chickens to support their family. Moreover, their mother, Song Li, was sickly and forbidden to do any
work that could strain her body, so the most she could do was prepare food for the family. Aaron Li, their father,
always had a glare on his face that his smile was a rarity to them. All these problems continued to pile up over
the years and it became such a heavy burden to the brothers that they began to think of giving up—until the
legend of the Great Wall reached their ears.
Blinded by an intense desire to escape their reality, they planned a race to the finish once a full moon
showed up. Ben smirked, “Don’t worry. Once I gain control of the most powerful and important company in
the world—I’ll share half the income with you two.” He continued smiling to himself, confident that he was
going to win the race, until Chen broke his daydream with a snort, “Why work when it’s all we’ve been doing
all this time?” Ben glared at him, “And what is your dream, I wonder?” “I want to be rich—period. I want to be
so rich that no one else in the world can compare with my wealth!” “Well actually—“That’s the stupidest wish
I’ve ever heard.” Xiao Li raised a brow after being rudely interrupted by Ben’s sudden remark. He tried to speak
again, “But don’t you think—“And I suppose yours isn’t any dumber,” but was interrupted again by Chen’s
comeback. The argument between Chen Li and Ben Li went on for hours that Xiao Li gave up trying to voice
out his opinions.
Xiao Li had always been the quietest and most reserved of the three and barely spoke of his thoughts.
But despite being the least talkative, he always had thoughts racing through his mind; making him the biggest
daydreamer in his family. Among the many thoughts that made their way into his daydreams, the most frequent
ones were those of freedom. Before having to start working, he took pleasure in running around freely and
playing with the gifts of nature and he dreamt of those moments almost everyday—praying that he could return
to those times. He knew though that it was impossible, especially since everything had changed after the war
broke out in their city. But now that he’d heard of the legend, a spark of hope began to flicker inside him and he
was determined to be the first one to complete the prophecy, whether his brothers liked it or not.
It was a Sunday evening and light drops of rain were splattering against their windows. Xiao Li loved
the rain, and he was admiring the crystal-like droplets vanish once they came in contact with the glass surface of
their attic window when he spotted the moon. He noticed that it was bigger and brighter than usual, not to
mention rounder. He gasped when he realized that it was in fact a full moon and ran downstairs to deliver the
news to his brothers, “Ben, Chen! The moon! I-it’s full!” he panted, and looked around, only to see Ben calmly
setting up the table for supper. “Where’s Chen,” he asked. “He went out to collect some water. Why don’t you
come and drink some of this juice I prepared?” Xiao couldn’t help but look dumbfounded at his brother’s
unexcited reaction, “Aren’t we going to go begin the race?” “Well, yes, but we’ve got to get some energy first.
Besides, it’s still raining outside. Now come on, drink!” Xiao Li was hesitant at first, but seeing how eager Ben
was, he decided to accept the offer and took a sip.
“
Thanks,” was the last thing he said before blacking out.
In fact, Chen hadn’t gone out to fetch water; he deliberately went out to get a head start on the race.
Ben soon realized that his brother had cheated and decided to play along by cancelling out Xiao first. He knew