The Boy at the Great Wall
Katherine Wan, Group 3: Fiction, HKUGA College
an we leave now?” I shouted out to Dad.
Dad, his face all red, puffed, “You can go if you like. I’m not leaving yet.”
Dad had suggested coming to the Great Wall of China, and having no other ‘better’
recommendations, we were dragged all the way to Beijing just because this wall was built two
thousand years ago.
As I hopped down the stairs, I noticed a boy in a traditional Chinese outfit surveying a broken step.
“
What are you doing? Are you alone?” I asked. There were several horrifying cases of abducted or
abandoned children this year, the most terrible one involving some deer.
Finally he straightened up. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt, made out of black cloth, and matching
trousers, both garments patched and tatty. He was tanned but thin, and his cheeks were hollow, giving him an
unhealthy, ghastly look. I shivered under his forlorn glance. Was he an actor for some performance?
The only thing that didn’t fit into the picture was the hairpin he held on to, with a pink butterfly and a
string of beads dangling from one end. Wait. Have I seen the hairpin somewhere?
“…
the legendary hairpin of the Yang family had been reportedly stolen four days ago…its unique pink
colour and engravings…claims to have owned it ever since the Qin Dynasty, and has brought good luck to the
family ever since…”
“
Where did you get this?” I asked the boy gently. He gave me a rueful smile and shook his head.“I’m
sorry, but I don’t think this belongs to you. You should give it back.” My tone was much harsher.
After a while, he spoke weakly. “There are things you don’t understand. I am looking for something,
and when I have found it, this will be returned to its rightful owner.”
“
If you’re looking for something, try consulting the police,” I suggested drily. He tilted his head and
studied my face.
“
No, it’s best if they don’t intervene.”
“
So you did steal it!”
He fidgeted. “I have taken something that doesn’t belong to me, and I have been punished, but I
promise it will be returned as soon as I find them.”
“
Find who?”
He didn’t answer, and his eyes were empty and unfocused, as if he saw something shivering at the
other corner of the world.
“
If you don’t tell me, you come with me.” I reached out towards him.
“
No!” he screamed,” Please, don’t. I am a cursed soul, and I do not wish to harm anyone.”
“
Oi!” dad shouted. I turned and found him squatting and panting on the stairs. “I’ve made it!” He
exclaimed triumphantly. I turned back. The kid had vanished.
Four years later, I found myself in front of a sleeping bag on the Great Wall. I’ve recently joined an
‘
adventure camp’ and was the only person who has been having second thoughts about it. Everyone else has
been spreading horror stories and speculating when the next ghost would appear.
However, the isolation of the Great Wall was the thing that bugged me. The night was decorated by a
few stars, merely embellishments of the black hemisphere. Crickets slept, or refused to scream, and the cars
were long gone. Everything at the Great Wall was too still, too frozen, holding their breath for something to
happen, and I simply had to breathe.
I leaned on the side of the Great Wall and sighed.
Whoosh. A soft gale lifted something yellow into my view. One end waved in mid-air, while the other
was attached to a wall. Yet that wasn’t why I sat up and felt grateful that everyone was asleep.
The boy in the traditional Chinese outfit beamed at me.
“
What do you want?” I trembled, looking into his empty eyes, barely visible. He hadn’t changed a bit.
“
Please,” he whispered. “Remove that yellow paper. It blocks my way.”
“
Why should I help you?” Maybe it’s someone else, his younger brother, perhaps, or a cousin.
The clouds gave way, and the silver moon finally peeked out. I shrieked.
“
It is you!” I pointed at him, but the yellow paper, still waving, caught my attention. Its sides were
tattered, but the scribbling stood out with its shiny black ink. Immediately, I knew what the boy was.
“
No, I’m not doing that.”
“
Are you sure? Then I…”
“
I know you’re a ghost!” I blurted. “I know that is some type of amulet, and I know that if I -----“
“
C