The Great Wall of China
Marcus Li, Group 3: Fiction, HKUGA College
he bright sun shimmered over The Great Wall of China, a marvellous walkway zigzagging through the
hills and valleys. No wonder why the Chinese called it "the rising dragon". Normally, it would be filled
with tourists sightseeing over the towers and wonderful sceneries. This day, however, the tourists
seemed to have disappeared from the "ancient tracks". Instead, banners hung all over the edge of the
wall, with red triangle flags waving randomly in the breeze. Could this be a carnival celebrating the
president's birthday? A ritual praising the heavens? Or the ancients are going to return?
Felix arrived in front of the crowd, where the registration took place. Although summer was upon
Beijing, the sunlight was weak and shivering with cold. For Felix, who only wore trackers and short pants, the
weather became an even greater problem. He had been training for the "10th Great Wall Marathon" since half a
year ago. It was his first time to participate a marathon, and running on the Great Wall was definitely proven a
challenge to the inexperienced Felix. He had been struggling to sleep last night just thinking about if he could
actually finish the race. Comparing with other strong and well equipped competitors, he shuddered with fear and
despair.
"
Keep up with the average pace, don't need to care about other's results, just finish the race!" He
encouraged himself silently, just like what his coach often taught him.
"
Marathon runners, please get to the starting line!"
Felix paced like a snail, following the athletes to have a good starting position. He couldn't see what he
was up against while walls of strong men barraged the sight of the Great Wall. Shadows formed upon his body,
making Felix already sweltering before the long run. He looked back to see the number of athletes participating.
To his surprise, there were at least a couple thousand more.
"
Hmm? What is that thick air with a humanoid shape?"
Felix stared at the single spot for almost five seconds. After a wink,
the shape simply vanished "back into air". Felix didn't understand what he saw. His puzzles stuck to his
mind, before it was blown of the horn blast.
The race started after a couple minutes. The blast of the horn reminded Felix a much more important
business. He charged through the crowds to get into a good position. Everyone was closing in side by side, they
had their strength to overwhelm Felix. Without panic, Felix's swift agility pulled him forward from the crowd.
He looked back at the athletes, delighted when they fell further behind. The confidence inside Felix had made
him more concentrated to run along Great Wall. He leaped again and began to climb the forbidding steps. Felix
retraced his memory of training, that pain he could not forget...
Three months earlier, Felix had just finished another round on 1500m. Tired from constant running, he
lied down on the wooden bench, inhaling fresh air rapidly.
His coach frowned when he looked at the stopwatch," You need to pay more effort, sonny! You can't
finish the race in this state."
"
I am exhausted, coach. Let me rest a while." Felix turned his head away.
"
If everytime you keep resting like that, you wouldn't conquer the Great Wall! Get up! You must now
run the stairs!" The coach demanded.
Felix reluctantly followed, tried to drag his feet along the way. At the bottom of the stairs, Felix panned
his eyes upwards to what he thought to be as high as heaven. The first few staircases were smooth sail running,
keeping his average speed and breathe. After about 20 more, Felix's feet turned numb and rigid. He couldn't stop
climbing as his coach was right behind watching. Strange voices emerged to tell Felix to quit. "Illusions?" Felix
asked himself, as he reached the top and fell.
The treacherous steps couldn't hold Felix's speed. He acted like a kangaroo, bouncing up to the top. His
competitors were all stacked at the bottom, leaving Felix staying in the front. Just as he turned around, he found
himself asking the same question three months earlier.
"
Illusions?"
Felix saw the humanoid shaped air floating right behind again. This time, however, things around him
blended into a thick layer of fog, until only the Great Wall remained. The air swirled past Felix and hovered for
a moment. It emerged into a man, standing a bot taller than Felix and wearing ancient Chinese armor. Although
the soldier looked ferocious, it didn't attach itself to the ground.
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