Lost
Harry Laidler, Group 3: Fiction, International College Hong Kong
he thick milky snow blanketed across the vast terrain; underneath it was a forming layer of thin ice.
Every step produced a crunch, and every breath filled his youthful lungs with more frigid swells. The
chilly winter environment powerfully blasted through the wall creating a booming howling sound. As
the snow fell, it was viciously captured by the wind, and blew and in to his path. By now he was
soaking, freezing and 37,000 miles from home. He was on the world’s longest cemetery.
Her long dark hair fluttered in the snowy wind, her pale skin grew dry and, like Arthur, her clothes
grew heavy and damp. Her name was Ah So. She lived only a couple miles away and often gazed upon the
Great Wall in thought. It was only today that her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to venture upon
the unknown wall that held so many mysteries. The two teenagers were complete opposites. Arthur was British,
on an exploration trip with his wealthy parents. He was amongst the first to venture upon these lands. Ah So,
was poor- her parents weren’t qualified to work for the highest emperor, so they had not choice but to settle on a
life of crime.
The storm was brewing and after countless hours in desperate search for his parents, he gave up and
stood in amongst the snow that was filling the inner walls rapidly. There was no sign of it letting up. His leather
shoes weren’t suited to the slippery earth; there was a quiet thump and a long scream as he glided down the long
staircase covered in ice. He gradually came too a halt. He found himself face to face with a dark silhouette.
“
Mum!” he shouted as he stood up. They both glanced at each other in confusion and in defeat.
The young Chinese girl had taken him by surprise. She offered a bitter cold hand and pointed north towards the
mountains. With no other option, he followed the mysterious girl; it was his final hope. A part of him wanted to
scamper away from the suspicious girl, but his childish inquisitiveness got the better of him, as he and his new
companion set off in the cold winter storms.
Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? The feeling of isolation was getting to them, or at least getting to
Arthur. For Ah So, it was a nice change from being chased by locals for stealing a handful of bread. There was a
loud crunch as Arthur stood on an iced step. As Ah So looked down, she realised they had come to a forbidden
temple. What she didn’t realise was that this was strictly off limits and in a few hours, half the Chinese army
would be heading down the Great Wall to demolish this site. Anyone disrupting the peace or interrupting the
program would be destroyed along with the whole monastery. They trod through the snow-covered concrete to
the covered arches at the far end of the huge courtyard. This is where they decided to spend the night.
The pair of teenagers were awoken abruptly by a couple Chinese words that meant nothing to Arthur
but for Ah So it was shocking and alarming. “Sei Hoi!, Sei Hoi!”. Ah So snapped up in an instant and shook her
British friend awake. Without any explanation they darted out the temple and across the vast courtyard. An
arrow soared through the air, striking a wooden board a meter from Arthur’s head. Arthur’s teachers were
notorious for corporal punishment and this forced him to be at his prime fitness all year around. Whereas Ah So
was weak, didn’t get enough nourishment, leaving her at least 10 meters behind her trusted but new
acquaintance.
Although his fitness was far above the standards for his age, the icy snow began to slow him down. As
he turned to look back, he was disturbed when he didn’t find Ah So close behind him. He took a minute to catch
his breath and started walking back, crouching on his knees at some points, trying his hardest not to be spotted
by the emperors militia horde. In desperation to discover to him, they set off several new fire bombs in the light,
taking the more offense approach. Suddenly a deafening scream hurled through the air, striking Arthur in his left
ear.
The wall began to rumble. There was shouting, screaming. He saw Ah So and 100 soldiers sprinting
after her.
He took off like a rocket, forgetting about the guard posts towering down at him. He had to save his
new friend. She had saved his life once and he owed her this. The snow was falling faster and the ice was
building. A large out-cove of rocks that had broken off shattered Arthur’s stride and went flying in the air,
landing on his ankle. Twisting it till it faced backwards. There was no doubt about it.
Ah So had seen this event unfold, she was about 40 meters from the closest guard, but she was still
under enormous pressure. Arthur struggled to stand up but his ankle denied him, every second was full of pain
and agony. Ah So had a choice. To run on without her British friend or to help him and possibly lose her life as
well.....
T