For Mei Wha
Janice L
dart past the watchtower and hide in the shadows. A soldier marches by. I freeze. He glances in my
direction. My stomach drops. I know I’m going to get caught. I close my eyes, expecting shouts and a whip,
but nothing happens. I open my eyes, seeing the soldier continue marching. I’m safe... for now.
eung, Group 3: Fiction, International College Hong Kong
The sound of my feet pounding against the ground matches the sound of my heartbeat. Thump thump,
thump thump. I wait for the guards to march by. I hold my breath. They won’t see me. They won’t hear me.
Thump thump, thump thump. I move quickly. She’s already there. She doesn’t notice me yet. She’s too focused
on keeping a low position. I smile. The pain of the cuts and bruises almost diminishes. I almost ignore the fear
of getting caught. It feels like home... almost, but I know I can never feel that way. I’m Mongolian. I’m a
barbarian. I rush to her. My sister’s eyes burn into mine with the look of pure joy and disbelief. We exchange
quick hugs, trying to hold each other for as long as possible, we both know that it will be months before we see
each other again. I give her the food and money to support her. We separate, running in opposite directions, only
leaving the dim light cast by the moon across the Great Wall. No one was there. No one will know.
I
“
Pick up the pace!” the soldier yelled. I cringe at the sound of a whip.
I scramble towards a stack of bricks and keep my head down so it appears that I’m working. The
soldier glances at me. I hold my breath, hoping he won’t whip me. He walks past without looking back, I
breathe sigh of relief. I quickly wrap the thick, scratchy ropes around the bricks and signal for the workers above
to lift them up, the sun blinds my eyes as I do so. They glare at me. I’m quick to avoid eye contact. We all hate
the work. The scorching heat doesn’t help; neither do the beatings. We’ve all heard the stories of men working
here and being beat to the extent that their backs are filled with scars. I try and keep a distance between the
bricks and myself; I can tell the people next to me are doing the same. None of us want to be caught in the next
accident. I speak too soon. I hear a piercing scream and then a crash. No one turns their head to see what’s
happening. We all know someone has died. It seems almost normal. That’s the worst part. We know that at least
one person will die each day. We know that it could be any one of us.
Most of the people here have broken a bone. I’m one of the few lucky ones, but I’m not sure how long
my luck will last. The food they give us are the bare minimum for us to survive. I know lots of us regret coming
to build the Great Wall, but I can’t let myself feel that way. I can’t.
“
Three minute break!” the soldier yells again.
The break is a rare delight. I flop down to the dirty, rocky floor before he can change his mind. Pain
shoots through my back, but I focus on regaining my breath. I squint my eyes, looking up at the sky. The section
we are doing is coming together. I wish my grandfather were alive to see this. I know he would have been proud
of me. He’s the only reason I’m here in China. He married my grandmother who was Mongolian. No one knew.