Frostbite
Ji Yu Park, Group 3: Fiction, Korean International School
ap. Tap. Tap. My squeaky polished shoes patted the cold, hard, stone stairs in a rhythmic pattern. The
pattern stopped and a huge wave of silence hit me as I stood still greedily gulping down air; only the
sound of my lungs gasping for air could be heard. I winced and clutched my chest as the icy, bitter air
pierced through my lungs. The biting silence and chilly air clung onto me. I rubbed my numb hands as
I climbed briskly up the stairs. I reached inside my coat’s pocket and took out my small, yellow torch. I
switched it on and a small yet strong beam of light flickered on. I had never been so happy to see light; I smiled
as I greeted the warmth and companionship of light like a father who finally found his lost son after desperately
searching for several years. I could only see three metres ahead of me but it was better than nothing. Anyways,
the light was there to keep me company rather than shining the way. My knees were about to buckle from
exhaustion when, three metres ahead, I saw the end of the long and tenuous trail of the Great Wall. Joy gave me
the last burst of energy to trudge along to the end. Last week, I heard a group of monks saying that if you walk
to the end of the Great Wall, one wish will come true. My mother, hospitalised, diagnosed with the last stage of
lung cancer was in a dangerous situation. I, not thinking twice, raced to the Great Wall and started my hike to
the end. FINALLY I MADE IT. My body was sore all over with muscle pains and cramps; my mind was
debilitated after motivating me to carry on till the end. My legs were wobbly as jelly and gave way in the end.
Kneeling down, tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of my sick mother. I desperately called out to all the
gods and Buddha’s out there. ‘Please help my mother, that’s; my one and only life-long wish.’
I couldn’t help but sob hysterically. I was pounding my fist on the cold stone in agony and rage when
I felt a slight shudder. Surprised, I looked up and reassured myself when nothing happened. Suddenly, black
steel spikes shot out at the edges of the wall; the spikes were as sharp as blades. The stone floor turned slippery;
the stones glistened in the moonlight and flapped in the wind. Once again, I felt the wall shake but this time it
was followed by a sudden BOOM and the whole wall was moving...slithering. I frantically grabbed a spike and
used all my remaining strength to hold on. I felt myself rise; a whirl of icy cold wind slapped my face as I glided
through the sky. I placed my hands on the wall, no. It was no longer the Great Wall. I stroked the surface,
immediately I remembered the feeling of when I stroked a snake in a zoo. It was scales. I felt a beat underneath
me, a heart beat. My heat stopped dead. It seems I had just unleashed a dragon…
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