The Wind
Uen Tung Chan, Group 3: Fiction, Shatin College
torm: Very bad weather, with heavy rain, strong winds and often thunder and lightning.
my
The autumn air blew against my face, chapping my skin and freezing my fingers. Shivering in
maroon turtleneck sweater, I wrapped my arms around myself in a futile attempt to keep myself
warm. The wind bit into my skin, but I was too engrossed at the sight before me to make any move to put my
jacket on. In front of me, the Great Wall of China twisted up into the mountains like a snake, the grey slabs in
the wall glinting of the sunlight like scales. Staring in awe at the grandiose structure above me, I could feel the
adrenaline in my body, coursing through and filling my mind, melding my excited thoughts into one: Run.
S
Hearing the instructor’s faint voice carried by the hectic wind, I hurriedly joined the group, soaking
up the warmth that the encompassing bodies around me were radiating. After the instructor’s prep speech, we
were each handed a map and a compass, the map had a fat, red marker line drawn on, indicating the route that
would bring me to the finish line. Each runner would be running two miles apart, giving us enough distance to
run at our own pace.
I waited anxiously, biting my nails into uneven, tattered bits, wincing when I ran a finger over my
nails, feeling the uneven ridges and mentally chastised myself for it. As soon as the instructor shook his head in
affirmative, allowing me to start, I took off cautiously, careful not to slip on the sheen of almost unnoticeable ice
that covered the ground in a thin blanket. The sun laid diamonds on the path as I ran up the gradual slope, the
shimmering intensity of the ice blinding me.
I was doing fine, almost halfway to the finished point, when one of the greedier gusts of wind stole
my map. It was tossed into the air, sailing away from my still outstretched fingers, which were in vain, grasping
weakly at the unreachable piece of paper. I was left standing there, wind blowing my hair astray, as if it was
ruffling my hair on purpose, teasing me for my carelessness. A piercing note that was uttered by a white-crested
bird ripped me from my reverie and I looked down at the immense green below. It was helpless. I couldn’t even
see where the map was. Sighing, I hoped for the best. If I followed one of the team members behind me, I would
still get back. Reaching the next shade, I sat down in one of the far corners, pulling my legs up and rested my
forehead against the cool slab of stone. The wind blew softly against my ears, soothing me and coaxing me to
sleep. A sudden wave of lethargy swooped over me, and I felt my eyes drooping…
A lout bang awoke me from my comatose state, and shook me into a mild state of shock. Looking
around at my surroundings, I found myself staring at a starry landscape, smattered with rain droplets,
snowflakes and the occasional flash of thunder that enhanced the graveness of my expression. Panic and hysteria
rose in me, and I closed my eyes, willing my feelings to subdue. The wind whistled almost merrily at my
anxiety, and apart from the wind, I could only hear silence. I tucked myself further into the wall of the shade and
curled up into a ball, burying my head into my sweater. Even though the sweater wasn’t much, I was grateful