Strength of the Wall
Kenny Jeong, Group 3: Fiction, Chinese International School
eleaguered from the erosion and corrosion caused by time, the Great Wall endures all hindrances to its
survival. The crimson sun continues to set on the sempiternal monument that stands on the border of
two countries. While the vermillion sphere of fire continues to set down into the depths of the abyss,
efflorescent colours of red and yellow leak through the crevices of the wall. Opulent colours make the
dull tamped earth around the Great Wall earth radiate in sunlight.
To this day, the monument still stands proud, flaunting its exuberant history and the turmoil it has seen over
centuries. However, there is a tale that the world has not been told that the spirit which has embodied the Great
Wall, giving it immense power and strength, to stand strong.
Legends foretold a dragon with scales were made out of Damascus steel that breathed infernos so intense, it
would melt mountains into a pile of ashes. A black, wild and rabid beast, it had six limbs, two of which were
colossal wings. This monstrous dragon roamed all over China, terrifying villagers and devastating villages. It
burned down towns, with the people trapped inside. The ancient armies of China fought the dragon for centuries,
and they built monumental structures such as the Great Wall of China in an attempt to restrain the behemoth’s
movements. However the dragon’s magnificent wings propelled it to great heights, rendering the Great Wall
useless. It was like catching smoke with bare hands. Many attempts to contain the destructive nature of the
dragon were to no avail.
Among the faithful there was a man named Ye. He was wise and was a very perseverant man, who had hope.
Married and a father to an infant son, he was fully dedicated to protecting his town, which stood right next to the
Great Wall. Ye motivated other residents to fend off the dragon. When he was discouraged by family members
to not act so rashly, he simply refused, and ignored their discouragements.
Seeing that the dragon would kill his family, Ye requested that his family flee the town for safety. However,
his wife refused to leave him alone, on a lost cause. However, Ye emphasised the need to protect those that he
loved; his home, and a sanctuary to dozens more; tillers of the soil, the sculptors of the pottery and wielders of
iron.
Eventually, the day came, and the dragon appeared. With scales that glistened in the immense sunlight and
fangs that shimmered with stains of blood, it flew around the village. Ye along with the other men who were
faithful to guarding their village stood tall, soldiers fighting for a cause that was worth dying for.
***
The battle was long and excruciating. The dragon’s immense inferno took a toll on the structures of the
village, which were constructed from dirt bricks scavenged from the Great Wall. The villager’s regular pikes
and simple weaponry had little effect on the dragon. Ye was the only one who was ready to engage in a battle.
In order to combat the dragon’s flames, the villagers had stocked up water to quench the endless inferno. They
believed they were ready for their first encounter.
As it first descended, it breathed incendiary flames on the villagers. Ye swiftly blocked the flames with his
brass shield. The dragon retreated momentarily, before it suddenly turned around and lunged at Ye once again.
Then, the second waves of flames were unleashed on the villagers. While they cowered behind rocks, Ye stood
up to retaliate against the dragon.
However as the dragon’s fury grew, it breathed hotter and hotter conflagrations which seared Ye’s skin.
Then, dozens of villagers all burst into flames, unable to shield themselves from the scorching inferno. Flames
danced, swaying from side to side, fuelled by the blood and flesh of the villagers. A river would not have
quenched the thirsty flames of the dragon.
In a few minutes, the village was decimated into nothing but a pile of ashes and bones. Ye was the last
survivor, surrounded in a ring of burning flames. The dragon was still high in the air, waiting to pounce like a
tiger on its prey. Blood stained the Great Wall, a testament of bravery for these warriors who had died. Ye was
only armed with simple armour and wielded a flimsy shield and sword, and yet still stood up against the dragon.
The dragon pounced first, with its snout jabbing and thrusting towards Ye. Clever and nimble, Ye easily
sidestepped the dragon’s first attack. He then spun around, took the tip of his ebony blade and impaled it into the
dragon’s head. Further implanting the blade into the dragon’s head, penetrating the skull, Ye leaped onto the
dragon’s monstrous head, and dashed down its neck, tearing a massive gap in its front torso. Subsequently, he
withdrew the blade, right as he reached the wings, leaping off the dragon.
B
Shortlisted