The Parallel Wall
Helena Smith, Group 4: Fiction, British International School Puxi, Shanghai
o anyone who finds this;
My name is Rebecca Jones. I sit writing from the confines of my cell, I’m guessing it‘s around
12
o’clock. I can see the moon high above, it’s light cascades through the bars of the window. I know
I don’t have very long left. I must explain why I am here. My only hope is that you find this and
manage to escape the imminent annihilation of our planet, educate the world and prevent the human
race having to recover from these smouldering ashes. For if this impending devastation is not averted I shall
have died in vain knowing that my actions aided the kindling of the flames that may ravish these lands.
***
It began on a field exploration to the Great Wall of China. I was an archaeologist within a group of five
scientists researching a remote part of the wall in the Heibi province. We boarded a small jet plane in Beijing
and began our flight to Qinhuangdao City. We experienced bad turbulence and the small plane shuddered and
jolted, fighting to keep airborne. It was thrust into a violent storm; ice scored the windows, like a barbed wire
fence pinning us to our fate. I looked at my colleagues: the oldest of our group, Dr John Lockwood sat reclining
in his chair calmly reading. He closed his book slowly and walked up to the cabin door.
“
Just going to check how long we have.” He said almost nonchalantly.
A flickering light informed us to secure our seatbelts and the crackling voice overhead confirmed that
we were ‘currently experiencing turbulence’, but that this would soon pass, the pilot stopped talking but the
microphone stayed on. Dr Lockwood had not yet returned, I listened and beneath the unnerving wails of
warning systems triggering, I thought I could hear stifled whimpers, a scuffle and a short cry of pain and then an
ominous silence.
My breathing became laboured, as I felt the jet plummet and then soar; I stared from the window into a
darkening abyss of clouds and then I saw the crack. A small fissure appeared in the bottom right hand corner of
my window.
It split further. A smash, the plane plunged down. My head was sucked towards the open window,
everything swirled into a twisted mess, skin ripped from my flesh, the cold air scorched my face and the flaying
plane squirmed and contorted as if a savage beast were tearing it apart. I fought to keep my eyes open, I
couldn’t breathe. All went black.
I awoke completely upright in my chair, blood pounding in my head and my limbs heavy. My white t-
shirt was splattered with blood, my hair stuck to my smarting wounds; I pried my swollen eyelids apart. The
pilot and one of my colleagues lay dead, their limbs twisted like lifeless marionettes. I heard a shout from
behind, me. Mary Maloney pulled herself from between a piece of debris, her leg was mangled and she dragged
it painfully across the ground wincing. We stood surveying the scene with an insentient detachment that made
me shiver.
“
phhhhh, damn” She let out a short breath and leant heavily on a piece of wreckage. Robert Martin and
Dr Lockwood emerged from the surrounding rubble and marched towards us.
“
Our communication devices have been destroyed, our pilot is dead. We crashed a bloody plane into
the great wall of CHINA .” Robert swore loudly and harshly, sweeping back hair from his forehead. Dr.
Lockwood looked wryly at us, turned away and began searching through the fragmented wreckage.
“
We need to find a village, find as many supplies as you can. We will head north.” Dr Lockwood’s
voice carried a calm reassurance that filled us with purpose. We buried the mutilated bodies then Mary delivered
a short speech and we silenced their lives forever with a layer of earth.
It was early evening as we began our hike. The clouds formed a thin yellow wash growing richer and
thickening until a filtered orange glow became lacerated with crimson brush strokes, and the trees faded to
desiccated grasses streaked in shades of reddish brown. Ahead in front of the great wall Robert stopped
breathless,
“
Wait what’s this?”
Robert reached out, captivated, a few of the bricks appeared distorted, reflecting on their smooth
granite surface a mirror image of the landscape behind us.
“
Wait, Rob, what is that?” Mary stepped towards him. He turned round confused.
“
You can see it too?” he looked enigmatically back. He touched its surface and it rippled like water; a
translucent veil swathing the surface of the great wall like a silk drape. Behind me Dr Lockwood shifted
uncomfortably.
T