‘
You have no choice. The government and army are involved... We have to end the threat. If this girl is a
member of the terrorist ring, she will be a stepping stone for us to end the attacks. Keep this monitor and help us
to track her during the next two days.’ I still shook my head.
‘
You can prove your friend is innocent with this.’ He gave me the small device.
‘
Don’t play any tricks, little boy,’ he threatened.
I put it out of my mind as I trusted Isabella. However, I still kept the monitor on me because I was
frightened by the man’s words.
On the fourth day, we arrived at the Great Wall at two o’clock in the afternoon. When I saw it, I was
amazed. It was huge, with an ancient appearance. Some of the bricks had already lost their original colors
because of the vicissitudes of time. This made the Great Wall look shabby. However, I didn’t feel ashamed of it.
On the contrary, I felt proud.
The drabness of the Great Wall meant the long history and plentiful culture of China. People started to build
the Great Wall in the Qin Dynasty, around two thousand years ago. And now, it stood in front of me on a much
bigger scale than it had in the Qin Dynasty. What does this mean? It shows that our country is gaining strength;
it tells the world that Chinese people never give up; it displays the changes of China and shows us that China
can overcome different challenges and difficulties.
History shows us that this strength really is characteristic of China. We have faced many challenges in the
past hundred years. The anti-Japanese war, the route of reform… We vanquished all these because of the
Communist Party. The Party cooperated with the national revolutionary army and fought victoriously against
Japan. It put an end to the bad customs and the misfortune of China. The Communist Party started different
reforms, which turned China from the ‘sick man in east Asia’ to a powerful country. Workers could earn a living
and didn’t die of hunger anymore.
‘
Kitson, be quick! You are as slow as a tortoise! We won’t wait for you,’ Leo urged me.
‘
You forgot that you’ve never won against me in a race?’ I reminded him.
That happened long ago. I’m much faster now, even faster than a leopard,’ Leo claimed pompously.
‘
Stop arguing! Just give it a try and then we’ll know who’s a tortoise!’ Isabella pointed at a tower which was
far away from us and suggested, ‘Let’s see who is first. Ready… Go!’ She started the game without our
agreement.
After about thirty minutes, I finally arrived at the tower. I saw Isabella waiting there impatiently. ‘Is…
Isabella…’ I panted. She burst into laughter.
‘
Ha… Sit down and take a rest, tortoise with a red face.’ Her words lowered my self-esteem and hurt me. I
took a deep breath, looked around, and found that someone was missing…
‘
Where is Leo?’ I said hopefully.
‘
He left around five minutes ago. He said he’d like to walk alone and then went away,’ she stopped and then
added, ‘Maybe he didn’t want to wait for a tortoise!’
I finally realized why my father was afraid of my mother!
I sat next to Isabella, enjoying the tranquil and peaceful environment.
Tranquility and peace, those are things that Chinese people have aspired to since the Qin Dynasty. People
fought for them in the past. They sacrificed their lives for freedom, for a better living standard and for a stronger
country.
We now have all these things under the Communist Party. So, what were the terrorists fighting for?
I looked at the girl sitting next to me. She was as beautiful as an angel. Her eyes were like limpid pools,
clear and pure. Her voice had the effect of chocolate, sweetening and cheering people. To me, she was as pure as
a white sheet. Nevertheless…
Was the other side of this white sheet painted black? I had no idea. If she was a terrorist, what reasons
would she have?
For the first time I began to doubt Isabella. After all, the cadre had had no reason to cheat me. Isabella abruptly
turned her head and stared at me fiercely. I felt fearful. If she really were a terrorist, I would be in a very
dangerous condition, just like a rabbit facing a tiger. She gazed into my eyes and then commenced to take out
something hidden in her clothes. Did she see the fear in my eyes? Was she taking out a knife, or even a gun?
I was so scared that I leapt up and ran away screaming, ‘Don’t kill me! Please let me go!’ Isabella chased
after me and caught my hand saying, ‘Relax! I won’t kill you. I just wanted to ask you if you would like a
chocolate or not!’ I looked at her hand and there was nothing there. ‘Ha, ha… did I scare you? I just wanted to
play a trick on you.’ I tried to bluff but my lying skill was just like a child’s. See! She didn’t trust me and she
started to frisk me. I was in a state of utter stupefaction and my body shook uncontrollably. Isabella searched me
and,
before I could stop her, she had found the monitor. She looked at me with disappointment and then broke