The Adventures of the Treasurers
Cassandra W
ome time ago, when war was still going on in many places in the world, there was a group of teenagers
living in China who had also studied in England. They had been sent back to their homeland in China
because their parents were fighting for their country in the war and didn’t want their children to get hurt.
The teens longed to see their parents. They missed their parents badly, but tried their very best not to
show it. They wanted their parents to come back more than anything. The teenagers had met on their
first day in China and quickly made friends with each other. Since their houses were so close together, they met
up every day to play. Soon, they became so close they formed a group and named it ‘The Treasurers’. In the
group, there were Zayn, Liam, Niall, Louis, Harry, Victoria, Heather, Peony, and Taylor. Niall could speak Irish
since his parents were both born in Ireland. Taylor had a beautiful voice and could write songs. As for Victoria,
well...she was a bit snobby, but they got along well. In the group, the boys and girls each formed a band and
often shared ideas together. The boys’ band was called “One Dream”, short form “1D”. And the girls’ band was
named “Girls’ Gang”, short form “GG”. They had made the unused stables at Taylor’s house their clubhouse
and renewed it. They had put all kinds of stuff on the clubhouse shelves in case of emergency use. The Chinese
kids used to call them “The English family” because they were like a big family, always in such harmony,
always so close together. Although they were called the Treasurers, their group mottos were “All for one and
one for all” and “Helping others before ourselves”.
ong, Group 5: Fiction, Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School
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On a bright sunny day, the Treasurers were wandering around their favourite part of the Great Wall of
China with their climbing gear as usual, looking for the perfect place for a climbing competition and a singing
competition. Suddenly, “AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!” a bloodcurdling scream pierced
through the lazy afternoon silence, followed by a loud “Thud”. Then it was as if nothing had happened. Well, it
was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. But the Treasurers wouldn’t look on without stirring a finger. They
rushed to the origin of the scream and found a bottomless pit at the end of the middle part of the Great Wall.
There, they heard another scream, very faint this time. “Do you hear what I hear?” Zayn asked. “Yes!
Someone’s screaming. Is that person in danger? Is he or she hurt? Can you see how many people are inside? Do
they have any children with them?” blabbered Peony anxiously. “Hold on, Peony. First, let’s get out our
climbing gear. I am sure the ropes are long enough to go down into that pit. I got my walkie-talkies, first aid kit
and water. Liam, run back to our clubhouse and get the stretcher with strings. And make it fast please. Heather,
you go down with me after Liam gets the stretcher. The others, stay here and I will tell you if there is anything
to be done. While we wait for Liam to get here, let’s try to communicate with the people down in that pit,”
Taylor started to take charge. “Hello...is there anybody down there??” From the pit came a faint reply, “I am
stuck down here! There is nobody else down here and I don’t know how far this thing goes. I am not hurt or
anything. I didn’t have my climbing gear with me when I came down. Perhaps you could lend me one or just
haul me up and I’ll ask you to join my mission. I’m on a ledge right now. I’ll tell you the details of my mission
once I am up there,” said a girl’s voice.
At the sound of the word ‘mission’, the Treasurers used all their strength to haul up the lady. Liam
returned just as they were about to try another way to haul her up. Together they pulled and pulled with all their
might until finally, the lady was hauled up to flat ground. They looked at the girl. She looked only about their
age! “Thank you so much!” the girl said to the Treasurers, “How would you like to join me on a quest to find a
parchment holding the true history of China?” “Yes please!!” Each and every Treasurer’s eyes were shining as
they replied. A quest to find the true history of China! How exciting! The Treasurers told the lady all about
themselves and together they went back to the clubhouse to collect what they needed for the journey and tell
their families what they were doing, who they were going with and where they were going. Legends say that the
first emperor hid a parchment containing the true history of China in the Great Wall while it was being built and
made the covering on top of the hole he hid the parchment in extra hard. He had also put it in a treasure chest
with treasure and padlocked it. But over the time, it had softened and crumbled. And legends also tell that a
riddle, written by the first emperor’s most loyal ministers who wanted the best for their next generations,
contains the whereabouts the first emperor hid the parchment:
Far across the ancient wall,
A brick that reads,
A brick that dances,
And a brick that speaks.