qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui

opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfgh

jklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvb

nmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer

tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas

dfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx

cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq

wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuio

pasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghj

klzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn

mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty

uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf

ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc

vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrty

uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf

ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc

vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqw

Snowflakes

7/29/2011

Jie Lian

2 | P a g e

Contents

1) Dawn Break P.3

2) Little girl Mei Ling P.5

3) Awaken the City P.9

4) This is our home P.12

5) Fragile like you and I P.13

6) The whores' Daughter P.15

7) Tomorrow stopped today P.17

8) Small tigers of China P.19

9) Astronaut snowmen P.20

10) Author's Afterthoughts P.21

3 | P a g e

The dawn breaks it's glassy overhang, shattering a glimmer of sun light against a city

enclosed by snow and ice. The storm seems to be never ending, hiding the earth with a new layer

of white paint. Even the mighty gargoyles that overlook this frivolous city, appeared to be blinded

by the storm, as their eyes were covered in nothing but an eternal shade of white. The echo's of

crunching snow, underneath thousands of people's feet can be heard throughout every small alley,

and every neglected street corner. Men, Women, and even children aren't able to see how their

dirt ridden footprints, destroy such a beautiful painting, covered in white. If this metropolis, was

the back of a whale swimming deep into the depths of the sea, the civilians would be nothing more

than the parasites that lives by feeding off of an illusion of grandeur.

A young girl slowly peeked her head around the corner of the stone building. Her eyes

peered through the thick snow storm and sees a small silhouette of a boy. She watched as he

shivers in the snow as the wind tears through his rags, his jacket sleeves tear more and more at the

seams. His small body leans gently against a trash container, hiding from the rest of society.

Between the sound of brutal howling of the wind, only a faint breath can be heard, small but steady

and determined. He quickly tucked his head between his arms, pressing his nose against his

sleeves and his legs against his chest. The wind howled louder now as the sidewalks empty of all

life, all except him.

The small girl is completely captivated by this boy and barely makes out the words he said,

"Another morning, Just another morning."

She slowly sneaked over to him, being very careful not to startle the young boy and watched as he

talked to himself, muffling his words between his sleeves. She stood there for a few minutes to see

4 | P a g e

if he would react to her presence but he neglected to realize there was a girl now standing in front

of him. Her silhouette flickered in the blinding snow storm but stood firm and unrelenting. The

teenage girl reached out her hand and softly pressed her palm against the back of his frost bitten

neck.

Startled and frightened, the boy looks up and kicks his body backwards, thrusting himself

against a rusted metal pipe.

"It's cold out here, why not share my last meat bun with me?" Said a stern but girlish voice.

The girl leaned down and sat on her knees, her pants were tattered but still in one whole piece.

Against her pale skin, rested a thick laced red blouse and against the blouse lies small blemishes of

dried blood. She never looked away from him, with her hand outstretched to greet his approval of

her. The young boy hesitates a little, afraid to look into her eyes. The boys face was covered in dirt,

from his course black hairline to the very edge of his small pointed chin. Along his eyes rest heavy

dark bags, and down his face are countless numbers of scratches and scars. When the girls eyes

finally catch his, the boys hand quickly snaps out and grabbed the meat bun from between her

fingers.

The small meat bun had already been bitten, half of it is gone. Down the middle are carefully

portioned bites with tiny teeth marks.

"W-Who are you? Please leave me alone, Don't look at me!!" She watched him try to yell,

while stuffing the meat bun in his mouth like a squirrel hiding it's acorns.

The girl slowly slid off of her knees, being careful not to startle him again. She inhaled a

deep breath of fresh cold air and sat beside him along the wall.

"My name is Mei Ling, I would really love to be your friend. I really haven't had any friends

since my parents were kicked out of our house. Since then, no one would even talk to street trash

like me." She says with her eyes closed.

5 | P a g e

"Xiao Long is my name, the children at school calls me Xiao Xiao though. At least the

school I used to go too. I don't go to school anymore, do you go to school Mei Ling?" He says, as

he tucks his face back between his arms.

Beneath his shroud of rags and between his cold bitter lips, hid a smile.

"Ok Xiao Xiao, Let's go see if we can find some food before it gets dark. I know a spot that

a lot of business men walk through to get home from work."

Mei Ling's heart started to beat anxiously over meeting a new friend. She was excited but

still nervous, waiting for what Xiao Long said next. Instead he didn't say a word but just looked up

at her with a smile and a quick nod.

"I don't see how anyone can refuse to help a handsome boy like you!" She licked her

thumb and gently rubbed off some of the dirt off of his cheeks and forehead.

"There! You look great!"

She watches as Xiao Long hurried to his feet and was excited to finally have another friend. Deep

down inside though, she was curious of what he thought about her and if that she even had the

right to care about him in the first place. Her uncertainty was quickly ignored as he reached out

and held out his hands out for her to get up. The warmth of his renewing smile radiated and

creates a new aura of hope between the children.

"Go ahead Xiao Long, I'll meet you at the corner. Just let me rest a second longer and I'll

be right there."

She tightened the laces of her blouse and pulled out the strings from the laces that have already

snapped in half. Her eyes though were focused on little Xiao Xiao who at this point ran towards

the street corner, his small feet sunk with each step beneath the thick sheet of snow. She smiled in

6 | P a g e

joy to see the young boy happy again but then winced in pain. With her teeth clenched tight, she

wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"Alright, Let's go find hope."

Mei Ling approached the side walk, her senses tingled as she is greeted by the scent of

freshly dry cleaned laundry. Her eyes lingered and followed all the business people rushing home

from an average days work. The wind blew again, carrying the snow with it, rushing against her

cheeks. Even in the wind, the suites of the men never seem to crease, and the finely tailored skirts

of women never move an inch away from their thighs. Mei Ling's eyes scanned quickly over her

surrounding area, trying to see if she can find little Xiao Xiao in between the sudden rushes of

stampeding legs.

"Xiao Long? Xiao Xiao?! Where are you?" She says while trying to push and squeeze her

small body through all the people.

As she comes to a brief clearing, with the corner of her eye, she sees a small boy hopping up and

down.

"Xiao Xiao! There you are!! What are you doing all the way out here? You're going to get

shoved into the street."

Before she could finish her sentence or even be sure that he heard her, another wave of people

cuts her off and blocks her view of him. She quickly looks down at the ground and crosses her

arms against her chest, embracing the careless shoving of all the people walking by. Her shoulders

fly from side to side as her legs attempt to keep balance, shifting in the snow and away from the

hundreds of other feet crossing hers. She took a step forward in order to stabilize herself again but

her right foot was caught on a disk of ice. At that moment, a large man's shoulder collided with her

forehead, knocking her so off balance that she instantly collapsed backwards into the snow.

7 | P a g e

"Hey! You watch where you are going!! I was standing here first!" She screamed while trying

to pick herself up out of the snow.

The man looks over his shoulder at her while he continued to walk way, As she finally made eye

contact with him, he disappeared into the crowd.

"Are you okay Mei Ling? Why are you sitting here?" Says a small shivering voice.

"What?"

"Why are you sitting here Mei Ling? You're going to get stepped on." Says the voice again,

this time louder and more direct.

Mei Ling turned around and looked in front of her to see Xiao Xiao smiling and standing there.

His small hands where covered in bruises and wet from the snow but he seemed so carefree as he

held then out for her to hold.

"We should hurry! We won't be able to get food at this rate, stand up! Come on!" Says Xiao

Xiao as he reaches closer to where Mei Ling is sitting.

"I have an idea. How about you sit on my shoulders? That way, I can pick you up and you

can see over all the people? So I will follow wherever you point!" Says Mei Ling, smiling now as

she watches Xiao Xiao nodding quickly and hurrying to stand behind her. He lifted one leg at a

time up and put them over Mei Ling's fragile shoulders.

"Okay, Ready! I am Ready! Let's go this way!" He laughed and pointed before Mei Ling is

even able to stand up.

She feel's him shake uneasily as his legs tightened around her but yet he continued to smile and

laugh. Slowly, she dug her fingers into the snow and with one large push, she lifted her body up off

of the ground and regained her balance.

8 | P a g e

"This way! Let's go this way!!" He giggled and pointed in the opposite direction he was

pointing the first time.

"You .." She looked up at him and closes her mouth again, deciding it might be best not to

ruin the moment with her complaining.

"Excuse me!!! Excuse me sir? Ma'am? Excuse us?" said both of them while waving their

hands up in the air.

"Ma'am? Miss? Please can you .." Mei Ling said as she followed a wealthy women adorned

in a rabbit fur coat.

"Please if possible .." She tried again to get this women's attention, pushing through the

crowd with Xiao Xiao still giggling on her shoulders.

From underneath the rim of her zebra striped hat, she almost snarled at the children. Her teeth

clenched together as if a feral animal was being threatened from their own territory. Her eyes

showed nothing more than pure disgust for the two children, cutting deep inside the hearts of both

of them. In that small second when the women turned around, their laughs also faded away. Their

discouraged faces frost burnt from the brutal winds, aching for a warm home.

"I'm cold Mei Ling" Xiao says softly as his face presses down against the top of her head

and her hair.

"We'll be ok, I'm sure someone will to talk to us.."

They watch for awhile, saying nothing but seeing everything. Their heart beats are soft but

steady, pumping any warmth they get through their body. As the evening rush slowed down,

everyone slamming their door behind themselves, a man is walking alone with his head down. In

his right hand is a small black box, his fingers clenched tightly to it as if it would run away from him

9 | P a g e

if he did not. The man never looked up as he was walking, his feet kicking snow in front of him

with every step.

"Excuse me sir, could you spare a second of your time? Just to talk to us?" Mumbles Mei

Ling.

"What do you want children?" He said back to her.

The man stopped in front of them, taking his time to look up at Xiao Xiao and then back down at

Mei Ling. Their exhausted faces barely showed any emotion, their faces covered by a large frowns.

The man raises his left hand and carefully brushes the snow out from the inside of his large

lumberjack beard. As his hand rises, his denim sleeves slides back along his fore arm, which

revealed an almost horrific but saddening burn. His skin underneath is completely scorched,

covered in scars and patches.

"S-sir" Mei Ling stuttered, trying to keep her eyes away from his arm.

"We are lost without our parents, we both have our own reasons. I am wondering if

possible, can we work for you in exchange for shelter or food? We make fantastic babysitters."

The man stared at her as she spoke, his eyes focused on hers but suddenly as if his mind jolted

back into place, he started to turn around, facing away from them. He looked along the snow

beneath his feet as if he lost something very dear to him then back at the black box in his hand. As

he walked away from them, his steps become more rapid, more rushed and nervous. His hands

close together in front of his stomach, cradling the box like a child. Once in a while Mei Ling

would notice him open the box just to make sure whatever he had inside was safe. The setting sun

made whatever beloved object glisten and shine but soon after, the box would slam closed again. It

didn't take too long before his scuttling foot prints have been filled with a fresh layer of snow.

The sun is almost gone now, the last stray beams of light peered through the clouds and

created a glare against Xiao Xiao's black eyes. Just as Mei Ling started to open her mouth, her

10 | P a g e

voice never came out. She watched as his eyes slowly started to shut, his head nodding off into

sleep. Over and over again, she watched as he forced himself awake and quickly lifted his head just

to fade off into sleep again. Mei Ling never said a word after the man walked away, she looked up

at the clouds and embraced the gusts of wind.

She started to move again, her toes were dragging lines against the snow, her body leaned forward

as she succumbed to the weight of Xiao Xiao.

An hour has passed since Xiao Xiao has fallen asleep, and Mei Ling finally found a large

cargo box sitting outside the backdoor steps of a popular restaurant. She walked over to the large

box and shoved it over. With quivering hands, she gently sets Xiao Xiao down on the snow and sat

down beside him. She took one last deep breath before lifting the box and placing it upside down

over their heads.

The dark loneliness of the night embraces them, as Mei Ling's head pressed against the top

of the box. With every passing hour, she could feel the weight of the snow piling up against the

cardboard flaps that protect them.

"I'm hungry" says soft voice, wispy and weak.

"I know, We'll find food in the morning" Says another voice.

Suddenly, the wind blew again and Mei Ling quickly grabbed the edges of the cardboard, forcing it

back down into the snow. The cardboard box was unfortunately used as a delivery crate for large

catering events. The aroma of its journey, the multitude of food that has previously fed hundreds

of people, still reside within their cardboard house.

"Maybe a piece of bread, some leftover chicken?"

"In the morning Xiao Xiao, In the morning."

11 | P a g e

Even in the dark, Mei Ling could see that the small boy's eyes began to fill with tears, his words

became muffled within small sobs and mumbles.

"I don't understand why, Why was it when I came to chase you in the park, all you did was

walk away from me? You never stopped Mom and Dad, You just kept walking." He curls up his

body into a ball.

Without saying a word, Mei Ling slowly slid her fingers through his knotted hair. Letting her

fingertips glide against his head. Her clothing now are all torn, her beautiful red blouse is now filled

with holes and tears along the edges. She hummed a quiet melody to sooth Xiao Xiao to sleep, her

eyes filling with tears, too brave to show anyone but the darkness around her.

The morning sun radiated and lit up the inside of the box, which created an almost

mystical glow, as if they were sitting inside a night light. Meiling was uncomfortably tucked away

against one of the edges, her eyes opening slowly and closing again as her arms wrapped tightly

against herself.

"Mei Ling! Let's get up and go play, The snow stopped and I want to show you how I can

make a snowman!"

"Xiao Xiao?" Mei Ling mumbled as her eyes started to close again. A sudden gust of cold

air slammed against Mei Ling's cheeks as her eyes now shot open. Above her is Xiao Xiao,

standing up with the box lifted above his head. The city once again unveiled it's true nature, it's

cold gray lonely skies, it's angry and unforgiving winds.

"Xiao Xiao!! NO! You can't just lift the box up while I am sleeping, I am a lady and you

must treat me with respect! Mei Ling screams as she stands up and points her finger in Xiao Xiao's

face.

12 | P a g e

Her eyes started to focus in the bright day light and she could make out the outline of Little Xiao

Long stood there with his rags completely torn, the fabric is hanging off by small stitches, with

nothing but a smile on his face.

"Do you understand me? You can't! Never again right? What if some creepy man finds me

sleeping? What if people from my school see me on the ground?" Mei Ling continued to yell at

Xiao Xiao but her anger depreciated as she watches Xiao Xiao's smile start to fade.

"I am sorry Mei Ling, I was excited. I really wanted to make a snow man, it hasn't stopped

snowing in weeks so I was afraid it would start again."

"Mom and dad never yelled at me, I've always heard them yelling at my sister for making a

mess and things but never at me.." She knew he was sorry, his voice was shaky and filled with guilt

and shame. Even his handsome smile was gone from his face and that was something she knew she

had to fix.

"Come Xiao Long, Let's go make a snowmen before it really does start snowing again, you

can show me how well you can make them." interrupted Mei Ling while she looked around the

ground for her lost blouse button.

With such vigor, Xiao Long's smile busted open and he started to quickly dig his small frost bitten

hands into the snow. Mei Ling watched as he rolled the snowball around in circles like a snake

without sense of direction, bumping into every empty can and piece garbage he came across. He

stopped for a second to look back up at Mei Ling. His face was pale but yet was so happy, just with

his eyes he asked her to play without saying a word or even opening his mouth.

"Keep going Xiao Long, It's looking great so far! You really are awesome at making

snowmen!" She smiled at him while to trying to finesse the button back onto her blouse.

"You know Xiao Xiao? I ran away from my parents the day before I met you. My father

was the Mayor, he thinks he can control everyone just like he controlled this town. My family was

13 | P a g e

evicted though, my father was found stealing money out of the treasury and using it to supply his

own addictions. Some family they are huh?" She said as she watched Xiao Long continuously roll

up different sized snowballs and then placing them besides each other.

It didn't matter to her if Xiao Long cared or not, It didn't even matter if he wanted to listen, but her

worded flooded out of her mouth as if her heart finally gave away and burst into pieces.

"My mother used to always have company over while my father was away. Every time she

invited men to stay the night with her. I've always thought it was because she was lonely but

everyone else called her a whore. A couple of nights I remember these men even sneaking into

my room, I would be sleeping and I would feel my blankets being tugged away. As soon as I

screamed though, My mother would always be at the door protecting me. She would always say

such terrible disgusting things to lure the men back with her and away from me." Her voice

gradually became softer as the story went on, her eyes glazed over, staring into her past childhood.

Xiao Xiao was almost done now, his hands were shaking from the bitter cold but yet they almost

robotically continue onward. Soon there stood two snowmen, one smaller than the second one but

their hands are interlocked together. The snowmen were perfect, three layers of compact white

snow on top of each other with small hand imprints on the side. There were blackened dirt along

the front of the head and tiny pebbles lodged within the finely craft arms. Small bits of candy

wrappers and other various garbage gave the body an extra glisten.

He quickly wipes the snow off from his hands and tears a piece off from the cloth around his waist.

"See! This one is me, and this one is you Mei Ling!" He laughed and places the cloth on

top of the smaller snowman's head.

"They are both great Xiao Xiao! This one looks just as handsome as you are, you really did

a great job!" Mei Ling says as she takes the button from her blouse and places it on top of her

snowman.

14 | P a g e

"I made this one extra pretty, just like you Mei Ling."

She watched as his small shivering hand carefully brushed against the back of hers. His fingers

trying to pry open her palms and find a place he could feel secure.

The world for a few minutes almost seemed like it was fair and just. That little Xiao Xiao would

grow up one day and become a great president or astronaut and she would be able to go back

home to her see her parents again. Mei Ling reached out with her hand and firmly held onto his,

so tightly that she could feel his weak heart beat through the palm of his hands. In the back of

Meiling's mind, somewhere tucked deep within her thoughts, lied the truth. She knew that no

matter how beautiful and perfect the snowmen actually are, within time they would melt away. She

knew that everything eventually disappears, melts away and fades into nothing more than fragments

of memories. It wasn't the time though, little Xiao Xiao didn't need to know. For him, they would

last forever, winter after winter after winter, all he needed was to smile.

The two children just stood there, their hands locked in each other's as their eyes focused upon the

two snowmen. Their minds though ran to a better place, a place long lost in their dreams. A place

where society always gave a warm home to those damned as vagrants. To those who were labeled

and branded as outcasts, whose hearts were just searching for a better home.

"Hey! Little whore in Taipei! So I heard your father got his ass kicked out of his own house

and your mother now sells herself to whatever men she can find." Screams a young boys voice

followed by a group of laughter.

"Her mother slept with my father and caused my parents to be divorced! That slut!!"

"Well at least your parents weren't thrown into prison for opening a restaurant without her

daddies permission!" Screams other unknown voices in the crowd of kids.

Mei Ling bit down hard against her cracked lips and small drops of blood rolled into her mouth,

she closed her eyes and turned around slowly towards the group of children. As she opened her

15 | P a g e

eyes again, she saw Xiao Xiao start to cower behind her as the crowd of children move closer to

them.

"Hwong, What do you want? I'm sure you have better things to do than bother us." She

said as she firmly stood her ground with her hands against her hips, watching every move they

made.

The feral pack of children seemed to grow more and more intense, their blue and red sleds

dragging like caveman clubs behind them. As they walked, their large and overly inflated coats

rubbed against one another's, their laughter muffled in scarves and cotton masks. All the boys and

the girls looked the same with an identical stare of hatred and vengeance, their long incensed steps

followed by quick turbulent drags of their sleds.

Suddenly, A snowball flies through the air and hammers against the side of Hwong's head, the

impact absorbed by his black beanie.

"Get away from her! Go! Get away!" Mei Ling hears Xiao Long yelling from behind her.

Suddenly, the war has started and leading the charge were Hwong and these two girls. They must

have been about the same age as Mei Ling, throwing balls of snow covered in a thick layer of ice.

The first one slams against Mei Ling's stomach, the emptiness in her belly only amplified the

intense pain shooting throughout her.

"We don't want any trouble! Just leave!" she says as she gasps for air.

"After we beat you, we're going to all take pictures and post it around school! You're daddy

isn't here to protect her princess this time." Says one of the girls standing beside Hwong.

Above her snowballs are flying every direction, a one sided war where defeat maybe inevitable. She

quickly packed a snowball in her hands and as she was just about to throw it, in the corner of her

16 | P a g e

eye, she watched as two boys jumped on Xiao Xiao. Their fists relentlessly pounded on the young

boy until his hand dropped the snowball he was making.

Suddenly it was quiet, the sounds of little hands packing snow, the sounds of laughing children all

stopped at once. There on the ground was Xiao Long, The blood from his nose was ran down his

cheeks and dripped into the snow below him. His eyes were bruised and all the cuts he had

previously on his cheeks and forehead had opened up. Blood gushed out from a large cut on his

forehead, his breathing has become staggered and slow.

The unintelligible shrill of Mei Ling makes the children all tremble and step back. The two boys

whom were previously beating on Xiao Long had ran back to their pack, their hands were cut open

and covered in blood.

She hesitated like an animal waiting for the next move, her hands clenched together, looking back

and forth at the kids and Xiao Long. She takes quick step towards the kids and they all backed

away, their faces pale white. Some crying can be heard from somewhere lost inside their group but

Mei Ling doesn't say a word. She took another step towards Hwong, and at that moment, he starts

to run away with his sled still dragging behind him. Soon after, all the children followed, running as

fast as they could from a the monster that was unleashed by them. All that was left over in those

minutes of chaos, were a few forgotten sleds and little Xiao Long still lying in the snow.

As Mei Ling slowly crawled beside him, his head turned towards her and his mouth opens

but nothing was said. Her heart tore apart when his eyes closed, her small heart almost stopped.

She couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face, the salt sliding between her lips as she tries to

comfort him.

"I'll get them back for what they have done, I'll find a way. You'll be all better soon." She

said as she watches him. Her hands cautiously rubbed away some of the blood from his face. As

she watched him a bit longer, her hands started to tremble and fear rushed into her mind.

17 | P a g e

His small body seemed almost like an innocent animal lying stretched across a street. The

cloth that was once wrapped around his body has torn open and now spread across the surface of

the ice and snow like wings.

Mei Ling carefully picked him and cradled his limp body against her arms, his cold skin touched

hers and sends a shiver down her spine.

"You'll be okay, Just rest well. I'll take you to a better place."

She placed him into one of the sleds the children left, tearing any material she could from her

jacket and blouse to tuck under his head.

Hours pass since Xiao Long has fallen asleep, the empty city now starts to buzz and hum as

the street lights turn on. All around them, the streets vibrated with intense neon light and flashing

signs. Under their feet, the snow itself begins to almost dance and flicker with brilliant flashes of

colors. Mei Ling's body is hunched over, the rope from the sled is tied around her wrist and slung

over her shoulder. With every pull, her warm breath exhaled smalls puffs of smoke into the crisp

night air. Her wrists now are bleeding, the rope has been scraping and cutting into her delicate skin

for hours but the pain doesn't seem to bother her. With an unequaled determination, she

continued to pull Xiao Long, afraid to look behind her and face the truth of what has happened.

Finally they arrive at a large mansion against the outskirts of the city, a house unmistakable

even from miles away. It's personal street lights shot up hundreds of feet into the air with a small

army of fireflies that swarmed around the top.

"Mother, Father. I have returned home now and I am ready for my punishment." Mumbles

Mei Ling as she slams her fist against the communication device.

"Yang Qi!? Are you there?"

18 | P a g e

A very loud static buzz exploded from the speaker then followed with another man's voice. His

voice was older, very proper and calm.

"Lady Mei Ling? Is that you? Why are you here? Your family no longer resides in this

house."

"Yang Qi, do you know where I can find my parents? I remember seeing them last here. I

have a friend whom is very injured and we need to find a doctor soon." She commanded him for

an answer.

Another loud pop echo's out from the speakers followed this time by a silence. Mei Ling waited

awhile, staring into the speaker as if it would look back at her. Almost wishing the speaker itself

could smile and comfort her for just a second.

Her legs wobbled beneath her own weight and suddenly she felt the world start to spin faster than

it normally did. The sky above her turned to a kaleidoscope of shapes and stars, spinning around a

crescent moon until the back of her head slammed against the gate. As her head ricocheted off the

iron gates, she fell forward as her face first met the snow. Her eyes peered into what she thought

was heaven, the white snow covers her face with a stinging pain but it was beautiful.

Mei Ling's small crusted eyes started to open, her hands furiously grabbed the cotton

sheets trying to look for the rope she remembered so well.

"Where am I? This looks like a hotel room but Xiao Long isn't here." She thought to

herself while staring at the digital clock in front of her. Her eyes quickly shifted to something else

though, something more peculiar than the small clock. Off in the corner of the table was a large

frosted glass of orange juice. The bendable straw placed so that it would face her directly,

screaming for her to drink it. She rejected the thought from her mind and started to take her time

as she observed her surrounding area. Below her feet were some folded clothing, brand new from

the Bebe store she loved so much, the price tags still hung off the side. The whole room actually

19 | P a g e

was decorated beautifully, each wall was covered in a indescribable mural of the Qin Dynasty with

large ancient scrolls hung across them. As she continued to pan around the dark room, she

realized that there was a small tiger placed in bed beside her. It's eyes were brilliant as if it was

created by diamonds and it's fur was combed perfectly to the sides. At that moment, she gave into

the fight, she grabbed the stuffed tiger and placed it on his lap as she simultaneously reached out

for the glass of orange juice.

In the hall way footsteps could be heard pacing back and forth, the sounds of high heels and dress

shoes impatiently clacking against marble floors.

"Xu Ying, Please listen dear. The small boy our daughter was found with, the one in the

small sled.."

"Yes? Yes is he OK?" Interrupted the woman's voice.

"The doctor said that he is anemic and may have problems healing from such a wound. He

said that he has had it since a young age but was never given medicine or treatments."

"How could this be? Where are his parents?" She interrupted again.

"We don't know where his parents are but in the condition his body is in now, the doctor

doesn't know if he is able to wake up."

"Can we buy him medicine?"

The footsteps stopped in front of Mei Ling's door and a women sobbing can be heard on the other

side. The man's voice had become more distanced and inaudible to Mei Ling as she lied in bed,

terrified of what her father was about to say next.

"What will we tell Mei Ling?"

20 | P a g e

"What can we tell her? Our family doesn't have the money to support that child. His own

family didn't even have money to give him the treatment he needed." Said the man as he walked

back to the door.

After a slight pause, Mei Ling hears his voice again.

"The child is going to pass away soon, his coma is preventing him from even waking up.

With luck and money, we can keep him alive for a couple of years maybe. That is if his anemia

doesn't cause his body to fail while he's still sleeping."

Mei Ling's tears streamed down her face as she hid underneath the pillow. She pressed her face

against the cotton sheets, subduing her erratic sobs and squelching her screams into the blankets.

"I-I hope" she says to herself underneath her violent sobbing.

"I hope that you can now soar into the skies like an astronaut and when you land on your

own planet, there will be plenty of snow for you to make snowmen with. When you reach heaven,

I hope you can always smile."

A cell phone ring's outside in the hallway and the Mei Ling's fathers voice can be heard again.

"Doctor, Yes."

"Yes I understand."

"I'll tell Mei Ling."

21 | P a g e

Author's Thoughts

Writing is how author's look into the word itself and into ourselves, finding answers to

questions that will never be solved by any scientist. Our words are unique to each writer like pen

strokes of an artist. In this process, discovery plays a large part in building upon ourselves and in

our writing. It took thirteen weeks for me to improve upon what I felt was my previous base,

learning from authors such as Kelly Links and Phillip Roth. Their usage of words combined with

skillful sentence syntax truly helped the flow of the story without being over burdening. That has

always been a hurdle for me to overcome, Economizing my sentence structure. The most I have

learned though has come from private discussions and meetings with Professor Blair in which he

gave both insight and suggestions without being negatively critical. In these discussions, I feel that

not only was I discovering a new work flow but also a new broader train of thought to apply to both

my writing and my art work.

A personal issue between me and written words has become an issue though out my writing

that I need to overcome as well. It seems that I have become too comfortable in my own writing

style and grammatical usage. Perhaps it is I am almost afraid to break away from my normal writing

stance in order to learn and explore others. I become over focused on the emotional aspect of

character development that I often lose the concrete rooting of what the story is about. Authors

such as Kelly Links whom is able to bring a fantasy horror theme into her books but yet keeps the

author rooted in reality is something I am very impressed by. Her descriptive methods in painting

not only the setting by also creating characters whom feel real is an amazing technique. I personally

often lose track of the story flow when I focus too much on painting the picture, Perhaps an

amateur mistake.

I also enjoy building multilayered stories with the conclusion not only stopping with the

main protagonist. In the story, Cardboard Snowflakes, there is a character earlier on while the

children are begging for food. He was a humble man with a large beard whom stopped to look at

22 | P a g e

the children before scurrying off. In his hands were tucked a black engagement ring box in which

he cradled like his child. By using this man as an example of the sociological setting for the story, I

was hoping to further bring out the civilians whom lived in the city and their own personal

problems. I buried this conflict within the main story arc and it was often disregarded as being

there. Instead of broadening the view of the author, I was informed that it actually confused them

and was a conflict that was not needed. In order to make the rest of the smaller conflicts more

obvious, I had the characters such as Hwong and the other children bluntly state the issues they

were having. This received a more warm welcome and response among the readers.

From here on out I will continue writing my main piece, Nautical Twilight, with the

understanding an knowledge I have gained from this piece. Incorporating both writing lessons and

new thought processes into creating a new world for the readers to enjoy and envelope in. I will

tackle new conflict situations with the understanding of the reader, confronting new situations out

of my own personal comfort zone, without fear and doubt of how it will turn out.