1998 School Magazine

Girls erammar ^ithool a!, rigbane 1998

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What had happened was that my sister had climbed down from the bar and was playing a newly-acquired Chinese marble game on the ground and was facing the other way. So neither she nor I saw the two boys, for a joke, start to wobble the bar I shouted at them, ordering them to stop, btit it was too late. I'd lost my balance. The rest seemed like it was in slow-motion; the fall, then hitting the ground, fat o11 my/ace. I then realised it hadn'I been, as streaks of pain shot through me and I thought my whole face was smashed in, and my nose broken for sure That's the state lulla saw me in when I looked up, blood gushing from my face, and she screamed. Turning for home, she sprinted off, shouting incoherently, me following after a minute or two. But yet to be faced were sixty-two steps until I reached our flat and the comfort of Mum and Dad. Inside my whirling head, I thought my blood would stain the steps forever. in fact, for days afterwards, each time I walked up and down those steps, I remembered the pain and panic of that day. Hearing lulla's screams for help, Mum and Dad came rushing our, white- faced For about a week after that, I had to wear a huge pair of sunglasses to hide the bruising. I didn't actually break any bones, though, which was fortunate. Although I knew the identity of the boys, I pretended I didn't, as I knew they hadn'I meant to hurt me. Well, I hope so, anyway. They were never mean to me again, as I had something 10 hold against them, which nobody else knew about - except Julia. The secret was safe

t was the end of a Shanghai summer in 1991. My sister, lulla, and I were playing on a trapeze bar, the highlight of the school playground. Apart from it, the playground was procti- cally out of bounds for us as we were girls and most of the playground was male-dominated, including the adjacent ping- pong rooms. The bar was about three metres from the ground and underneath was bitumen, but it didn't bother us, as we were just having fun Over in one of the indoor sportsrooms, I could see HU Ming and his best friend, who had been so rude to me the previous day, playing ping pong. They had never liked me much, and teased me because I was Australian. However, yesterday, I'd retaliated to their taunts and embarrassed them in front of their classmates, so now they really hated me You see, it was like this. My family had been in Shanghai, living in rooms on the top floor of a high school administration block, for about three months. Apparently, before we had come, the school, on assembly, had been informed that "foreigners" were coming and they were to watch them with caution, because these foreigners had different ideas which might raise their expectations and possibly corrupt them HLi Ming, my worst enemy, must have listened very hard Right fiom the beginning he had given me cold stares and made sneering leinai'ks about n}e. Also, when he wasn't ignoring me, whiclt was most of the time, he was teasing me. He was very good at that, as ITe ITad a gang of SLIPporters always I'eady to cheer inin on. Wearing ITis Mao Tse Tting badge, he proudly displayed lie was a member o1'The Young CoinmLinist League, whicl\ also litade hint the desii'ed groLip leader I don't know when they stopped playing ping-pong bur when they did, they nTList ITave lieaded in my direction

by LOUISE ConONE QAnS 1,997. Seco"d Prize. ' Sectio, , q Short Story.

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