Marsh Wong 4A(27)

Woof

A frosty breeze blew onto the earth. It was a teeth-chattering winter in Hong Kong.

The deafening silence of the winter morning was intruded by the huge bang on the door

behind me. I stared at the bluish orange sky, illuminated by the rising sun. The early horizon

sun gave no warmth to the deadly biting morning. Every breath taken was hurting, the frosty

air irritated my throat. I strolled along the street with a reddish nose and walked to school.

Every step, every mile felt like a torture as if I was walking with my barefoot on an ice

rink. I wish was in my comfy bed, wrapped in my quilt, and next to the warmer. I strode

across the bridge above the Shing Muen River. Freezing breeze blew onto my cheeks. The

temperature dropped intensely. I encrusted myself with clothing, hoping that it would help. I

kept my hands in my pocket and staggered across the bridge with my leg crossed. Hardly

did I trot through the stairs to the tunnel when I had heard a saddening mourn nearby.

“Where does it come from?” I wondered. A small sneaky head snug through the

shrub. I was in for a shock, so was it. Petrified to its core, it shoved its head back. I could see

its eyes blinking through the leaves. I glanced at my watch, 7:30 am. To leave it behind or

not to. That was the question. I crouched and tried to unveil the creature by pushing away

the leaves. A shivering dog under the blowing of the wind. Its eyes were glued to mine,

warning me not to get any closer. Its limbs were weak and thin. “Hey buddy, it’s alright…. it’s

alright.” I whispered with the gentlest voice. It was at the edge of the seat, loath to get in

touch with me.

Time swept away in a split of a second. After 30 mins passed, it was still reluctant to

walk out from the shrub. My hands and legs were numb due to the cold air and continuous

crouching. In a bid to wind it down, I tried to pet it. For the worst case, I would be bitten and

carried away by a car with blue and red light flashing. It sniffed at my hands and backed off. I

slowly move towards it and sleek hair it had. I ran my fingers through its fur and it started to

lean over my hands. Finally, it crawled through the shrub and sat next to me.
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The sun up above could not warm us up from the bitterly cold winter. Its legs were

trembling as if the earth was shaking. Without a single hesitation, I undressed my coat and

cover the pup with it. “You must be starving right now, aren’t you?” I gandered at it. Not a

word vowed but I knew the answer. Yes. I galloped through the tunnel and walked to the

opposite side of New Town Plaza. The pup followed behind. I wished I could the hopped into

the plaza, warm and cozy. I peeked at the plaza but walked pass it by hiding my desire.

The tantalizing aroma of baked sweet potato wafted towards us. We sauntered to the

hawker stores and bought a piece. Boiling hot, misty air. The warm delicacy was a boon in

the winter. The eyes of the pup were locked onto it, salivating. I split it into half and shared

with the other half with the pup. One bite, and it was gone. Whilst I was still shuffling the food

into my mouth, the pup had already finished its. Desperate for food, it looked at me with an

innocent stare. “There you go.” I threw the sweet potato towards it. The pup caught it in mid-

air.

A pup and a girl, sitting on a bench. The frosty breeze swept through our faces. “If

only my estate allows me to bring dogs, we would be comfy and warm now… Must find your

mum and dad today.” I clutched the tag on the collar, “Spy” it said. Chattering in the cold, I

spent hours to find notices about lost dogs.

A sight for sore eyes and frozen bodies. Somebody lost their pup three days ago at

Sha Tin Park. “A pair of big pointy ears, short legs, brown and white fur… and a collar written

“Spy”.” I gazed at the pup. The description matched so well that it felt like somebody was

there beside me, depicting the pup. I contacted its parents and suddenly felt a relieve.

There we were again, Shing Muen River, where we met and dismissed. Its family

rushed towards it right after they spotted Spy. Spy was literally a dog with two tails, wagging

its tail left and right. “Spy, we missed you……” mum exclaimed with tears. Spy did not shed

a tear but we could hear its whimper through its howling. “Thank you so so much to have
 Marsh Wong 4A(27)

found Spy…. It could have frozen of death in the cold without your care and help. Here’s a

token of gratitude.” They handed me a few hundred dollars. I gave them back and told them

to spend their money on offering some snacks for Spy.

A breath cold air. I strolled home without breaking the rules. The shimmering of the

sunshine failed to warm me up in the frosty winter. Yet I do not feel chilled -- the grin on Spy

warmed me.

(910 words)