Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim

Author:Rebecca Lim [Rebecca Lim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2023-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

They got away again under full sail until the narrow channel between Lantau Island and Shek Kwu Chau came into view in the distance, under a clear sky of the palest blue. Sister Zeng ordered Fu and Pei to take the yuloh, then darted forward and furled the sail, unlashing each of the side oars quickly and placing them, lengthwise, onto the deck. She swapped places with Fu and Pei at the yuloh, directing each of them to gather up an oar, secured to each side of the sampan by sturdy coir loops.

‘Row!’ she shouted. ‘Preferably at the same speed and in the same direction! And whatever you do, don’t let your oar slip through your fingers! They aren’t fixed in place like the yuloh, so don’t let go! We need to head past the northern tip of Shek Kwu Chau and steer through the narrow channel between Lantau Island and Cheung Chau. We’re aiming for the westward side of Hei Ling Chau – it’s a good natural harbour against sudden typhoons. But we can’t get too close, because there’s a colony of very sick people exiled there – lepers.’

Leprosy! Mafeng. The children remembered, with horror, how Ma had told them about people with a disfiguring disease of the nerves and skin who were always driven out of their villages, never to return.

‘If you were able to stand on a hill, on that island,’ Sister Zeng continued, ‘you’d be able to see Hong Kong across the water – it’s that close. Think of those poor exiles who can look at their old homes in the distance, but will never be welcome there again! Not being free to go where you wish is one of the saddest things in the world – I can tell you that from experience.’

Fu and Pei shot each other anxious glances across the deck, struggling to match their oar strokes as Sister Zeng expertly navigated the sampan through a series of narrow channels. As they sailed past beautiful sandy beaches, visible on either side of the channel, the children began to spot the occasional building through the dark green trees and foliage that covered the islands like a thick pelt.

Just before they cleared Cheung Chau, Sister Zeng unfurled the sail one last time for the day. The sampan glided into a sheltered cove near Hei Ling Chau before dropping anchor. They were close enough that Fu and Pei could see rows of neat two-storey buildings in the distance, built closely together. But there were no people moving about. Maybe they were all locked away, inside.

Pei felt very sad for them. ‘To not be able to go home!’ she sighed, staring at the identical buildings in their rows, pale under the afternoon sun. ‘To not be able to see friends and family ever again!’

‘Aren’t we practically the same?’ Fu muttered, tired and hungry, stowing his oar carefully on deck.

Pei’s eyes widened in acknowledgement. Yes, they were practically the same. They were as good as lepers. Likely no one in Long Jing Cun cared that they were gone.

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