by Wai Chim
‘Hey, who’s the big brother here?’ he said jokingly. ‘I have to get ready for class or I’ll be late. Are you and Cap going to be okay here?’
Cap was sprawled on top of the blanket, his legs and arms sticking out everywhere. His snoring had died down to soft whistles. Little and Lo were roosting nearby, their sleepy chook heads tucked into their thick feathers.
I nodded. Guo punched me lightly on the shoulder and stood up. His joints creaked from sleeping in the chair all night and he had to twist his neck about to loosen up his sore muscles. He fetched some clean clothes and a towel from the laundry line on the balcony and stepped into a pair of oversized rubber sandals. I could hear them slapping loudly as he padded down the hall to the bathroom.
I sat at Guo’s desk for a while. It was completely covered with books, their pages marked with notes that Guo had scribbled in the margins in his neat handwriting. There were also pages upon pages of yellow papers that I guessed were his notes from class. At the corner of the desk was a neatly stacked pile of crisp white paper. I didn’t know all of the characters in the title, but I could read Guo’s name at the bottom of the front page. I picked up the paper. Inside were long sentences strung together with very difficult characters. I could read the words ‘animal’, ‘sheep’, ‘chicken’ and ‘farming’, but a lot of the other words were too hard to understand. I thought Guo was really smart to write such a long assignment with very complicated words. Pa would have been so proud of him.
BAWK! BA-KAW!
A flurry of feathers flew into my face and I dropped the pages.
‘Stop it! Stop it, Lo!’ My rooster had leapt onto the desk and was pecking and scratching madly. I reached for him but he tumbled over the edge. He landed right on top of Little, who shrieked when his sharp talons dug into her side.
‘Huh, what? Who’s there?’ Cap was sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Lo let go of Little and she scampered around the room, screeching her head off. Pages flew up and scattered everywhere. Lo bounded onto the floor and beat his wings rapidly, his tail twitching this way and that.
‘Cap, catch him, quick!’ I cried. Lo skipped and hopped his way around, pecking at the pages on the floor. He stopped beside the desk and let out a mighty bellow.
CAW CA-CAW CAAAW!
The door crashed open and a sopping wet Guo stood in the doorway. His hair was sticking up at soapy angles and he had a towel draped around his waist. He smelled fresh and pleasant like spring rain. But the wild look on his face reminded me more of a monsoon.
Guo looked over at us and then at the floor. He let out a wail and dived for the ground.
The pages of his assignment were lying in tattered ribbons on the floor. Lo bopped and bobbed his head. His beautiful rooster tail was fluffed out to its fullest, his dark eyes furious. He let out another ear-shattering crow.
Guo shoved Lo out of the way and retrieved the remains of his work. I pushed my fist against my mouth as Guo let out another howl.
‘You stupid bird! This is half of my grade! Professor Law is going to fail me.’ He sank to the floor, burying his face in the scraps of paper. Lo pecked at some of the pages on the floor, still fighting his paper enemy.
Cap managed to catch hold of Lo’s legs before he could do any more damage. ‘Do you have another copy saved somewhere?’ he asked my brother hopefully.
‘It’s no use. I won’t be able to print out a new copy before class.’
‘Surely if you explain what happened, you’ll get more time,’ I said.
Guo shook his head. ‘Professor Law is very, very strict. You heard him.’ He put on a stern, teacher look and mimicked the nasal pitch of Professor Law’s voice. ‘No extensions, no excuses.’
‘But it was an accident!’ I insisted. Lo had finally calmed down and was looking more than pleased with himself, his head cocked and his tail feathers flared out in triumph.
Guo moaned and covered his face in defeat. ‘There’s no point. I might as well come back to the farm with you. I’m not cut out for studying.’
I felt my heart lift a little when he said that, but then I saw how unhappy he looked. ‘No,’ I said firmly and held out my hand. ‘We’re going to see your professor and explain. Now.’
Guo sighed and slapped my hand away. ‘Mei, it’s no use. You can’t fix everything. I’m doomed.’ He glanced at the small clock on the desk. ‘Oh great, now I’m going to be late! This day can’t get any worse.’ He stood up and dried his hair with a towel and threw on a shirt. He didn’t look at me as he gathered up books and pages, shoving them into a tattered backpack.
‘Guo.’ I tried to get his attention. ‘Guo, wait.’
‘Mei, I don’t have time for this. Haven’t you done enough?’ He gritted his teeth and his right hand balled into a fist. I couldn’t tell if he was trying not to yell or not to cry. ‘Jin’s coming just after lunch. Please, just stay out of trouble until then.’ And he left, slamming the door behind him.
I felt my heart thumping hard in my chest. I screwed up my face and stared down at my hands, opening and closing my fingers a few times. I felt angry, hurt and confused all at the same time. I didn’t know what to do.
I looked up and saw that Cap had gone out onto the balcony. He was once again staring down at the courtyard, bowed so far over the railing that only his toes touched the ground. I could hear that the boys were kicking around a soccer ball.
‘Hey!’ a voice suddenly called out. ‘Hey, kid upstairs.’
Oh no!
‘Cap, come back inside,’ I hissed but he ignored me and waved to the boys below. I rushed outside to bring him back in. I really didn’t want Guo getting into any more trouble.
‘Hey, kid!’ the voice cried again. ‘You want to play?’
‘Cap, I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ I said as I glanced over the railing. Five of them were down there. The one shouting up to us was the one called Chun. He waved at me. ‘Does your friend want to play too? Come on down.’
‘Cool,’ said Cap and he was already heading for the door. I grabbed for his hand. ‘I don’t think this is a good idea.’ I was really worried – I didn’t know who those boys were. What if they told on us?
But Cap ignored me. ‘It’s okay, it’s just a game. You should come.’ But I shook my head.
Cap shrugged and left, closing the door behind him. I sucked in my breath as I waited, peering over the edge of the railing. The boys resumed their game, idly kicking the ball back and forth. Then Cap appeared running, but he slowed down as he neared the group, suddenly shy. He was much smaller than the others and his dirty clothes and rat’s tail looked out of place next to the boys’ clean haircuts and uniforms.
‘Hey, look it’s the kid. Here, think fast.’ Chun swung his leg outwards, sending the soccer ball sailing through the air. Cap was caught by surprise but moved quickly, positioning himself under the ball’s falling arc. He headbutted it back in one smooth hit. Chun looked impressed as he trapped the ball under his foot. He glanced around the circle and the boys all nodded their approval.
‘Not bad, kid. What’s your name?’
‘Cap – Captain. But everyone calls me Cap.’
Chun looked up towards the balcony at me. ‘You’re with Lin, right?’
Cap nodded.
Chun pointed to the other boys in turn. ‘That’s Cho, Leung, Fan and Yip. I’m Chun. With you, there are six so we can have a game. You can be the goalie on my team.’
I watched them kick the ball around, passing it back and forth, shooting at the goals marked with rubbish bins. While Cap may have been good at heading the ball, he was a hopeless goalie. He kept diving blindly whenever the ball came towards him, often in the entirely wrong direction. I giggled as he landed on his bottom for the fifth time, another ball sailing past him. He stomped his feet in a huff.
‘5–2!’ Chun shouted. ‘Co
me on, Cap. You have to keep your eye on the ball.’ But Cap let another goal go in, this time right between his legs.
I was so busy laughing that I didn’t hear the soft click of the doorknob turning.
Chapter Nine
I whipped around to see a plump middle-aged woman, gripping a feather duster in one hand. Little and Lo calmly peered at her, their eyes wide and heads cocked.
‘Oh my goodness, birds! Filthy, disgusting birds!’ the housekeeper screeched. My chooks turned their heads in opposite directions, their beady eyes darting left and right.
I hurried over to explain. ‘It’s okay. They’re just chickens. They’re perfectly tame.’ I leaned over and picked up Little and held her in my arms.
‘Oh my goodness, a child! What are you doing in here? Who are you? Answer me this minute. Oh my goodness!’ She only stopped firing questions at me when Lo suddenly darted forward, his wings spread out to their full span.
‘Shoo! Oh my goodness, it has diseases.’ She swung her feather duster about like a sword. ‘Diseased pests!’
‘Stop it, you’ll hurt him,’ I cried out as one of her blows clipped Lo’s crest. Lo was furious, puffing up his feathers so that he looked about twice his normal size. He charged ahead, his sharp beak pointed forward like a missile.
He pecked the tip of the woman’s shoe. She threw up her arms and let go of her duster, falling backwards on to her bottom. She lay there with her legs flailing and kicking the air.
‘Help, it bit me. It bit me! Oh my goodness, rabies! I have rabies!’
Lo glared at her as she thrashed about, scratching at the carpet with his sharp talons.
I scooped him up just as he readied himself to pounce. I held both chooks close to my chest. ‘Shh, shh. It’s okay, it’s okay,’ I murmured in a sing-song voice, doing my best to calm them. The housekeeper gawked at us, strands of hair poking out of her ponytail. I heard the squeak of doors opening down the hall.
‘What’s going on?’ came a boy’s voice.
I had to get out and fast.
The housekeeper was pointing at me. ‘You, you . . . you’re not allowed here. I’m telling the dean!’ I didn’t waste any more time and rushed out into the corridor. A few boys poked their heads out of their rooms as I scampered past.
‘Hey, come back here!’ one of them yelled.
I broke into a run.
I took the stairs two at a time, Little and Lo clasped firmly to my chest. There were shouts following me as I burst into the courtyard.
‘Cap! Cap!’ I hollered.
Cap was standing between the rubbish-bin goal with his knees bent and arms outstretched. He looked up in surprise. ‘Mei, what’s wrong?’
‘We have to find Guo! Before she tells the dean!’
‘Hey, time out!’ Chun called out, wiping the sweat from his brow as he jogged over. ‘What’s going on?’ He was much taller than Guo and bigger too, almost as big as Jin. I felt a bit like a squirrel gazing up at him, my cheeks red and puffed out from running down the stairs. He looked at the chickens writhing in my arms. ‘Um, what’s that?’
‘Oh, this is Mei,’ said Cap. ‘That’s Little and Lo.’ He turned to me, confused. ‘What do you mean we have to find Guo?’
‘The housekeeper, she’s going to tell the dean we’re here and get Guo into trouble. We have to warn him!’ I could feel that Little and Lo’s hearts were pounding as hard as mine.
There were shouts coming from the balcony. The housekeeper’s head popped up over the railing. ‘There they are. Get them, seize them!’ Her voice was a hysterical cackle.
‘Oh no, it’s crazy Mrs Tan,’ said Chun. ‘She hates it when we play ball in the courtyard.’ He whistled loudly to get the attention of the other boys. ‘We should get out of here. Come on, I know where Lin’s class is.’
Chun led us to one of the smaller buildings along the main road of the campus. But even this one was almost four storeys tall, its walls covered in large grey tiles. I saw a sign above the entrance but aside from the characters for ‘school’, I couldn’t read it. As we walked up the steps to the sparkling glass doors, I asked Chun about the sign.
‘It says “School of Economics and Management”. It’s where you take business classes,’ he explained. ‘That’s what your brother’s studying.’
‘What about you?’ Cap asked.
‘I’m doing a course in advanced maths and science.’
Maths and science were my worst subjects in school. Chun must have been really smart too. ‘Keep your voices down. There are classes,’ he whispered, pressing a finger to his lips.
We tiptoed through the wide hallway. The floors were so smooth and shiny I could almost see myself in them. The walls were decorated with fancy wooden plaques lined with neat gold trim. At the far end of the corridor, behind a glass cabinet, was a large bulletin board with rows and rows of pictures. When we got closer, I looked up and saw a familiar face.
‘Look,’ I pointed for Cap. ‘It’s Professor Law.’ In his photo, Guo’s professor peered over the top of his thick spectacles at us, a grumpy expression on his face.
‘It’s room 305, come on.’ Chun waved us over to the nearby stairwell.
The chooks shifted in my arms. The unusual sounds of our voices and footsteps echoing on the tile floor were unfamiliar and making my chickens nervous. Little, especially, was squirming. I nearly dropped her when one of her claws scraped my side.
‘Here,’ Cap said, taking her from me. I breathed a thankful sigh of relief.
Chun led us up the stairs to the third floor. This hallway was much less decorated, with plain grey walls and dull slate tiles. Chun was moving quickly so I had to run to keep pace with his long strides. I was huffing and puffing by the time we finally reached room 305.
‘He’s in the middle of his lecture,’ Chun whispered as he peered through the window cut into the door.
‘Let me see.’ Cap stood on his tiptoes, smushing his nose against the glass. I tried to look as well, but the window was too high for me.
‘I see him. I see Guo!’ Cap spoke so loudly that Chun had to shush him. I needed to see so I set Lo down and pushed the boys aside. I jumped up, hoping to glimpse my brother at his desk.
‘Hang on,’ Chun said and lifted me up under my armpits so I could get a better view. My feet dangled in the air as I peered through the glass panel. Then I spotted Guo.
He was just two seats over in the row closest to the door. He was slumped at his desk, his head pillowed on his arms, a pencil dangling from the tips of his fingers. And even though I couldn’t hear him, I could tell that he was snoring!
I tapped a fingernail gently against the glass, hoping I could wake him up and get his attention.
Chun quickly pulled me away from the window and set me on the ground.
‘I need to talk to Guo, or he’s going to get into trouble!’ I said.
Chun shook his head. ‘Professor Law won’t tolerate an interruption. Believe me, Lin’ll be in even more trouble than he already is.’ He stole another peek into the room and frowned. ‘Lin’s a brave kid. I can’t believe he’s sleeping in class.’
I pouted and felt so sorry for Guo. This was all my fault.
‘Hey, guys.’ Cap was pacing up and down the hallway, looking worried. His movement back and forth was making Little anxious. Worried she was going to cry out, I rushed over to take her from Cap. I looked down at my empty hands.
Where was Lo?
CA-CAW! CA-CAW! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! CA-CAW!
Lo’s proud crowing rang in my ears. And it was coming from inside Guo’s classroom!
Chapter Ten
Professor Law’s office was small, dark and cramped, his desk a mess of papers, pens and used coffee cups. A dusty old computer sat in the corner with the keyboard balanced on top of the screen. A bookcase stood against the wall, but it was mostly empty.
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Meanwhile, the rest of the room was brimming with books. Some lay open on the desk, their corners bent, with colourful tabs sticking out like little flags all around the edges. Others were stacked in neat piles along the floor, rising up like buildings in a mini city. The wall behind the professor’s desk was plastered with picture frames, each holding an award, honour or certificate of achievement.
The professor sat in a chair in front of them all, scowling.
A couple of his students had managed to capture the crowing Lo. They had found an abandoned wire cage in one of the supply cupboards. I had been too scared to protest when they stuffed my poor rooster into the cage and then wrested Little from Cap’s arms.
Professor Law had then marched us into his office, ordering his students to leave the cage by the door. I could still hear my chickens squawking outside.
The professor peered down at the three of us seated before him, his large googly eyes darting left and right. He leaned forward on the desk and barked at Guo, ‘Mr Lin, explain yourself!’
Guo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his mouth twitching as he struggled for words.
‘I’m – I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know – they must have escaped somehow.’ Guo hung his head, avoiding his teacher’s gaze.
‘Mr Lin, this is a university, not a child’s playground! I don’t know how you do things in the village, but here we respect our homes and our classrooms and we don’t clog them with . . . with filth.’ He gestured wildly towards the door. The chickens had stopped their squawking but I could still hear them scratching at the cage.
Guo bowed his head even lower, his eyes fixed on the ground as Professor Law went on. ‘These children . . .’ he turned to glare at me and Cap, ‘. . . these children do not belong here, not to mention those . . . those monsters. Do you think this class is some kind of joke? Do you?’
‘No, sir.’ I could see my brother was squeezing his eyes shut to avoid crying. I had to do something.
‘I’m sorry!’ I blurted out. ‘It’s all my fault! I wasn’t supposed to be here.’
