Page 65 - 2021 English Magazine - Final

By Chia yu

The Two I tried to snatch the laptop away from her, which ended with the two of us in a tug of war competition. Sud-
denly, we both lost our grip on the laptop. It flew out of our hands and dropped to the floor, the screen broke
Gold Coins into a million pieces.

By
Chia Yu Jin I felt a pair of furious eyes behind us. I didn’t have to look behind to know it was Grandma. Since I had insti-
gated this, I felt like I was going to have to endure most of the pain.
And of course, my grandma sided with my sister - she always sides with my sister. She also gave me a lecture
on good behaviour.
I used to think that my sister was sent by the Devil himself to ruin me, taking away all the love that I used One day, my sister was going to pay for this.
to get from my family, especially my grandmother. I used to think that the world is unfair when it comes to
love, until I received the gold coin that changed everything.

I was relaxing in the living room, rereading my favourite novel for the third time. My sister was having tuition,
“BUGGOCK! BUGGOCK!” all was right with the world.

My grandmother’s chickens woke me up from my “Hey sweetheart, wanna go shopping?” Grandma asked in a weak tone.
dreamless slumber. Their endless supply of delicious fresh eggs was the only reason that I tolerated them. I Her health was worsening by the day. Not wanting to miss the chance to spend more time with her, I agreed

walked downstairs, and the smell of bacon invaded my nostrils, making my mouth water, almost causing me without hesitation.
to forget about the important task of brushing my teeth. We took the lift to the third floor. After a while, we stopped in front of a jewelry store. I stared at Grandma
with curious eyes. She just smiled in response.

“Hey sweetheart! Happy birthday!”
My grandmother said cheerfully before giving me a peck on the cheek. I was unable to contain my excite- “Hello Miss, can I take a look at that gold coin?”
ment and gratitude,a grin spreading across my face. The worker held the 100 gram gold coin in her hands.

“Thank you!” I said with genuine happiness, pulling her into a tight embrace. “How lovely, can I get two of these please?”
“Why don’t you get the 200 gram one, it is more worth it,” the worker said politely.
“Okay now, be sure to save some for your sister,” she said, immediately ruining my mood. “Thank you dear, but I’ll still take two of the 100 gram ones,” Grandma replied.
The girl was probably still in bed, sleeping soundly - an earthquake could have happened and she wouldn’t
have noticed. I was unsatisfied with the unfair arrangement. I wanted to protest but I respected and loved this The worker looked at her with curiosity, but didn’t question it further. Grandma paid with her credit card and

woman too much to do so. It was my birthday after all, why we left. I, too, was curious; it did make sense for a normal person to just get the 200 gram one. When I asked
does she get to enjoy the same things as I do? Life is so unfair sometimes. her about it, she just smiled, but there was a sadness in her eyes that I didn’t understand.

That day was my own definition of purgatory. I ran back from the bus station, sweat trickling down my fore-
head. I stared at the long homework list on my notebook; it was NOT going to be a pleasant day. I took the She had finally left us.

stairs two at a time and reached my room in mere seconds, only to find that my sister was using the
computer. She was playing some sort of shooting game and I couldn’t care less. I held back my tears at her funeral - she said she didn’t want that. And for the first time, I saw the emotional
side of my sister. We hugged for comfort, and it was probably our first hug in 10 years.
At home, my father gave us two boxes that looked oddly familiar, one for each of us. We opened them, and
“Hey sis, can I use the computer for issues far more important than your stupid game?” I said in a polite tone,
with a fake smile. they each contained a gold coin. I finally understood that these two gold coins held the same value, both
priceless.

“Sorry, this thing doesn’t have a pause button.”
I was not having it.

64 65