This short story was written for the Hong Kong Young Writer’s Awards Competition. This year’s theme is about the Silk Road.

"Hi, I am Scarlet! Please take me out."

Luna was flabbergasted and stunned. After a second or two, she pulled the silk out of her box.

"Hi! I am Luna Lui. You can call me Luna. I have so many questions. How are you alive? What is your name? Who made you? A witch? Or... a genie? " Luna asked the silk with curiosity.

The silk sat on Luna’s lap and said mysteriously, “You will find out.”

Luna didn’t ask Scarlet about it anymore. Instead, they drifted into talking about their hobbies and soon discovered they shared favorites, like drama, reading, singing. Their laughter filled the space, and the way they shared stories made their connection feel genuine. Their friendship grew stronger and stronger. Their eyes sparked with the excitement of finding someone who truly understood them.

After a while, Luna got out of the wagon and held Scarlet tightly in her hands. She knew that the powerful Roman emperor would want this silk for himself. She walked towards a man in blue robes and asked, “Excuse me, are you a Taoist priest?”

The man looked at her with surprise. “Yes, I am. My name is Zhuang Li. Who are you? And what can I help you with?”

Luna took a deep breath and explained, “I am Luna, and I am going to London to trade some porcelain and silk. I discovered my silk is magical. Can you help me find another one that's the same colour and style? So I don’t need to sell this one.”

Zhuang Li’s eyes sparkled with delight, he asked, “Can you sell it to me? I really want it. I can give you anything you want, money, jewelry, gold… How about a wish? I can make it come true!”

Luna held Scarlet tightly and said, “I won’t give it to you! You said you wouldn’t take it away!” The Taoist priest reached for it to steal it but Luna rushed back to the carriage and shouted to Samuel, “Keep going! The Taoist priest wants to steal my silk!”

Samuel pulled the bridle and the horse galloped away like lightning through the city. Luna looked behind as the priest chased the carriage like crazy.

Suddenly, the sun beamed into her eyes. Luna squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes again, Zhuang Li was gone. Gone. Luna didn’t care and sat down. She closed her eyes and rested for a while. Scarlet snuggled into Luna’s lap. The wind blew gently at Luna’s face as she fell into a deep sleep.

When Luna opened her eyes unwittingly and looked at her lap, Scarlet was gone! Luna’s heart pounded. She quickly asked Samuel to stop the carriage beside the market and started searching.

"Scarlet? Where are you?" Luna whispered to herself. She checked the wooden box, and the wagon but no Scarlet. ”NO, SCARLET! WHERE ARE YOU?” Luna screamed from the top of her throat.

Her heart pounded.

“Scarlet?” she whispered, searching the wagon. The magical voice was gone. Gone. Luna was downhearted. She laid down on her seat and thought deeply, "Where is Scarlet? Is she just an imaginary friend? Like an illusion or something?”

Suddenly, a spark of light appeared in front of Luna. A voice echoed through Luna’s head, a familiar voice, Scarlet’s voice.

The voice echoed, "Help me! It’s Scarlet! I was stolen and now trapped in a really bad situation, with lots of sharp stuff near me. I don’t want to be cut or pierced!"

Luna was shocked and thought, "Am I having auditory hallucinations?" Luna shook her head and sigh.

The voice echoed again, "Luna, it’s not an illusion. I am being kidnapped. Help me!"

Luna had so many questions, but she didn’t care and searched for Scarlet once again. She looked into her accessory bag that had her earrings inside. She looked at the rear boot and the storage bow, but still, no sign of Scarlet. Just as she was about to rest on the carriage, she spotted a little spark of light in the little abandoned alley in the market. She snuck to the alley and saw Zhuang Li holding a pair of scissors with his bony fingers in a workshop.

Overwhelmed, Luna screamed, "Put her down! She’s my friend!"

Zhuang Li twisted his head and looked at Luna with an evil grin, "Child, you don’t understand, this silk contains a spirit that will let me be an almighty god."

Luna whispered to herself, "I must save Scarlet."

She banged open the door and clung onto Zhuang Li.

As Zhuang Li spun over to the other side and punched Luna, he let go of Scarlet carelessly.

Luna dodged aside. She grabbed onto Scarlet and tears rolled down on her cheeks.

Luna cried, "I thought you were gone forever!"

A tear dropped onto Scarlet. Scarlet was overwhelmed with Luna’s emotion and glowed in a bright light and floated away from Zhuang Li. She used her powers and pushed Zhuang Li back. Scarlet clutched on Luna and they ran away together.

Luna jumped on the carriage and asked Samuel to pull the bridle. When Zhuang Li caught up, the carriage was already gone. He cried in rage.

Sitting on the carriage, Luna asked, “Actually, who are you? And how did you talk to me just now?"

Scarlet didn’t hide anymore and said, "I am a White Phoenix. I made this silk for me to put my spirit in. We can talk through our minds because our friendship is so strong. Let’s rest."

Luna yawned and rested her head against the carriage window as Scarlet’s golden shimmer turned to a soft silver light.

"You will stay, right?" Luna murmured sleepily.

"Of course. I’m your friend now. We will stay with each other and share laughter and tears every second."

Under the golden sun, a girl with her magical silk, a friendship bound by trust, laughter and cooperation. The kind of magic that can only be created by a pair of besties.

The Magical Silk (HKYWA 2025)