This story was submitted as part of “Good People Good Deeds” English Writing Competition 2025-26, hosted by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. The theme is to write stories about universal moral values including dignity, kindness, respect, impartiality and the spirit of humanity.

“Ding—!”

The rescue centre doors creaked open. Cold, stretchy plastic made contact with Pearl’s hands as she wheeled across the lobby.

“Hi there! How may I help you?” Pearl asked kindly.

“I’m returning a cat. I’m… Just going to find someone less…”

“Lame?” Pearl finished the sentence deadpan, “Look, I’m as capable as someone that can walk.” She snatched the carriage from the stranger’s hand and propelled herself towards the cages.

“Wait! You can just lead me there! Wait, I mean just tell me where it is and I’ll take it there!”

Pearl trembled in irritation, the urge to yell at her was concerning, but unfortunately this was the only job she could find. The boss of the Pawsitivity Haven, Kelvin, warned her not to yell at any more customers or she’ll be fired. She dropped the carriage onto an empty cage and maneuvered back to the cashier table. It wasn't a piece of cake, but easier after years of practice of controlling her wheelchair.

The stranger sat in the lounge, reading a newspaper.

“Sorry to interrupt your reading, but you must pay after you return an animal-”

“BOOM!”

Fire crackled outside.

Pearl rushed outside. A trail of oil from the petrol station led to a flaming, hungry fire, spreading onto other buildings.

Pearl squinted her eyes as two distorted cars were demolished by the giant fire. The stranger was nowhere to be found.

Oh no! The animals!

Pearl wheeled back into the pet store. Most of the animals had fled.

The fire flamed closer. Choking through the heavy acrid smoke, Pearl saw a litter of weak, tiny kittens with their mother cat. The mother was deeply bruised, terribly burned as from shielding her kittens from the raging fire.

The fire engulfed everything near it, surrounding the litter. A hanging sign, not too far from the ground, was dangling above the cats.

Pearl immediately raced to them without a single thought. A tiny voice inside screamed, “This was dangerously irrational!”

Pearl knew that the lives of the kittens were worth saving.

“Don’t! You’re going to die!”

Pearl ignored the distant yell behind her and raced towards the cats, wheezing from the thick smoke. Sparks of amber jumped onto her wheel, melting the metal. She tumbled off the wheelchair, crawling on the ground. She shielded the cats with her own body as her consciousness slowly ebbed away.

Pearl woke up on a hospital bed. A similar hospital bed from when she was officially consulted to having bone cancer on both of her legs. She couldn’t move after that.

“Pearl, how are you?” Kelvin asked, “You’re excused from work for the time being. I hope you get better soon.”

As Kelvin went for the exit, Pearl remembered what she wanted to ask.

“W-Wait! How are the kittens and the queen? How are they?”

“Oh, about that, they lived and found a new home.”

Pearl sighed in relief.

Perhaps a wheelchair doesn’t make you any worse.

Lives of the Treasured