The Other 100 Writing: A flicker of hope

A plan. An inspector. A stranger.

It was all prepared. The machines,
transportation, everything. The
government must never hear the
plans, no matter at what cost. A
flick of a switch started all, as the
chainsaws teared its way through
the darkness. Trucks clattered with
power and shook the ground
below. Things were going just as
planned.
Planks and planks of wood
tumbled to the ground, begging
for mercy. Animals fled the
disaster zone, as if it was a nuclear bomb, screaming and chirping as loud as they
could. These warnings were, strangely however, useless to Alex Kite, the hidden
stranger lurking behind the bushes, unseen under the starry night.
Alex recognized the stars immediately. All typical constellations found in New Zealand
were visible. The stargazer had no idea what was going on, perhaps stumbling onto an
illegal deforestation site the government had urgently searched for decades. He took
a keen peek.
Observing the skies was what Alex did day to night. He was a teacher in the University
of Auckland, just a few miles away.
The echoing roar from the workers was followed by the orders of Inspector Pier, as the
workers called him, who had a decent blue coat and a thick American accent. He was
about forty, dressed in absolute black, with a deep scar on the side of his face. Alexs
instincts told him he was an American, with the devious brains of a soldier and the
swift pace of a falcon.
He could feel the cool breeze brushing against his head. A flash of annoyance passed
on the American. He noticed a faint movement under the gleaming moonlight, barely
visible to be seen by his short-sighted eyes. This did not bother Pier. It could have
simply been a fox, a bear, or even a lost kiwi. Sound, however, was a different story.
Alex sneezed. In that split second, the Inspector twisted around, chasing Alex like its
prey. The American screamed furiously, shouting into the empty forest. His boss would
never tolerate such mistakes. All of a sudden, the ground hit his face. As he slowly
stood up, he knew he was doomed. He had failed his master. A trickle of perspiration
curved down his ear.
What would his master do? There was the big red alarm button, right in front of his
eyes. It comes with a price tag. His job, his reputation, everything. All would be lost,
just because of a press of button.
Hesitating, he could not let honesty get in the way of his dreams. In desperation, he
made his decision, took a step back, and continued giving orders as if nothing
happened. The forest swallowed Alex within seconds, unnoticed. Staring into the clear
night sky, Pier watched the person fading into the blurred shadows.
His fellow workers glanced at him curiously, wondering what happened to him. All he
had and wanted for, was in the hands of that anonymous spy. His fate, his destiny, his
doom.

Hours later, just after arriving into the crowded city of Auckland, three things awaited
Alex. Gloom. Despair. Misery.
A pinch of confusion twirled around the mysterious stranger. Horrified, he silently
leaned on the concrete wall. Thoughts flowed through his mind, one by one. The walls
outside of University of Auckland certainly are not that comfortable, just as any other
university. Tears flooded his eyes.
He entered the grand door. Nobody moved a muscle.
A ball of paper was thrown onto the Receptionists desk. Was it a ball used for playing,
or even a banknote? The receptionist smoothed it out, revealing a formal letter. It did
not take long before the whole university knew their best teacher was leaving them.
The Harvard Graduate who received full marks in IB. The Doctorate who impressed
the world multiple times. The one and only Alex Kite.
He had seen too much. He had known too much. They could be anywhere, creeping
behind the corner of the dull gloomy avenue, or even holding newspapers spying him
in the night. Nowhere was safe. He saw a few people staring briefly at him, wondering
what an old man was doing outside a University at this time of the day.
Alex Kite was stressed. This was not because of what he had seen. This was because
of the continuous pressure he suffered in all decades he had been teaching, exploding
like landmines waiting to be triggered.
Calming himself, he hesitated for a while. There were questions that were not
answered. Who were those people? Why were they cutting trees in the middle of the
night? Why they were so scared of being discovered? From his experience, there was
only one reason. Illegal Deforestation.
Deforestation has effected over 75% of New Zealand, and is now illegal unless is
authorized. He had two choices to choose from, telling the government about it or just
keep it to himself.
The wind howled through the trees. Time passed like flowing rapids, but he still had
not made his decision. Walking along the pavement towards his house, he felt like a
ghost, as if he had no meaning of living. He was troubled, devastated and depressed.
He did not know what he would do next. He felt that all was lost.
He had nobody to comfort him, nobody to help him, alone under the spilling moonlight
glowing through utter darkness. Just at this moment, he accidently tripped down.
Pausing for a second, he observed his surroundings. He saw a pile of floorboards, the
only thing could had made him fall over.
Alex was amazed about the amounts that was left. All these useful reusable
floorboards were just sitting there, waiting to be cleaned. It will go into the trash
dump, the incinerator, and would be never seen again. Anger raged his mind. Why
couldnt the owner recycle these floorboards? Why couldnt the deforestation
company stop chopping trees to get wood when we have more than enough?
There was, of course, the faintest possibility that the owner would pick it up later and
the company is using the wood for a positive cause, but this did not matter. He was
fed up of standing back, uninvolving within this disaster. He was sitting back, watching
the world dying hopelessly. He was determined to lend a hand. He needed to, but he
cannot make actual progress only himself.
An idea sparked in his mind, a possible and good one. He was going to leave where
he had stayed for at least a few decades. Calling on the phone, he prepared for the

long journey. Wellington was his destination, and also where his parents were. Weeks
passed. It was all ready.

He made his choice, as his battered Citroen slowly disappeared into the horizons
carrying a huge caravan, toward South of New Zealand. As the profile of a professional
teacher, he would start a woodworking collective supressing deforestation and helping
the community. He wanted to let the people of the world know about this problem,
starting from one town at a time.

It was finally about time to leave that old home of his. Driving the car in the day,
sleeping in the caravan at night. This was the life he passed for a month. The highway
was always the same, total black with light yellow stripes. Bored, he slowly closed his
eyes, wondering what his life would result in. Worn-out, he watched the sun drowning
in the distance, its rays of light stretching across the sky, boasting with mystical
colours.

The wood collective was located in the rural forests, just finished building days before
his arrival, just has he had planned. Brand new and polished from top to bottom, this
cost him a fortune almost a years of hard work. With not much savings left, he took
a bite of his 2-Dollar double-cheese hamburger. Observing the collective, he knew he
had a lot of work to do, and he had to make haste.

An anonymous stranger trekked along the hiking trail, hidden behind the trees. He
had something special, and strange, Alex detected. The hiker had something heavy in
his bag, but he could not know what it was. It was rare for somebody appearing here
alone, as this is not a popular place to hike. He must be lost, he hoped. He certainly
does not want to leave again.

Continuing with organizing the collective, he spied on him. The stranger rested on a
stone, and it was then Alex saw his belongings. It was planks of wood. Probably a
wood collector. Approaching him, Alex saw his wheelbarrow, and introduced
themselves.

In that instant, the Alex knew almost everything about the hiker. They had the same
concerns, just two different people Taking action on environmental and social issues.
The name was Sam Beer, just an ordinary eco-friendly university student taking action
on deforestation. However, after the conversation, Alex thought Sam was unique, and
had the potential to do its best for the Planet. At the same time, he required an
assistant to help him with his work. He could hire him after school, but that would not

be quite appealing to him when he was in the middle of the school year with
continuous tests and exams.

Even though they just met, their relations were already like a master and apprentice.
Alex invited Sam for a cup of coffee in the coffee shop near Alexs parents home. A
glass of Latte was waiting for Sam, as Alex slouched on the classy chair. The streets
crowded with students, rushing to get back home. Sam Beer emerged from the mob,
looking out for Alex.

Alex was shocked by the directness of the reply. He could feel the enthusiasm
sweeping through Sam. It was agreed Every holiday, Sam would help out around the
collective, receiving a small salary in return. This was fine to Sam and Alex.

The collective turned out to become better than he thought. More and more new
recruits came every month, while unused wooden furniture and wooden materials
were processed, later sold through different routes. Through their goal, they achieved
the support of Environmental Organizations, leading to expansion of their work base.
This continued on and on for years, until the Deforestation Team came to Wellington.

It was years ago that he saw that stranger. Still, Pier remembered that night clearly. It
was not over yet. The person could alert the government at anytime, anywhere. He
was scared, but never knew Alex was more scared of being chased than him. Pier had
one final duty before he could return to his home in Australia. Another dreaded
deforestation plan. Pier sighed in despair. He had done it for more than five times, it
surely would not end up badly.

Night fallen without notice. Growling machines rumbled the ground. Alex suddenly
woke with horror in the collective work area. Rushing on a wood sculpture, he burned
the midnight oil, keeping on sawing and sanding. The floor rattled like an Earthquake,
just strong enough to wake him up. Glaring into the woods, he saw a flicker of light in
the distance. His nightmare came true, as he feared. Lazily, he stood up and opened
the door.

Just like any other construction site, most workers smoke, especially during their work.
Pier himself personally never smoked before, but he could smell the ash and scent
covering his nose. It was revolting and disgusting. To make matters worse, it is
harmful and could cause a fire. After hours of paperwork, he was too tired to do
anything else. All he wanted to do was to rest. s

The door cracked open. Alex saw a forest fire for the first time in his life. Orange red
flames blazed in the night, sparks flew all over, while it spread like a typhoon. The fire
was a raging tiger, an unstoppable monster, a tornado of terror. The smoke filled his
view, as Alex closed the door. He panicked. It was going to destroy his dreams. He
watched the trees just a few hundred meters away erupting in violent flames.

He could feel the scalding heat approaching him. Beads of sweat polka dotted his
forehead as the temperature rose like a rocket. Alone, surrounded helplessly and with
no way of escape, he was in the jaws of death. The hot air wrapped around him like a
heater. Alex scrambled backwards before collapsing onto the hard wooden floor.
Panting for air, Alex knew he was doomed. The professor mumbled his last words.

All citizens from a nearby village saw this sight. They evacuated their homes straight
away, not noticing a person in desperate need of help.

It was not until half an hour later for Pier to know what happened. One of his workers
threw a lighted cigarette on the ground, which ignited a fire easily in the dry forests,
his calculations predicted. It was glowing with its colours, but Pier took no action. The
fire spread did not spread in his direction. It was none of his business. The clouds did it
for him. They covered the sky.

The rain cascaded down like a waterfall. The result of months and months of
accumulation of rain and water. Pier could feel the rain, drop by drop. Alex too. The
water extinguished most of the fire, leaving Alex safe and unharmed. It was a miracle,
as he stood up in the burnt-down house.
The workers drove their cars out of the zone. It was useless chopping in such
conditions, where the trees were all wet and moist. Alone, Pier noted down what he
saw. He needed to report this to his boss.
In the damage of the catastrophe, Alex saw a dim shadow, hoping for help. Running
towards the person, Alex had realized the stranger. A deep red scar. A thick American
accent. It looked all similar to him, but it took a while to figure it out. Inspector Morgan
Pier of Bestl Industries, as the name tag wrote. Pier introduced himself to Alex,
claiming to be a Sales Manager of Bestl who is taking a trip in NZ. After offering First
Aid, Morgan had no idea he was facing the person he had seen years ago.
Rage rushed through his veins, as if they were going to burst. He lost his dreams, his
future, everything, because of that inspector. Revenge was the only think he could
think about. He took something from his pocket, aiming at his hands. Was it a gun?
Was it a knife? A rope held both of Piers hands tight.
Relaxed, Alex stood aside and called the police. Suddenly, Pier untightened his ropes
and made his way to the cars. Disappearing in the darkness, Inspector Pier was never
seen again.

Alex would regret it for the rest of his life. Why couldnt he get something stronger to
tie him? Why couldnt he make the knot stronger? Sam comforted him. Alex was lying
on the bed of a hospital, suffering from minor burns, not severe or serious. A thread of
hope was left. The collective, the hard effort they had been working for all these
years, was lost in a single night.
Depressed, he remembered what his mom told him when he was young. A principle
There is always a way out. There is always hope for a better tomorrow.
Beside Sam, Alex tucked into his pillows. His eyes slowly closed, hoping for a better
world. He was determined to forget the sad memories, and protect the good ones.
Slightly smiling, he felt tired. He was soon fell asleep.