The Spring Power

I smile when I look around me. The place is filled with bright flowers and children running around. They are enjoying themselves, as they should. They just finished their exams. I look over at my 5-year-old cousin, who’s trying to play with 12-year-olds. She’s copying everything they are doing, which makes me giggle. The place is decorated with lanterns. It feels good to be back in China. It’s a new year, finally. I’ve been waiting for this terrible year to get over. “Jenny!” Someone calls as I turn around. “Jennifer Wang, where have you been?” My mother shouts, running to me. I flinch at the name because I’m used to people calling me Jenny, not my real name Jennifer. She sure must be mad at me then. Then it hit me. “Oh my god, mom, I was supposed to help grandma in hanging the lanterns!” I say. She raises one eyebrow and walks away when someone calls her. I walk slowly to my grandmom’s shop, afraid I would get scolded. “You American brat! I needed your help. The show is starting soon.” My grandmom says when I come to her. “Yeah, sorry grandma, I was looking at Mei play-” I stop talking. Mei. Oh no I left her alone! I start running back to the park she was playing in, ignoring my grandmother’s constant calls. Thankfully, when I reach she’s still playing with those kids. I pick Mei up and she instantly starts crying. She kicks her legs and says she wants to play more, though it looked like the kids were relieved I took her. I don’t know Chinese that well since I was born and raised in America. Some of my relatives only speak Chinese, so it is hard for me. Anyway, spring starts today! Spring is my favourite season because I love flowers. 

Here is the moment I’ve been waiting for! The fireworks. The whole day was filled with numerous events and parades, and it has already become night. I run to my parents and look up, ready to cover my ears. Then, suddenly we hear a loud beep. All I can hear is mutters around me. I close my eyes as the mutters get louder. What’s happening? 

The mutters become silent all of a sudden, so I open my eyes to look around. There’s no one. Is this a dream? It feels like one. I start running on the streets, shouting for my family every two seconds. Great, I didn’t bring my phone too. I slap myself as tears threaten to fall. Get yourself together, Jenny. You’re a 19-year-old, not a 3-year-old. Just take a deep breath in and it’ll be all fine. I breathe in and look around me only to find no one else. Where is everyone? I try shutting my eyes again. Murmurs were heard. Wait, what? Do I have some sort of ability or something? I open my eyes and close them again. No sound heard. Oh my god, this is fun! But I better stop, what if I make people actually disappear. I close and open my eyes one last time and turn to my family. “Where were you guys?” I ask my mother. She looked at me weirdly before saying, “What do you mean where were we? We were right here. You were zoning out.” She replies. 

“Wait, so you mean I was here only the whole time?” I ask, clarifying. She nods. Strange, but fun. “Jenny jiejie!” I hear someone say. Jiejie is older sister in Chinese. I’m not really used to that name, because everyone calls me Jenny back in the US. I see little Mei running to me. 

“Where were you, jiejie?” She asks, pouting. I furrow my eyebrows. “I couldn’t see anyone for one second, and then I could see them again.” She says. I’m surprised she knows so much English for a four-year-old, but even more surprised hearing what she said. She couldn’t see anyone too? Did anything happen in the park? But we’re right in front of the park. I carry her and walk to the park. But obviously, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I look around and seeing nothing extraordinary, I turn back. I close my eyes once more and open them. Everyone’s still there. I try once more but nothing happens. I tap Mei, gesturing her to close her eyes too. When we both close them together, I can’t hear anyone. Oh, so we both should close our eyes. I wanna know who did this. Who gave us this strange ability? We hung out near the park for some more time before going back home. Turns out the fireworks had happened but I was ‘zoning out'. Aww, I missed my favourite part of the day. The day after tomorrow I have to leave for the US again. 

I walk downstairs the next morning, yawning with every two steps. “Good morning!” My father says, flipping a page of the newspaper. I hum in response. Then I remember. The ability, or whatever it’s called. I close my eyes, smiling to myself. Nothing happens. Maybe I can only do this with Mei. I run to her. “Mei, you want to try that thing we did with each other yesterday?” I whisper to her. She widens her eyes and nods. I give out my hand and walk outside with her, leaving others confused. “Okay, ready?” I ask. She nods once more. We both shut our eyes. Nothing happens. We still hear the voices of people on the streets. We both open at the same time, Mei looking just as confused as I am. “What happened to our superpower?” Mei asks, looking at me. It’s cute how she calls it a superpower. 

“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “Let’s try once again?” I ask her. She gives a thumbs-up sign and we do it again. Nothing. Then we open our eyes and see a red piece of cloth flying in front of us. Mei runs after it, forcing me to follow her. The cloth lands on the slide in the park, where Mei was playing yesterday. I pick it up, realizing there’s something written on it. 

It’s written in Chinese, but I can read and understand the language fully. 

‘May you shout, cry or sing, the ability will only return in the festival of spring.’ I read out loud. Mei looks down, fidgeting with her fingers. I tap her back and she looks at me. “It’s okay, we don’t need this silly power. We can make people disappear by shouting.” I say and wink at her. She giggles and we walk back home, hand in hand. When my family asks where we had gone, I say it’s our secret and smile at Mei. She names the power 'the spring power'. They once again look at us weirdly but we don’t care. We’re laughing our heads off. But I secretly wish for New year to come again.