Ever felt the pain of losing a childhood friend from factors completely out of your control? The pain of losing touch with those you grew up with is certainly something we're all familiar with. I wanted to explore this unique type of pain in my second epistolary short story, titled "Gweimui on the Rooftop."
For those who don't speak Cantonese, "Gweimui" is Hong Kong slang for "white girl." It tells the story of a Hong Konger boy named Jojo who meets an American girl called Emily. I wanted to experiment with form a little, so I decided to tell the story almost entirely in texts and emails. I was inspired by Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine, but without the supernatural twist. I wanted to put into words (and perhaps images) the palpable longing and nostalgia that build up after losing contact with someone from your childhood.
Last time we saw each other, I had just laid out all my feelings in front of you. Your departure left a lot unsaid, and I wish we were able to clear the air before you left. But we were just naive, impulsive teenagers who didn’t know how to communicate.
This is only an excerpt of the story. To read the rest of it, click the button below.
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