Read the responses to this week’s Write to Win prompt and choose the answer you like most using this form.
Hummingbird: The vibrantly coloured hummingbird would sigh in a sorrowful plea to me. It would describe the forests it knew, now silent and fragmented.
It would speak of rivers where its ancestors fished, now shimmering with chemical rainbows and rubbish mountains, and of nights when the stars were dimmed by clouds rather than the perpetual glow of human sprawl.
“The beauty vanished after humans discovered our homeland,” it would say.
The hour would be filled with its simple, devastating testimony: of plastic woven into nests, of bellies full of glittering trash, of migration paths ending in concrete walls.
Its final question would hang in the air long after its chat with me: “You call us endangered, but tell me, why are we still suffering from pain and struggling to live in good condition?”
Parrot: If an animal could talk to me for an hour, I think it would ask me to save its home.
Nowadays, scientific development is advancing rapidly, providing us with an increasingly better living environment.
However, at the same time, we are destroying the habitats of animals – their homes. Through deforestation and various other industries, we are occupying their habitats, which has caused many animals to die or even become endangered species.
For example, in Hong Kong, the Chinese white dolphin is an endangered species due to human activities affecting the ocean. Therefore, I think the animal would ask me to stop harmful human activities, since they only want a comfortable place to live, just like us.
Owl: Have you ever wondered what barks and chirps mean? Animals communicate with each other frequently, but we can never understand them.
If an animal could talk to me for an hour, I think it would start talking about its everyday needs. It might hold a conversation about where to find food or even discuss its need to mate before a certain time.
Then it may complain about recent shifts in its life brought about by human development, such as losing its habitat or a reduction in its food source.
As animals, their minds are simple. We won’t learn about complex levels of power systems or social phenomena from their words, and we won’t be able to receive radical views from their sentences. What we hear will be limited to the purest form of life and communication based solely on basic needs.
Seagull: I think that their words would be a blend of curiosity and honesty.
Dogs would probably be very excited and thrilled to speak to humans, telling them about their favourite toys, scents and the joy of running freely in the grassy fields, leaning more towards the joyful side. They might even ask me, a human, what I like.
Cats, however, would probably ignore me, would not talk to me, or give me a cold look. They might talk, with a calmer and quieter tone, about the comfort of naps and sleep and the satisfaction of independence.
I imagine it would vary depending on the animal and its personality. Wild animals, such as bears, lions and tigers, would probably communicate more aggressively. Every animal would be different.
Woodpecker: If an animal could talk to me, I think it would be my favourite animal – a penguin! I have had a penguin plushie since I was five. If I had the chance to speak to an animal, I imagine it would happen like this:
One day, I would see a blast of light! When the light fades, I would see a baby penguin hopping towards me. When I pick it up, I would notice that it is my penguin plushie come to life. It would greet me and talk to me, saying, “I enjoy my life in the sea because I have lots of friends there. However, I still remember an exciting escape.
One night, I was ready to go home from the sea. All of a sudden, I saw three seals chasing me! I called for help immediately. An orca heard and dashed in. Instead of being its midnight feast, the orca swung at the seal with its mighty tail. The seals fled hopelessly, and I thanked the orca.”
I would be touched by this story and the way my penguin is so friendly and kind that he has lots of friends. If my penguin plushie came to life and spoke to me, I would love to be friends with him.
Kiwi: Dogs are one of my favourite animals. They have always been a wonderful helping hand to humans, from hunting prey to patrolling the city; they are worth their weight in gold.
However, the number of dog abandonment cases has been climbing; animal shelters are filled with homeless dogs who look desolate and anxious. The less fortunate ones are left to fend for themselves on the streets or in the wild.
Therefore, if a dog could talk for an hour, I believe it would not only beg for understanding for itself, but also plead for its mates, asking us to speak up and open our hearts and homes to save man’s best friend before it’s too late.
