The Falling Frame on The Wall - By Clara Ling Boon Ing

Written By: Clara Ling Boon Ing

Category: Short story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

In a touching narrative, Clara Ling Boon Ing presents "The Falling Frame on The Wall," a short story submitted to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Through this evocative piece, Clara transports us to the tender world of Ruyi, who navigates the intricate tapestry of family, love, and memory. The story unfolds with a deep sense of nostalgia, capturing the essence of home and the passage of time as experienced through the eyes of a granddaughter and her beloved grandmother.

About the Work

Clara Ling Boon Ing's "The Falling Frame on The Wall" masterfully explores themes of memory, familial bonds, and the inevitability of change. The narrative is steeped in rich cultural traditions and painted with vivid imagery, from the clatter of red wooden clogs to the warmth of shared meals. This poignant tale reflects on the lasting impact of familial love and the bittersweet nature of growing old, all while maintaining a sense of hope and continuity.

The Falling Frame on The Wall

Original Submission by Clara Ling Boon Ing

THE FALLING FRAME ON THE WALL

by Clara Ling Boon Ing

“Wai Po! Wo hui lai le! Kai men! (Grandma! I’m home! Open the door!)”. Ruyi called out as her grandmother, dressed in her traditional yellow floral samfu, ran out from the kitchen towards the door to unlock the bronze padlock, still holding her wooden spatula in her right hand.

“Wahhh Wai Po, xin nian ah? (Wow Grandma, is it New Year),” Ruyi responded in excitement as she locked the door behind her. It was a rule for grandma to always remind the last person to lock the front door as according to her, it’ll help retain the positive qi energy at home. Instead of responding, Grandma rushed back into the kitchen in her red wooden clogs. Klik, klok, klik, klok, klik, klok. Ruyi giggled as she watched her Grandma. Grandma was not tall. She was petite. Not to mention that she was witty and easy-going. Seeing her rush back into the kitchen like that made Grandma look like a little girl skipping her way through the hallway to get some candy.

Ruyi glanced through the house with her eyes and examined the corners and furniture. Once she was done, she removed her socks, placing them carefully in her shoes. As Ruyi walked into the house, she admired the old, vintage looking grandfather’s clock and the paintings on the walls. There were paintings of birds and bamboo plants with Chinese ink, several oil paintings hung across the room of European landscapes and the one that stood out to her was the oil painting framed in green of a woman in yellow floral samfu seated in a sofa with her hands nicely folded on her laps with a dull looking wall behind her that looked as if her world was falling apart. Her beauty however, stood out.

Ruyi went into the bathroom located outside the balcony area across the living room to wash her feet. Scooping the cold water from the old tempayan (urn), Ruyi couldn’t help but to close her eyes and listen to the sound of the birds chirping. For a moment, she was lost in the beauty of what earth had to offer. Grandma’s house had always felt like home to her. Ruyi’s parents had died a long time ago in an accident and it was her grandparents that had raised her. Ruyi had found a job in Kuala Lumpur as a museum curator after graduating from a local university and she had always made it a point to come home every weekend to visit.

According to her Grandma, Ruyi is a gift from heaven. She constantly bragged to her mahjong buddies about Ruyi that she always cared a lot for the people around her especially when it comes to honouring and respecting the elderly. In her mahjong sessions, she even argued with Chan Tai Tai (a term used for a wealthy woman who does not work) - and indeed, she was a very wealthy lady from a family who owned a tin mining business and she never had to work a day in her life - about whose granddaughter was more filial and, of course, more beautiful. Chan Tai Tai was Grandma’s old rival and bosom friend. They had known each other since they were eight. Grandma often bickered with Chan Tai Tai and they constantly annoyed each other in the moment but the very next minute, they are like sisters, inseparable at heart.

“My Xiaomei has gotten a Harvard boyfriend. I tell you those ang moh (a descriptor used to refer to white people) boys ahhh all love my Xiaomei. She had to choose one by one. I tell you one day when the Harvard boy puts the bling bling on her finger, their son or daughter will be jin jia sui (very good looking)!” Chan Tai Tai bragged.

“You think your Xiaomei is the only one who is very beautiful? My Ruyi is like a pearl in the sky!” defended Grandma.

“A pearl with a flat nose, you mean?My Xiaomei’s nose ah..sipek (extremely) high. Cannot compare to your Ruyi. According to Master Cheng’s reading, she will have lots of power and leadership opportunities in the future,” Chan Tai Tai interrupted.

“Power and leadership!!?? Ha! Power to kao (seduce) those ang moh kia (white kids) got lah! Chan ah, doesn’t mean your Xiaomei has a higher nose then she’s more influential or kind to others. My Ruyi is humble, gentle and kind. She takes care of me unlike your Xiaomei who is always outside wearing ha mi (what) mini skirt, mini top..exposing herself like that!” Grandma argued, rolling her eyes.

“Lu mai anh neh hor (don’t be like that). My Xiaomei has a great reputation for having good looks in her school since young. I am not competing with your Ruyi. I’m just saying according to Chinese beliefs…after all, we Chinese prefer a high nose what,” explained Chan Tai Tai.

“Pfft! My Ruyi’s nose is flat, so what? Master Cheng said she’s stable and content. Unlike your Xiaomei who has a high nose but looks like a bull dog anh neh kuan (like that). Lu ca khi bo jiak iok hor (did you forget your medicine this morning)? That’s why your eyes are blind! Cannot see properly, “ Grandma babbled.

Ruyi, who had listened to these two women bicker since her childhood, knew there was no malice in their words. This was simply their way of showing their friendship by poking fun at each other. After all, the very next second, Grandma and Chan Tai Tai would’ve forgotten everything they had said to each other and would repeat the conversations over and over again about Xiao Mei’s mini skirts and Ruyi’s flat nose.

Although Ruyi had always disagreed with the way women poked fun at each other, Ruyi still felt safe in this place even among Grandma’s mahjong buddies. The same old conversations, the same game, the same smell of home. She was familiar with this space. After all, she had spent her childhood here. Something in the house however, created an uncanny feeling this time. Ruyi noticed the family photos Grandma had placed on the television cabinet were no longer there.

“Grandma, where are the photos on the cabinet? The one where you were carrying me on my first birthday. Did you throw them away?” Ruyi asked while rushing through the drawers in the cabinet trying to search for the family photos. They meant a lot to her. “Heng said to place everything where it’s supposed to be and don’t move anything around”.

“Ruyi!!!Come in here and stop taking things out from the drawer already! Wai Gong (Grandpa) is hungry! " yelled Grandma. Ruyi snapped out of the moment , took a deep breath and went into the kitchen. She knew she had to leave her quest for the family photos to later that day. She had to answer Grandma and made sure she “acted normal”.

Grandma always cooked the best, simple local dishes that had a taste of home from hong jiu mian xian (red wine noodles) to goh rou tong (fish maw soup) - her best dish was her stir fried green peas with eggs. Ruyi helped set the dining table and placed her grandmother’s dishes at the table. Grandma was very particular when it comes to dining table settings. The chopsticks had to be placed on the right with the soup spoon placed on the napkin. Tea was served in a nice, intricately designed teapot and in the center of all the dishes, there must be a pot of orchids for luck, according to Grandma. Once the table was set, they both sat down and Ruyi started pouring tea into the tiny teacups Grandma had prepared for her arrival.

“Are these new?” Ruyi asked.

“Not really. Wai Gong brought it back from Fujian last year. This is the first time I’ve ever used it,” Grandma replied, “Come, eat. Let’s not talk too much while eating. You might get choked”.

Grandma lifted the tiny teacup slowly with her skinny hand. Ruyi had noticed that her movements were slower now and her wrinkled hands shook more than before but she did not utter a word. She observed her Grandma silently, and so many thoughts flashed through her mind, mostly the days when Grandma was younger. She would chop wood, carry heavy rice sacks, and buckets of water without any complaint of pain or the task being too difficult. Grandma smelled the tea as the floral fragrance reached her nostrils, she let out a smile and sighed. Ruyi quickly grabbed the teapot and filled Grandma’s teacup as Grandma had taught her to never let the tea in the cup go empty as a symbol of unbroken prosperity.

Ruyi looked at her Grandma. She realised that she had not changed her clothes. Ruyi took a comb from the drawer and combed her Grandma’s hair. She observed the silver strands of her on Grandma’s head and carefully tied them into a neat braid and took some pins and pinned it into a nice looking bun. She looked at her Grandma’s wrinkled hands again and couldn’t really fathom how it felt like to be in her shoes, going through war, migration, hard work, labour, raising a home.

“Yi, these tea cups, aren’t they beautiful? Your Wai Gong bought them from Fujian last year”.

“Yes, Wai Po. They are beautiful,” Ruyi replied. Ruyi had shared with her Grandmother a week before that those tiny teacups were indeed antique pieces from Fujian. It had a beautiful and intricate painting of a Koi fish with flowers. They sipped the tea together and enjoyed the nice, cool breeze blowing in from the balcony.

“Where is Yi? Who is this in my house? Why are you here?” Grandma suddenly let out a loud cry amidst the conversation. Her eyes were suddenly covered in confusion and no longer glittered nor did she look happy that Ruyi was there. It felt like she had not known that Ruyi is her granddaughter.

A sudden tightness in Ruyi’s chest overcame her. She got up from her seat, dashed into the bathroom and shut the door tight. She thought she was tough. She told herself not to cry. She had revised this in her head a hundred times that no matter what happens, she has to stay calm. Ruyi felt her heart beating really loud and she remembered what her friend had told her to do - take deep breaths when things go wrong. A sudden panic started to hit Ruyi. She knelt to the ground, trying to control herself but she knew somehow, that maybe this is the point of no return. One day, this would happen. Ruyi knew it.

“Ru, you’re okay. You’re okay, you’re okay, ” Ruyi repeated this to herself.

Ruyi breathed in and out slowly and when she had felt like the pounding in her heart was resolving, she opened the bathroom door and peeked into the dining area where Grandma was sitting. Grandma hadn’t noticed her looking. Grandma looked calm. She looked as if nothing had happened and that Ruyi hadn’t been there.

A thought flashed through Ruyi’s mind. Will things be different now? Will the situation be better?

Ruyi walked back to the dining area and seated down quietly. Grandma stared at her for a while and Ruyi knew the way to ease the situation was to act like everything was going to be alright and so she smiled.

“Yi, where did you go? I remember when you were younger, you always loved to play tag with your Grandpa. I had to chase after you with the rotan (cain) to make sure you finished your food,” Grandma responded with a slight chuckle. “Last time, women stayed at home to take care of the family. We learned how to cook at a very young age, wash clothes, dry them, and iron them. At this young age, I had already gotten married to your Wai Gong and you and Heng are not even married yet!”

“Was Wai Gong handsome?” Ruyi asked, trying to avoid the topic of marriage.

“Super! I tell you,” Grandma replied and her dull eyes lit up. “I was twelve. My mother told me I did not have to study anymore and that only boys were allowed to go to school. I was sad actually but I told myself I wanted to marry someone who would teach me all he knew. At eighteen, my mother said I was to be married off because our family is now too poor to feed all of our nine siblings. She told me he was going to be someone who would take care of me. Mother and father had made arrangements with Wai Gong’s parents. That morning came and mother and father had asked me to put on the red qipao that belonged to my mother when she married. It was old and had a nice looking Mandarin collar, and a little embroidered phoenix around the chest area. Mother tied my long hair into a bun, placed a small flower pin and some red lipstick on me. We didn’t have a lot of money but we made the best out of what we had. Mother and father did and then went out to the small restaurant along Lim Chen Mei Road. Around noon, I peeked through the window and saw them arriving home with a family and a tall, young man dressed in red samfu followed behind the more senior looking couple. My heart skipped a beat!” said Grandma, blushing.

“Wai Po! You’re blushing!” Ruyi exclaimed.

“Of course, Yi. He was tall and handsome. We did the tea ceremony afterwards and signed some papers. And then we’re now husband and wife,” Grandma explained and before she could continue her story, she paused and said, “where is your Wai Gong?”

Ruyi looked into her Grandma’s eyes and saw that bright litted eyes dim. She could not say a word and she felt the words choking in her throat. Ruyi knew what was coming now. But she could not say it. She was told not to. She was told to act “normal”. Is everything fine? Maybe, but this feeling of being unable to tell someone what is actually happening hurts deep.

“Chong qian ah, nu ren bu ke yi du shu. Ni zhi dao ma (Last time, women were not allowed to study. Do you know)?” Grandma uttered. Ruyi nodded.

Just then before Ruyi could respond to her Grandma, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Ruyi told her Grandma, took a deep breath, stood up from where she was sitting and unlocked the bronze padlock.

“Hao!” Grandma called from the dining table and rushed towards the door. There was a big smile on her face as if she had seen her lover coming home. “How was the journey, Hao? You look much darker now, must be the sun. Come and sit, I have prepared some tong shui (dessert) for you in the kitchen”. Grandma went straight into the kitchen and prepared a bowl of hot dessert she had made earlier.

“Hao, how was the journey? The junk ship must’ve been really uncomfortable”.

Ruyi had witnessed this before and she knew what was about to happen but is it going to be the same ending today? Ruyi was hoping things might change this time.

She sat down at the dining table and watched Grandma serve the bowl of dessert and placed it on the table.

“Hao, I was just telling Yi about how we met. Remember how you taught me to read and write after we got married? I still remember how to spell your name and how to multiply today. All because of you. See? Thirty two times sixteen equals to five hundred and twelve. The number 512 means “I love you”.” Grandma could not stop talking.

“Hao, you’re so tanned now. The journey back must’ve been really rough”.

“Hao, look at Ruyi, she’s so beautiful now”.

“Hao, remember how we used to chase Ruyi with the rotan?”

“Hao, have you finished your dessert on the table?”

“Hao, the junk ship must've been uncomfortable”.

The last thing you ever want to see is to witness the ones you love deteriorate. Ruyi felt a deep sense of hollowness and pain in her heart watching the scene happening in front of her.

“We need to take her, Ruyi. Today. She has been spiraling downwards and before it becomes worse, let us help,” Heng said, placing his hand on Ruyi’s shoulders, he continued, “after this, she will lose the ability to speak, walk and eat. You need to be prepared”.

Just then, Grandma took Ruyi’s hand and said, “Hao, look at our Ruyi. She grew up to be so beautiful now. We brought her up well.” Grandma then removed the green jade bracelet from her wrist and placed it on Ruyi’s. It was her anniversary gift from Wai Gong. “Yi, this is now yours. When Wai Gong came from China, he was only eleven. We didn’t have all the money in the world. He worked hard in the tin mines to make sure we have enough food for the family and that he could raise all of us. Yi, I didn’t go to school you know? I stopped at twelve. My mother then married me off to your Wai Gong. The wedding was simple. I wore a red samfu. That very morning, your Wai Gong’s parents met at a restaurant at Lim Chen Mei Road. I went to the window and saw them arriving home and a tall, young man dressed in red samfu followed behind. It was your Wai Gong! He was tall and handsome”.

Ruyi couldn’t help but to embrace her Grandma. Why is life so cruel? For someone who had been a good person, for someone who had loved, a couple who had worked hard to make the best of what they have, to build a great family and home had to experience this?

“Wai Po…Wai Po…” Ruyi kept calling out to her Grandmother. She knew the time had come. She knew this day would happen. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she couldn’t hold it any longer.

“Yi….Yi…Ruyi!!!!” Grandma called out at Ruyi. Ruyi stared blankly at her Grandma. And as her Grandma called out her name again and again, Grandma’s voice began to muffle. As Ruyi stared into the space that was her Grandma’s home, a rumbling sound was heard. The roof of Grandma’s house began to collapse, the walls started to fall part by part. Grandma did not seem bothered by the chaos around. Ruyi thought, maybe she shouldn’t too.

Ruyi remained calm as she locked eyes with her Wai Po. Memories of her childhood came back. She remembered the days when Wai Po braided her hair before school every morning and made sure she had a cup of hot Milo for breakfast. Wai Gong had always helped her with her Mandarin and Mathematics homework. Ruyi remembered the day when Wai Gong had explained to her the meaning of her name “Ruyi” which means “memory”.

As a child, Wai Gong had taught her a poem he wrote when he migrated from Fujian in a junk ship and it goes:

My life is not my own,

As I walk this road unknown.

Sailing in the deep seas,

I look to heaven and wonder.

The skies have eyes to see our foes

Rush against it! The tides that go

The flowers will bloom again in spring,

When seasons come and seasons go,

The seas become rough

This day you will know,

In all the woe,

I will still remember home.

As her childhood flashed through, Ruyi tried to fight her tears. It’s been years since Wai Gong passed and Wai Po still remembers him so vividly - memories of him and how he looked, how he loved her and how she loved him. According to Wai Po this was the main reason why Ruyi’s name is so significant. It carries the weight of her family’s stories from one generation to another.

For how many more times will she be able to do this? How many more times will she be able to taste her Wai Po’s cooking? How many more times will Ruyi hear about Wai Po’s marriage story again? How many more times will Wai Po place the green jade bracelet on her wrist? How many more times will Wai Po start calling her by her husband’s name at the end? Ruyi didn’t mind repeating the same cycle over and over and over again. As long as she can still experience and be with her Wai Po. She doesn’t mind if she calls someone else “Hao”. As long as she remembers home.

Things took a slightly different shift today.

It was not the usual routine Ruyi and her Wai Po repeated. This time round, they were taking her.

Grandma somehow knew. This time, it felt different. Grandma sat down on the sofa. The frame that hung on the wall, that very painting in the green frame came falling down alongside the memories of the day. She placed her hands carefully on her laps, and smiled at Ruyi one more time.

As the walls continued to collapse part by part, Ruyi remembered all the conversations she and her Wai Po had exchanged. Grandma looked straight into Ruyi’s eyes and said, “Hao, why are you so tanned? Hao…your dessert is on the table. Remember to finish it while it’s still hot”.

Maybe this is all part of the memory of home. Only to realise that Ruyi was actually looking at the final painting of her grandma’s life when her world started to collapse. Maybe she was looking at traces of her memory. She has seen it before but she doesn’t remember.

And so, they took her away that day.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, is a prestigious platform that celebrates literary creativity worldwide. This event invites writers to showcase their unique voices, sharing stories and poems that resonate with audiences across the globe. Participants engage in a vibrant exchange of ideas, contributing to a diverse tapestry of contemporary literature.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Clara Ling Boon Ing for her beautiful submission, "The Falling Frame on The Wall," to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her story is a poignant reminder of the enduring power of memory and familial love. We are grateful for the opportunity to showcase her work and wish her continued inspiration and success in her literary journey.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.