Graphite 2016 - Honorary Mention
“At The Staircase” by Zhang Tianyu
The two girls are a lady from a rich family and her maid. Despite their difference in status, they are still good friends, and they usually meet in the afternoon to read in the garden, which to them, is something that happens on each ordinary day. However, the cold handrail of the staircase forms a barrier, showing that the social class gap between them is hard to close, which is sad, but ordinary, too. Behind them, in the sky, two birds are playing freely, such freedom is not ordinary to the two girls, but it is something they truly desire.














