Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 1-2 | Page 527

Silk Road Tales
Western Academy of Beijing - Azzopardi, Jeremy – 10
I
t was a cold, breezy night as Zheng He’s junk was cruising through the misty ocean. The low haze was
visible on the horizon. The esteemed explorer was sailing to the desolate unknown but was stopping in
Hormuz. He planned to go to the renowned Silk Road to buy essential supplies and ceramics, which he
later intended to barter with other civilizations for unique goods.
“Zheng He! Hormuz is approximately 20 li away!” reported the navigator.
Everyone on the junk looked up to Zheng He. He was a big risk-taker and had remarkable perseverance.
Zheng He’s shift was over. He handed over the wheel for the rest of the night and fell soundly asleep.
The next morning, as the junk was sailing into the Strait of Hormuz, Zheng He could feel the crisp and
refreshing morning air blowing on his face. He gathered a team of people to go off to shore. They were
starting their extensive, difficult journey through Persia's dusty deserts and they also intended to visit the
hectic town of Hamadan.
Zheng He’s crew decided to purchase water first as the team had a major shortage. “I will give you five chi
of silk, in return for 27 sheng of water," offered Zheng He.
"Deal!" responded the merchant, who was amazed by the high quality of oriental silk that was offered.
The early morning shades of red, yellow and orange were seeping through the horizon, as Zheng He lay
awake gazing at the sky above, resting in the tranquil fields outside Hamadan, thinking about his passion for
exploring. Eventually, his team woke up, and began to get ready for a new day. One of the crew exclaimed:
“Zheng He! Zheng He! The water has been stolen!”
“What! How could this possibly have happened? I can’t believe it! Now we’re going to have to go to the
market again,” roared Zheng He.
While at the market, some of the team members started to shiver wildly with a fever. Zheng He also started
to notice that gradually members of his team were bizarrely disappearing. He asked the remaining members
if they had seen anything suspicious. They too had noticed the decreasing numbers, but didn’t see anything
untoward.
“If you notice anything suspicious, report to me immediately. We will unravel this matter shortly,” stated
Zheng He firmly.
After getting the water, Zheng He's team set out to acquire ceramics, which were made in the Byzantine
Empire. On the way, he asked other merchants if they saw any people looking disoriented. Unfortunately,
they hadn’t seen anyone. The sick team members were now trembling very badly. They spotted a merchant
who was selling beautiful ceramics, with intertwined patterns and vivid colors.
“Where are you from?” asked Zheng He.
“I am a Venetian, from a country in Europe which is to the west of Asia. Venice has lots of canals, and we
have unique ways of living,” responded the merchant.
“Why did you come here?”
"I came here to explore the east with all its intricate architecture, as it is very different to where I am from. I
also came to make a fortune."