Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 320

20 Mar 1656
So much has happened this past week. During the night, as we were sleeping in our camp, they struck.
Darting out of the thick forest like shadows, the lithe figures ambushed and bound us up. The next thing I
knew, we were in some sort of village and a crowd of people surrounded us. I could just barely crane my
neck and see that the villagers were not, as I had expected them to be, Chinese. They looked more like
Africans, with a darker complexion and tribal clothing. Their chief stepped out and looked at us for several
minutes, then spoke to another man in their native language. We were thrown in a sort of dungeon where
we spent the rest of the night. In that time, I thought of a brilliant plan to get us out of this mess. Obviously
it would be very hard to communicate with the locals, but if there was one language that everyone around
the world understood, it was money. Or more precisely, gold. The next morning I asked the chief, with a
great deal of painstaking gesturing, whether I could send young Jared back to my ship to get something. He
nodded in agreement and I told Jared to fetch the cartel of gold on the Marco Polo that we had been
planning to trade with the Chinese. After Jared came back, I told the chief, once again mostly with gestures,
that if he were to let us go, we would return and bring back large amounts of gold as repayment for his
mercy. The chief seemed to understand what I was saying and left, presumably to discuss with the other
elders of the tribe. Finally, they set us free and even allowed us to exchange some of our gold for their local
spices and plants. The Queen will surely love them. As a last favor, I asked if they could help us repair our
damaged ships and surprisingly, they agreed. Such nice people, once you got to know them.
Now we are back on the ships and heading home. This morning, Old Tom told me that by his estimations,
we had not reached China or even any remote part of Asia, but that we had discovered an entirely new
continent altogether. Imagine that! A completely new land! The folks back at home will surely be
overjoyed, as am I.
18 Jul 1656
Splendid news! It was all smooth sailing back home, and we arrived safely with the exotic goods. The
Queen, as I had expected, loved the new kinds of flowers and plants, and after I had recollected the events
of my journey, she even asked King Ferdy to give me a knighthood for ‘courageous exploration of the
unknown’. Also, the royal court has agreed to sponsor, along with the gold for the natives, my second trip
to the Indies, as the continent is now called, the reason of which I know not. We are leaving next month,
and Jared has once again signed up for the voyage, though this time preferably with some sea-sickness pills.
Best of all, besides knighting me, the King and Queen have also given me authority over the Indian
territories in the name of the Spanish throne. Hmm… Sir Christopher Columbus, 1st Governor of the
Indies. It does have quite a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?