Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 186

of the sea, she will protect you no matter what.” He remembered doubting the old man, wondering how a
mere fisherman’s tale could help him with his fears. “When you are scared, remember her bravery.”
According to legend, the goddess had began life in the Song Dynasty as a civilian, a young woman named
Lin Moniang. She had the ability to predict storms, and she often used that power for good. One day, her
father and brother were out at sea, when a storm struck. Knowing that they were in danger, Moniang set
out during the storm to rescue her family members, but had been killed in the process. According to myth,
she had risen to heaven and become a goddess, because of her courageous deed. To make up for how she’d
been unable to protect her father and brother, she became the protector of all seafarers, ensuring that they
made it home safely.
The captain bowed at the woman’s feet, his crew following suit. “Lady Mazu,” he mumbled hopefully,
“have you come to our aid?” He heard the crew whispering amongst themselves, in awe in the presence of
the goddess before them. The dragon horse snorted at them, and the captain jumped. It wasn’t every day
that one was faced with a longma with a bad temper.
“Be at peace, my children. I will lead you home.” The goddess’s voice was warm, soothing. It sounded
like help, like rescue, like home .
The captain lifted his head off the floor. “You can?”
Mazu laughed, a glorious sound. “Of course! What do you think bailongma is here for?” The dragon horse
let out a loud cry that was more roar than whinny. “He has the strength to pull your ship back to Fujian.”
The creature gnashed its pearly white teeth, and the captain quaked in his boots.
The captain nodded, bowing again. “My men and I thank you for your help, Lady Mazu.”
She smiled, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. “There is no need to thank me, young sailor. I do this for the
father and the brother I lost.” She disappeared in a swirl of mist, leaving nothing but the smell of sea salt.
To the amazement of the men, the fog in the distance had cleared, the light rain stopping completely. The
sun shone down on them once more.
Bailongma knickered, a harsh and loud sound. The creature sounded annoyed, as if it were used to shuttling
lost sailors back home from the sea.
The captain laughed. “Thank you, bailongma .” The dragon horse lifted its head and roared to the heavens,
so loudly the ship trembled on the sea. The creature dived into the water, and the sailors began their long
journey home.
***
A young boy trotted after his father, a look of childish annoyance on his face. “Papa, why must we pray to
Mazu every time we leave?” He asked. His father was a sailor, a man who loved the sea. The boy, on the
other hand, preferred the land.
His father stepped into the temple, placing a small statuette of a white horse in front of the statue of the
goddess, who stared down at them with a small smile on her face. “She is the goddess of the sea, protector
of seafarers such as ourselves. When we are lost, she will bring us home.”
The boy looked at his father suspiciously. “How can you be sure?”
His father laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”