Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 236

The Hunt for Food
Yew Chung International School, Cheng, Serena - 15
Dust and dirt were all over. It was on the ground. It floated in the air. The walls were covered by
smudges of dirt and grease. Even the ceiling had spots of stains of I don’t know what. Some think it's
disgusting, but to survive, getting a little bit of dirt on ourselves wasn’t a big deal. The sound of heavy
pounding, moving materials and lumber ricocheted throughout the cavernous room, as more dust poured
into the entryway of the wooden building.
“Hey! Over here! I smell something.” Standing behind a huge linen bag, I told Brother and Sister
on the far left. They quietly tiptoed over, moving their heads side to side; cautiously making sure no one
else was around.
“Smells a bit… Sweet, yet a bit sour. Let’s see what it is.” I said as I tried cutting a slit in the side of
the linen bag. Brother and Sister crowded besides me sniffing the bag. As I sliced downwards, light green,
wrinkly oval shapes started spilling out of the linen bag.
“Dates!” Sister exclaimed.
Brother snatched a handful of dates and gobbled mouthfuls within a matter of seconds. Even Sister,
who was usually polite and gentle grabbed handfuls and swallowed them immediately. I did the same,
forcing in more fruits than my mouth can handle and devoured them without chewing. Survival for lowly
beings like us had always been difficult. We haven’t eaten in days, and no one knew when we will find food
next, therefore we must eat as much as we can when we find it.
Suddenly, the door slid even wider open with a high-pitched screech.
More bright light entered the room; both Brother and Sister leapt from the bag and scurried to a
dark corner; I scurried after them, but I turned around and saw two men sauntering in. They were each
carrying linen bags that swayed as they walked. Carrying more food? I thought, then I hesitated, stopped and
hid behind the bag of dates.
“Do we have enough food for our long journey?” asked a man wearing loose knee-high pants and
long sleeved shirt over the waist. His shirt and pants were made of cotton which looked worn out from
years of use. The collar of the shirt was tight on his neck, the edge of his shirt had two strings on the side
which tied a knot at the bottom, holding the shirt together. His sandals made of fibre skillfully knitted
together, each closely hung onto each other.
“Well, yes, we must have! We have saved so much food, these storehouses aren’t even enough. In
fact, all twenty quays are full. The Lord Admiral, Zheng He, has been buying food from all over the
country!” Another man with similar cotton clothes and sandals besides him replied, but this time instead of
long sleeves, his were rolled up. “This is his third journey, after all. We have learned from the previous two
journeys to the Southern Seas.”
Journey? What journey? Is it a journey for treasures? Journey for… food ? Perhaps that’s why there’s
nothing to eat where we lived! Although the fields were harvested, food was not stored in the village
storehouses. If we followed these two men, we might be able to find things to eat! Waving my head towards
Brother and Sister, I urged them to come over. We hid behind the sackcloth, quickly but quietly still eating
the dates we found. The man with long sleeves took steps further into the storehouse. The other took a
broom by the door and walked in after. He started sweeping.
“Hurry! Grab as much as you can!” I nervously whispered to Brother and Sister.