Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 160

A Tale of the Ming Treaure Voyage
Korean International School, Soong, Hiu Lam Chloe - 15
Arjun Acharya pressed his ear to the door and listened quietly to the anxious voices of his parents. He clenched his jaw
as the sound of his parents voices dimmed down to the sound of a whisper. Pushing himself off the door, he quickly
slipped into his room and pressed his ear to the wall. He smirked, thanking God that the walls of the small house in
Calicut were thin enough to hear everything.
“We cannot just send him away!”
He heard his father sigh, “It’s too late. I have already volunteered him to go. He’s too comfortable here. We
have to push him out of the comfort of home; I refuse to let him laze around the way he does.”
Arjun furrowed his eyebrows at the conversation. Were they talking about him? He shuffled forward quickly in
an attempt to hear the conversation more clearly. However, the lack of sound from the other side of the wall confused
him. Have they stopped talking or have they moved elsewhere?
“What are you doing, boy?”
He cursed under his breath and turned to the doorway to see his father standing there with a frown on his face.
Arjun leaned his back on the wall, looking at his father in the eye and said, “Nothing, dad.” The frown on his father’s
face deepened as he strode forward elegantly until his feet were right in front of him.
His father, Jai Acharya, was an intelligent and hugely successful man. He was a tall man with good luck built into
him like the jewels drilled into the king’s crown. He was the jack-of-all-trades, hugely successful in anything he does
and never fails in taking what he can’t do, in stride. The most vital part of it all was that Jai knew it.
However, the look on his father’s face didn’t match the face of a man who prides himself in pushing past every
obstacle. Instead, it was the face of a man who had given up all hope. Jai fell onto his knees, gripping Arjun by his
shoulders. “You will do great things, my son. I have taught you everything I could. I have taught you to keep a
levelheaded mind. I have taught you to have a protective heart. I have taught you to have an honest soul. Remember
these words, Arjun. They shall be the only thing that may keep you from harm’s way once you leave the safety I’ve
provided for you.” Jai whispered into his son’s ears as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear.
Arjun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “What are you talking about, dad? I’m fourteen. What harm am I
going to be getting into?”
Jai sighed in defeat, “You will understand soon. Have patience”.
Patience. That word rang through Arjun’s head as he was pushed onto the massive ship. His mind hadn’t been
able to process the events that had led him to be a part of the Chinese voyage. Nonetheless, here he was. He turned
around, searching the crowd for his parents that had sent him away as a gift to the Chinese. His anger had now turned
into fear as he was pushed further into the ship.
“Level-headed mind. Protective heart. Honest soul.” Arjun whispered to himself as he felt the ship push itself
away from the docks. He felt a hand on his shoulder as a deep voice gave out what he supposed was Chinese.
“Li Min.” The soldier said monotonously. Arjun turned around to see a man with armour made of what seemed to be
copper, staring at him with impatience. The soldier turned around and started to walk away. Arjun didn’t understand
what had just been said, but he quickly followed the man.
Soon, they made it to a broad set of red doors with tints of gold on the detailed lotus design. The soldier stopped
right in front of the door and turned around to face him, at least that was what Arjun thought he was trying to do.