Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 184

A Captain's Guide to Survival
Sha Tin College, Chan, Karina - 14
The captain stood at the bow of his ship. The deep blue sea surrounded him, the vessel a mere pinprick of
brown wood against the vastness of the ocean. Looking around him, he saw naught but the sky and the sea,
not even a hint of land revealed itself. For most, it would be a mighty sight to behold. He and his small
crew had been sailing for weeks. Led by their master, the mighty Zheng He- admiral of the Ming treasure
fleets- the captain’s ship was one of many sent on a mission to find peace and friendship in the world
around China.
They were returning from a place called Africa, a land of grassy plains and little rain. It was already an
honor to serve the Emperor Yongle, but what the captain thought was even better was the ability to
explore, to feel the awe of being impressed by something new. The captain loved the adventure- the glory
of doing so was just a side bonus. The fleets before his had brought back fantastical treasures nobody had
ever seen before: a strange plant root which was hairy and looked almost human-like, rumored to bring
longevity; colorful silks that were soft and smooth to the touch; a variety of herbs and spices that the captain
was certain would work well in certain Chinese dishes.
Joining the collection was something the captain had brought back from Africa- an absurdly long-necked
creature from far away that could only be a descendant of the mythical qilin . There had been so much to
see in Africa- there were lions, black and white striped horses called ‘zebras’, large and awkward looking
birds with feathery bodies and naked necks. Even the chief of the tribe he had stumbled upon wore the pelt
of something furry and had a scary looking painted mask to match. The captain had given himself a bit of a
fright upon meeting the chief- he had mistaken the foreign man for an animal. Thankfully, the chief had
only been amused and not offended.
A particularly harsh rock of the ship brought the captain back to his senses, swaying on his feet. The boat
was shrouded in mist and he couldn’t see much farther beyond his hands. Was it his eyesight? He rubbed
his eyes, but nothing happened, and his sight remained blurry. Dark clouds formed in the sky, and rain
began to fall. There was a dark shape looming in the distance. What was it? His eyes widened at the sight
before him. No, it wasn’t a new land they had discovered, or friendly strangers hoping to make contact.
What drifted before him was worse, far worse than he’d ever imagined. It was a pirate ship .
The pirate ship was much larger than their small junk boat. Ragged sails fluttered menacingly in the wind,
cannons meant for mass destruction peeking out from numerous gunports hidden in the pitch black hull. A
terrifying monster as scary as the the pirates themselves glared at the captain, sitting in the position of the
figurehead. An ugly snarl was painted on its face, seemingly ripping the thing’s face in half. It was quite
fitting, really. The pirates were known for terrorising the oceans, stealing from helpless merchants and
fishermen, murdering and pillaging wherever they went. Truth be told, the only reason the captain had
been promoted was because all the former captains of the ship had been killed by pirates, and he was the
only one with the skill set- or the foolhardiness- to take on the role of captain.
“Captain! What should we do?”
The captain froze, mind whirring, thinking of possible solutions. He’d only been promoted for a month, he
wasn’t used to having his crew, his former equals, asking him for advice. He wasn’t used to having the
responsibility of so many people putting their lives in his hands. He had to grin and bear it, all the same.
“Listen up!” He bellowed, making himself heard over the din of the panic. His idea was crazy, but there
was a small possibly that it could be crazy enough to be unexpected to the pirates. “Cannons out, men!
Once we get close, we can knock all their weapons out, and they’ll be defenceless!”
“Are you sure it’s going to work, Captain?” A voice yelled towards him, rising over the chaos. It was his
first mate, who looked rather dubious about the whole idea. The first mate was old but wise, as the saying
went, ‘with age comes wisdom’. However, his ideas were a bit more on the traditional side, like speeding
up the ship, and only shooting if necessary.