Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 187

Searching for the Unknown
St Margaret's Co-Educational English Primary & Secondary School, Ho, Sam - 15
When the palace officials came to our little village in the middle of nowhere, I initially gave it no thought.
Officials come and go like the wind; taxes are collected, and wrongdoers are hauled away. It’s the way it is
and the way it has been for as long as I care to remember.
“Come now and sign up! This will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to serve your emperor and country!”
Many were skeptical. “I’m not interested, sorry. I refuse to risk my neck on the battlefield for a pittance of a
wage. I refuse to be an expendable pawn for the honour and glory of some general who`s in over his own
head. Why should I go fight another man’s war?
“Rest assured, we are not conscripting recruits for the war. We promise to pay you very high wages, 70
pieces a month.”
70 whole gold pieces? That's more than what my family’s farm makes in one year! I don’t care what I’ll be
doing, as long my life is not at risk. I immediately went up to the officials to sign up. Upon receiving me,
they announced, “Brilliant, we have another loyal subject for the glory of the emperor. Those who are still
interested, you can still sign up now!”
“Actually, what kind of job are we signing up for, if it’s not for a war? We don’t want to be signing up to be
a slave, especially without knowing about it, do we?” A voice piped up from somewhere in the crowd. A
few snickered. With a glare from the officials, they quieted down.
“This will be an expedition to other places beyond our country. That means you will be serving as a
crewman on a ship.”
What! I had expected this to be a short leave, maybe for a few months and that’s it. It could have been a
simple construction project for the emperor’s palace However a boat trip! A huge voyage? There’s no hope
for me to be back within any conceivably short amount of time. I just wanted an opportunity to support my
family, is that so much to ask for?
I was about to open my mouth, to ask if it was too late to pull away. But before I could make a noise, the
official looked up towards to the sky. “Heavens above! The Sun is about to set, so we must be on our way
soon to the base camp!” They shoved me away, seemingly forgetting my loyalty. I ran back home amidst the
clamouring crowd, heading for my home and my family who were expecting my safe return.
I quickly packed what few pieces of clothing I had. As I was about to step through the doorway, my family
was there waiting for me. They gave me their blessings and spoke of their wishes for my safe return, their
wishes for me to come back in one piece. I wanted to tell them that I didn't even want to join a voyage
such as this. Yet my pride was forcing me to go- I could not bear to tell them the truth. I could just smile
and give each of them a hug. I walked with the fading dusk behind my back, towards that horse and cart
that would surely be my doom.
The ride in the cart was quite uneventful, aside the occasional bump. Sitting alongside me were unfamiliar
faces, surely all recruits from the other villages. We gave each other an understanding nod, before returning
to our solitude, pondering exactly what we had signed up for.
We rode until the cart came to a sudden stop, and we jolted forward. The smell of salt was in the air. We
threw back the tattered flap of cloth covering the cart. In the distance, we saw flames, like will-o’-wisps
floating mysteriously in the air. As we drew closer, we saw the flames were lighting up something huge and
wooden. There were flames moving, floating in the air, casting an eerie light on the scene. The official told
us to disembark and we hauled ourselves out of the cart.