Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 216

As he commanded his men to set sail, one question kept him half-distracted. What did he choose in the
end? Being a knowledgeable man, he knew that the jade represented the Confucian virtues of courage,
wisdom, and also wealth to come.
"Zheng He." The mention of his name made him turn automatically towards the men busy at their
stations, as if he was being chided for neglecting his duties. Then, realising he was no longer at the palace,
the captain turned, and found the young girl once again standing there.
"What are you doing here?" Annoyed at her constant materializations and her sudden warnings that would
throw him off guard, he was prepared to tell her off when she spoke again.
"I’ve come to find you. Have you had a dream yesterday night?"
Her sudden words took him by surprise. He stared at her, whose large and mysterious eyes reflected the
stunned expression on his face, and was tongue-tied. As if reading his thoughts, she continued, "The
Goddess is omniscient. She knows everything and told me of your dream. Would you tell me the details?"
And so Zheng recounted his vivid dream, albeit reluctant to reveal too much. However, she only listened
attentively, and was silent until he was finished. At last, she spoke slowly, as if picking her words carefully.
"The stones each represent something dear to you, yet both are at war with each other, so you must make a
choice. However, dangers seem to lie in your path." Pausing, the girl hesitated, then murmured, "An
encounter with the brown men will set the events in motion."
"I'm sorry?" The captain was confused at the sudden prophecy, but as he was about to enquire further, the
ship's mate called, "Land ahead!"
"We’ll talk later." Zheng turned and headed back towards the front of ship, preparing to give orders to
dock and send ambassadors ahead. As the man gave commands, she watched on silently, before murmuring
to herself, "May the goddess guide you always."
"Welcome, travellers from afar. Please, make yourselves at home." The Zamorin, monarch of the kingdom
of Kozhikode, greeted in a friendly tone as Zheng He, along with his officers, walked into his palace to pay
their respects.
"Thank you kindly, Your Majesty." The ambassadors bowed, showing their respect. The captain
approached, holding a pile of expensive fabric. He offered this to the king, who clapped in delight at the
sight of such exotic goods. "Please accept this as a token of gratitude for allowing us to stay."
"But naturally." The king rubbed his hands together, eyes gleaming at the riches laid before him. As a
brown hand stretched out to touch the gold, almost in a trance, an advisor appeared at the Zamorin’s side
suddenly, whispering something into his ear. Immediately, the greed in his eyes disappeared, and he
straightened, addressing the audience of men in his court.
“I heard that you people possess peculiar healing abilities. Is that true?”
As the interpreter relayed the message back, Zheng was extremely puzzled, but before he could say
anything, the little girl who was supposedly left on ship suddenly materialized, and answered, in perfect
Malayalam, no less, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Whirling around, Zheng was startled at her sudden appearance. Indeed, he wasn’t the only one; the men
brought along whispered amongst themselves as well, and members of the Zamorin’s court also had uneasy
glances. However, the king himself remained unfazed; rather, a grin had spread on his mouth.