Home is Where the Heart Is
St . Mary ' s Canossian College , Li , Lauren - 15
I don ’ t belong to this ship . I have never fit in well as the runt of the family . All I ’ ve known is the disapproving glares of my father , and I was never treated equally as my brave , merciless brothers . To my father they were warriors , I was a coward , and that is all I will ever be .
It was the thirteenth day at sea , and we were approaching the city of Shanghai . I headed out to the deck . It was a cool morning , and through the thick , drifting mist I could just make out the blue silhouette of land . The mast on the old ship creaked with every lapping wave , orchestrated with our snapping big red flag in the wind .
I was immersing in my favorite moment . I liked standing on the deck , deep in contemplation . I often thought about what my life would have been like if I had not been a pirate , and how it would have been so much easier if I had actually taken up an ordinary job for income . At least then I could forgive myself , and for once I could fall asleep without thinking of the people I had unjustly murdered . Their agonizing faces haunted me in my dreams every time I closed my eyes .
I felt a shove to my back . " Gather the weapons , Akio . We will be docking soon ." I peered around to the scarred face of my eldest brother and gave him a small nod .
We sailed with three other pirate gangs toward the big city walls of Shanghai . The wall towered twenty feet high . It was just like what the people in the izakaya 1 had described . The grey-speckled marble pieces were engraved with intricate Chinese characters — the names of the Chinese emperors . The wall was built with the intention of keeping pirates out of the city , but it wasn ' t long before my kind had found a breach in the stones . Today would be the first time we raided Shanghai since the wall was built . We docked the ship , taking care to evade the hawk-like surveillance of the patrolling Ming soldiers , and slowly , weapons at hand , we squeezed through the small opening .
For a moment , I was enticed by the view on the other side of the wall . We had crawled into a local market , and I saw carts and trolleys filled to the brim with fresh vegetables , chopped meat hung on metal hooks . It warmed my heart to hear the hollers of the hawkers , the laughter of the children . These moments never last long . It was just a normal day for these people , and they had no idea of the fate they would face . Then in the corner of my eye I saw my brothers clench their knives . From behind , my father ' s fleshy , rough hand took hold of my collar . " Akio , this is your LAST chance . Time and time again you ’ ve brought me nothing but disappointment . Show me that my son is no coward ." He shoved a long sword in my hands and gave me two powerful pats on the back . " Remember what I taught you son . Straight in the stomach . Never hesitate ."
Then the raid started . Nausea washed over me as I watched the scene before me unfold . Screams filled the air where laughter once was ; mothers watched with anguish as their children fell to the ground with knives jutted out of their shoulder blades . My brothers charged , lashing their knives at the defenseless citizens . What was once a hustling and bustling market had turned into nothing more than a bloody slaughterhouse .
Suddenly the screaming began to cease .
Our gang ransacked the market , rummaging for gold or jewels among the carcasses . The streets were silent except the soft shuffling of my father and brothers .
Then came a cry from afar — the Ming soldiers .
My father pulled a small flask from his pocket . With a grunt , he cast it towards the soldiers . Swirling red flames suddenly erupted from the ground as the flask shattered . The heat hit me like a wave and pushed me to the ground , and then I scrambled to my feet and ran .
I ran as fast as I could until my lungs started to burn . Gasping for air , I looked around . I was in the city outskirt , some sort of village area , and I could see the burning flames over the rooftops of the clay huts . Grey ashes danced around and the distant sound of clashing weapons could still be heard . I took care not to trudge on the bodies on the floor . Clearly the other pirates had already raided the area .
I was in shock when someone grabbed my hand from behind . I whirled around , weapon ready , only to find a little Chinese girl standing there . She was about six or seven , and her cheeks were stained with tears and bits of dirt . Her hair was disheveled , her yellow robes were torn and yet there was still this extraordinary look of hope and expectation in her large , glossy eyes . She uttered something in her dialect that I could not understand ,
1 A type of Japanese pub