Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 122

The Voyage of a Lifetime
Harrow International School Hong Kong, Chan, Mavis - 11
Day 1
Captain’s Log
There is a new crew on the ship. His name is Leng. He looks really young and skinny, so I am not sure if he
can handle the heavy packages. Well, if he doesn’t perform well, I’ll feed him to the sharks.
Lian’s Log
I arrived today at this colossal ship. I just met the captain and I don’t know what he thinks of me. I’m very
anxious since I don’t want them to find out that I am a woman. As long as I keep my voice deep and work
hard, hopefully, I should be fine.
Day 10
All is well. The ship’s crew are settling in, learning to obey orders quickly. The winds have been favourable
and we are setting a good pace. That guy, Leng is stronger than I originally thought. Let’s hope we keep this
up.
Wow, this is difficult. It ’s much harder than I thought. Every single day we need to wake up before the
sun, we go to bed after dark. I am responsible for keeping the deck spick and span. If it’s not to the
shipmate’s liking, I get 10 lashes. So far I have avoided any punishment. I have seen it happen on others and
it looks nasty.
Day 29
We lost a crewmate to the storm. He was thrown overboard from the deck while looking for dangerous
waves. We replaced him with the new guy Leng. We will see how he copes as the new porter. We will
need to keep an eye on our water supply. I’m impressed with Leng! He is a better porter and can lift more
than old Yongle. He is more intelligent than I thought. I shall ask him for some mapping help.
I’m exhausted. I have double the work! They have given me the porter duty as well as my cleaning duty.
My muscles ache really badly. I keep telling myself that it’s worth it. I’m not so sure anymore but I think the
captain is starting to take a liking to me. He was amazed that I could understand maps. I can’t wait to get off
this flea-infested ship.
Day 38
We are beginning to run out of food. We have put the men on rations. I’m hoping we get there sooner
than later as hungry men can start a mutiny. Leng however, has a real skill for reading maps, possibly even
better than me. I really feel happy and relaxed around him. `
This work is getting easier and I feel like I’m doing a good job. This is becoming worth it as each day means
I’m getting closer to the destination. Captain and I are able to talk about anything… well, there is one thing
I can’t tell him. If he were to find out, I couldn’t cope with it.
Day 51
Yesterday, we saw Arabia and we all got excited. Unfortunately, the sailor Ma He, who was manning the
wheel, was not paying attention and crashed us into a giant rock. Today, I woke early before the crew, I
went to check in on them. When I entered Leng’s room, something shocked me. How could he have long
hair and lied to me the whole time? He covered up the fact that she was a woman? What should I do?