Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 13

Diary of a Ming Dynasty Voyager
Bradbury School, Kalidindi, Anwita - 10
July 11th, 1405
Today is the day. We set sail to brand new regions on Earth. There is a man on this ship named Zheng He
and apparently, by the looks of things, is now in command. I surprisingly am not too stressed! But, in a few
hours, we will be on a ship, with others around us, and we will finally have to say our goodbyes to the
warm, fresh grass…
We have finally set sail, not only our ship but a fleet of ships. Our ship’s Captain, Zheng He, is giving us
orders left and right! Still, my heart is pounding with excitement! I am happy to be setting sail, but I am
missing my homeland. I just hope that my family will be safe without me. There’s always danger in the
territory that we live in, and I do not know if wondering off of land will help with the situation. What if
something happens to them? I will constantly be worried but I need to leave them behind. But, I have to
focus on the journey ahead of me.
July 23rd, 1405
It has been a few days since I have been off of the main island, and life on board has been exhilarating. My
eyes are practically running in circles. Am I meant to feel this way so early on in sailing? As a voyager? The
others do not look as pale as I am and I do not understand why that is, but I am clearly seeing it with my
own eyes. For protective measures I might stand near the edge of the ship. I do not feel well.
I cannot stand being on this foolish, creaky moving invention anymore! All these people are mad here! They
are not showing any expressions, emotions, nothing! Captain Zheng He is doing a horrible job of sailing in a
straight line, Navigator is doing an alright job. I on the other hand, as Quartermaster, am doing an
exceptional job of being in charge of carrying out the captain’s orders, the Bosun is doing a cruddy job of
keeping this ship in shape ready for longer and harder travels. The Cooper is doing a cheap job of keeping
all the barrels with our ships valuables safe! I wish I was a carpenter; I wouldn’t have to do anything right
now! Our ships are supposedly “just fine” so we would not need to polish them up. Whoever is currently
the carpenter is having the most effortless life! We have a few healers here in their sleeping quarters if
needed. Our goal is not to get into any sorts of violence while we are out here, but, if someone has surely
caught an illness, we will have people who know what to do.
August 1st, 1405
I am missing my family. I miss talking to my brothers and I miss the flavourful aroma of fresh dumplings that
my mother made. I believe I am homesick. I am sore from previous chores, and there seem to be more and
more as the days pass. I tend to feel isolated at times. I attempt to converse with others but they steer clear of
me. What shall I do? I might as well request Captain Zheng He for any new chores that need to be done. I
can only hope that it will not be something that gives me more pain.
August 13th, 1405
The skies have darkened in the past few days, and I feel a slight uneasiness. Is trouble arising? I do not have
much knowledge about the weather but there has been news from others saying a storm could arrive. I hope
it will not affect us harshly. The weather looks like it is going to change rapidly, and that surely isn’t
acceptable.
The weather is not getting better by the second. The storm is just getting stronger, and stronger, from every
wind it blows. The crew and I do not know what to do. Do we just sit the storm out? By camping on
nearby shore? Or do we keep going, risking our lives by sailing across the dangerous waters…
“Long, long ago, there were many, many ships that had set sail, trying to conquer the world.” Was that the
beginning of a story that was going to be told to the young and to the old, once our fleet of ships travel
across the waters together, and discover new places? I think so!