Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 130

The Ming Treasure Voyages
Harrow International School Hong Kong, Jones, Kaelan - 10
My name is Harry and I am 11 years old. I work on a ship but it’s not any ordinary ship. This ship is a
colossal boat that has been ordered by Admiral Zheng He to deliver some precious goods around Asia.
“Harry! Hurry up Harry!”. That was my mum calling me to hurry up getting ready for my big journey. I
was actually quite early but I knew better than to argue with my mum. The reason she wanted me so early
is because she wanted to spend more time saying goodbye to me.
I was excited and nervous at the same time because of the long journey ahead. It was dangerous because I
could encounter pirates and we might get swept away at sea. Yet, it was also exciting because I would get to
deliver goods that people could only dream of and I could go to different countries.
I am at the boat pier right now and I can hardly hear myself think, let alone hear my Mum. My heart was
pounding through my skin as I was saying goodbye. “Goodbye, mum!” I yelled over the commotion. “I
will miss you so much Harry!” my Mum replied. I knew my Mum was afraid because I think we both knew
I might not be making it back to China. My heart was racing as I stepped up the wooden plank saying what
might be my final words to my Mum…
Once I got onto the vessel I was dumbstruck. It was literally the most amazing sight I’ve ever seen. There
were at least three times the number of people on the boat than there was at the pier. There were thousands
of people loading and unloading goods that literally sparkled in the sunshine. I met a few people including a
girl my age named Hazel and a boy a bit younger than me called Frederick. Hazel is quite tall and strong and
Frederick is very short and skinny. Soon, I got settled down in my cabin, coincidently with Hazel and
Frederick. Soon I started doing some work. First, I moved some barrels away so there was more space for
the adults to put down the goods (I was too young to handle the goods). After that I cleaned the lookout so
the people up there could sit or stand comfortably. My last job was to wash the dirty dishes that the older
crew used for their supper.
Soon it was my supper and we hadn’t even set off, yet I was already loving my new job. I was just about to
brush my teeth after a long day of hard work when I felt a sudden lurch and I rushed outside. When I got
outside I looked around for the pier which we were at only a couple of minutes ago but I was surrounded
by pure darkness. No stars shone and there wasn’t even the faintest of outlines of where the moon might
have been.
This is my tenth day on the boat and we still hadn’t seen any land until late morning when a voice from
lookout informed the whole crew. “Land ahoy!”. Suddenly everybody dropped and stopped what they were
doing and started leaning along the railings to try get a good look at the land. At first it only looked like an
isolated island but when we got closer the land looked surprisingly like Singapore just like on the map we
had on the main deck.
Singapore was one of our destinations to deliver to so we were going to stop there. At first, I was just stood
there not knowing what to do but then I felt a clammy, sweaty palm slap my shoulder. I quickly turned
around not knowing who to expect but when I saw it was the Captain I rapidly relaxed. “Go look around
son. You’ve earned this break after all your hard work these past few days,” the Captain ordered. So, I
obediently followed his orders and had a look around this minute country.
Soon it was all over and we all had to get back on the boat after a long day of seeing iconic structures, like
the Merlion. That night I could hardly sleep because my leg muscles were aching so much from all the
walking I had to do so I went up onto the main deck to look out at sea. I decided that I would tell Hazel
and Frederick because I could hear them uncomfortably twitching in their beds. They willingly got up and
we walked together chatting about what we did that day. I think we were so encased in our own
conversation that we didn’t even hear the mutterings from behind us. Soon I felt something touch my back
so I quickly spun around to find what were obviously pirates.