Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 133

The Secret Pirate
Harrow International School Hong Kong, Lee, Franco - 11
As quickly as his legs could go, Admiral Zheng ran and ran like his life depended on it, going as far as he
could from the menacing shouts of evil laughter. Gun shots pierced the atmosphere. He scrambled towards
the lower deck, desperate to guard the treasure with his crew.
As the gun shots stopped, silence invaded the room. Hong Bao, who was a chubby young man, followed his
admiral to the upper deck to investigate what had made the pirates disappear.
Many pirates and crew members were lying on the wooden floor with a pool of blood surrounding them.
The scent of war still lingered.
“H-Help!” cried a croaky voice. “Help me...”
Hong Bao heard the cry and as quickly as a cheetah dashed towards the sound, finding himself face to face
with a weak and feeble man, lying on the ground.
Admiral Zheng had also heard the voice and was standing next to the man, questioning him.
Admiral Zheng, the kind-hearted man he was, took pity on this stranger and gave him food, water and a
place to sleep. Little did the admiral know that this man was only the first step to a huge, nasty plot planned
by the Black Pearl Pirates…….
Soon, darkness covered the sky. Charcoal clouds rolled in, swallowing any last bits of light. Then began the
gentle pitter patter of rain quickly becoming a vicious onslaught.
Once the rest of the crew found out about what happened earlier in the day, they had a feast to welcome
their newest crew member, Yang Zhen. Out on the table was any cuisine you could ever desire. Fried sweet
and sour pork, fried prawn, rice noodles, fried rice, etc.
They gorged themselves in food as though they had never eaten before. Their manners were atrocious!
When the clock struck twelve, Yang Zhen decided this would be the perfect moment to strike. He got out
of bed and darted to the treasure vault, swiftly and quietly. The vault with all the treasure inside had many
complicated locks. Wow, Yang Zhen thought, How could I be so dumb not to think that a vault will
definitely have locks.
He remembered what his real captain had said to him.
“Yang Zhen, I am giving you the one chance to prove yourself. Steal the Ming Treasure and I might
promote you. Do not fail or else you will be banished from the Black Pearl Pirates. Arrrgh!”
Reluctantly, he went back to bed and tried all night to put together a cunning plan.
The next morning, a bucket of icy cold water was splashed onto Yang Zhen’s face.
“Hey! What was that for?”
“To wake you up.” replied Zhu Liang, another crew member. “Follow me, I’ll give you a tour of the ship.”
After Yang Zhen dried his face, Zhu Liang showed him around. On the upper deck, a huge sail towered
over them and a steering wheel to guide the ship. A staircase was connecting the upper and lower deck. On
the lower deck, there was a mini kitchen, the captain’s quarters and tons of sleeping bags for the crew to
sleep in.