Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 145

New Tales of the Ming Treasure Voyages
Heep Yunn Primary School, Chan, Zennie - 11
I am a spirit; a free spirit of a young medic on the fleet of ships that once sailed imposingly with fame and
attitude as we marked our place in history. I was one of the main medics serving on ZhengHe’s
commanding ship. I still remember that fateful day which changed my life forever.
It was almost at the end of our voyage, our ships were filled with our acquisitions as we exchanged gifts with
our new found friends and allies. We came into possession of a very smooth fabric called “silk” and spices,
including the rare and exotic spice they call “saffron”, from various countries, such as India and Arabia.
Apart from that, we also came across a very interesting animal in Somalia, which had a long neck with
brown spots all over its body. The crew joked, ‘This zebra must be ill. It has swallowed a broom!’ We all
had a hearty laugh as we led the “long-necked animal” to an enclosed area on the ship. We dangled some
herbs in front of it to draw its attention as we slowly pushed it onto the ship. The crew was praying that the
animal would not suffer from seasickness, as it would not be much fun for them on deck should the animal
start throwing up… Nonetheless, we were looking forward to showing it to our emperor.
As we sailed back to our homeland, celebrating a successful journey, our captain, ZhengHe, was very ill in
bed. He was vomiting and had a terrible cough. His forehead was very warm to the touch. I was frantically
trying to figure out what ailment he was suffering from. I had to use the limited supply of herbs and
medicinal potions to soothe his discomfort and alleviate his symptoms. I just prayed that we would have a
speedy and smooth return trip.
‘Hurrah!’ cheered the crew on the deck. Bowls of rice wine clinked as the planks soaked up the spilled
wine. There were dancing and music. ‘Poor captain, such a pity that he couldn’t join the celebration!’
sighed one of the crew members. ‘Yeah, I am sure he can fight through this nasty sickness,’ I responded,
shouting out to the deck. ‘Don’t…don’t worry, I will be fine…’ replied ZhengHe in low spirits.
All of a sudden, the ‘hurrahs’ on the deck became blood-curdling shrieks. I rushed out to see what on earth
was going on. As I looked up into the sky, I froze, my mouth agape in disbelief. A monstrous storm was
brewing right above us. It was launching against our fleet of ships. The sky was pitch black, as black as ink,
with thunder roaring and rain pelting steadily on the wooden floorboards. The sky threw thunder bolts at
us, making the deck crack, and leaving charred, burnt spots on the wood panel. Our fleet of ships gave way
one by one, sinking like stones thrown into a pond. Our ship was in chaos. Sailors, cooks, cleaners and
pursers, were all running around, screaming in intense fear and panic, jumping into the water, grabbling
onto any piece of barrels or planks to stay afloat. I, however, decided not to jump just yet, but to first tend
to my captain, who was still resting in the medic room.
Rain continued to fall incessantly with the raging wind and roaring thunder. As the ship was crumbling into
pieces, it was certain that it couldn’t stand anymore of nature’s fury. I swiftly dragged the feverish captain
back on the deck before the wreckage sank to the bottom of the sea. I wasn’t strong, so I struggled valiantly
against the horrific storm to do so. ‘Hey, guys! Catch our captain!’ I shouted to the sailors who were already
in the sea, hoping against hope that he would not drown. Then, I burst out my remaining strength and
swung the captain into the sea, praying that his men would catch him. I had no more strength left; I
couldn’t even stand upright. I remember seeing a blinding flash, hearing a deafening sharp crack of thunder
and then feeling disintegrated into a million pieces. At the same time, the sea gobbled all the bits of me up
with the ships’ remains.
The smithereens of me somehow regrouped together into a phantom of my former self. I sighed in relief,
seeing that Captain Zheng and the surviving crew managed to make their way to an island where they built
a boat to sail back to China. When they successfully arrived home, the doctors cured my captain’s sickness
eventually. People have since then dug up my captain’s ships and the goods we tried to bring home from the
journey. And have sifted through the wealth of information and relics of his many voyages, the historical
museums can finally tell of my captain’s amazing stories. It is true that I have never been mentioned in any
of his adventures, I am still tremendously proud of myself as one of the many unsung heroes who made the
voyages a success.
A true hero never fades!