Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 146

A Heart of Gold
Heep Yunn Primary School, Cho, Min Min - 11
It was a rather cloudy day. Ling sighed sadly.
‘Dad! Where are we heading to?’
‘Be quiet! I’m trying to concentrate!’ Ling’s dad, Shen, who was captain of their ship Raven, was leaning
his big shaggy head over a complicated map. They were looking for an island where a lot of poor people
lived. Although he had a kind heart and loved to help others, he was always having trouble finding his
target.
‘Er, Dad? Do you have any idea where we are?’ Ling asked hesitantly because her dad was likely to
explode when he was disturbed while reading his map.
‘Of course. We’re in the Indian Ocean,’ he replied grumpily.
‘That’s helpful,’ Ling thought moodily.
Rain was starting to pour from the gray clouds above them, with loads of fog clogging their vision
ahead. Ling was starting to feel extremely worried. ‘Let’s just turn back, Dad. We don’t want to end up on
the Evil Pirate’s island again, do we?’ The Evil Pirates were their greatest enemy, and they had once sailed to
their island by mistake. Ling kept turning cold at the thought of them.
‘Nonsense. I know where we are heading,’ Shen growled.
‘But Dad, it’s raining cats and dogs, and a thunderstorm is on its way. We can’t see where we’re going,’
Ling cautioned in a slightly desperate tone.
‘We can’t be discouraged by just a tiny bit of rain! We have to sail across the sea bravely and help the
needy!’ Shen yelled.
‘Yes, yes, but sometimes we need to care for our own safety. And this thunderstorm is more than “a bit
of rain”. The waves are getting bigger and stronger and it’s dangerous . Let’s just come back another day,’
Ling pleaded, but Shen ignored her.
‘With a bit of luck,’ she mumbled to herself, ‘Dad’s miscalculation might hopefully land us back on our
own island.’
After a few more hours of aimless sailing, the fog was starting to clear. Shen was getting excited as he
believed that they had finally arrived at their destination. Ling, however, was not relieved. There was a
massive dark shape ahead of them which looked sinisterly familiar. Ling squinted at it as the ship sailed
nearer and nearer…
All of a sudden, the fog cleared completely, and in front of them was an impressive scene. It was a huge
island with towering mountains on it. Wooden houses were built on the rocky land, which formed a circle.
In the middle of the circle was a great wooden palace on top of which was a big flag displaying a scary
looking white skull. With a sudden feeling of horror, Ling recognized they had sailed right to the island of
the Evil Pirates!
Suddenly, the door of the wooden palace opened with a loud bang. Out came a gigantic figure with a
big filthy beard on his chin. ‘It’s Ebit!’ Ling gulped. The leader of the Evil Pirates, Ebit was known for his
cruelty, such that even his followers were scared of him. He smiled unpleasantly when he saw the Raven
approaching, and raised his arms in a welcoming gesture.
‘Shen! How wonderful to see you again!’ he shouted out.
‘Oh, Ebit, we did not intend to come here. Shen had misread his map again. In fact, we’ll be leaving
now ,’ Ling called back hurriedly, putting emphasis on the last word.
‘Oh, don’t you leave now. My men have been desperate for some exciting little fights these days. So
they’re going to have some fun now when someone wanders into our midst. Won’t they? FIGHT !’ As Ebit
shouted the last word at the wooden houses. Right on cue countless men carrying guns and swords rushed
out, yelling at the top of their lungs. They began to attack the men on the Raven, and the latter fought
back. Within a few seconds, the air was full of yells and bangs of the guns.