Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 150

New Tales of the Ming Treasure Voyages
Heep Yunn Primary School, Fan, Wanika - 12
‘Good bye!’ ‘Have a nice journey!’ ‘We’ll miss you!’I am Chu, a young boy of twelve, my friend Chi and
I have joined the Ming treasure voyage, the biggest sea journey of our time. It was organisted by our king,
who wanted China to have more allies from overseas .Words of farewell ranged from the harbor , wishing
us good luck on our voyage. As we finally set sail , I glanced back towards the harbor, which suddenly
looked so far away . Will all of us come back? A random thought rose out of my mind .I shook it off. Of
course we will , we are the best crew of the country!
Life on the sea was harsh, we faced a lot of difficulties .Sharks, storms, losing our way… Enough to drive
anyone crazy . But life on the ship was even harder to stand. Smelly deck, bad food , annoying captain…
Enough to drive anyone even crazier! But each time the sun rose , hope filled our hearts once more.
Our first stop was India. The locals there were full of passion as they welcomed us with open arms. When
our captain went to see their king , me and Chi decided to take a stroll around the city. There were so
much to see! Special food , crafts and even… ‘MONSTER !!!’ I yelled as I pointed at a weird beast with a
long neck and a spotted pelt. ‘RUN!!!’ The local stared at me as if I was the monster. A few seconds later,
they bursted out laughing! ‘ This is no monster,’ said one of the locals as he wiped a tear from his eye. ‘ It is
a giraffe ! Have you never seen one before? It’s usually used in the circus and their natural habitat is Africa.’
My eyes widen. ‘Africa? How do we get there?’ ‘ You go east ,’The man replied. ‘After a month or so , you
will see Africa.’ We thanked the man and went to tell this piece of information to our captain. But before
we go, Chi took a quick sketch of the giraffe so he could brag about it when he got home.
The Captain was so delighted when he heard our news, he ordered the sailors to set sail immediately.
Everyone was so happy, we all forgot one important detail: the African seas were full of pirates. After a few
peaceful days on the African seas, one of the sailors saw something. ‘There is a British ship ahead, and I think
they’re in trouble!’ He shouted. Sure enough , the ship ahead had a British flag on their ores, and the people
on the ship were shouting as they waved their hands like crazy. ‘ We need to help them ,’ Said our captain .
But as we sail closer , the flag of the other ship was pulled down. When it rose up once again, it was no
longer a British flag. Instead, it has became the flag that we dread the most ----the flag with a scull and a
cross bone. ‘ It is the pirates!’ Someone yelled. ‘They are going to ambush us!’ As we cried in fear the pirates
jumped on our ship and the fight began. I aimed at a young pirate and fired a shot. He yowl in pain as the
bullet hit his legs. He turned around and charged at me, but I was faster. I ducked and thrust my dagger into
his stomach, his cry of pain was cut short and he fell on the floor with a loud thund . I whirled around to
face another opponent but was soon corner by a battle-scarred pirate. He held out his gun and fired a pullet.
I closed my eyes to brace myself when a dark figure leap in front of me and got hit. I opened my eyes.
There, laying in a puddle of blood, was Chi. Suddenly , a yell of retreat got the pirates darting back to their
own ship . ‘We won!’ The whole crew cheered. I shook my head. The price was too high. The captain
walked to my side and put his hand on my shoulder. ‘ Chi died heroicly , he will be remembered for a long
time,’ He began. ‘ Now, you should continue this quest happily and finish it for Chi. Then he will be happy
in heaven, knowing that his wish has been fulfilled .’ I smiled weakly. As I glance at the setting sun, I know
that Chi will always walk beside me, and tomorrow will be a new day .