Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 232

A few days later…
I woke from my slumber. Unsure of what had awoken me, I scrambled out of bed and went up to
the deck. A storm was raging. Hard. Rain lashed at my face as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. The
ship rocked violently. Suddenly, I saw a dark shape emerging from the darkness ahead, heading straight for
the ship. It took me a moment to realize it was another ship, and so I yelled, “SHIP AHEAD!” Soon many
sailors arrived on deck, and Zheng stood beside me. “Good sighting.” he murmured quietly. “Go get ready
for battle. Those are pirates. Hostile pirates coming to steal our gold.” Then he raised his voice and shouted
to the other sailors, “PREPARE FOR BATTLE!”
And so we did. By the time the pirates came near our ship, we were ready. Our cannons blasted
the pirate ship, blowing up bits of it. The pirates aimed their cannons back at us, rocking our ship. Then the
pirates swung a rope across to our ship and climbed along it. We ran forward to meet them, and as the first
of the pirates emerged, we swung our swords and shot our guns at them. I carried a long, silver sword,
cutting and stabbing at the pirates in front of me, feeling more exhilarated than ever before. The pirates fell
back as we fought, but more kept coming. The cries and yells of battle filled my ears. I slashed my sword
swiftly at a pirate, watching in triumph as he collapsed at my feet. Slowly, more pirates fell back. We were
winning! The crowd thinned until only a few pirates remained, who soon fled back to their ship. But we
weren’t letting them go that easily. We ran to the cannons and fired at them relentlessly. “Nobody dares to
steal our treasure!” Zheng yelled. “We must show them that they cannot steal our treasure so easily!”
The pirates’ ship was ruined. Fire burned on their decks, and huge holes covered their ship from
the cannonballs we shot. A few more cannonballs and they would sink. But Zheng told us to stop. “We
shall show them mercy today, but if they come back, we will destroy them.” he said. We watched as the
ship sailed away, until the ship came close to a small island. The ship rocked violently and sank, but we
spotted many pirates appearing in the water and swimming onto the shore of the island. They’ll survive. I
thought. Zheng came up behind me. “You did a good job fighting, child. But it’s about time you got off.” I
stared at him in surprise, but I understood. I was only a young person, and spending time with Ming
Treasure Fleet, on the same ship as General Zheng, was already a great opportunity. I did not belong here
now, but perhaps I could become a sailor when I grew older.
A few days later…
We arrived back in China. It was my time to leave this magnificent ship. Deep sadness lingered in
me as I got off, Zheng at my side. As I stepped back on land, Zheng said, “You have been a great sailor. It
has been an honour to sail with you, but now you must go. Perhaps one day we can sail together again.” I
nodded, filled with emotion as he turned and went back onto the ship. I watched as the ship sailed away
into the distance, and I knew I would never forget the wonderful experience I had on the Ming Treasure
Fleet.