Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 60

Zheng He’s Fleet: The Last Treasure Ship
Shanghai Singapore International School, Zhou, Yi Chen - 10
The emperor had died.
The man who had once supported his voyages the most was gone.
Nobody cared about the old man and his fleet anymore. They were fighting over the empty throne
like hungry wolves fighting over a poor lamb.
However, one day in 1430, the new emperor Xuan De declared that Zheng He would be starting
a brand-new voyage! Why? The emperor was making the announcement to other countries—of course by
Zheng He—that a new emperor had been throned.
I was supposedly tasked to write diaries of the grand voyage. Can you imagine how excited we
were when we watched the endless coastline! It went farther and farther until it disappeared out of sight. I
was on the massive treasure ship of Zheng He. The ship was so big that there would be no difficulty fitting a
running track and a stadium on it—Olympic sized ones (Do not ask me what is ‘Olympic’ or ‘stadium’, I
merely dreamt about the future.)!
However, I had an odd feeling that the voyage would not turn out all right… or maybe I was just
too nervous. After a delicious breakfast one morning, we arrived at the first country. It had been awhile
since the last voyage, but the people recognized Zheng He, so they greeted him politely. We exchanged
information such as the emperor’s enthroning, and goods like silk and spice. Then we moved on to the
other countries.
For months, it was the same work. It was never dull, but I dreamt of more adventurous moments,
such as encountering pirates like during the first voyage. There were also rumours that Zheng He himself
had another reason for the voyage. We were kept guessing until finally, the answer was revealed in our last
planned stop—Mecca. Yes, the great explorer was a Muslim!
Being told the adventures of his father and grandfather, Mecca was Zheng He’s dream place since
young. He had worked so hard for fifty years, had encountered countless catastrophes, and the hard work
had now paid off—he was sailing towards Mecca!
Unfortunately, all his powers and perseverance were spent during the seven voyages—he died
when we sailed past Coulee. The odd feeling! Coulee was the final stop for his first voyage. Now it had
become the final stop for his life and historical achievements.
And that was the end of my story too.