Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 119

The Journey to the Underworld
St Stephen's College Preparatory School, Choy, Lut - 9
If I had known about the trouble and the dangers I would encounter, I wouldn’t have gone on to become a
member of this ill-fated voyage. Alas, I was Zheng He’s star pupil... so my fate was sealed.
The first voyage had gone smoothly but on our return we went to Sumatra to defeat a pirate
uprising. A mysterious foreigner had joined our company and even though Zheng He had organized the
journey he was not in our midst. Thus, I was made captain and was left in charge of the ship. As we sailed
towards Sumatra a devastating whirlpool appeared and we were stopped dead in our tracks.
A giant, pale figure rose out of the centre of the whirlpool and said, “ You have killed my son, the
Pirate of Sumatra and now I shall kill you!” She vanished as quickly as she had appeared and only then did I
realize the figure was none other than the goddess of the sea, Mazu!
The whirlpool sucked us into the watery depths of the sea and then I lost consciousness...
When I woke up, we were sailing straight towards these enormous, black rusty gates. The water
was dark and it ate away at the sides of the ship. Flames were everywhere and the sunlight was long gone.
The ship sailed on until we were in front of the black gates of the underworld. Then, the acidic currents
swept us through them. I tried to turn the ship around but my body would not obey. I could only watch in
horror as the ship continued to drift further on.
Our ship sailed all the way to the throne of the god of death, King Yan. Surrounding him were the
Ten Kings of the Underworld. King Yan bellowed to us in a terrible voice, “Who goes there?”
I tried to answer him but then I remembered I couldn’t speak, so I motioned to him that my lips
were sealed. He snapped his fingers and I could suddenly speak and move again.
I said, “We are the crew of the Ming Treasure Ships. and the wrath of Mazu brought us here.”
Then I told him about the whole voyage.
After listening to our strange tale, he took mercy on us and decided to send us back to the surface
world. He also gave Mazu the soul of the Pirate of Sumatra to comfort her.
The rest of the voyage went smoothly but I was so shaken by the time I returned that I decided to
retire. I went on living to a ripe old age in peace and peril-free on the periphery.