Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 181

The Adventure of a Lifetime
Victoria Shanghai Academy, Lo, Maxine – 9
Ashlyn banged her head. She had to do a project on the Qing dynasty, which she had to hand in
tomorrow, and she just started thinking about it! Since she always does her work after she finishes playing,
she always does homework in a rush! But the bigger problem was... the wi-fi was broken! “Aha!” she said
to herself. Even though it was a crazy idea, she was always wondering if that object could be invented...
She worked on her idea for hours and hours, until she made a…TIME MACHINE! Ashlyn had a
brave and curious personality, so she didn’t mind if she got lost in any puzzle or maze. She was sweaty and
exhausted, but it was worth it. She took a proud look at the smooth time machine, as she went in it. She
was too proud that she forgot to set the time period to the Qing dynasty!
After the sound stopped, she stepped out and found herself on a ship, and as dizzy as a moth that
flutters around the flame. She checked the controller… “No, No, No! This is not right! This is the Ming
dynasty! Ok, what should I do?” She tried to put it back to Qing dynasty, but the time machine was broken
down and rusty. Ashlyn grabbed the heavy time machine in her hands and threw it in the ocean as hard as
she could.
The people around her looked dirty, as if they haven’t taken a bath for months. She looked over all
the heads, and saw someone dressed differently from all the other crew mates. He was somewhere about
seven feet tall, and was perfectly clean. Ashlyn zoomed through her brain, trying to figure out who he was.
After a while, she realized it was Zheng He, the captain in the Ming dynasty who led the Ming Treasure
Voyages!
She was so ecstatic to meet the legendary Zheng He! Suddenly, she saw Zheng He approach
closer...closer… and closer. Ashlyn was really nervous. “Now, please, do your job! Ok?” She had no idea
what her job was. So Ashlyn just picked up a random mop and sweeped the floor.
After a hard day’s work, while everyone was sleeping, a crew member shouted “PIRATE
ATTACK! PIRATE ATTACK!” Zheng He quickly commanded the military to attack the pirates “Admiral
Zheng here, a pirate attack is currently launched by the pirates!” Zheng He told the whole crew to hide in
his room, because the security guards were guarding his room. They could hear heavy footsteps heading
their way. The loud SWOOSH sounds of the sword fight could be heard through the door. Screams of
agonizing pain followed. The sword sounds came closer… Suddenly, a sword poked through the door. It
started sawing a circular opening. Ash widened her eyes and grabbed her bag, ready to hit one of the pirates
if they came in.
Suddenly, the pirates rushed in and giggled “Our captain would be impressed if we take the silk
and treasure… but for people, we’re gonna get you guys! You people have been causing so much trouble
for us pirates! You will be our slaves, cleaning our ships every day! MWAHAHAHA!” The pirates were
about to put a hypnotizing poison on Zheng He, but Ashlyn started turning her head to the pirates, and hit
the pirates with her heavy and torn- down bag. The last of the pirates fainted heavily on the floor, while
Zheng He took out his sword, breathing heavily. “Thanks for the help. You seem to have good instincts.
Why don’t you help me navigate to Africa?”
The fleet continued along the route, and it had been many days since they last saw land. Finally,
the fleet nearly reached a man on the plank. The man waved at them from a close distance. The man had
much darker skin than anyone on the ship. it was obvious that they were in foreign lands. Zheng He
exchanged gifts with the man. He offered trunks of astonishing silk and gold, reflecting the sunlight. In
return, Zheng received all sorts of exotic animals like camels, zebras and ostriches.
Ash was still thinking about having a new adventure, but she remembered: SHE HAD TO
RETURN TO THE PRESENT! To distract him, she asked Zheng He to go to sleep. Zheng He raised an
eyebrow but agreed anyway. Ashlyn ran to the shore like a wildfire. Ashlyn walked around the shore to see
if there were any scraps she could use. She saw a time machine. Wait, was it the one she built?