Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 221

New Tales of the Ming Treasure Voyage
Ying Wa Primary School, Chow, Jayden - 10
The storm was howling through the night. Waves as high as mountains whipped up from the sea. A ship
sailed steadily on, not afraid of the wind. It was bustling with activity as the sailors hurried around the deck.
This voyage was known as the Ming Treasure Fleet.
“Captain! Our deck has broken, and a ginormous hole is visible! Please give your commands, sir!”
A commander reported obediently to the captain, Lawrence. “I see. On the safe side, bring the treasures
away from the hole, and patch it up immediately,” he ordered. The commander rushed back and forth,
giving orders. Lawrence gazed out of the window. He sighed, “Our ship might not hold for long. I must
have a back-up plan.” Just after he spoke, another voice came. “Captain! Our sail has fallen! Luckily,
nobody was injured. What do I do, sir?” Lawrence sighed once again, and quickened his pace to check the
damage.
The next day, the storm had gone. Lawrence had gathered up all of the sailors on board to make an
announcement. “Fellow sailors, commanders, cooks, and everyone on board. I have made a decision. This
ship,” he said, “is worn-down, old and it won’t provide us much more protection. So, I have decided to
build a new one.” Murmurs spread like fire.
“What? Another one? How can we manage?”
“Oh no! That means more work!”
Lawrence tried to calm the crowd. “If we all pitch in, I’m sure we can achieve that. Please help! Of
course I will help too!”
It seemed to calm the murmurs among the crew, and that made Lawrence a bit more confident. “Set
sail to the nearest island!”
After days of sailing, they reached an island named Tropic Island. It was beautiful with loads of gardens
and rose bushes. A city could be clearly seen in the middle of the vegetation. Lawrence decided to go
explore the city. He told the crew to start building the ship, while he walked cautiously towards the city.
Soon, he had arrived. As he walked further in, he found that the city was seemingly abandoned.
“Hello? I come in peace. I do not carry any weapons. I just want to make friends.” A few heads popped out
from corners and behind walls. In a few seconds, there were tons of heads looking at Lawrence. One tall and
skinny man walked out of hiding, trembling. “Yes? May I ask...who are you?” Lawrence introduced himself
and his reason why he was on this island. “I need help. Can you lend me a hand?”
After a few minutes, they had made a compromise. Apparently, the Tropians(the people on the
Tropic Island) were weak against pirates’ attacks and needed more protection. That’s why the Tropians hid
when Lawrence came. Lawrence promised the Tropians to defend them as well as they could, and so the
Tropians let the crew on the Ming Treasure Fleet stay to build their brand new ship.
Meanwhile on the beach, things were going pretty well. They had gathered wood from the vegetation
on the beach, and were cutting them to a size that fits the build. Lawrence returned, this time along with
the Tropians. They were planning how much space the crew was going to take up. Lawrence was quite
satisfied about the progress they had made. He grinned.
Months passed by. The ship was finally finished. The Tropians were quite disappointed when they
heard the news. After all, the crew had protected them against all sorts of attacks. Lawrence could see their
frowning faces, so he gave them weapons from their treasure storage. The Tropians promised to repay the
crew for their protection. With that, the crew sailed off.
Another year passed by. Lawrence was extremely proud of himself, because he just made friends with
the Indians. Just when he was celebrating, he heard a huge BANG. Pirates were invading his ship. His
cannons had unfortunately broke down when he needed them. He had neither defense nor attack weapons.
The only thing he could do was to run. He suddenly saw the now empty treasure vault and remembered the
Tropians. He immediately ordered his crew to set sail to Tropic Island.
When he arrived, the Tropians were putting up the crew’s old ship in the center of the city as a statue
to remember the crew for helping them defend them against the pirates. The Tropians once again stared at
Lawrence. “Remember me? I’m Lawrence!” he yelled. “I need your help! There are pirates after me! My
new ship has broken down! I need my old ship!” The Tropians beamed. They finally had a chance to repay
the crew for their kindness. They got to work right away. The braver Tropians helped defend the pirates
with the weapons the crew had given them. The rest moved the old ship to the other side of the island. The
Tropians followed closely behind. “I want to go with you,” the tall, skinny Tropian said.