Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 41

Lifesaving Voyage
Sha Tin Junior School, Ma, Grace - 10
As I waved goodbye to my family, the ship’s horn honked, shattering the distant chatters in the
crowds on the deck. The boat pulled away whilst I was busy adjusting the humongous, crimson-red sail of
the boat. As the madding crowd gradually disappeared from sight, all I could think about was my dear family
and how they would be for the next two years.
I had spent half a year of tough training with the boat team on basic operations of the boat,
mending and defence systems. Finally, it was the day of the real thing. It was no longer a training session. I
felt nervous, like what if I did something wrong that caused the ship to sink or I forgot what this lever did.
Life on the boat was actually hard. I had to make sure that the floors were always clean, no enemies were
about to invade, the sails were tight and facing the right angle, we were going the right direction… and if I
made one tiny mistake, something terrible could eventually happen. Zheng He had a giant boat crew, with
about 200 boats filled with delicate silk and china, elite soldiers and horses, engineers to help with repairs
and even cartographers to figure out where we were going. These valuable goods were for trading with the
other countries in order to get their native goods back to present to the king. That’s the reason why we
were sent to this voyage.
It was a few months from the mournful departure, and I was used to the homesick and tired feeling
on the boat. So far, the weather had been fine, no huge waves nor pirates. The thing I enjoyed was the
delightful view of the sunset as nightfall came. The sky would turn into a rainbow of reds, yellows, and navy
blue. But when the moon came up, I felt homesick. It was like Li Bai’s poem when he misses his hometown
at night. Luckily, I slowly got used to this feeling, and my mind focused on the positive side. Trading,
receiving new goods and even learning new languages. It was not too bad. Trading with people from
different countries and cities was interesting. We gave them gunpowder, ceramics and silk and in return,
they give us various gifts. Once, the people in Africa gave us a giraffe! I was immediately surprised by how
long its neck was and worried about where should we keep it. We had to keep the precious yet rare giraffe
alive and healthy for our king to see. It lived on the storage boat with a wooden enclosure to keep it safe. I
looked after it to keep it safe, and it soon felt like I had a new animal companion with me on the boat. This
put everyone in a determined and positive mood. But there were strong winds in the middle of our trip, but
I liked the refreshing breeze and the way the waves rocked the boat. While I was taking a break from
anchoring the boats. This seemed to groom the giraffe’s messy hair while continuously tickling its
extraordinarily long neck. This hilarious scene always made me laugh.
Occasionally, we stopped on islands to rest or stock-up on food and supplies. I really enjoyed the
pleasant views of the sea and how friendly the people are. I learned a few of those new languages, which
sounded really unusual. However, a huge, raging, uncontrollable storm broke during the return trip. The
sky gradually turned from light blue to grey. Storm clouds floated around and buckets of rain began
splashing and pouring down from the skies splashing on the sea. A few moments later, there were ferocious
winds and colossal waves leaping out of the ocean and crashing onto the rocks on the reef and our boat. The
giraffe sadly stared at the rainy sky and wailed. A rapid bolt of lightning slashed the sky in half, followed by
booming bangs of thunder. A terrible thought came into my mind. My family! Our house wasn’t strong
enough to withstand this destructive storm. Mom had a lack of survival skills. Meng isn’t strong enough to
rebuild the house if needed. And what about Mei? She’s only 3 years old! Completely-devastated and
anxious, I began to cry.
The crew might become stranded near the sea, unable to go back home, lost forever I thought. As I looked
up, I saw my crewmate, Chan, frantically waving two red-and-white flags, signalling the ships were
sinking. Another patch of lightning illuminated the sky, flashing vigorously. There was absolutely no time to
worry or think. I speedily packed the valuables, including my emergency kit and the giraffe, which I pulled
with an old rope. I saw one of the army battleships dramatically, yet slowly sink and crashed onto some
rocks then shatter into pieces.