Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 54

New Tales of the Ming Treasure Voyages
Shanghai Singapore International School, Park, So Yeon - 11
It’s been 20 years since it happened. I’m lucky to be alive and writing this. Many of my pals and
respectful elders weren’t as lucky as I was. Praying for my dear friends, I will unravel the story that has
haunted me almost every night for the last 20 years.
My name is Hung Li. I was only 17 then. I was called to set off on a trip. A lot of you might
know, it’s called the Ming Treasure Voyages. We had to set sail for India, trade goods, and come back
safely with chests of valuable presents. Of course it was a frightening, daring voyage. We might have a
shipwreck, or face the possibility that the country refuses to take us in as friends, or—worst of all—we
might encounter pirates
Since I was the youngest and strongest man on the ship, I was the one pulling up the goods for
trading. As I stopped for a rest, I saw the captain on the deck, gazing out into the blue sea.
“The day sure is good for sailing, isn’t it?” I said, grinning.
The man jumped. He looked at me as if I was a weird, three-legged monster, then shook his
head slowly, “You must be new if you think that. We’ve got a long journey in front of us. This,” he
gestured at the open sea, “is fake. An invitation from the sea monster. Who knows how long it will
last…”
He went back to his deep thoughts, and I quietly clomped down where things were still being
loaded. Worries and fear wrapped around my guts. I hoped we would return safely.
The journey began! With a sudden jerk, hundreds of ships set off from the main dock. People
waved good bye and good luck. Some of us on board stared silently at the people at the dock. But
most of us got working right away.
Unlike the captain’s worries, the journey to India was fairly smooth. No shipwrecks, no
pirates. Now the only worry was whether India would take us in. If they didn’t, there might be a battle
between us.
“Hung Li! What are you doing over there! Come and help! No use standing there like a fool!”
I whipped around. Four sailors were pulling on a rope. One rolled his eyes when he saw me.
“Come now, it’s no use standing there. Captain didn’t call you for that!”
I strolled down and swiftly pulled down the rope. A sailor guffawed.
I smiled and shuffled away back to the deck. I spent most of the time there.
Soon we were in India. We strode down the wooden steps and stepped onto the sandy
ground. The people of India stared at us. Our captain spoke to someone who looked like the chief.
After what felt like hours, the chief nodded and said,
“Bharat me aapka swaagat hai!”
That meant ‘welcome to India!’. So we were friends with India now.
We were led to a castle. It was beautiful. Swirls of colours filled every single room, with
antique vases and pictures decorating the hall. We marched across the thick carpet and stopped in front
of the king. The chief explained something to the king. He nodded and gestured to the slaves. They
scurried away to what looked like the treasure room.
The next morning, we left with soft silk, special spices, and exquisite jewelries piled onto the
ship. This was when the scariest part of the trip began.
We sailed across the Indian Ocean, happy and contented. I sighted a small dot floating towards
us. However, it wasn’t a dot. As it got closer, I realised it was a ship. And it didn’t look friendly. There
was a moment of silence amongst all our ships.
Pirate attack.
“Captain?” I whispered, “What are we going to do?”
“Hush! Everything is under control!” he reassured. But I could tell by the look of his face it
wasn’t.
The pirate ship loomed closer until it was in front of us. Three men jumped off. They each
had a beard and tattoos. Long silver swords dangled in their hands. The sailors looked for our weapons.
We had swords too. And shields. One of the pirates walked towards us. One step, two step. And
swiftly, he slashed his sword across the neck of a sailor who was standing nearby. We raged.