Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 70

The Last Pearl of The Sea
Singapore International School, Tan, E-Shyan - 10
Heaven, he thought. This must be heaven. The soft, warm sand and the sun rays wrapped around
him like a warm hug. The salty smell and taste of the ocean. The light breeze tickling his skin.
The symphony of waves crashing onto shore and the call of seagulls. Heaven.
“Admiral! Admiral!”
Admiral Zheng He’s eyes shot open, the blinding bright light stung his eyes, burned it. Then he
felt the throbbing pain in his head, he could feel the hammer chipping at his skull. He winced.
After blinking a few times and shaking his head, the pain subsided. He surveyed the area and saw
it was not heaven, he and the remaining crew were washed up on the island! Instantly the pain in
his head came back. They had encountered a fierce storm on their way to the Kingdom of
Thailand. All the treasure that they were supposed to give to the King is lost! How could he have
failed Emperor YongLe so easily! Guilt poured into his heart like a flood. He looked up and saw
his trusted first mate, Li Wei, stumbling towards him.
“B-bring me to the wreckage.” Admiral Zheng ordered, trying to sound confident.
Admiral Zheng ordered the surviving crew to salvage what they could from the damaged ship
and build a raft for them to head back to China. Admiral Zheng told Li Wei to take charge and
he went to explore the island. As he walked deeper into the jungle he could not believe the
beauty found within it. Flocks and flocks of rainbow coloured birds fluttered from tree to tree.
The birds were so fast it just looks like a blur of colour. The lush vegetation bore large juicy fruits
of different shapes and colours that he has never seen before. The trees were so tall and the
branches and leaves on the treetops spread out so much that from below it was a roof of green.
And you can hear the endless song and hum of the animals.
As Admiral Zheng was blown away by its beauty, he noticed smoke coming out from a cave on
the side of a rocky cliff. This island should be uninhabited…. Out of curiosity he started
climbing up the treacherous cliff, relying on small holes and ledges to put his foot on or hold on
to. After much effort, he finally reached the cave. He was surprised to see an old man sitting by a
fire at the entrance. His clothes were tattered and filthy. The man noticed Zheng looking at him
and he smiled.
“I am General Wang. I was sent here 12 years ago to retrieve the Infinite Pearl of the Sea”, the
man pointed into the cave, “it's right inside, but it is guarded by fearsome monsters. They have
killed all my men…but I am not giving up. I have been guarding this cave ever since, waiting for
my chance.”
“Wait”, Zheng interrupted, “You are the famous General Wang that went missing years ago? I
will help you retrieve it. Let’s finish this mission!”
Wang guided him into the cave, the deeper they went, the scarier it became and they could feel
it radiating evil. Finally, they came to a large area, the core of the mountain. The place was filled
with mermaids. Now these are not those kind of mermaids in fairy tales. They had no pupils and
had claws three inches long. Their mouths were filled with razor sharp teeth, and they had scratch
marks all over their body, some were bleeding. Worst of all, their tails were decorated with
bones; human bones. The two looked up and saw that the entire place was decorated with
human skulls. At the centre of the core was a glowing object. The ancient treasure, Zheng
thought.
The minute the mermaids saw them, they lunged, screeching, demanding blood.
“Quick!” Wang yelled, “Get to the treasure!”
Together, the duo ducked and sprinted towards the treasure. Several mermaids lunged at Zheng
but he managed to defend himself with his sword. All the screeching and slashing attracted more
and more mermaids to fight him. He backed away and slashed his sword wildly in desperation, as
the mermaids howled in delight at the thought of human flesh and blood. Soon the mermaids
cornered them. They kept coming closer and closer until he could feel their horrid breath on his
skin...
Suddenly, Li Wei jumped in wildly swinging his sword. The mermaids were taken by surprise
and howled even louder.
“How did you know where to find me?” Zheng cried with relief.