Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 91

Gradually, the other ships and men of the fleet came into view, but none were even close to being
as dishevelled as my ship’s crew. One of my officers counted the number of ships and nodded at me,
indicating that we weren’t short of any ships.
Without delay, I took note of my surroundings; things were sprawled across every surface, either wet,
broken, or both. I couldn’t bring myself to imagine how I looked when I observed men stained with salty
water and vomit, hair tousled, clothes damp and damaged. Their faces were drained of colour, their eyes
tinted red. I noted that many of them were being held upright by fellow companions, or even carried by
them. It was a pitiful sight, seeing so many men weakened to the point of fainting. Still, they should get used
to the nauseating waters.
This encounter with such an otherworldly sight signified that we were guided by the gods. We were
able to overcome such an impossible storm, we could and would overcome even more. And thus, we
continued to sail, to venture on to our next location, India.