Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 237

The Crown Jewel
St Margaret's Co-Educational English Primary & Secondary School, Ansari, Rafi - 14
“Zhao, do you ever get tired of this blue?” A young man stood, leaning on the railing, neatly lined on the
edge of the exquisitely manufactured junk boat. He looked longingly towards the horizon, watching the
waves and sky, dyed in similar shades of blue, merge together. He had asked his crew mate a rather simple
question, but his tone was engaged, tense.
“Not as much as working on a rice farm if you ask me.” The middle-aged man answered the
young man while cleaning the deck enthusiastically. “I would never had been this rich if it weren't for these
Ming Pirates allowing me in.”
“But we're just some nobodies on a random boat in an enormous fleet, nothing like those on the
main ships. Those people just straight up take most of our profits, so what's the point of doing this?” The
man seemed quite unmotivated to do anything but loaf about where the officials wouldn't see him. They
were far too busy enjoying their food and booze inside the boat.
“Look Feng, you've never done it, so you wouldn't know. Rice farming is, compared to this, plain
excruciating and the income you get from working from sunrise to sunset won't be enough to buy you
three meals. Hell, you'd be lucky to get two meals a day. Here, you get spices and tea breaks – you don’t get
either of those in the fields so stop your whining and help me out here. If the Ming Shadows were to find
you slacking, they'd give you more than just a few whips.”
“Ugh… alright-” Feng approached the man when abruptly, the alarm was raised.
“ENEMY PIRATES!” The watchman rang a bell while screaming on top his lungs. The Ming
Pirates, at least their guards, brandished their dao swords while the Ming mercenaries took out their spears.
Was this a blessing? Or was it a curse? The pirate junk was heading right towards our boat, which
rested in the flank of the fleet, a place where the most stalwart warships were placed. Most ships wouldn't
attack our flank as it was the most guarded part of the fleet. The jewels of the Ming Emperor lay within the
bellies of the boats in the center.
As I watched the boat cut through the surf, I thought of how tired of this lifestyle I was and if I was
lucky, those pirates may just allow me into their ranks; that would certainly be exciting.
As the battle approached, I hid in a corner of the ship, ready to jump onto the pirate boat, and
jump on I did.
I jumped and barely managed to latch myself to a window of the rival junk. Hearing the screams
and battle cries, I wasted no time trying to find a way to become a stowaway and embark upon new and
exciting adventures…
Then I came across an ornamented door in the middle of an empty hallway. The door was more
than double the size of all the other doors and had jewels embedded on the front of it. The captain of the
ship must had been a rich man. Maybe… this could be my chance to be rich, escape the fleet and enjoy a
lifetime in a decent house in the capital. As I approached the intricately designed door, I got a feeling that I
would not be disappointed.
I opened the room, and it was empty. Looks like the captain also took part in the battle. Well a
small pirate fleet like this would need all the men they could get to raid the mighty Ming Pirate Fleet.
I forgot about my objective and was charmed by the sight of treasure
I grabbed every jewel or trinket there was in my sight and kept ransacking until I accidentally
discovered a drawer, alone, and hidden from plain sight amidst the paneling of the ships interior wall. I
walked towards it and crouched down, and found it secured by a heavy lock. I had no knowledge in lock
picking, so the only option I had was to cut open the fine wooden drawer.
I took my sword and start sawing at the lock. I heaved on both sides and the wooden plank
plopped out, at the cost of the condition of my sword. There was only a small, heavily adorned box,
covered in an alluring red cloth. Even touching it felt heavenly.
I opened the box. All I saw was a small crimson jewel. It's shape was enchanting, and looking at it
was mesmerising. It wasn't just shiny, it refracted light in itself, making it look as if there were more jewels
inside the blood-red jewel. It simply left me entranced in its beauty. This was something that belonged on
the crown of an emperor, no, a God.