Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 170

Quest for the North Star
Marymount Secondary School, Lam, Kwan Kiu Annette - 14
“Our mission is to enable young people aged 14 – 18, to lead an unforgettable maritime expedition that is
unprecedented in history!”
Merely at a glimpse, I felt intrigued pondering what it would be, what it could be if I was successfully
selected. On the day I arrived at the quay where a treasure fleet was anchored, I was welcomed by a flag
embroidered with a Chinese character “Ming” which was fluttering in the wind. In stark astonishment,
there I saw such a colossal formation of the fleet that comprised a total of 317 ships of which 62 were
heaped with gold, jewels, silk, ceramic pots and wares. I could barely believe what I had seen till I heard a
eunuch reading out aloud an imperial edict issued by the Yongle Emperor from which Zheng He was
entrusted to be the Chief Commander of this Ming expeditionary fleet. It’s the first time that I had met
Zheng He in quite a distance though. Standing high above in the middle of the gangplank, he, being over 6
feet tall, looked like an iconic figure.
After having Zheng He made a brief introduction of the fleet composition, we began setting off to venture
into our unprecedented voyages. Upon boarding the fleet, all mentees including me were divided into
groups and assigned to respective mentors who were responsible for overseeing the progress of our training
and learning during the whole expedition. This was a 6-month intensive training program that literally
embraced a variety of curricular from map reading, navigation, crisis management and human behaviors to
survival skills and cooking. The main aim was to nurture us to sustain ourselves for the whole voyage ahead
as well as prep ourselves for any unexpected calamity. I was allocated to a cabin with 9 other mentees of my
age. We would be spending our time together in the pursuing 6 months.
According to the agenda, all mentees had to wake up before dawn, doing chores including scrubbing the
decks, mopping the floors, cleaning the heads (toilets – it wasn’t a nice job), tidying up the ropes, preparing
meals etc. After taking the early meal - purely a bowl of porridge and a poached egg, I had to attend
lectures invariably on philosophy, theories and physical practices. Our readings were based on
Confucianism, we studied Analects, Books of Rites, Spring and Autumn, which much piqued my interest
though boring. Our mentor said to us, “You have much to do and learn through genuinely life changing
adventures at sea. Life at sea is unpredictable. One stupid mistake can cost your life.”
On the first night on deck, I was so excited yet nervous that I did not sleep a wink. I took a peep outside
through the rice pulp window. Nothing I could hear but the gurgles of the nearby stream. Nothing I could
see but the dark sky peppered with little twinkling stars. In pointed contrast, the North Star shone out with
its brightest sparkles as though it was guiding this little lost sheep to find my way out through darkness … I
recalled the Analects that I had been taught in the lecture during the day - Confucius says, “If you govern
with the power of your virtue, you will be like the North Star. It just stays in its place while all the other
stars position themselves around it.”
About a month later, upon finishing our theoretical sessions, we were about to set foot on our maiden
lonely voyage – we were allowed to leave the vessel to do exploration on our own wherever the captain
found a quay or port suitable for mooring the fleet. The first stop was Berlin. Our vessel was anchored at
the Spree River where there found two settlements on either side, Colin and Berlin. These two twin
towns seemed growing flourishingly with roughly 8,500 inhabitants and the two were merged into one
German municipality in 1432. When I was walking through the streets, I saw buildings, town halls,
hospitals, churches and monasteries with residences for the clergy and a court. The cities looked much
more modern and civilized, far different from what I had seen in China. And around the corner in the
bazaar, something distasteful drew my attention – trade of Jews. A girl about my age was being kept in a
cage looking at me with her pleading eyes as if she was asking for my help. It was in such a sudden that I
summoned up my courage walking towards her direction. Having made sure there was nobody around, I
unlocked the lock of her cage, letting her flee and free. Undeniably, I was really terrified but when I
recalled what Confucius says about the North Star, I felt totally relieved. I told myself, “I am making a
virtue out of necessity. I have no regret.”
Our vessel continued sailing along the Baltic Sea. However, when we were about to steer southwards, the
weather suddenly got worse. The tranquil sea became choppy with pouring rain, howling wind and loud
thunder. At that critical moment, I was on the deck doing some chores. The vessel kept churning with
roaring waves slamming inside the deck, I was tossed up and down, back and forth. Too late to get hold of
anything, I fell into the sea with my vision going black. By the time I resumed consciousness, the storm had
already died off and I found myself lying ashore of a deserted island. Though I was extremely panic, I
realized I should have done something to survive myself before I got rescued. Thanks to what I had learnt,
without hesitation I went to find some logs and sticks to start a fire, not only to keep my body warm, but to