Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 185

The Power of Tin Hau
Renaissance College, Wong, Ava - 11
First, a note for my father:
I’m writing down our adventure as you told me to. Yes, I’ll remember to bury it so people in the future can
read it, and I will make it present tense if you don’t mind. Because it just feels good to be in the present. It’s
more real… So here it is…
I’ve persuaded Father to take me on his next trip! Not to brag, but he’s the captain of a ship! The ship is
small and excluding father and me, there will only be five people onboard. People call us pirates, but we
only steal things from the Wokou. They are Japanese pirates that steal treasure for themselves, whereas we
give out gold and silk treasure to poor people who starve! We don’t use weapons or hurt people! We’re not
like the Wokou.
********
I board the ship with Father and my ginger cat, Yuen. Yuen’s jade collar glistens in the sunlight.
A skinny man greets us. “Luk Ming! You’ve brought your daughter?!”
“Of course, Fat Chan, and her name is Luk Tang. Don’t worry, she won’t be any trouble.”
The ship contains stacks of chests, and the pirates stare at me as I look around.
“Where are we going now?” I ask.
“We’ve found a map leading to a mysterious treasure! It’s a tiny statue of Tin Hau, the goddess of the sea!
The legend is, if you hold it, you’ll be able to command water! With such power, we can collect more
treasure, then give it to the people who live in poverty… and some for ourselves of course! A lot of people
suffered because of the Ming Emperor’s sea ban order.”
Father points to a map pinned to a pole.
“But… why are you a pirate?” I can’t seem to stop asking questions today.
Father stares into the distance. “It’s because of my childhood. As you know, your grandparents were
fishermen, so they lived on the coastline.”
“Yes.”
“But living on the coastline wasn’t allowed. So we had to move. We didn’t have enough money to buy a
house, let alone build one. I remember sleeping in the bitter cold without shelter,” Father grits his teeth.
“You know how Grandpa died...”
I had never seen my Grandpa. And no one had ever spoken about him, until now.
“So!” Father asks Fat Chan, “Have we arrived yet?”
“Yes, Captain! We will be docking in approximately one hour!”. The seven of us cheer.
Yuen’s jade collar brushes my cheek. I found it on a beach when I was small. Father says the Japanese
believe it contains some sort of magical power. But I’m not Japanese. I’m Chinese, from the Ming Empire.
“Time to go, Luk Tang!” Father shouts. Finally!
The surface of the island is covered with rocks. Withered flowers and dead trees seem to glare at me as I
explore. We walk slowly down the gangplank. That’s strange, another ship is anchored near the island .
“Father? Who does this ship belong to?” Father runs towards the ship to get a closer look.
“It’s the Wokou ship. The selfish Matsuura! The Wokou have come!”