Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 203

Night came, followed by the sounds of cannons firing and roaring. The battle had started. I clenched
my fists tightly, staring through a small crack on the edge of the boat.
“Prepare for battle! Guns loaded and ready, weapons up!” Zheng He’s voice boomed over the sound of rain
and thunder.
“Fire!” Zheng He shouted.
Boom! Crash! Bang! The cannon balls flew across the ocean, smashing onto the hard, rigid planks of
the pirate ships. I caught glimpse of one cannon ball smash onto one of our enemy’s ships, and now one
boat was set on fire. The pirates started diving off the ships and swimming for their life. Not to mention the
sharks that live in this area of the sea. I smirked with pleasure.
A familiar pirate came close to our cabin, holding a silver knife. Bam! A blurring figure of what
looked like father knocked the pirate straight into the depths of the water.
Eventually, Chen Zuyi surrendered. He was captured, tied and kept in a cell. When I came up,
Zheng He ordered me to talk to him privately. How strange. When I opened the door of his cabin,
blackness overwhelmed me. Did someone turn off the lamps?
I heard the drumming of fingers on a wooden surface.
“What were you doing behind the fish barrels?”
“I—” Silence. My mind rises back to the rippling surface.
I wake up tied to the mast.
“Are you alright?” Asks my father with dried up blood rolling from his forehead.
“Y-yes.” I stutter, looking around. I stop and stare, seeing the savage who held a knife to my neck,
mocking our crew mates.
I struggle, pulling and trying to get my hands apart from each other.
The savage catches my eye, and snickers. “Well, well, well, seems like you just can’t keep your
eyes closed.”
My father grits his teeth, and under his breath, murmurs, “We’ll be alright son. There is no reason
to fear.” I try my best threatening look at the savage. He roars with laughter.
“Time after time they fight us, but tide after tide they drown” He meets face to face with me, and
whispers, “Even the emperor’s fleet follows the rest, while we share your gold, sell your crew as slaves and
your leader? Well, he’d better hope that this was all just a savage and stormy dream”