Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 220

New Tales of the Ming Treasure Voyages
Shanghai Singapore International School, Lee, Hyo Jeong - 15
Menacing barking of hounds and urgent voice of pursuers bellowing echoed through the strained
atmosphere. Raging torches blazed vigorously in search of a poor little girl. In torn, stained rags, with greasy
disheveled hair, I hurriedly squelched over the soggy ground of rugged mountains where pitch black
darkness had long before fallen. Lips parched and cracked and tears streaked my face. Worn-out straw shoes
had come off my feet long ago but instead deep scratches replaced their place. Panting for breath, I
repeatedly looked back with quivering eyes in the overwhelming fear. My steps quickened as the suffocating
sounds of pursuers grew louder and louder. All at once, I stepped on my long, dragging skirt and fell off the
slope. Tumbling down the slope, being barely conscious, I sincerely prayed to die here with no pain.
Unfortunately, I was still alive though had no energy to raise my body. Then, like a gleam of hope I sighted
a cart with several wooden boxes laying just beside me. It was a strong craving for a survival. I stretched my
hand for one of the wooden boxes with all my might. At the next moment, I faded out.
I wasn’t aware of how long it has been since I got trapped inside the box. Gradually brought to
senses, I tried to push up the lid but heavy loads were keeping their place firmly on top of it. After several
attempts, I quickly gave up, having decided to save this energy. The hours passed by, all muscles got sore at
excessive running and frozen feet covered with sharp scratches began to sting. Of all, burning thirst and
hunger were the most insufferable. Then, I heard the footsteps getting closer and closer, followed by clonks
of bumping wooden boxes. Though I crying out for help, my hoarse voice kept cracked. Unexpectedly, a
blazing light flooded into the wooden box at once, narrowing my eyes and blurring all the vision. Someone
pulled me out of the box, which wasn’t my current interest at all. Only the instinctive desire for water
stuffed my mind. In a raspy voice and with a dry tongue, I continuously murmured one word, “water”.
After a moment of hesitation, the man crept silently out of the room and soon returned with a glass of water
and a rice ball. I swallowed the glass of water at one gulp and crammed a rice ball into my mouth. By then, I
met furious, startled eyes looking down at me.
Avoiding his stare, I slowly looked around the room. It was more like a shed with many wooden
boxes well-arranged in lines. Immaculate walls and floor with no scratches or mold on suggested that the
building was fairly new. Still he was looking dagger at me, so I reluctantly turned my head to face him.
Nonetheless, he kept silence without asking or yelling at me. Minutes passed and with a deep sigh he went
out of the room and came back with a suit of men’s clothes.
“Come out after getting changed” It was his first words.
After disguised myself as a man, I hesitantly stepped out of the shed. He was waiting for me
outside. Hearing that I was on the fleet on a voyage, I almost freaked out. Regardless, he kept on talking.
He notified some discipline I must follow and assigned me some chores, which was indeed a permission for
me to stay here. He then walked away. All incidents happened in a flash, leaving me dumbfounded, though
it was soon shrouded in my tremendous curiosity. I hurried my steps to the deck of the ship. It was such a
colossal fleet that I wouldn’t even notice it’s a fleet if he didn’t mention it. Rolling sea in harmony with a
crystalline sky extended in front of my inquiring eyes. Along the azure incantation, an interminable parade
of hundreds gigantic ships were going on. Such magnificent views bewitched me. Vast, boundless sea
stretched out filled my empty, desperate soul and people’s busy working and chit-chatting sounds consoled
my exhausted mind.
Blissful life on board allowed me to forget all the miseries and misfortunes. I woke up at dawn and
watched a splendid scenery of sunrise over the horizon, which invariably enchanted me. Having a light
breakfast, I busied myself wiping the floor with a rag, arranging boxes of provisions and drinks in the shed.
In the afternoon, I embarked on my little adventure. I explored the fleet, since it was so stupendous that I
could always discover something new. Of hundreds fleets on a voyage, it boasted remarkable size and
splendor. In the evening, I sat around with others and had supper together. Though no one was of my age,
everyone treated me amiably with respect. Sometimes, the man who had saved me spent these precious
nights with us together, giving gentle smiles. I was later heard from others that he’s a boatswain of the ship.
I’ve been never treated as a human all my life, but a pretty doll if well treated. Though I doubted if people
would treat me the same way even if they later find out I was a runaway prostitute, still a good deal of
affection in their eyes comforted me. Every night, under the soothing moonlight, I embellished the night
sky with a unique melody of an antique pipa, I discovered in the fleet’s backmost garret.