Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 233

The Adventure of a Lifetime St. Mary's Canossian College, Lau, Chloe - 13 This is the beginning of an adventure of a lifetime. ‘Land ahoy!’ the joyous cry from the crow’s nest woke me from my dream. I shot up quickly and mounted the flights of stairs to see the scenery as soon as possible. We’ve finally arrived! I reached the deck and the sight took my breath away. A great piece of land with people hustling and bustling around stretched endlessly. After a month of storms, cold and seasick at sea, we finally arrived. And even after all this time, I still couldn’t believe that I, LiuYong, assistant of great mapmaker Liheng, had been chosen to be a part of Ming’s 2 nd great Treasure Voyage. Master Li soon joined me on the deck. We exchanged greetings and both drank in the magnificent sight hungrily. “LiuYong, ever since I saw you, I knew you were smart. Besides, you have been a good assistant, being so attentive and hard-working. We have now arrived in a well-developed trade market. Therefore, you can just relax and explore the market while we are stopping by. Remember to come back and meet me on the deck at 6! We will discuss and plan our route as we will set sail again tomorrow,” he smiled, and waved me away. I was delighted. I bowed deeply, gave him my thanks and ran off to explore the wonders of the trade market. I caught sight of a map shop and I rushed in. There were so many beautiful and exquisite maps. Each one was drawn with years of hard work and different styles. The assistant was amused at my great passion in maps, and he was also a map lover. ‘Hey kid! What’s your name?” he asked. ‘I am LiuYong from the treasure voyages.’ ‘Oh! I heard there are some pirates around the port lately. Stay safe my friend!’ he said, but I told myself I needn’t worry. We talked about different maps for a long time, and I lost track of time. Suddenly it was evening, and I bade him goodbye and left. After leaving the port, Master ZhengHe told us we had to take a longer route to our next destination as foggy and rainy weather is expected, to avoid losing our way. The next morning, I woke up and felt seasick. I had to get some fresh air so I went on deck. After a minute, I felt much better. I was starting to go back indoors when I gagged. I started to vomit, and I rushed into the storage room as I reeked and threw up. I took a few deep breaths, and was about to go out when I saw the shadows of pirates. Uh oh. I can’t go out, it would only get myself captured too. What would become of the crew? I almost cried out in dismay as I saw that the whole crew had been captured. Even the admiral ZhengHe looked a mess, his forehead beaded with blood. LiHeng had a nasty gash on his right arm, and I longed to help him clean up his wound. The whole crew was a sorrowful sight, as the pirates had totally taken them by surprise. They could not contact other ships for help as the attack was too sudden. All of them had their hands and feet bounded by ropes. Suddenly, I heard a nasty laugh terribly close to me, and my heart stopped as I came into such close contact with the most feared pirate. One could say that he was a human form of Satan. His name was SaRen, which means a killer in Mandarin. It was obvious that he was the leader, as he had a halo of menace and hatred. Even his own pirates fear him and tremble when his name was mentioned. He had a scar running down from his forehead to his chin, and he had only one eye. He had crooked teeth, and a nasty smile that sends a shiver of fear down one’s spine. SaRen took great pleasure in taunting our crew, and it makes one wonder how did he ever start out as an innocent, kind baby. “Scoundrels, hurry up and lock them in a room!’SaRen barked. ‘Have this done in a minute and gather before me!” A servant boy whimpered with pain as the pirates dragged him to the room. The pirate gave him a violent kick on the shin and the boy fainted clean away. I trembled in my uncomfortable crouched position, but I did not dare move. I felt lonely and terrified. I was alone.