Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 256

New Tales of the Ming Treasure Voyage
St. Paul's Convent School, Leung, Yik Yin Yanni - 14
I packed my belongings as mother handed me another lined jacket. “Do pack this as well would you? Oh
my dear son off to the sea. Please come back safely,” Mother said with a teary eye. I laid down my bag,
holding Mother’s hand as I looked right into her eyes, “I promise you I will be safe, and I’ll come home
with thrilling tales of this Ming Treasure Voyage!” I told Mother with determination. She pulled me into a
hug one last time. And I left home to embark on this road of adventure.
The treasure fleet assembled at Nanjing, I stared at the huge fleet of ships in front of me and gasped in
astonishment. Despite hearing exaggerated tales from Xiao Qi, a fellow sailor, they could not hold all the
glory of the treasure fleet, which was more beautiful, more amazing. We boarded the ship one by one.
Never had I ever seen such a beautiful ship, polished planks made from the finest oak wood crafted into a
marine beauty. There were crates of gold brocades, China’s finest patterned and coloured silks, trinkets
beyond its price, all placed neatly on the ship, ready to be gifted to Kings from some other countries. Each
room is decorated with tall bronze candelabras, yet the conference room caught my attention the most.
Huge armchairs were placed in front of an antique oak table, with a large map of the Western Ocean spread
on it.
As a small cabin boy, I had to sweep the decks and coil the stray lines dangling on the ship. When I paused
for a few seconds to watch the land I love fade in the distance disappearing from the view behind us, I was
accosted by the first mate who cuffed my ear and bowled into my ears, “You boy bring your broom over
here and continue sweeping. The next time I catch you slacking off, your head shall pay for it, my lad!” I
then realised was not just fun and games but tough, without one relative or friend to bestow kind words and
wipe the sweat off your forehead and hand you a bowl of warm soup. I started to question my decision to
commence on this mission.
We travelled for days from Lambri in the Indian Ocean, it was quite boring as I swept the decks each day,
when I heard a crew member on deck called out “Look! Look!” Just like me, some other sailors also
followed the voice out of curiosity.
And as I went on the deck and looked in front of me, the serrated mountains loomed in the distance;
seabirds flew around the mountains; the heaven-touching apex of the mountain was drenched in the light
of the sunrise. The luxuriant vegetation on the mountain glimmered in the light and the hushed sounds of
nature mixed with the drinking song of the sailors gently went by my ears, creating a symphony, a soft
lullaby. I set out to see the world with only a paper shield and wooden sword, each rain falls according to
plan as nature takes its lead, offering their peace to the world. Maps stretched out, too many miles to count.
Although I was so far from home, it felt like this was where I belonged: in the vast ocean travelling to see
the most beautiful land. According to Captain Zheng, this was the mountains of Ceylon.
Later that day, the weather began to deteriorate. The clouds moved into the sky and grew suspiciously dark.
“The sea is becoming very rough,” Xiao Qi said. A storm seemed imminent, but the ship had no choice
but to continue to sail throughout the night. In the face of an approaching squall, there were two options:
either pointing the ship into the oncoming wind or turning in the opposite direction and running away
from the wind. Most sailors favoured turning away from the wind however attempting to bear away from
the wind in the last few seconds before being struck by a squall doesn’t seem too much of a choice. The
wind turned into a flurry, those on deck including me clung to the nearest fixture, fearful that we might be
flung into the cold-blooded sea with no hopes of ever returning. It was a nightmare, the crazed flapping of
sails and creaking of the wood, when the gust slammed into the ship, my mind was blank. I was terrified,
not knowing what was happening, my mind was thrown into the utmost consternation and confusion.
Suddenly, Captain Zheng’s voice brought me back to reality. “Guard your posts! Don’t give up, we will get
through this together!” Spirits were raised, each sailor wiped the sweats on their forehead and did their very
best in this fight with the wind. It went as fast as it came, turned up so quickly but Captain Zheng pulled the
crew back together, the ship went through clouds of darkness and there was a sudden sense of calmness. In