Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 271

The Stray Ship
The Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Shi, Kailin - 11
“Ship ahead!” yelled Li Jian, the ship’s navigator and leader. He furrowed his eyebrows as the unknown ship
ahead began sailing towards them. The crew were sent by Zheng He to look for a runaway ship that has
somehow drifted away from the treasure fleet around the coast of India. On Zheng He’s command, they
have only brought only one ship to assist with the search. But the ship ahead was definitely not the missing
ship that was lost. It was a huge junk wood ship, with delicate silk flags. The ship was bigger than a normal
treasure fleet ship. It had a metal mast the shape of a dragon, painted with bright colors, its eyes bright and
shiny. Li Jian watched as the large ship rowed towards them with an alarming speed.
“ Back! Back! Row Back! Fast!” commanded Li Jian, hopping off the mast of the ship to help the
men with the boat’s rowing. But it was too late. The huge ship crashed straight into the mast of the search
boat, which splintered and cracked immediately. Li Jian pulled out his trusty gold sword as a swarm of
pirates leaped onto the shiny mast of the ship. All of the pirates had distinctive Chinese features: pale skin,
black hair, sharp nose. All of the pirates wore leather clothing, had terrible personal hygiene, and stringy
beards, except for the pirate in the middle. He, no, she, had long hair flowing down her back. Her eyes
were cold, her face pale, her spear crusted with dry blood. She wore her red, light silk robes and her well
known jade necklace that she has stolen from Zheng He’s treasure ship the first time these pirates have
ambushed. Yes, it was Ching Shih, the famous female pirate that ruled the seas. Rumor said that her sword
cuts through iron as if it was clay.
With a magnificent bellow, Ching Shih raised her sword into the air, which glinted
like silver under the sun. Immediately the pirates began attacking savagely. The junior pirates held no
weapons, and the senior pirates held swords that were crooked and rusty. Half of them didn’t have an arm or
leg. And it was 50 pirates against 250 men from Li Jian’s team. But still, Li Jian’s team stood no chance. The
pirates fought like demons, with their nails, teeth and fingers. Li Jian fought bravely, but he could tell that
he was standing on the losing side. A lot of his men had already surrendered, and they were being tied up
and sent to the pirate’s boat. Others had their eyes scratched, their clothes ripped, and pushed into the sea,
where they grappled hopelessly at the side of the gigantic boat, trying to climb back up.
“No.” mumbled Li Jian as he battled against Ching Shih, sword against spear, gold against silver. If
he even survived and escaped, (which isn’t very likely), Zheng He will have his head for losing 250 men and
the hidden treasures in the boat. But at that second of distraction, he let down his defenses, and Ching Shih
put her silver sword at his neck. The whole boat was silenced.
Ching Shih smiled like the way a rattlesnake smiles before it strikes. Li Jian felt his hair stand on the
end. “ Now,” she said gently, “ Come with me.” Li Jian closed his eyes as the pirates tied him up, and he
fainted.
Fish.
I smell fish, thought Li Jien. Slowly he opened his eyes. Li Jien was in a damp room. The smell of
sea water filled the air. Water was seeping in from the walls of the boat, and with a shiver, he realised he was
in the stores room of the ship. Besides from sea water, he saw barrels, barrels, and more barrels of…. fish. All
types of exotic fish filled the barrels. Some were common fish that Li Jian has saw before, like cod or sea
bass. Others were colorful, with shiny scales that sparkled like pearls. Some were raw, others were cooked.
Curious, Li Jian stood up and realised that the ropes were untied. He stretched, and walked towards the
barrel of shiny fish. On the side, there were strange markings of a foreign land:
‫ﻫﻨﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺴﺠﻨﺎء‬
Intrigued, Li Jian stuck his hand into the barrel. He lifted a slippery fish with ease. As the son of a
successful fisherman, Li Jian has learned how to hold, catch, and identify all types of fish. But he has never
seen such a beautiful specimen of fish before. Its scales shined like pearls, white and smooth. It had an agile
shape, and Li Jian predicted that is is surely a swift fish, hard to catch and extremely valuable. And those
eyes——
Suddenly, the fish flopped out of Li Jian’s hands. It fell on the damp wood floor and began to flop
around. Squish, Squash, Squish, Squash. Startled, Li Jian tripped and fell, causing the entire barrel to fall
over. Squish, Squash, Squishy, Squash. Li Jian hurriedly released the beautiful fish into the ocean. As he
picked up the fish and tossed it into the surging waves, something caught his eyes. More markings were on
the floor, where the barrel of pearly fish was. It had the same marking as the markings on the barrel.
“What does it mean?” wondered Li Jian out loud.