Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 292

Time flew by. Before they knew it, four months had passed. “Brother Jin, the ship is about to sail! Hurry!”
cried Li Jie, Jin’s second brother. Li Jie was the owner of the Shanghai Prince, which was the sister ship of
the Shanghai Princess. The Shanghai Prince was the second most magnificently built ship in China, after the
Shanghai Princess. The Shanghai Prince, the Shanghai Princess and a third ship, the Duchess of Shanghai,
had all been built by the Emperor of China for his three sons, Jin, Li Jie and Jun.
All crew were on board, and supplies were uploaded, ready for sailing to Canton. However, due to the past
misfortunes at sea, everyone was nervous. As he gazed worryingly into the dark sky above, Jin wondered to
himself, “Would this end as a deadly catastrophe, too?”
Finally, off they sailed, the magnificent Shanghai Prince and his fleet of two small ships. Off they went on
their adventure.
Through calm waters they sailed, as night drew in. The stars shone brightly in the night’s sky, waiting to
guide them on their way. All of a sudden, chaos erupted on board. The Prince was being invaded by pirates.
The crew were shaken from their sleep, they grabbed their sharp swords, and bravely fought off their
attackers. Luckily, the crew outnumbered the pirates, and all peace was restored. Their journey continued
and their wounds healed. Three more nights to go. Through calm seas and bright skies they continued on
their long adventure - until they came upon a monstrous storm. “Would this journey be a failure, too?”
wondered Jin to himself, worryingly.
“All men on board!” yelled Jin. “ Let’s prepare for our fate. Whatever that might be!” As the Prince tossed
from side to side and the winds grew stronger by the minute, they all struggled to remove the sails and
secure everything on deck, such as their food, their weapons, themselves and even Jin himself. Then, they
sat. They waited. The thunder roared and lightning struck as the ginormous waves enveloped the Shanghai
Prince. “Help us survive this night,” Jin prayed to his father. And they waited.
As the wind weakened, the sun rose from her sleep and calm took hold, a wounded and weary crew
reappeared on deck to assess the damage and counted the heads. “Everyone had survived!” cried a sailor.
The damage was severe but repairable, and on limped the Shanghai Prince for one more day and one more
night.
“Land ahoy! Land ahoy!” yelled a sailor in delight, as green land was spotted in the distance. “All men on
board!” yelled Jin jubilantly. “We’ve made it! Finally, my brother’s kingdom!” The crew hoisted their sails
while their adrenaline pumped, as they headed for the safety of dry land.
As the Shanghai Prince arrived safely at the harbour of Canton, carrying his crew and his treasures, he was
greeted with warmth, love and cheers from the huge crowd on land. Jun beamed with pride, as he hugged
his brother, Jin, and welcomed everyone to his magnificent kingdom.
On entering Jun’s palace, a pleasant surprise greeted them. Standing there beside a cherry blossom in the
palace garden was Hong, the only survivor of the Shanghai Princess. Jin stood by the gates, speechless. As Jin
neared Hong, he wondered if he was hallucinating. However, as he got closer, he saw that Hong was really
there! Jin looked at Jun and smiled warmly. Jun was very grateful that someone had survived the nasty
storm.
That night, while the treasured cargo was being uploaded onto the Duchess of Shanghai, ready for her
voyage to India, everyone else was invited into the palace for a celebration.
The next morning, it was time to leave Canton. Jin and Jun had a final embrace, and as the majestic Prince
of Shanghai departed for Shanghai, everyone on land was waving and wishing them good luck. The journey
back to Shanghai was a safe one, so a week later, the Prince of Shanghai docked at the harbour of Shanghai,
and Hong was sent back to his family. Emperor Jin was happy and relieved that he had finally completed his
mission.
What new journeys await them?