Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 298

we had finally gone to all of them required location requested by the great emperor himself, and were ready
to go back home. Truthfully, I was also pretty tired after this long journey, but still, it doesn’t justify the
crewmate on lookout not seeing a huge pirate ship coming straight for us.
When Zheng He finally saw the pirate ship coming towards us, it was already too late. The pirates had all
loaded up their weapons, and knowing about all the wealth and treasures on me, were more than willing to
attack us. As cannonball after cannonball was shot towards us, the crew could only scamper underdeck from
terror. I was just barely able to keep myself in one piece as gunpowder is rained all over me. In the
meantime, I also rapidly retreated further and further into the wide river that would lead us to safety as my
crew cowered inside, to frightened to move or even fight back. After an agonizing hour of evading
cannonballs when possible and going inwards. Our help finally arrives, in the form of four Chinese warships
decked out with all kinds of weapons and a war-hardened crew who actually knew how to fight against
pirates. The resulting fight was bloody and horrible, even with the odds now being in our favor. In the end,
there was one Chinese battleship badly damaged, and the pirate ship, along with its crew was sunk into the
riverbed, never to be seen again. Still, I had been through a lot, with holes all over my hull, and a burning
stern. Using all my strength, I managed to hold myself together just for long enough for everything to be
unloaded and everyone to get to shore. Then, I, out of strength and riddled with holes, finally broke apart,
and my parts either sunk into the riverbed or washed away with the current. It wasn’t a bad way to go, but
at least I had finished my job. That was the last thought I had before me, reduced to only a figurehead, sunk
into the riverbed, and my vision went pitch black.
Days after my own destruction, I awoke once again to see myself hooked in yet another set of chains,
hanging in mid-air and moving. In my confusion, I look around, just to see my new destination: a brand
new ship, built just like its predecessor and sporting the proud name The Voyager Two, and I smile happily
to myself. There was far more adventures for me to go on.