Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 30

Dragon Kite
Delia School of Canada, Saha, Vaniya - 13
It’s been 10 years since they found me. I was only a wee lad of 11. I can’t remember my parents
except my mum had ginger-tawny hair and my dad had the eyes of emeralds, which they gave to me. All I
can remember was a bright flame engulfing our town while I was afloat on the vast sea with a gold coin in
my grasp. It was all I had, all I had left. Days passed by and I could feel my flesh dissolving into my bones.
Though being surrounded by saline water, my throat yearned for fresh liquid. I must have drifted halfway
across the ocean already. I drifted and drifted, and that’s how they found me.
“What use will it be to have this childler on board?”
“Maybe I might tell you when you get this kid some water!”
My eyes peeled open when a bucket of water was dumped on me. A great way to meet someone. I
woke up to face 10 grown men circling the bed which I was drenched upon. They had this foreign look,
but it didn’t prick any memory.
“So when can we eat this scanty little lad?”
‘Excuse me?’ I thought.
“We ain’t eating anyone! We have fish and that’s what we’re gonna eat! Otherwise, it would be
called cammibatism!”
‘What’s that…?’
“Shut your imbecile mouth. He’s listening!”
As they proceeded their dispute, I crawled out of the creaky bed. Thanking that these gruesome
looking men had voices so obstreperous they never heard me. I attempted to keep a low level by crouching
down. I finally go to the door when-
“Oi, the kid’s escapin’!”
This was my cue. I ran. Least did I know there were another 10 pirates dwelling outside with their
ears to the wall while being surrounded by buckets of soapy water. Looking back over my shoulder the ones
I had encountered were already pouring out. So I ran and I ran. I never realized that these pirates were so
feeble-minded they kept running in circles behind me. It was like a race of laps. I overtook the ones at the
back, the back ones overtook me. It all happened in such a blur we all forgot what our aim was and just ran
in circles.
“STOP WITH THIS SWASHBUCKLING NONSENSE!”
A man with a voluminous charcoal hat appeared. He seemed rather ordinary, but his thick faded
crimson coat and his lengthy knotted beard made him stand out.
“I said we’d get the boy, not chase him around like mindless ducks for a crumb of bread! You,
what’s your name?” It sounded more like a demand. With that, he produced a thin but cuspidate sword and
placed the tip on my neck.
“It’s Jake, Jake Wesley,” I trembled, whispering the latter.
Disregarding me, the man lifted his sword to his face, narrowing his eyes as if inspecting it. “Little
Wong, clean my sword. It still has blood.” He tossed it to a short and rather pale-looking man. “And Big
Wong, tie this Jack. We don’t want another cat and mouse chase now do we?" a pause. "I SAID DO WE?”