Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 53

Gazed at the room.
And gasped.
“Penny—look!” I cried.
Penny let out a startled cry.
Where am I? I wondered.
My heart was pounding like a drum. I took a deep breath.
We were not in the forbidden room anymore. We were in a ship cabin!
There were four different rooms in the cabin. An old-fashioned magnetic compass stood on a table in the
middle and some clothes were scattered on the floor.
“Maybe, somehow, we got sent back to 1400s,” Penny said, Making a confused look. “And we’re in one of
the pirate ships are on the sea.”
I gave her a shove. “That’s great, Penny. I knew I could count on you to look on the bright side. How did
you know this is a pirate ship?”
“Look yourself,” She pointed left.
I turned my head around. It led to another room. A dark figure stood in the doorway. He strolled out of the
room. He wore a worn-out pirate uniform.
He had large brown eyes. His moustache was as brown as his hair. He pulled on a tricorn hat as he walked
toward us.
He squinted, first at Penny, then at me. “Have ye arrived?” he said in a low, cool voice. “I wasn’t expecting
ye till later.”
“Uh…” I said, feeling my voice tremble. “Who are you?”
“Well, my name is Captain Jack Wong,” he said. “We’re about to rob the Ming Treasure Ships that are
incoming. Wanna come?”
“No!” Penny cried. “We’re not pirates!”
“Y’all don’t wanna meet my bad side.” Captain Jack said impatiently.
Was that a threat? Or he’s just trying to scare us?
“If ye wanna go back to your uncle’s lighthouse safely,” he said, lowering his eyes on me. We have to help
him.
He brought us to the upper deck. Ocean waves crashed against the ship’s side. The ship rocked unsteadily.
“Just tell us why are we here!” I shouted. My skin prickled with horror.
“I brought ye here for a reason,” Captain Jack leaned towards me. “I’ve met ye uncle’s ancestor a long time
ago. He gave me a treasure chest and said if I need any help, just open the chest. I’m the only one left on
this ship, and I needed BIG help. So, when I opened the chest ye came here.”
I stared at him with my mouth open. Has he gone bonkers?
He started out at the sea using his Dutch telescope. “I guess the Ming treasure ship sped away along with the
treasure,” he said sadly. “I guess I have to make you walk the plank. I can’t have any witnesses telling the
truth.”
“You can’t do that!” We both shouted in horror.
He took a step forward, arms stretched.
I was terrified, but not too scared to move.
We both bolted to the ship cabin and ran through the curving tunnel. Our shoes clapped loudly on the
wooden floor. It sounded as if a thousand kids were running from a pirate!
My legs felt rubbery and weak. But I forced myself to run.
We ran through the dark tunnel, following the curve of the walls. Penny leaned forward, her arms stretched
in front of her as she ran. As we turned again, her legs were pumping hard, and she was ahead of me.
I glanced back.
Was Captain Jack following us?
He was close behind, his long brown hair flapping behind him.
A wooden chest came into view up ahead.
The chest! The chest that brought us here!
An idea suddenly popped into my mind. Captain Jack said if he needed help, he will open the chest and
wait for help to come. If we dive into the chest would we be able to get out of here?
It was a wacky idea, but it was worth a try.