Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 73

Mey’s Ming Treasure Voyage Adventure
Harrow International School Hong Kong, Li, Jaimee - 11
The storm breezed through the coal-black sky, screaming like a banshee and breaking the silence of the
frozen night, tossing waves with casual ease, crashing dangerously through the weather-beaten rocks with its
jagged teeth baring at them, threatening to add the ship to a pile of many shipwrecked skeletons… Only the
lone commander stood at the wheel, proud, still and unblinking, taunting the waves to shatter him. The
wind and sea teared at his face, plastering jet-black hair to a forehead of pale skin whilst lightning cast an
eerie glow to the night sky. It ran like an enchanted thread through an isolated forest, illuminating his face
in flashes of blinding white and yellow . He surveyed his surroundings with narrowed eyes - his crewmen
were desperately fighting to save themsleves from this vicious monster…The sea and sky seemed like a
jagged line wailing with malicious cackles, pouncing perilously close to the wooden ship and throwing it
like a toy.There was no chance of survival…
“Click” Mey heard the metallic, empty sound of the TV in her room click shut and echo through the
isolated house. Her head was tilted slightly downwards and she gazed through her locks of ebony, black-
as-night hair. The toffee coloured wooden floor was smarming with woodlice and she felt disappointed and
furious. She had been forced to watch a series of documentaries her mother had excitedly told her to see.
She still remembered her mother’s joyous voice singing as she left the minute bungalow for the grand
university she taught at.“ Come on, Mey! The Ming Treasure Voyages is a wonderful way to get immersed
into Chinese Culture!”Mey sighed. She had watched part of the documentary then turned the TV off as
soon as she saw the haughty figure of Zheng He.
“ If only there was a bit of adventure in my life like Zheng He and his crew. If only…”
Suddenly, she heard a small whirring noise remeniscent of a piece of clockwork tick-tocking from behind
the TV. Mey, leaned forwards slightly from her position on the floor,with her shoulders wrenched forwards
and eyebrows furrowed. Slowly and quietly, she rose, careful and treading on each floorboard as if it was hot
lava. Across the room, the TV seemed stationary and incapable of making the strange, mysterious sound it
had made just a moment ago. Mey moved stealthily across the room and crouched in front of the TV.
Again, the whirring noise fell upon the silence and abruptly, the room started slowly revolving.
Mey’s eyes started to rove around the room. She felt like she was imagining things. The whole room started
twirling faster and faster, like a rollercoaster ride that never ended… Mey felt herself being pulled towards
the TV as the room started to turn into a blur of colours. Her brain reacted first, trying to pull her away
from the strange TV. However, her hand felt differently. Mey felt herself compelled to reply to the
beckoning that urged her to just touch the TV. The didn’t try to resist the temptation. Mey reached out and
with a “ping” she was soon whirling into the TV like being sucked into a cyclone. Mey felt herself scream,
loud and piercing but hopeless. She knew no one would come for her… It was too late.
A soft, floating feeling as carefree and wonderful as if in a dream overcame her… She realized she was
floating. All around her, there were colours, so magnificent she wanted to stay in the tunnel forever just to
admire all the shades ranging from a fiery, blazing red to the gentlest of blues that reminded her of the
ocean. She could almost hear the gentlelapping sounds of waves on the seashore.
In an instant, the ground shook from beneath her. A blinding white light filled the portal and Mey closed
her eyes and shielded her face with her hands like armour, preparing for certain death… However, she was
aggressively wrenched from the portal by a pair of hands.The hands looked coarse and rough, as if they had
been through years of sailing.
It transpired that they belonged to a sailor with dark stubble,coarse hair and a tremendous pot-belly.
Although his black eyes had kindness in them, he said respectfully to a man on the deck of the ship“ I found
a stowaway hiding behind this barrell, Captain… What do we do with her ?” Mey couldn’t see who the
man was as he was shrouded in the shadows, with only a sillohoutte to be seen. The Captain said one word
“ 走. Go “ It was apparent that, this man, whoever he was, had power. Immense power… Mey turned
around and gaped at the large vessel. All around her, lay maghony masts strewn along the floor carelessely,
wooden planks wrenched from the floor as if on purpose-like the remnants of a storm… Mey realized that
it was the remnats of a storm. The floorboards were wet and covered in foliage. It was like a carcass of
greenery.