Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 88

The Stowaway
Harrow International School Hong Kong, Yau, Alicia - 12
Wei leaped over a few haphazard crates that were blocking his path, accidentally overturning some nearby
orange baskets, provoking a string of foul language from the shop owner that they belonged to. He vaulted
over a pile of wood that builders had left there on their lunch break, and kept on running. A smell of spices
wafted its way to his nose as the sun hung high in the cerulean blue sky.
Streets were filled with people going about their business in plain, moth-bitten clothes, a stark contrast to
the imperial soldiers that towered above them. But why, you might ask, were they there? The Ming
Treasure Voyages of course.
The Ming Treasure Voyages were to be a series of expeditions from China to foreign countries that would
allow them to explore new areas, establish trade and show off the might of the Ming dynasty.
The enormous vessel that was docked at the end of the pier was Wei’s destination. He had already made up
his mind. Nothing awaited him in the port village where he lived, therefore, the ship would be his ticket to
glory and new lands. Wei knew that the emperor wasn’t likely to let a small sixteen-year-old boy like him
work on the ship, so he’d have to sneak on.
Now normally, sneaking anywhere guarded by imperial soldiers would be nearly impossible for anyone, but
Wei had been taught smuggling, stealing, fighting and other very useful skills by the best in the business – an
almost middle-aged man named Ling. Ling had discovered him trying to steal his apples, and instead of
reporting the young boy, had offered to teach him how to do it better.
Truth be told, Ling was the reason stowing away would be so easy. He had already gained employment as a
deck hand, and he offered to help Wei get into the space in the crew’s quarters that no-one else knew
about.
Wei made his way to the barnacle covered stairs leading down into the water. He decided to simply wring
his clothes out later, and jumped the rest of the way in. Swimming through to the other side of the ship was
fairly simple, because the waves were quite small and the soldiers didn’t bother looking down.
From there, he looked up to see Ling’s face grinning toothily down at him. “Grab a hold of this, kid” he
barked, tossing down a long, tattered rope. “It’s good to see you too Ling!” Wei replied sarcastically,
grabbing a hold of the end and hauling himself up despite his heavy, wet clothes.
Wei flopped onto a part of the deck where they couldn’t be seen by others, landing on his stomach with a
small grunt. Get on the ship, check. “Get down to the crew’s quarters, slip past the spare barrels of
gunpowder, pick the lock concealed at the bottom of the panel of wood and there should be a hidden
compartment in the back.” Ling also handed him some pieces of stale bread and a big flask of water that
would last until they got to the first stop “Don’t let anyone see you…but I trust you know already, so go”.
Wei muttered his thanks as he slid away.
Locating the hidden compartment as well as picking the complicated lock was a piece of cake for someone
like him, however living there was not. Wei was plagued by a constant smell of seaweed and alcohol, a
combination that did not bode well for him, and the space was extremely cramped but the decision to be a
stowaway was his, and he would stick to it.
It didn’t mean he couldn’t be slightly displeased by his situation.
With no idea of how long the ship had been at sea for, the boy would pass the time by listening to the
chatter of the other crew members through a crack in the wooden panel.
The crack, as it appeared, was large enough for a scruffy little rat to worm its way in.