Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 90

Several cannonballs were exchanged between the two ships, the only difference being that the Hangman’s
crew didn’t have the people or the time to repair or block the holes torn through the exterior of the vessel.
It was hungrily consumed by the ocean.
Very few of the Hangman’s crew were left standing, thoroughly disheartened by both the sinking of their
ship and the death of their captain. It had ended.
After cleaning up most of the corpses littered around, most of the crew were simply standing around on
deck, unable to believe they had defeated one of the most fearsome pirate crews around, and on their first
fight. Finally, after disappearing into his cabin for some time, the captain resurfaced.
He congratulated everyone for their victory, and made a few other announcements. Lastly, he called for the
boy who had saved his life.
Wei.
To his surprise, the captain offered him a job as a cabin boy, which Wei accepted. Sitting on the crow’s nest
looking out to sea with rat perched on his shoulder, Wei thought happily to himself ‘ well, this worked itself
out nicely, hasn’t it?” . And they sailed off into the sunset.