Fiction: Group 2
Marooned
International Christian School, Chan, Ian - 9, Fiction: Group 2
oom! Boom! Thunder sounded. Lightning flashed around the
Maria
, painting the dark sky with
glowing streaks. ”Bail!” yelled the captain as the waves crashed onto the deck. Below the chaos, a
merchant named John Woodford inspected his prized cargo: “ah, rare material, this is.” he said,
“only found in the heart of a volcano.” Opening the lid of his crate, he saw six glowing crystals illuminated
green light. Just then, the door burst open. John shoved the crate away as his rather messy cabin-mate,
Edward, approached him. He, too, came to inspect the cargo. Edward searched under a pile of his shirts,
until he found the key. Using it, he opened an old chest and grabbed a handful of gold. “Gold, gold, gold, I
love gold!” Edward exclaimed. But little did he know about the pair of greedy eyes watching him from the
cabin window.
That night, Edward went to bed early. His snoring was so loud; the entire crew couldn’t sleep
with him around. John decided to take a walk. Apparently, the entire crew had the same idea, so John’s
quiet night became a noisy commotion of drunkers. A group of the crew started muttering and glaring at
John. Pearl River delta………..”Said one, “marooning………” muttered another. John was suspicious of
their strange acts but once he returned to the cabin Edward’s snoring made him soon forgot about it. “Shut
your snoring mouth, will you?” muttered John as he stuffed candlewax in his ears and went to bed.
“Land ho!” The curtains swung open to reveal the golden rays of dawn. Sure enough, there was a
small island in a bed of blue waves. When he heard there was a tour, John immediately signed him and
Edward up. “This is going to be the best day ever!” chimed John, unknowing he was going to regret it.
When Edward awoke, a crewman told him to board a lifeboat heading for an unnamed island.
“Why are we going to this this place?” He asked. “We’re touring the newfound island.” replied John.
Edward saw a sailor accompanying the captain, and immediately got suspicious. Why did the captain send
such a brawny, muscular man? The question bothered him.
When they neared shore, John went berserk. “So excited, so excited, sooooooo excited!!!” He
screeched. But then the muscular guy silenced him by hitting him with a crowbar. Edward opened his
mouth to scream, but he was hit too. The two lay on the boat, unconscious, as the small vessel glided
toward the island.
-Whap! - “Wake up, Eddie!” Edward looked up. Yellow spots danced around as he lifted his
eyelids. “Where are we?” He asked wearily. “On the island.” replied a voice. John was beside him, nursing
him to health, although he was not the ideal lifesaver. “I thought you were dead.” Edward looked around.
They were in a brick house, with a warm fireplace and a comfy couch. A Chinese man was standing next to
John. “This is Tang. He is a merchant, just like us. Shame we didn’t learn different languages like him.” said
John. Then, the Chinese merchant spoke up. ”I know who sabotaged your plans and stole your cargo.” He
pointed to a wanted poster. “That is Charles Baker. He has murdered your original captain and tricked you
into going to an isolated island. He did not know about the village. I have contacted the navy already.” “I
think we should travel to the nearest international harbor and leave for England.” said Edward. They started
preparing supplies.
A week later, they arrived at the edge of the island. It was a grassy straight that connected land to
ocean, perfect for launching Tang’s sloop. The sloop set sail, shooting into the world of waves.
As they neared land, John knew they had reached their destination. The harbor was bustling with
workers and crewmen, passengers and captains. The
Maria
was docked neatly at the last column, so John
figured Charles Baker was here somewhere. Before he could go deeper in investigating, Edward already
strode into a tavern. Inside, he saw a familiar sailor, tall and muscular. “Hey, you must be-“Before Edward
could finish, the sailor cut him off. “You must have come here to play, too. We expected you, after we
learned about the village.” He snapped his fingers, and a man hit him with a loose plank.
When he regained consciousness, John found he was tied up in a room with a locked door. He was
hog-tied in a bundle of ropes, and Charles Baker held a pistol at his head. “Look who’s come to play,” He
said in a menacing voice, “One move and it’s a triple-head-shot.” John looked over. Sure enough, Tang
and Edward were tied up, too. They were lined up so if Charles Baker were to fire one shot, all of them
would be killed.
B
