Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 1-2 | Page 449

New Journeys to the West
Singapore International School (Hong Kong), Chong, Stephanie - 10
“L
ife is so boring here,” Sun Wukong grumbled as he lay sprawled on the ground,
scratching his furry belly, “can’t we do something other than sit here all day?” he pleaded
with Xuanzhang who promptly shot the monkey a stern look that made him bolt upright.
“Well, what would you suggest?” Xuanzhang sagely replied. In response, Sun Wukong grunted
and slumped back down. “I miss the old days,” he thought wistfully.
At that moment, there was a curt knock at the door. Hastily, Sun Wukong scrambled to his feet.
Maybe whoever was knocking would have something interesting to share, something more interesting than
sitting on the tiled floor of the temple…
Outside he found one of the dutiful servants of the King of Heaven.
“His majesty would like to inform you that your next mission is to help the citizens of Hong
Kong.”
Their visitor then went on to describe the dire situation facing those in the city who were forced to
reside in cramped subdivided flats, and that the monk and his disciples were tasked with finding a way to
help them. Instantly, Sun Wukong bounded out of the temple and was on his way to find the rest of their
troop.
Sha Wujing stood bewildered, his mouth hanging open as Sun Wukong leapt around him in
excitement, waving his staff wildly.
“Come on! We have a new mission!” he exclaimed with a screech.
Nearby, Zhu Bajie, the greedy pig, was blissfully stuffing food from the altar into his mouth as fast
as humanly possible, taking no notice of the commotion going on around him. Before either of them could
protest, Sun Wukong grabbed them both and dragged them out towards Xuanzhang who was perched atop
a waiting cloud.
Soon after, the four were descending towards the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong. Gently, the
cloud carried them through the open window of a crumbling apartment building. What they saw
bamboozled them. This sparsely-furnished room that felt no bigger than a postage stamp was surely too
small to be somebody’s living quarters. Just then, the door opened, and a skinny girl dressed in a school
uniform entered. When she caught sight of the four, she stopped dead in her tracks.