The Monkfits - The Journey to the West
Harrow International School Hong Kong , De Silva , Anasacia - 11
Afew days ago , when my friends were mischievously playing during meditation , we decided to form a group . We formed a group called the ‘ Monk Misfits ’, although I did not come up with that name . Let me introduce myself . I am Tang Seng and my home is a pagoda . I am a bhikkhu , a fledgeling Buddhist monk . I don ’ t really like it around here as a lowly monk ’ s apprentice . Foolishly , I accepted the offer to join the Monk Misfits . We devised and planned in the deepest part of the pagoda basement where no one would find nor hear us . What caused us the most concern was the Emperor Gao Zhao and his unacceptable far-reaching demands , in particular , because he didn ’ t allow us to practice in public . I reluctantly agreed to the ill-executed plan . We decided to kidnap the emperor . We set off and took a trip on a boat but the boat was leaking . There were rats crawling through the bowels of the boat , and I wondered why had I ever signed up for this . The crewmen rowed their oars , and for once I felt lucky . At least , I wasn ’ t the one slaving away at the oars . The captain told us to go to sleep . At first , I was reluctant for fear of drowning , but after a few minutes , I closed my eyes and went to sleep . After what seemed just moments but in reality a few hours , suddenly my eyes re-opened and I was groaning . I could hear the floorboards creaking below me , the crewmen shouting orders in panic as a violent storm lashed our boat . A few days later , after the vomit-inducing and life-threatening boat trip , we finally arrived . There were stars . Lucky for us , there was barely any security , other than a poor low-wage peasant who looked like he hadn ’ t eaten for years . He was covered in ash and his hair was as dusty as a broom . He wore a conical hat that looked like it had been through a war . We crept past him and entered the city . The city ’ s pavements were glimmering with gold and jade . There was an immense complex , so detailed as if it had been made carefully by thousands of hands . I could hear the faint whispers of the servants and the sound sleeping of the Emperor . As we tiptoed , I managed to glance at the engravings along the way . We scaled the complex and jumped into the chimney .
Thoomp ! We were in . I could hear my breath echoing through the chambers . A week ago , I was the lowest-rank monk . Today , I am on a plot to kidnap the Emperor . We walked into the Emperor ’ s grand bedroom . It was the size of half of our pagoda ! There was silk lining the bedroom and gold floor tiles . The Emperor was soundly sleeping on his palatial four-poster bed . We quickly muffled him with a cloth we found in his drawers . We carried him out of the palace and into the city . I quickly realised the sun was rising . The city was waking up . We quickly hefted him up . There were yokes getting up , preparing to start their journey up the hill . The streets were now bustling with noise . We wore different kinds of clothes , so they viewed us as a danger . Even though we were carrying the emperor , the people let us through . We ran as fast as we could through the streets .
We dropped the Emperor into the boat , the boat rocked because of the weight of the heavy emperor . I hopped in the boat . The monkfits were gone .