New journeys to the West - The Fourth Guardian
Kowloon Junior School , Leung , Avery - 8
I t all started one lazy afternoon when I fell into a deep sleep inside Master XuanZang ’ s comfy bag . When I woke up , I found myself bumping along a rocky road with Master , Monkey , Pigsy and Sandy . They didn ’ t realise there was an unconscious little cat in Master ’ s bag and had packed me with all the supplies . Monkey insisted that it was too dangerous for a cat to be travelling all the way to India . I was rather offended because I was very capable of protecting myself , after all I was a stray cat before Master adopted me . After some debating everyone agreed that we were too far away to take me home . On the fourteenth day , we arrived at a village which looked quite cheery and peaceful . I peeked out of the bag to see a parade of villagers waving at us . “ Welcome , you may stay here for the night ”, declared the village chief . His tone abruptly changed into a mysterious whisper . “ Villagers have started going missing recently . So my advice is to lay low and don ’ t go wandering around in the dark ”. He looked quite affable so we all trusted him . At night , we all got ready for bed except Monkey who crept outside , probably to look for trouble as usual . A rustling noise woke me up , I thought it was Monkey returning but he was nowhere to be seen . Suddenly there was an impenetrable fog drifting in from everywhere . A scream rang out and we all bolted out of the hut . We were blinded by the haze and kept knocking into each other . Then we heard a lady ’ s voice chanting a melody that was creepy and soothing at the same time . It made my fur stand on end so I folded my ears to block out the tune . Master , Pigsy and Sandy started looking drowsy until they all finally collapsed . They had that swirly look in their eyes , they were … hypnotised ! The blurry fog faded away to reveal a man ’ s shape . I was confused , actually it was the village chief but his eyes were glowing scarlet red . He beckoned Master to leave with him and I felt desperate to save Master . So many questions were racing through my mind : Where were they going ? What was going to happen to my beloved Master ? How come the chief sings like a lady ? I stalked them cautiously and silently as the chief led Master to a cave . Inside the cave were grimy cages full of captured people who must have been the missing villagers . I was shocked to see human bones scattered all over the foul smelling ground . The chief was in fact a human-eating spell-singing demon in disguise .... and Master was going to be his next meal ! There was no time to plan so I leaped into action and scratched his cheek so hard it bled ! The chief was so surprised he stopped concentrating on singing and started to focus on me . I fled outside with the chief chasing after me . I yowled at the top of my lungs for Monkey but nothing happened . The chief ’ s teeth were clenched in fury . He pulled out a knife from his robe and charged towards me waving the razor-sharp blade . I ducked under the knife and pounced on his wrist . He let out an ear-piercing shriek and couldn ’ t use his weapon anymore due to the horrible pain in his hand . At this point Monkey sprung out from the bushes and gazed about in puzzlement . The chief snarled “ Great , another one to get rid of !”. Now he turned his attention to Monkey … it was my chance , if I scratched his throat he wouldn ’ t be able to sing . So I launched through the air like a furry bullet with spikes and aimed straight for his neck . The chief was horrified that his throat had been wounded and could only cry out hoarsely . He gripped his stinging throat and stumbled about until he tripped over a rock and smashed his head against the hard rubble ground . “ Where were you ?” I hissed at Monkey . “ You were supposed to be protecting us ”. “ Well little kitty , I went to investigate the missing villagers ”, Monkey answered in his usual arrogant way . “ While I was exploring the forest , some fog blinded me and I heard some singing that made me freeze . A few minutes later I could move again and then I heard you call . It took me a while to find you ….” Monkey paused as he sensed something . Unexpectedly , misty hands shot out from the chief ’ s motionless body . I heard that creepy high-pitched lady voice shrieking , “ I ’ m coming for you !”. Master was glancing at us from the cave entrance and the spirit was headed there to possess him . As quick as a flash Monkey put his hands together , closed his eyes and chanted some words in a language I didn ’ t understand . A blaze of light darted from his hands and split the fog into little wispy bits and pieces . When the last piece of the spirit dissolved , a powerful puff propelled us away into the bushes .