Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Página 12

New Journey to the West
Carmel Pak U Secondary School, Lee, Yan Ching Yannes - 12
T
he red sky was slowly fading into darkness once again, I laid back on Tianlong’s hard yet
warm scales. ‘ We would arrive to our destination soon’, Tianlong had assured me. It was
the second night. I closed my eyes, awaiting for the day ahead. Only the fire was
crackling and the crickets were chirping, but they were slowly fading away, drowned by the peace
and quiet that filled my head. Peace and quiet.
I stepped out of the hot and humid minivan and let out a sigh of relief, but Mum and Dad were
too busy to hear it. They were getting ready for the ‘adventure’. My dad had decided that it
would be a great idea to take a walk in the vast forest behind the abandoned building on the edge
of the town. After the long ride in a car with no air-conditioning, I was eager to be surrounded
by nature and breathe in fresh air. ‘ You can go in first if you want, Sweetie. We’ll catch up in a
sec.’ I rolled my eyes. My parents were always slow.Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a pack of
monkeys swing in the trees.
My itching impatience got the best of me, I could not wait any longer, so I trotted inside to chase
the mischievous monkeys. There were dozens of them, all swinging in harmony. However, they
disappeared into the leaves in mere seconds. I glanced around only to find trees. There were only
trees: even the path has disappeared too. How was that possible? ‘Mum? Dad!’ My voice echoed
through the forest. I knew they could not hear me, but I kept shouting for them. I tried to
convince myself that everything was fine, when in reality, I was in the middle of nowhere, all
alone.
I looked up to find a black sky covered in sparkling white dots. Time really flew by fast, since it
was only noon when we arrived. There was a faint line of green stars sliding gracefully in the sky,
growing nearer and nearer, eventually landing on the space next to me. The green shape came to
view, knocking me off my feet. I looked up to see a green creature stood regally. With claws as
sharp as knives and scales as shiny as jewels, it looked down at me with wise and kind eyes. ‘ I, am
the Tianlong, the celestial dragon. I was sent by the Guanyin Bodhisattva to guard and protect you.’
Overwhelmed by the all information, my head spinned and my vision blurred, My legs wobbled
under the pressure of my heavy body. I fell to the ground dizzily, but Tianlong’s tail caught me in
time and gently set me on the ground, as I became unconscious.
I woke up with a sudden jolt. I was overcome with confusion. It was all just a dream, I thought,
but I was clearly lying to myself. An unfamiliar yet cozy scene greeted me, a bright fire burned
next to me, and I turned around to see Tianlong sound asleep, mist coming out of its nostrils as it
breathed. Its long body coiled into a circle to form a barrier from the unknown outside. My
scraped and bruised limbs ached from the scratches I got from sharp twigs and rocks that littered
the forest floor. Although my heart longed for home, I knew that I needed rest to continue my
journey home. I relaxed my body and laid against Tianlong. Its hard scales were comforting in a
way. I drifted into sleep.
The intense sunlight lit up the whole forest. I shielded my eyes from the sun. The fire that once
burned brightly has disappeared into ashes. My eyes slowly adjusted to the sunlight, and I heard
birds of all shapes and sizes singing lovely tunes. The Tianlong stood with its back towards me, I
nervously walked up to it. ‘ My spirit shall guide you through your journey westwards, for I have
other duties in the heaven above.’ With that, it flew up and disappeared into the clouds. Left all
alone, I looked up in the sky. I guessed that following the opposite direction of the sun was the
best way to go, I could not see the tall abandoned building but I trusted Tianlong’s judgement, so
I got up and got on my way.