Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 201

“You must accompany a monk called Xuanzang and his disciples on their journey to obtain Buddhist scrolls
from the west as his third student. Protect him, for these scrolls shall be treasured documents of our beliefs.
Do you accept?”
I nodded vigorously. As a past general in heaven, offering protection wasn’t that difficult of a task. Plus, this
is my chance for a fresh restart. A clean river. No sand, no grit. Uncontaminated.
Guanyin smiled happily. She reached out a fair hand and touched the top of my head.
“From this moment onwards, your name will be Sha Wujing (沙悟淨). “Sha” from your sandy dwelling,
“Wujing” meaning purity.”
I bowed my head in gratitude. “Thank you.”
~~~
I woke up the next morning with my heart hammering in excitement. I have not been this animated ever
since my banishment from heaven. Feeling lighter than a feather, I whistled a cheerful tune as I quickly
glanced at myself in the muddy river. A grinning, hairy sand-demon looked back at me from the brackish
waters. How I dearly hope my future comrades won’t judge me for how I appear. I grabbed my double-
bladed staff and began my search