The New Journey to the West
Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau , Kwok , Alison - 12
U p in the heavenly world , the mighty Gautama Buddha assigned his assistant , GuanYin , to select a monk that was strong and dependable . He was to travel to the West and deliver the Sutras from the LeiYin Temple back to Chang ’ An . Years passed , and XuanZang appeared . He was a handsome boy , with a kind personality and reliable , too ! He was informed , and warned “ Land of the South knows only greed , hedonism , promiscuity and sins . I will send 3 protectors along the way to accompany you . You are to only go along the silk road-don ’ t go off route .” XuanZang acknowledged GuanYin ’ s guidance with a slight nod , then headed for the front barrier of Gansu Province .
A mischievous monkey jumped in front of him after he stepped out of the main temple . “ Ha ! You must be XuanZang . I am the Monkey King , but you can call me WuKong . I am to serve you and defend you in order to complete my task . Then , my sins will be erased .” With a wink , he skipped in front of his master . “ Sins ?” XuanZang thought , confused . As if reading his thoughts , WuKong replied instantly . “ Yes , sins . I defied the heaven and changed form , into a monkey .” “ Others , too ?” “ Yes , we are all sinners .” This brief conversation was then interrupted by a fat pig munching his doughnut , with sugar all over his mouth . “ You are XuanZang , right ? I am BaJie . I was the commander of the heaven ’ s naval force , but I was caught flirting with the Moon Goddess . Oh , it was worth changing into a pig just for that swooning moment !” he exclaimed , drooling all over his doughnut . The trio got to the border line of China , and caught sight of a friar . The timid priest spotted the troop , and moved towards them . “ Hi , I am Friar Sand . You must be XuanZang .” He mumbled . Everyone had to strain their ears to listen in . “ Alright . Let ’ s go !” WuKong yelled .
They travelled through the wilderness for what seemed to be like endless days and nights . Finally , they reached the deep gorges . “ Wow ! Look at this entrancing place !” XuanZang gazed around , fascinated . A gust of wind blew at them , eerily and spookily , like a response to XuanZang ’ s compliment . “ Are- are you sure ?” BaJie asked , and shuddered . “ This place is scaring me . Do we really have to go through the gorges ?” BaJie ’ s words got blew away by the strong gust of wind . An ominous bank of dark clouds hovered above them , as if foreshadowing the chain of events that would happen next . They could hear sounds of wolves howling in the distance , and the troop crept closer . It was raining heavily now , and if they lost balance their lives would end-right there . Suddenly , without warning , a pack of wolves charge towards them in full speed . Everyone was shocked by the sudden action and freezed . The wolves were unnatural , though . They were translucent and were glowing in light . In an instant , friar Sand chanted a spell to make the wolves vanish , WuKong waved his magical golden rod , and BaJie protected XuanZang . 5 minutes passed , and the pack of wolves faded into thin air . “ Animal spirits .” WuKong explained casually with a shrug , like it was normal . XuanZang was more aware of his surroundings now , eyeing each area with suspicion .
The group continued , and had run ins with all kinds of demons every single day . XuanZang was now conscious of how dangerous the world outside China was , and deep down , longed for his comfortable house in Chang ’ An . “ Of course , it ’ s an honour to be given such an enormous task , but home was always where I wanted to stay . I ’ m not adventurous , like some of my peers , not exactly intelligent , either . Why did GuanYin chose me ?” XuanZang wondered , and stared into space . Days turned into nights , months turned into years . The crew got familiar with each other , and were now squabbling and chattering amongst themselves . “ Bananas are the best ! Doughnuts taste like cheap cardboard . Why would you even like it ?”