Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 262

New Journeys to the West
St Paul's Convent School, Sandhu, Gursharan - 12
A
long time ago an elderly couple had no children. The wife was so sad that she started working like
a robot working relentlessly not even stopping for a break. The husband seeing his wife’s behaviour
became worried. He loved his wife very much and could not see her in so much pain. One of his
friends who was Chinese told him to pray to Buddha. This was not an easy task as he would have to
meditate for a long period of time. But the husband would do anything to bring happiness to his house. He
soon started his meditation and as his friend had said Buddha appeared to him, “ I am happy witdevotion
and faith in me. I am so happy that I am willing to give you your greatest desire but with your desire there
shall be consequences…” said the great Buddha. “Oh Buddha, you are the greatest please bear me a son so
that my wife will forget her sorrow and my house may be filled with joy”replied the husband. “You shall
have a son and he will a believer in me, he will have a thrust of adventure and knowledge . He would be as
mischievous as a monkey but as a wise as a owl. His thrust will bring him great danger. It’s time for me to
leave” said the Great Buddha and with this he left. When the husband went back to his wife ,the wife was
happy for the first time in many years. She was going to have a child.
They had a handsome son whom they named Xuanzang, the father was very rich so he could send
Xuanzang to the Fujian priests to teach him some basic knowledge about spiritual fulfilment, he was very
intelligent even the priests couldn’t find the answers to his questions. Weeks turned into months and months
turned into years Xuanzang grew into a devoted young monk. He grew old and one of the priests found out
that he was the promised child that Buddha had promised his ancestors, who would be the protector of the
sacred red dragon stone whose price could never be defined because it was one of a kind and very rare and
the person who would find it would be immortal .One night in the priests sleep he dreamed of Buddha. “ I
want to take Xuanzang’s test. If he is capable of being the protector of the sacred red dragon. I want you to
tell him the way to Nandel he’ll find the sacred school of the wise”said the great Buddha. The next day the
priest went to the house Xuanzang’s Father to get their permission. “Your son is very talented. He should
go to the university in India”said the priest. “Why? Should we send him so far can’t you teach him”replied
Xuanzang’s Father. “He wi