Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 336

My own Journey to the West
St. Paul's Convent School, Lee, Jenny - 15
I
t was pitch black, not even the moon lit my pathway. I was running bare foot in the darkness, digging
my soles into the soft grainy sand. My breath came in short sharp bursts matching my steps. My feet
were digged into the shifting sand, covering the hardened earth. I was half running, scrambling over
unseen obstacles. I was alert with all my senses coming into play, as I ran straight through the darkness,
simply relying on my sixth sense that instinctively kicked in. My heart beat loudly in my ears as the sweat
oozed from every pore. My instincts told me that I had not much further to go and I will be safe, and
everyone will be saved. I couldn’t stop, I told myself, I am almost there, keep going, keep going..
I am just an ordinary fourteenth years old teenager, just like no others, living my ordinary life. Just
maybe one thing that is not quite ordinary. I have been dreaming every night since three years old, but the
dreams are not just the ordinary ones, they are the ones that forsee the future. I could not believe it at first,
but the dreams have not gone wrong even once, it has proven to me so many times that I could not deny
the fact such as dreaming of what kind of trouble I would run into the next day. Apart from that, my one
and only hobby is reading and my favourite book of all times is Journey to the West. I am fascinated by how
a young monk along with the Monkey King, a friar and a talking pig goes on a multi-year journey from
China across the southwestern mountain to India.
On a usual Saturday morning, I am woken up suddenly, soaked with sweat. The dream I have the
night before is how Hong Kong would be like in one day and it is more than horrifying, not only is the
buildings all destroyed, the air is also impregnated with the smell of dead bodies, the city I see is no more
that a landfill. I get to know that it is all due to a bomb hidden in a part in Hong Kong. However, the
dream seems to me to have a hidden message inside, there is a voice telling me that “You are the chosen
one. Hong Kong is about to die and its fate is in your hands. Go on with your friends to the Journey to the
West and remove the bomb before the midnight of today. It will be challenging as you are going to see
things that are out of your imagination. You need to gather two things in order to remove the bomb
successfully. Good Luck!” ” I am woken up with disbelief, confuse and fear. I am unable to believe what
has just happened, and I am still breathing heavily. The whole thing seems like a joke, but it is so real to me
that I could not explain it. As unreal as it seems, I immediately call my three best friends to go on this crazy
ride with me.
“What? It is not April Fool’s Day yet.” Jack said, the timid one, after listening to my dream.
“Yes, and it does not have any proof or evidence, what you are saying is not convincing.” said Noah,
the radical one, as expected.
“Wait, what are you all talking about?” Henry asked, who is busy finding for snacks, and obviously
the not-so-smart one.
“Have my dreams go wrong for once? Please trust me, only you all could help me.” I answered them
sincerely.
The three of them looked at each other, nodded their heads unwillingly and we have no idea what is
ahead of us.
I have no idea where to start, how could I found a basketball-like bomb in a city with such hectic
traffic and mountains of people everywhere. Everyone of us is thinking our best, except Henry only maybe
whose mind is fill with food only. Suddenly, the voice gets into my head again,” You are the chosen
one...Journey to the West”. I pause for a while, and I finally understand that we need to go on a journey to
the west which means that the bomb would be hidden in the west of the city. The first of the challenge list
is ticked and we are on our way.
As expected, this journey would not be that easy. I have never believed in demons, ghosts or anything
superstitious but as the four of us are strolling across the street in Central, out of nowhere, a genie appeared
and challenged us to answer three questions. Noah is clearly up for this and with a genius mind like his it is
finished like a piece of cake. We are awarded the first item - the key. As we continue to find our way, we
are given a second test which is a senses test. Henry, surprisingly has really sensitive senses which blows us all
away. We are then awarded the second item - the map. We were given a map to locate where the bomb is.