Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 103

willingly drank the whole flask down. Both the woman and her father smirked. Xuanzang set the glass down
on a nearby wooden box. He grabbed his pack and got up to leave. “Well, you both have been extremely
welcoming. But, I must leave now, my time is running out. Thank you again.” The women sprung up
immediately, “But Xuanzang, you just got here. You can’t leave now.” He whisked around. “How do you
know my na…” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Before everything turned black. Pitch black.
When he came to, he was laying on the sandy floor. Everything was a blur. He tried getting to his feet, but
the dizziness in his aching head made him collapse again. He was trying to remember what had happened.
Fragments of his memory had been shattered. All he could piece together was an image of this beautiful
young woman. She had a small cottage in the desert. He had gone inside. There was a man there and…the
wine. He had drunk the wine. There must have been something in the wine. He suddenly remembered his
pack. Looking wildly around for it, he spotted it laying a few meters away from him. As he tore through the
netting, desperate to check for the contents inside, he was already aware of his fate. He had been robbed.
The golden coins, the only form of money he had left, were gone. Yet fortunately for him, they hadn’t
taken the most valuable thing. The scrolls, each one wrapped in a silky golden cloth still remained fully
intact. With a sigh, he hoisted his pack onto his muscular shoulders and set foot into the stark unknown,
blissfully unaware of all the remaining dangers that were to come.
--
The air became noticeably cooler. A strong gust of wind caused the musty grey cloth draped on his back to
violently flap against him. Xuanzang had hiked for what felt like an eternity. His stomach, growling with
anguish and pain, the muscles in his legs tensing with torture. All the little energy he had left slowly oozing
out of his shivering body. He tightened the cloth over his shoulders and desperately peered out into the
horizon. In the distance, peaks of chalky white poked out from a hazy mist. The milky clouds in the
glistening cerulean sky parted to reveal a heavenly sight.
Expanding over an infinite array of verdant meadows, stood immense mountains draped in blankets of pure
snowy white. The mountainous regions were enriched with life in every corner. A herd of mountain goats
was obediently trotting through the grasslands. The pearly fur on their bulky bodies blending in with the
vast mountains behind them. Xuanzang stood there speechless, marveling at the exquisite sight that lay in
front of him. He was suddenly hit with a sense of deja-vu and was taken aback. Xuanzang had encountered
these sights before but where?
He began the long walk towards the foot of the mountain. He was still in awe, shooting glances left and
right as he passed through this picturesque haven. After plowing through thick bushes of grass, he finally
reached the bottom. Gazing up, he spotted a small trail, chiseled into the middle of the mountain. He
clambered onto the first of the unsteady rocks near his feet, using every free limb to tightly grasp onto
anything he could take hold of. Xuanzang was about a few hundred meters up the side of the cliff when his
arms began to tire. The heavy pack on his aching back was nervously creaking with every inch he climbed.
He glanced down.
The mountain goats were now little specks prancing around in a blanket of green. His heart began
pounding. Droplets of sweat tearing down his glistening face. “You’ve got to focus. Don’t look down.” He
told himself. He swiveled his arm around to grab onto the next rock. He felt the rock slip out from under
his grasp, making him lose his grip. His heart dropped. Xuanzang was desperately clinging on for dear life.
The rock fell from underneath his arm right off the side of the mountain. It landed with a huge clatter,
exploding into a million tiny pieces upon impact. With one final pull, he hoisted himself up onto the flat
trail. He thrust himself onto his back and lay there motionless, panting with fear. Xuanzang heaved an
enormous sigh of relief. He was finally safe.
For now.
--