Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 134

One sunny morning, they finally arrived at their destination. Upon their gaze was a dazzling white palace,
where the Secret Keeper held the secret to his country’s happiness and brilliance. The path leading up to the
main entrance was made of marble and precious stones, with large pillars on both sides of the walkway,
which evoked a sense of grandeur and splendour. They entered the Great Hall, searching for the Secret
Keeper. To their surprise, he was not as grand as they had imagined him to be. Standing at merely 6 feet and
wearing what the Westerners call a “formal suit”, the old man said, “Welcome to the White Palace! What
can I do for you?”
“We seek the secret to your western happiness,” Xuan Zang replied. “I am the Great Buddha, traveling with
the Monkey King, Wukong, and his companions, Zhu the Pig, Cleanser of the Altars, and Sha the Monk,
the Buddhist Arhat. We have travelled far and long in search of this secret and we would greatly appreciate it
if you would help us uncover it.” The three disciples nodded to the Secret Keeper while the Great Master
explained.
Wukong added aggressively. “We have battled demons, conquered jungles, fought beasts, trailed gorges and
hiked mountains to come here! We aren’t leaving till we get what we came for!”
“Well, the secret to western happiness?” Raising his eyebrows, the Secret Keeper asked, “Why do you need
it?”
Xuan Zang sighed. “For the past hundred years, many of our people have been living a high life. All they
care for is how much money they make, how big a house they live in, how many cars they own. They only
believe in the Book of Wealth these days and nothing else. They may be living a better life, but they look
sad.”
Upon hearing this explanation, the Secret Keeper said, “I see. Your people seem to be very successful in life.
I have heard of many tales of sorrow that came with this success, and you are not the first ones to come to
me for my people’s secret of happiness.” The Secret Keeper then smiled and presented them a beautifully
carved wooden box. “Bring this back to your people, and share it with them. I hope your people will find
happiness in no time.”
Receiving the gift from the Secret Keeper, Xuan Zang bowed and thanked him with the deepest gratitude,
and left the White Palace with his three disciples.
“What about all those magical stories we’ve heard about this place? Where’s all the yummy food?” Zhu
asked. “Well, we really can’t eat like kings every day, can we?” The Great Master replied rhetorically. “We
have got what we came for and now it’s time to go home.”
Frustratingly, Zhu followed the rest and they left the Palace.
**********
After days of adventures, fighting demons and passing dangerous lands, they finally boarded the boat, where
Xuan Zang and his three disciples sat down together and opened the wooden box. To their surprise, they
only found a small parchment scroll in it. The Great Master unrolled it and read aloud what was written to
his companions, “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you got.”
“That’s it? This can’t be right! Maybe we are being tricked!” Zhu said angrily while Wukong and Sha
looked puzzled at each other. Xuan Zang, however, remained very calm. He closed his eyes and began to
meditate.
When the Great Master opened his eyes, he met three pairs of eyes staring at him cluelessly. “My dear
friends, the Secret Keeper is not tricking us. These twelve words carry great teaching that our people need. If
we are satisfied with what we have, we wouldn’t end up wasting all the time and energy looking for more!”