Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 168

when she closed the book . This had gone on for the last 17 years of her life , and she too was so confused that she prayed every night to the gods , hoping for an answer to be given to her . To her dismay , the reply never came , and she was left wondering why she was so strange .. “ Bang !” A loud crash came from outside the balcony , startling Tang Ling . Her chain of thoughts broke , and she rushed immediately to the balcony . “ What ... was that ...?” She thought to herself . A giant figure of three men toppled over each other entered her vision , and immediately , she screamed as loud as she could , while the three stared at her wide-eyed .
“ You ’ ve got to be kidding me ” Wukong muttered , staring at Tang Ling , “ This is her ?” Sha Wujing nudged his friend , reminding him to be nice . Knocking on the door , he said gently , “ Hello . Sorry for the sudden intrusion , but I guess there are some things that you need to know . Does anything strange happen to you sometimes …?” Tang Ling , taken aback , only nodded , as she held her head . “ My ... my head I guess ... it ’ s a funny thing …. but everytime I listen to or read the legend of The Journey to the West , I get a headache ….” Then , she stared at their faces for the first time , only to have a scream escape her throat . Pointing at Wukong and Zhu Bajie , she stammered , “ You ’ re …. you ’ re a monkey ... and ... and ... you ’ re a ….. pig !” She blurted out . Immediately realizing her own mistake , she covered her mouth embarrassed as Wukong rolled his eyes . “ Now , Wukong , calm yourself . Why don ’ t I explain to her what ’ s going on ?” Bajie put a hand on his friend ’ s shoulder to stop his aggression , and smiled at Tang Ling , giving her more details of the matter .
“ And that ’ s how we ended up here . If you would be kind enough to allow us to stay with you to ensure your safety for a few days , we would be most grateful ,” Sha Wujing concluded , and gave a little bow with his hands clapsed together .
“ No ,” the girl answered firmly , “ I won ’ t allow this . Not in my own house . Who would let strangers live in their homes because they claim to be mythical characters ? Definitely not me ! Did you guys just fail to break into my house ? That ’ s why you made up this story ?” She snorted , and pointed at the door , “ Please just leave me alone .”
As Tang Ling pointed at the door , the tallest of the three grabbed her arm roughly . Then he bit his thumb , allowing blood to seep out . “ What ... what are you doing ? Let go !” She tugged at her arm . Sun Wukong placed his thumb on her arm , and the blood slowly dripped down her arm . Her eyes widened , Tang Ling stared at her arm , as the blood slowly traced out a form of something …. a dragon .. it seems . “ Well , this doesn ’ t happen in real life , does it ?” Sun Wukong rolled his eyes , “ You best believe us and thank us for offering protection , really .” Gaping at him , the female stared at her arm , then back at the three . To everyone ’ s surprise , the girl burst out laughing . “ This is must be some kind of joke !” She said , wiping away the tears at the corner of her eye , “ Do you really expect me to believe that ?”
A sudden crash from the window startled the four , as four creatures rushed into Tang Ling ’ s apartment . “ Why are there so many intruders today ?!” The girl said annoyed , but her complaint was soon cut off by a curled knife at her throat , “ Woah ! Calm down !” she said , panicked .
“ Try fighting and we will immediately kill her ,” A hiss rang from behind Tang Ling , as the knife was shoved even further into her neck . “ So you failed to rob me , now you ’ re threatening me ?!” Tang Ling exclaimed incredulously , her eyes widened , “ Wow ! You should ’ ve just told me earlier then ! I ’ d have let you taken everything !” She had never felt such a source of hopelessness before , as the cold steel touched her throat . “ Shut it ,” the voice from behind her hissed out again , “ Before I decide to kill you first ,” Both sides stayed silent , as Sun Wukong tried his best not to give in to his recklessness . “ Well then , we ’ ll be taking this beauty !” A hand traced Tang Ling ’ s chin , and gave a cold laugh . A snake-liked demon entered her vision , and Tang Ling fought the urge to scream for fear that she would lose her life in the blink of an eye . With a strong pull , Tang Ling and the demons disappeared from the trio ’ s eyes .
“ Dang it !” Sun Wukong punched a wall as it all fell silent and eerily calm . “ What do we do now then …?” Zhu Bajie asked dumbly , still not sensing the severity of the situation . Getting smacked over the head by his companion , Zhu Bajie groaned and rubbed his head , as he scowled at Sun Wukong , who replied with the roll of an eye , “ What else ! We hunt them down ! Do you really want to stay here forever ?!” Then , with a leap , Sun Wukong flew into the air . Pulling out a little of his hair , he blew it , as dozens of copies of the Monkey King appeared , and all went in different directions in search for Tang Ling .
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