“ You ’ re in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit ! Paradise ! Wildlife ! Much better than heaven !” From what I experienced the past while , I highly doubt his words . “ Flowers and fruits grow best here ! Here , try a peach !” He offers me the peach he ’ d already bitten into . “ No , thank you . But- ” I didn ’ t finish my sentence in time , and he cuts in again . “ You mortals never change . When we gods take you someplace , you always ask ‘ Am I in heaven ?’, ‘ Where am I ?’, ‘ Why am I here ?’. No fun , you people . It ’ ll be a nice change when someone asks ‘ What are the notable tourist attractions here ?’.” He proudly displays a book written in crooked Mandarin , titled “ Site-seeing with SunWuKong .” He forces it into my hands and pats my shoulder . “ All for you , sonny .”
I stuff the book into my robes . “ Thank you , but … what am I doing here ?” Other monkeys start gathering around the ledge , chittering and fighting with one another . I recognize the three from before .
Sun ’ s face falls , sighing exasperatedly . “ Another one of those questions ! I guess I have to tell you .” He scratches his head , and starts to speak .
“ Seventy years ago , I accompanied the monk XuanZang on his journey . Fifty years when we came back from the West , which you should know . But do you know why ?” “ The country was losing faith in the religion .” At least that was what the imperial herald told us . He bends over giggling . “ Is that the lie they tell you mortals today ? Well , boy , let me explain . A century ago , the doors to the Abyss opened , and the gods were so disunited to fight the demons . The monsters crawled everywhere , the stronger ones becoming king , and the weaker ones cleaning up for the big ones .”
“ Aren ’ t you one of those kings though ?” I ask . In the myths , the Monkey King had started out as a demon also , traveling between all four realms to wreak havoc upon all those who cross his path .
Sun looks offended . “ That ’ s not important . Anyway , the only way to fight the demons was to summon a holy artifact that contained a lot of magic . With the power of the manuscripts , the gods were able to banish all demons and close the doors to the Abyss .”
His explanation sounds as crazy as the original . “ And then ?” He glances around , scanning the horizon . He looks back at me . “ A week ago , the manuscripts were stolen from Changan .” I was confused . “ And what does that have to do with me ?” He looks me in the eye . “ Yes , yes , well , hear me out . Demons are returning to your world .
Without the manuscript , the gods are unable to maintain the barrier between the worlds .” “ You still haven ’ t told me why I ’ m here .” “ Patience ! Is Confucius doing his job correctly ?” The Monkey King shakes his head . I , who have never received formal education all my life , have no idea who he ’ s talking about . He sighs . “ I ’ m a god . I can ’ t interfere with mortal business . So , you are … um … well … your duty is …” He sighs . “ Kid , I ’ m not allowed to explain .”
“ So you mean it ’ s not meant for my ears .” He bobs his head . I sigh . He seems to be frustrated also . “ Never mind then .”
His grin reappears . “ Good ! Now that ’ s dealt with .” Suddenly , he surveys the surroundings , his face contorted into a frown . He sniffs the air suspiciously . One of the monkeys bark something at him , and his frown grew even deeper . “ You have a visitor .” I understand none of what just happened . Are all gods this vague ? “ What do you mean ?” Sun looks at me . “ A demon has detected your presence . You have to go back , before it finds you . Quick , quick … how does it work again ?” He scratches his head . A monkey helpfully offers a book , and Sun furiously flips through the pages . “ Ah … I see … um … close your eyes .”
I do as he says . Following a large “ crack ”, the sound of monkeys fades away . ***
I open my eyes , and I ’ m back in the dark alley . Rain pours down in large quantities , and lightning crackle in the night sky , accompanied with the drumbeats of thunder . Sun is nowhere in sight , yet , I hear him clearly . A bit too clearly as he marvels at the world around him . Incredible ! The feeling of rain ! The smells , oh , it ’ s so good to be back here again ! I look around . “ Where are you ?” I ’ m in your mind of course . Literally . I can ’ t pass into the mortal realm any other way . But I can only see what you see , hear what you hear , and smell what you smell . So don ’ t go anywhere … well … don ’ t go anywhere you ’ re not supposed to !