Journeys to the West
The SMIC Private School Shanghai , Mak , Milly - 14
High up at the peak of the East Mountains of China , above the clouds and out of sight , stood a solitary concrete house . There was nothingness for hundreds of miles but a single well where water was fetched at exactly six in the morning everyday . The inside of the isolated house was empty except for an aged wooden table , a single chair , and a miniature statue of the Buddha on the table . There was a bald man dressed in a plain brown ragged robe sitting on the chair , composed and eyes closed , and an excited monkey leaping around the house and chattering restlessly .
Xuan was a monk , granted immortality by the gods in the 800s after overcoming extreme hardships and completing the infamous “ Journeys to the West .” He was a kind man . In fact , he was sometimes too kind for his own good . He always put others before him , with an altruistic mentality that he could surrender himself for the sake of others . This wasn ' t beneficial to him ; in fact , he offered to sacrifice himself to fulfill others only too many times in his lifetime .
That was why Sun was always by his side . Sun , a monkey granted with special powers since the 800s , was blunt and straightforward , always aggressive and ambitiously solving problems in a way that benefited him . He acted intuitively and did not think much about his actions ; he would do whatever it took , as long as he could reach his final goal .
They were best friends , as they recognised their own flaws and realised that many times , their cooperation was required to be successful . However , with such extreme contrasting mindsets , these two could never compromise and , more often than not , fought over who ’ s decision was a better one . Sometimes it was in a problem of immense magnitude and importance , like decisions they made when completing one of their missions , and sometimes it was just a small daily decision , like deciding what to eat for dinner . No matter what it was , they always quarrelled .
Just as the two were arguing over something of minimal significance , the Buddha statue suddenly lit up magically . Curious , the man and the monkey immediately turned to the source of light . This meant that they had received a mission from the gods - finally . This hadn ' t happened for decades - since the second world war , when they had prevented a major nuclear disaster from destroying the world completely . But that was another story .
A regal voice of authority spoke up from the statue and echoed off the walls of the tiny room . The sound seemed cloudy and unreal , but the words spoken were articulated clearly . “ Greetings , Xuan and Sun . A terrible earthquake is foreseen to happen tomorrow in Crown Village of Sichuan …”
The clean room immediately started to transform into the scene of the village after the earthquake …
At first the immense amount of dust in the air blinded Xuan and Sun ’ s view as a dry dusty smell filled their nostrils and choked them . Gradually , as their eyes adjusted to their surroundings , a dreadful landscape of ruins appeared before them . No buildings or houses remained intact ; rocks , bricks , and furniture from houses piled up , along with fallen branches and twigs from collapsed trees . Rubble from crumpled houses trapped villagers below them , and bloody screams for help surrounded Xuan and Sun .
The horrible scene around them dissolved away . However , what followed was even more painful and heartbreaking .
The broken and torn voice of a sobbing man , the polar extreme of the previous god ’ s calm and clear speech , echoed in their ears . Rumbling and crashing sounds were heard just behind the voices .
“ Dear gods , please … please save our village . My house has fallen apart , and I am homeless and penniless . My farmland has been ruined and I can no longer sustain a living . Please …”
This wasn ' t the end . Many others followed , of men and women , children and the elderly alike , all voices desperate and filled with pain , sorrow , and sheer horror . Xuan and Sun had never heard anything as terrible as these broken voices .
“ Gods , please tell me where to go … My family is gone and I don ' t have a home . I ’ m only nine , I don ' t want to die . Please help me ….” “ Save me , gods … I ’ m stuck under rubble and nobody is here to call for help !” At the end of the series of foreseen prayers , the crashing sounds in the background gradually diminished , and the clear voice appeared once again .