Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 248

“How long?”
“What?”
“You know what I'm talking about. How long have you been hiding that you broke your promise to not
drink? This is seriously hurting us, and you. You know that-”
Wukong
forced
a
cheeky
smile
onto
his
face.
“Hey, Guan Yin , you know me.” He interrupted, his voice trembling heavily. “I never, obeyed rules, and I
always broke promises…” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Remember when i wreaked havoc in the Heavenly
Kingdom? that was just because i ate those magic peaches-”
“Wukong.”
“WHAT?!”
Guan Yin refused to let herself be deterred by the abrupt snarl. “You know…This is a serious issue.you
can’t hold it in and push people away forever. You’ll have to tell someone eventually. know it was hard,
losing your companions and master-”
“YOU KNOW NOTHING!!”
This time Guan Yin did wince at Wukong’s tone. She had never imagined that this was what the monkey
being would become-someone who was completely broken by grief and regret, with his sins pressing down
on him like that Five-Finger Mountain the Buddha dropped on him. It was hard to believe that he used to
be that lively, mischievous monkey who always lived by his own rules and code, forever motivated by
righteousness and boundless energy.
Wukong was right, however. He has never lost his close family before, after all.
The monkey seemed to notice Guan Yin’s troubled expression, and gave her a simple tired smile.
“But, hey, thanks for the concern. ” Wukong’s tone made him seem much, much older, even though he was
already thousands of years old. “I’ll consider taking it. I’m sorry this hurt you, but you can always choose
not to care. And I deserve anything this-” He held up his full beer cup. “-does to me. Catch ya later.”
Guan Yin watched as Wukong’s image dissipated. She didn't wish to see Wukong like this, nothing but a
husk of what he used to be, and this was the first time she saw how serious the issue was. However, there
was still hope.
“Don't worry, Wukong. Help is on the way.”
~
“Hey Pigs?”
Zhu Ba Jie, more commonly known as Pigsy, turned his plump body away from the Asian-skinned child in
front of him.
The young human, Guang, had been the latest of too many humans to count that had fallen into the
mountain. Maybe it was just his imagination, but this human felt different from the rest that had fallen to
their demise after they chose to leave the safety of the Jade Ruins. There was a somewhat….different air to
him, as if the child was a lot more than he seemed...but that did nothing to change the fact that he and his
brother wished to protect him, just like they attempted to protect the other children from their murderous
brother.