Fiction: Group 2
The Monk who came back
Clearwater Bay School, Ro, Trinity - 10, Fiction: Group 2
amine ran through the lands of the Pearl River Delta, leaving a deadly trail of starvation. The bright
eyes of young children quickly faded into a dull black as they watched life slowly and surely slip out
of their loved ones. Death angels were scattered over the land, slipping through houses. The cursed
place seemed as empty as a bottomless pit. Father Time himself seemed to be holding his breath.
A woman lay, sobbing. The body of a starved, thin child lay on the cracked ground, looking up at the
heavens with lifeless eyes. Dark clouds filled the sky, though not a single drop of rain had ever dropped on
the ground since the famine.
Suddenly, the sharp bleat of a goat pierced the air. Five men , each riding on a goat, sped across the land.
They approached the sobbing woman.
“We are the five immortal beings , and we have seen that your country is in dire danger. Therefore, we
present these five grains of rice. They will stop the famine, and the country will never run out of food.”
The woman cupped the grains of rice in her scarred and weathered hands, her tears showering them. She
held them up to the sky, like an offering. The wind snatched it up and scattered it across the land.
Then, the first raindrop in months fell from the sky. Then came more, racing against each other. The
villagers came out, and smiled for the first time since the famine started. Then, they danced, waving their
arms to the heavens and singing. Nobody saw the five monks go with the wind, and nobody saw the five
colorful goats harden into stone.
It was a cold winter in 2010. The wind howled through the trees and whipped the crowd. It seeped into
their coats and hats, spreading like spilled syrup.
From front pages of news, and whispers on the street , word had reached every eager ear that there was a
murderer.
News of this murderer had also reached the monks, and one of them decided to go back down to Earth. He
disguised himself as a businessman, and then slipped through the busy crowd and tourists in search of the
murderer.
The busy streets and markets were so different from the rice paddies and duck farms. People rushed past,
their clothes streaming out behind them, their phones pressed to their ears. Foreigners littered the land, in
search of a new business. Rubbish lay on the ground, trampled and crushed.
A glimpse of silver caught his eye. He followed it to a woman. Enchanted by her beauty and graciousness,
he was soon in love with her and together, they made plans for their marriage.
When the wedding bells rang, he spotted his fellow immortals. They wore an expression of agony.
“Dear brother, I am deeply grieved because of some sorrowful news. Your bride has evil inside her,
flickering like a flame in her soul. It will grow stronger, and one day, she will overpower you .”
“I see , brother, that jealousy has clouded your mind, for my dear wife is as innocent as a child. She has
fallen from Heaven and into my arms. Please, for your sake, do not let the green eyed monster take over
you.” He replied, his face showing no shame.
He turned his back on them. He was a great boulder, unmoved and stone silent.
F
