Monkey by Wu Ch'eng-en Read Free Book Online Page B

beast-monarchs of the neighbourhood, after seeing themoff and giving presents to the leaders great and small, he lay down under a pine-tree at the side of the iron bridge, and fell asleep. In his sleep he saw two men coming towards him, bearing a document on which was his name. Without giving him time to say a word, they brought out a rope and binding Monkey’s dream-body, they marched him away, presently bringing him to the outskirts of a walled city. Coming to himself and looking up, he saw that on the wall of this city was an iron placard saying’ Land of Darkness’.
    ‘Why,’ said Monkey to himself, suddenly realizing with an unpleasant shock where he had got to, ‘that’s where Yama, the King of Death, lives. How did I get here ?’
    ‘Your time in the World of Life is up,’ said the two men, ‘and we were sent to arrest you.’
    ‘But I have got beyond all that’ said Monkey. ‘I am no longer compounded of the Five Elements, and do not come under Death’s jurisdiction. What’s all this nonsense about arresting me?’
    The two men took no notice, and continued to drag him along. Monkey now became very angry, snatched the needle from behind his ear, changed it to a formidable size, and pounded the two messengers into mincemeat. Then he freed himself from his bonds, and swinging his staff strode into the city. Bull-headed demons and horse-faced demons fled before him in terror. A mass of ghosts rushed to the palace, announcing that a furry-faced thunder-god was advancing to the attack. In great consternation the Ten Judges of the Dead tidied themselves and came to see what was afoot. Seeing Monkey’s ferocious appearance, they lined up and accosted him in a loud voice:’ Your name, please!’
    ‘If you don’t know who I am, why did you send two men to arrest me ?’ asked Monkey.
    ‘How can you accuse us of such a thing?’ they said. ‘No doubt the messengers made a mistake.’
    ‘I am the Sage from the Water Curtain Cave,’ said Monkey. ‘Who are you?’
    ‘We are the Ten Judges of the Emperor of Death,’ they said.
    ‘In that case,’ said Monkey, ‘you are concerned withretribution and rewards, and ought not to let such mistakes occur. I would have you know that by my exertions I have become an Immortal and am no longer subject to your jurisdiction. Why did you order my arrest ?’
    ‘There’s no need to lose your temper,’ they said. ‘It’s a case of mistaken identity. The world is a big place, and there are bound to be cases of several people having the same name. No doubt our officers have made a mistake.’
    ‘Nonsense,’ said Monkey. ‘The proverb says “Magistrates err, clerks err, the man with the warrant never errs.” Be quick and bring out the registers of the quick and the dead, and we’ll soon see!’
    ‘Come this way, please,’ they said, and took him to the great hall, where they ordered the official in charge of the record to bring out his files. The official dived into a side room and came out with five or six ledgers, divided into ten files and began going through them one by one – Bald Insects, Furry Insects, Winged Insects, Scaly Insects… He gave up in despair and tried Monkeys. But the Monkey King, having human characteristics, was not there. Not however being subject to the unicorn, he did not come into any animal category, and as he was not subject to the phoenix, he could not be classed as a bird. But there was a separate file which Monkey insisted on examining himself, and there, under the heading ‘Soul 3150’, he found his own name, followed by the words ‘Parentage: natural product. Description: Stone Monkey. Life-span: 342 years. A peaceful end.’ ‘I haven’t got a life-span at all,’ said Monkey. ‘I’m eternal. I shall cross my name out. Give me a brush!’ The official hastened to provide a brush, soaked in heavy ink, and Monkey put a stroke not only through his own name, but through those of all the monkeys named in the Monkey File.