Oneshots

Diary of a Monkey


-Journey to the West related-

In those years, there were many monkeys that fished up the moon.

They said that I was still too young, so they didn’t let me participate. However, I saw a monkey that was just a bit bigger than me follow the other, larger monkeys down to the water’s surface and reach out to fish the moon. But the moon broke. Or rather, it dodged. When I saw that, I thought that the moon didn’t like him.

He jumped on the shore and angrily pointed his finger at the moon, then cursed as if one day, he’d be above her. He was extremely enraged, but I felt rather happy.

After that, I would come to the lake every night and say my true feelings to the moon, then bid her good night.

I gradually discovered that I’d fallen in love with the moon, and could also sense that what she felt towards me was also love. Even though I didn’t understand what love was back then, and even though she never spoke a word, the lake water gradually dried up and allowed the distance between us to shorten. When this happened, I believed it to be the will of heaven.

Afterwards, I heard that the monkey that was slightly bigger than me had become rather skillful and proclaimed himself the Great Sage and the Equal of Heaven (self-proclaimed title of Monkey King Sun Wukong). However, he also committed an offense against the heaven’s court. Everyone left this place, afraid that they’d be implicated. In fact, today seems to be the day that he would be having his decisive battle against heaven’s court. However, I won’t leave.

It was quiet everywhere, a quiet night that we really wanted to have. Beneath the sky was just me and the moon, along with the cool breeze that blew past us once in a while. I gazed at the moon in the clear water—we were currently very close to one another. I then laughed stupidly.

Suddenly, a dark cloud floated past in the sky.

Suddenly, a gale of wind swept over the earth.

Suddenly, I couldn’t find that clear water, or my dear moon.

From the sky, came the self-proclaimed “Great Sage and the Equal of Heaven” monkey’s domineering voice, “No one can stop me.”

Balls of fire rained from the sky, each of which struck the soil wrapped in bright light. As I dodged left and right, my moon gradually vanished amongst the ruins.

I hid behind a rock and crouched to the ground. Tears filled my eyes as I saw the chaos before me.

I wanted to say to the moon, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t become your Great Sage and the Equal of Heaven and protect you.”

I wanted to say to that monkey, “Little monkey, just you wait. I must make you repay me for all that I’ve lost. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be called the Six! Ear! Macaque!

I cried until I lost consciousness. I don’t know how much time passed, but I remember that when I woke up again, it was dawn. The world had changed into one I didn’t recognize. The dejected wilderness, the desolated sky, the weeping intense wind…

Note: Basically the Journey to the West has four types of Monkeys and they each have their own skills and stuff. This is one of them.


Oneshots

6 thoughts on “Diary of a Monkey

  1. yu says:

    Feels good to read this, especially after finishing a ‘Primordial God’ genre xianxia with Liu Er as a prominent SideChar. That xianxia was disappointing, but this story made me feel better about finishing it.

  2. Hickups says:

    This is a strangely deep short story, at least to me. Thanks for translating it. Just a question, if I may, is this entirely fiction or something like “embellished lore”? I know the six-ear-macaque appears in a journey to the west but I fail to remember a connection to the moon.

    • SnowTime says:

      There’s actually a lot of stories regarding monkeys and the moon~ There is a Goddess of the Moon in the story, Chang’E. As for the Six-ear-macaque, he appears once as fake Sun Wukong. But I don’t know if they have any connection~
      I think this is mostly fiction at least, but it does poke at some holes pretty well hahaa~

      • Hickups says:

        Thank you for clarifying and some happy easter days 🙂

        • SnowTime says:

          Happy Easter to you as well!

  3. library rocker says:

    I ship it.

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