My Queries Sha Tin College, Ko, Mary-Anne - 12 pparently, someone staked their claim upon your head and broke open your very first burden, and poured you out like the water which gushed out of the rock standing at Horeb, channelled by an A ancient power which summoned from two knocks it did come forth. Did you ever believe in the power of being carved by another power, a force not of this planet? I know not whether to be subjected to mankind’s thoughts- for foolish indeed they may be, but a paradox. As man consists not of one, nor an entire army uttering the same declaration of loyalty towards the country which they serve, but an intangible mass of various different forms. But just because you have earned my sympathies, which I guard very well, and my trust, should that mean that what my soul has been laid upon has been indented into yours? From what I have withdrawn from, you took in. Yet, you were scorned, which was an utterly wronged stance. For that would have made a fire-breathing dragon scorned, that would have made the sea-creatures which lay below scorned, that would have made everything else scorned. What made you different? Perhaps the fact that the fate of destiny never cried out from below, and instead came from above. But you weren’t born to be destined to join in the ranks of the Gods, a foolish monkey, and nothing more but a monkey- that’s what they said. And, I suppose, when you have lived an entire life in contrast, in vivid black and white, and being the contrast… Was that how you felt? Crushed, shattered, broken to the point of no repair, yet being the leader, the ruler of a colony of your kind… Did you conceal your true motifs, or did you hide it behind the unfairness of the situation and took advantage of it by locking yourself in the midnight dark? I have to say, I envy you for having stayed in peace, having the sense of privacy which one like I has always longed for, in that silence. But there wasn’t yourself to find, was there? It was what you could unleash that you had to find, it was what you had to seek for within yourself. But were you, for a moment, emotionally bounded. Hurting to see the truth, but it came unto full display, did it not? For even after you thought you found it, those who scorned you pulled you back to the ground, and the burden from which you were birthed from was once again placed upon your head. I wonder if there can be any correlation between history, stories, and one’s personal life. But history and stories are far from sincerity, for wouldn’t it be shameful to sacrifice your dignity to the judgement of those who could potentially scorn you? But, you had your army to pull you back onto your feet and to motivate you. You were always over those who were under you, yet you were under those who were over you. Perhaps, that is the fine line which draws us apart. For you were never under those who were over you, and under those who were over those who were over you. You’ve never felt the need to retreat to what’s buried deep inside your heart, which nobody can ever see or ever know of, nor have you shed those silent tears. Have you? Or did those agonies return after your burden shut you into its dark womb once again, waiting for the day when it would birth you? Did pain only ever lay inside your heart, with its walls clenching and unclenching, your memories bittersweet- those impossible dreams reaching out to knock your soul. Once, twice… Until all the sadness locked within rushes out, like those standing before that rock which Moses tapped twice with his staff? But they feasted upon that precious source- those who scorned you, those unforgiving memories. Did anyone truly free you after that? You were freed, but were you freed from yourself? I imagine, I desperately cling onto the hopes that someone can save one from the wolves chasing from within, and by the shoulders they shall grab me and pull me out of the nightmare. Shivering in their arms, waiting for the pain to reside, until it’s gone. But can it be? Maybe… For at some point, reality can claim back what hopes and dreams have taken, and down into reality- like how you fell from the sky, and for a moment stayed under those who were over you, and above everything else that stood over you- and no one else can save you from the monsters within except… Did you find inner peace at the end? I know that the man whom you followed found the answer, but did you? The thing about this mess which we know as humanity, our own separate ways we must go. And that is what pulls nightmares out of their homes, leaving victims shivering at the dead of night- worming its way into this war-torn heart, killing these hopes and dreams. Far from interested indeed am I, about what adventures did await you. For those emotions are much more tender, much more destructive, much more hopeful. For what you saw through your eyes wasn’t the story that has been a saga, passed down from generation unto generation. It wasn’t a story of friendship. It had hatred, jealousy, calamity, tiresome journeys, fear, anger… but no one knows that, do they? They see the best parts of you which you have put forth, but never the worst of the being which cultivates even beings like you. But you’re the only aspect of this which I have singled out, for since I met this broken version of you, thoughts have emerged… and from it, so much has yet to be drawn out… It’s all such a paradox, which you are perched just atop, omniscient to the true intent behind mankind’s words… Dear friend, I understand. Journey to the West Sha Tin College, Wong, Clement - 11 e all know about the journey to the west, but have we wondered what happened after that? W One particular day, the five travellers who journeyed to the west had a small re-union. The White Dragon decided to visit his family in heaven accompanied by Sandy and Pigsy. They were more than happy to tag along, knowing the Jade Emperor would have a large feast awaiting for their arrival. The Monk and the Monkey King however decided they would once again venture to the world of men to help the ones in need. The Monk and the Monkey King helped numerous people. Feeling proud and humble of their accomplishments, they decided it was time to return to heaven. While passing by a particularly large mountain, in the distance, they spotted a cottage. There was a small figure appearing to burying something. Without hesitation, they paced slowly towards what appeared to be a young boy. Weeping in deep sorrow over a dead lady’s body, presumably his mother. As they approached the boy, he hastily into a hut and slammed the door shut. The Monk and the Monkey King walked to the door at the house. Just as they were about to knock, the boy rushed out, holding a rake, pointing at them. He was relieved when he saw them and said his apologies. The two travellers asked for his name and story when the boy sat down in front of them in the meadows. The boy was named Zane and he had just lost his mother. He had lived without a father in this cottage, his mother always told his stories about how his father resided in a mysterious island that floated amongst the mists. As he spoke, a jade medallion tucked in his shirt began to glow. Reaching into his pocket, he turned the emerald green mineral over, showing the inscription to the travellers. ‘The Jade of Nature and Life’ there was also a riddle written on it. He was told that if he could solve it, it would guide him to his father. However, little did they know, someone was already waiting for them to begin their journey. High up in the mountains hidden by blankets of thick mist was a snake hissing frantically. Fuxi was no ordinary snake. It was a nine headed snake. The snake had nine individual daunting heads, linked together in one giant body, skin so thick that no electric shock could hurt them. Fuxi was idle in his den freely testing its own special skills on a freshly caught mountain goat. It spat venom, roared flames and finally, strangled its prey to death. Nearby, on the other side of the wall lived the most sinister evil villain in the world. The villain, seated on a throne, was not as cruel and as fearsome as you think, he is a very knowledgeable person. Being educated in a royal family, he was a descendant of the royal house of villainy. He hated to be evil and wished to be accepted by the Gods from heaven but was always rejected for the cruel ways his family treated them before. Years later after giving up upon the request for the Gods he turned evil. He was locked away in a palace where his parents taught him the arts of becoming a masterful trickster. He recruited a snake from the land of the dead, hidden miles beneath the Earth’s crust.