The Peach Garden

Journey to the West 9 The Peach Garden

Wukong plucked a peach from a branch and bit into it. “ This peach tastes wonderful! ” he said. He ate another peach. And then he ate another one. Each morning after that, Wukong secretly ate more and more peaches. After eating he climbed into a tree and took a nap. Time went by, and Wukong enjoyed his life in Heaven.

Meanwhile the queen of Heaven was busy. It was almost time for the annual Peach Festival. She called for her maidens, Red Gown and Blue Gown. “ How may we help you?” asked Red Gown.

“ The Peach Festival is tomorrow, ” said the queen. “ All the important gods and spiritsin Heaven will be here. I also invited the bodhisattva Guanyin, the goddess of mercy. Go to the Peach Garden now, and pick plenty of ripe peaches. ” Red Gown and Blue Gown went to the garden. As soon as they went through the gate, both maidens gasped. “ Where are all the peaches?” cried Red Gown.

“ They’re . . . gone! ” cried Blue Gown. “ This is terrible! ” said Red Gown. “ The queen will be angry! ” Wukong had been sleeping up on a branch. When he heard the maidens, he woke up. “ Who’s making all this noise?” he asked, jumping down to the ground. “ I’m trying to sleep! ”

The maidens were startled. “ We’re sorry to wake you, sir, ” said Red Gown. “ We came to pick peaches for the Peach Festival. Do you know what happened to—” “ The Peach Festival?” said Wukong. His eyes lit up. “ I didn’t hear about that. ” “ Oh, it’s a wonderful festival, ” said Blue Gown. “ All the important gods and spirits will be there. ”