The Black Bear Spirit

Journey to the West 20 The Black Bear Spirit

Wukong glared at the two scared priests. “ The robe is gone?” he cried. “ Where did it go?” “ We don’t know! ” said one priest. “ We tried to find it, ” added the other. “ The robe was in a room that didn’t get burned at all. But it’s not there anymore. ” His iron bar instantly appeared from inside his ear. “ Grow! ” commanded Wukong. The monkey swung it toward the two priests.

But before the bar hit them, it dropped from the monkey’s hands. Wukong fell to the ground, crying in pain. “ It hurts! It hurts! ” he cried. The Tang Monk was quietly reciting the Tight Headband spell. Wukong rolled around, kicking and screaming. The two priests jumped up and backed away.

“ Stop reciting the spell! ” Wukong yelled at the Tang Monk. “ I’m begging you! I won’t hurt the priests! ” The Tang Monk stopped, and Wukong stood up. The monkey took a deep breath and put the iron bar back in his ear. The Tang Monk looked at the two priests. “ You really don’t know where the robe is?” “ No, ” said one priest. “ The head priest ran away last night. He didn’t have it with him. ”

Wukong tapped his chin. “ A monster or demon might have stolen it. Are there any monsters or demons living near here?” “ Some people believe there’s a monster in the mountains nearby, ” said the other priest. “ They say it’s a black bear spirit. ” “ I’ll go see if the bear took the robe, ” said Wukong. “ I’ll be back soon. ”

Wukong leaped into the air and landed up in the mountains. He walked for a bit and then heard voices. Peeking over a boulder, he saw a group of spirits talking. One was a large black bear. The bear laughed. “ The monastery was on fire last night. I went down to check it out and found a wonderful Buddhist robe. I think it’s a Buddhist treasure. Anyway, I stole it. So tonight I’m throwing a feast to celebrate! ”