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American Born Chinese
By Gene Luen Yang Roaring Brook Press
Copyright © 2006 Gene Yang
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-59643-152-2
CHAPTER 1
ONE BRIGHT ANS STARRY NIGHT, THE GODS, THE GODDESSES, THE DEMONS AND THE SPIRITS GATHERED IN HEAVEN FOR A DINNER PARTY.
YOUR PEACHES ARE LOOKING ESPECIALLY PLUMP TODAY, MY DEAR!
TEE HEE! OH STOP IT, LAO-TZU!
I DON'T MEAN TO BOAST, BUT THAT THUNDERSTORM I PUT TOGETHER LAST NIGHT IMPRESSED EVEN MYSELF!
THEIR MUSIC AND THE SCENT OF THEIR WINE DRIFTED DOWN ...
... DOWN ...
... DOWN ...
... TO FLOWER-FRUIT MOUNTAIN ...
... WHERE FLOWERS BLOOMED ROUND ...
... AND FRUITS HUNG HEAVY NECTAR ...
... AND MONKEYS PROLICKED UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF THE MAGICAL MONKEY KING.
NOW THE MONKEY KING WAS A DEITY IN HIS OWN RIGHT.
LEGEND HAD IT THAT LONG AGO, LONG BEFORE ALMOST ANY MONKEY COULD REMEMBER, THE MONKEY KING WAS BORN OF A ROCK.
WHEN HIS EYES FIRST OPENDED, THEY FLAGHED RAYS OF LIGHT DEEP INTO THE SKY.
ALL OF HEAVEN TOOK NOTICE.
WHAT THE-?
SOON AFTER, HE PURGED FLOWER-FRUIT MOUNTAIN OF THE TIGER-SPIRIT THAT HAD HAUNTED IT FOR CENTURIES.
HE ESTABLISHED HIS KINGDOM AND MONKEYS FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD FLOCKED TO HIM.
THE MONKEY KING RULED WITH A FIRM BUT GENTLE HAND.
PLAY NICE.
HE SPEND HIS DAYS STUDYING THE ARTS OF KUNG-FU. JE QUICKLY MASTERED THOUSANDS OF MINOR DISCIPLINES AS WELL AS THE FOUR MAJOR HEAVENLY DISCIPLINES, PREREQUISITES TO IMMORTALITY.
DISCIPLINE ONE: FIRST-LIKE-LIGHTNING
DISCIPLINE TWO: THUNDEROUS FOOT
DISCIPLINE THREE: HEAVENLY SENSES
A DINNER PARTY!
THE MONKEY KING LIKED DINNER PARTIES VERY MUCH.
MY DEAR SUBJECTS, I MUST TAKE LEAVE OF YOU TONIGHT FOR THERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT PARTY I MUST ATTEND.
DISCIPLINE FOUR: COULD-AS-STEED
THE MONKEY KING WAITED IN LINE FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY.
HE FIDGETED THIS WAY AND THAT (MONKEYS JUST AREN'T VERY GOOD AT WAITING) BUT FORCED HIMSELF TO STAY IN LINE.
ALL THE WHILE HE THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MUCH HE LIKED DINNER PARTIES.
BY THE TIME THE MONKEY KING ARRIVED AT THE FRONT GATE. HE WAS BESIDE HIMSELF WITH ANTICIPATION.
ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF AO-JUN. THE DRAGON KING OF THE WESTERN SEA!
"AHEM" PARDON ME SIR, BUT MIGHT YOU STEP THIS WAY FOR A MOMENT?
OH, I'M SORRY.
YOU MAY ANNOUNCE THAT I AM THE MONKEY KING OF FLOWER-FRUIT MOUNTAIN!
YES, YES, I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY SIR, BUT I CANNOT LEY YOU IN.
YOU HAVEN'T ANY SHOES.
BUT THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE! I AM THE SOVEREIGN RULER OF FLOWER-FRUIT MOUNTAIN, WHERE THE FLOWERS BLOOM YEAR ROUND AND THE FRUITS HANG HEAVY WITH NECTAR!
THOUSANDS OF SUBJECTS PLEDGE LOYALTY TO ME.
I, TOO. AM A DEITY! I AM A COMMITTED DISCIPLINE OF THE ARTS OF KUNG-FU AND I HAVE MASTERED THE FOUR MAJOR HEAVENLY DISCIPLINES, PREREQUISITES TO IMMORTALITY!
(Continues...)
Excerpted from American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Copyright © 2006 Gene Yang. Excerpted by permission of Roaring Brook Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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