The Monkey King

Chapter 11:

Monkey in the Celestial Peach Garden

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the 11th installment of "The Monkey King," a 17-chapter story partially adapted from one of China's favorite classics.

THE STORY SO FAR: After complaints by Dragon King, Jade Emperor invites Monkey to Heaven. To keep Monkey out of trouble, he makes him head of the Celestial Peach Garden.

Early the next morning, a very excited Monkey King was escorted to the Celestial Peach Garden by officers of the court. Soon he would be surrounded by peaches! He hardly had slept at the thought, for peaches were what he loved to eat more than anything else.

But when he passed through the high garden gates and saw what lay beyond, even he was astonished.

A long path lined with rubies wound through and around the peach trees, leading to eight red pagodas carved with golden dragons. Four dazzling water fountains made the entire garden glisten with a million misty rainbows.

But the most astonishing sight was the peach trees.

There were not one, not two, but three different kinds! Some had pink leaves, some had gold, while others had purple leaves with silver veins.

And the peaches! They were big as melons, ivory white, and all but transparent.

Monkey fairly swooned with delight. "How many trees are here?" he asked a gardener.

"Three thousand six hundred," the gardener said proudly. "The first two thousand - the ones with pink leaves - ripen every three thousand years. Whoever eats them becomes joyful and wise. The next thousand trees - the ones with golden leaves - ripen once each six thousand years. Whoever eats them will stay young forever."

Monkey was impressed. "Six thousand years! My goodness! But what about these, the ones with purple leaves and silver veins?"

"Those six hundred are the most precious trees of all," the gardener whispered. "They ripen once in nine thousand years. Whoever eats them will live ...forever."

Monkey hardly could contain himself. Live forever!

He stared at one of the peaches. It was almost calling him to smell it, touch it ...taste it.

But Monkey restrained himself. After all, he was supposed to protect the garden.

Sighing, he followed the gardeners, who had gone off to make an inventory of all the trees and all the peaches.

But Monkey could not concentrate. His mouth was watering. His stomach was growling. The air was ripe with the tempting aroma of peaches.

"This is silly," he told himself. "I am head of this garden! After all, how will I know the difference between a good peach and a bad peach unless I try one? Only one, of course. No one will even miss it."

He called the gardeners. "Attention! Here is my first order as head of this garden. I am very tired. I need to take a nap in that pagoda but I need perfect quiet. Wait outside the garden. As soon as I wake up, I'll call you and you can continue working."

The gardeners bowed and left. As soon as they were gone, Monkey closed the gate and ran to the purple-leaved trees, searching for the largest, ripest, best peach of them all.

And at last he found it.

My, it was beautiful! Monkey pulled down its branch to smell it better. What sweetness it promised! His stomach would not stop growling.

Carefully, Monkey plucked the peach from its stem and cupped it in his paws. It almost was too beautiful to eat - but he could not resist.

Monkey took a tiny bite ... and almost fainted. The peach was cool, sweet, and juicy - the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted.

He took another bite. And another, until in no time at all Monkey had gobbled up the entire peach!

And no sooner had he eaten one than he had to have another!

"Surely just one more peach won't make a difference," he told himself. "There are so many."

So Monkey ate a second peach, and then a third ... and then more until his belly was almost bursting, it was so full.

Then he went back to the gates and called the gardeners back in. "Time to work," he said severely.

Every day from then on, while he pretended to take a nap, Monkey ate as many purple-leaved peaches as possible.

"Let others become immortal by studying," he told himself. "I will become immortal by eating!"

One afternoon Monkey was eating his peaches as usual when he heard the gates open. Someone was coming into the garden!

Alarmed, he transformed himself into a tiny caterpillar, hid under a leaf, and waited.

Presently seven fairies entered, carrying baskets. The fairies went right to the purple-leaved peach trees to gather the fruit.

But when they reached up, they found no ripe peaches at all!

Startled, they looked at the pink and gold trees too.

"Where have the peaches gone?" they asked one another.

Monkey kept very, very still.

"It seems to me," one of the fairies said at last, "that someone has been stealing the Jade Emperor's peaches. The Emperor must be informed at once!"

The fairies turned around and began to run toward the gates.

NEXT WEEK: Monkey Goes to a Banquet

Study questions

Chapter 11

1. Explain Monkey's great temptation in his job as supervisor.

2. What do we learn about Monkey from this chapter?

3. Is there anything Monkey is afraid of?

4. How do you think the Jade Emperor will react to the fairies' news?

- Chapter questions and teacher's guide by Jan MacDonald/ Rocky Mountain Readers

Reprinted by permission of Breakfast Serials

Text (c) 2001 by Ji-li Jiang

Illustrations (c) 2001 by Hui Hui Su-Kennedy

Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.