【明報專訊】In a Chinese county (縣) there was a superstitious (迷信) man called Wang. He had a deep yearning for magic. Knowing that there were experienced monks on Mount Lao, he decided to go visit them.

He packed his belongings, made his way up the hill and arrived at a Taoist temple. An old monk answered the door and discussed magic with him. "It's not easy, my son. You look weak and won't make it." But Wang insisted on staying. The old monk finally agreed. He gave Wang an axe. "If you want to learn magic, you need to collect firewood." The monk said. Wang hesitated but still followed his instruction. At dawn, he felt exhausted and couldn't collect any more firewood. He wanted to leave.

Something extraordinary happened. He saw the old monk feasting with his disciples (徒弟). He cut a circle from a piece of paper and turned it into a small moon. The "moon" was floating and cloaked in dense clouds. It looked so real! The old monk took out an ordinary, small bottle of wine. Wang laughed, "How could a small bottle of wine cater for so many people?" The old monk started pouring the wine. It was so astonishing that the wine cascaded (傾瀉) like a waterfall. In the evening, Wang decided that no matter how difficult the situation would be, he wouldn't give up his pursuit of magic.

Three months passed. Wang learned nothing except how to sweep the floor, wash the dishes and prepare for dinner. These chores weakened his resolve to continue and he couldn't take it anymore. He was determined to talk to the old monk. He came to the old monk's room and asked, "How about you teach me one skill and then I leave." The monk smiled, "Okay. What do you want?" "The skill to be transparent, so I could pass through any objects," Wang answered. "Okay. I'll teach you." Peculiarly, he didn't spend much time teaching Wang. "You're good now," the monk said after about ten minutes chanting strange words.

Wang went down the mountain and came back home. He couldn't wait to show off his skills. "Hahaha... Look at me!" He bumped into (撞向) the wall like a buffalo. "Bang!" He fell onto the floor heavily. "How foolish (愚蠢)! What have you done?" His wife scolded.

◆Food for thought

Do you have any hobbies? Have you ever thought of giving up?

Adapted from a short story by Pu Songling蒲松齡(1640-1715)

■Glossary

chore (n) 雜務

resolve (n) 決心

transparent (adj) 透明

chant (v) 吟詠

[Smarties' Power English 第226期]