[PREVIEW] Great Sage Above Brockton Ch22

“I say, Peizhi-xiansheng, this is quite a surprise! I was completely unaware this was a time of festivities!” Wukong sipped his tea and turned to his disciple, who was doing the same. “Dear girl, did you know about this?”

Taylor blinked, then her gaze drifted to the circular bushel of leaves hanging on the wall. Two green banners hung above it, sporting colored drawings of bells and snowflakes.

“Christmas…oh right,” she said. “It’s Christmas.” She slowly nodded and continued speaking, though her tone grew bewildered. “Huh. I actually forgot it was Christmas. That’s a first. I mean, I saw decorations and kitschy ads on the street, but it didn’t…” she kept mumbling as she fiddled with her cup.

His dear host nodded sympathetically, garbed in a thick woolen shirt he called a ‘sweater’. With that much wool, it would make even a skinless yaksha sweat!

“I get it. Everything’s so wild that the rest of the world kind of zones out, right?” He scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “I actually missed this year’s Thanksgiving because of that. Didn’t even know the holiday happened until one of my friends called.” The chuckle that followed wasn’t all humorous. “Your life gets whacked upside-down and thrown into a washing machine, and things like holidays don’t really register until the last second, if at all.”

Wukong felt a pang of understanding at his words. During his journey, he often long to celebrate festivals like the Ullambana and Summer Festival with his subjects and brethren at Flower-Fruit Mountain, but the journey took precedence. And usually a new guai tried to eat his master during those times. There were a few villages and towns whose company they enjoyed whenever a festival struck, so it wasn’t as though the days passed without merriment. In either case, feasts always presented themselves at the end.

He gazed outside at an empty street and a sky covered in grey. “Rather bleak for a holiday. Is it a standard for the season?”

“Here in Brockton, definitely. Winters aren’t much fun here. Last time it snowed was two years ago, and everyone was happy for a white Christmas.”

At the mention of the word ‘snow’, Wukong perked up with a grin and leaned forward. “Snow? Does it snow in these lands? Where?”

Peizhi blinked, hand hovering above the teapot. “Uh…anywhere north of Florida and east of Texas in winter, I guess. Brockton Bay’s a weird case. We don’t get much snow in the winter, if any.”

While the names his host uttered were unfamiliar to the Monkey King - yet he did recall seeing them on Peizhi’s world map - the intent was not missed. With a dejected sigh, he slumped in his chair and returned his gaze to the window, eyes swimming with forlornness. “A shame. I miss the sight of white carpets upon rooftops and mountains. Alas, one cannot choose the natural whims of the weather. This Old Sun smelled no true dragons here, so he cannot ask them for a quick favor. The paperwork alone would be worth even a single snowfall.”

As he finished that sentence, he scoffed. ‘Amitabha, when have I ever before conceded that the Court’s infernal bureaucracy would be acceptable?’

“...right,” Peizhi trailed off, the same befuddled stare he’d seen many times on his face. Was he unclear with his words? It couldn’t be simpler! Well, he had no desire to delve into the intricacies and migraines of the Celestial bureaucracy; one explanation from his attendant was enough to last his entire immortal lifespan, and if a conversation killer could be summed up in a single topic, that would prove the sharpest blade.