Monkey Business

 By John

If you have a nephew who is a medium, you'll know how family relationships can be such a pain.

This nephew loved kung-fu when he was young. He always showed off his kung-fu skills in front of us when he came to our house to visit. Later, he went around searching for more skillful masters to improve himself.

Ten years ago, the pugilistic troupe he was a member of came to perform during the Seventh Month. I was in Chinatown then and I happened to be passing by. I caught sight of him performing but he didn't see me. I saw him sit on this black osewood chair and jump up and down, with his fingers folded into some symbolic shape. He kept mumbling something.

Then, something possessed him. I realized much later it was the Great Monkey God he had called. He jumped around and scratched his neck like a monkey. For show, he poured boiling oil on his body and pressed a dagger and spear against his throat. I was shocked to see him go into his sort of thing. It made me ashamed of the family. So I didn't really try to meet him. We haven't met since.