Shi Zhen Li was sleeping peacefully against the side of a laying elephant who was basking in the shade of a huge tree on the bank of a soothing river with its long grey trunk lapped lazily around him like a blanket. The forest was quiet and peaceful, full of tranquility and the echoing sounds of nature. Birds and crickets were chirping and singing. Grasshoppers and dragonflies were buzzing around. Rabbits and squirrels were pouncing about, and everything seemed to be in perfect harmony. Shi Zhen Li was in paradise, literally. He never had to want for anything. The rivers and forests provided everything, and although he was quite primitive and had a simple lifestyle, Li thought of himself as the wealthiest and happiest person in the whole wide world. Life was good, and he lived without care.
Every morning, the 36 year old Asiatic monk would rise at sunrise and sit on the bank of the river to meditate and smile at the rising sun. Then he would wash himself under the freezing cold waterfall, throw on his simple loincloth or plain toga and go to work gathering fruits and vegetables, foraging for edible roots and berries. Some of them, he fed to the birds and animals he encountered, and some of them he ate. He built a small sacrificial altar out of simple flat stones that he had stacked together, and every day he made burnt offerings to the creator using sweet smelling herbs and spices. Li had no real concept of politics or religion, but his instincts told him that there had to be a creator and a higher power beyond what his normal eyes could see. Some people called it God, or Yahweh, while others called it the Force or something else. Li himself just felt it was the entirety of the whole cosmos, and so he never actually gave the higher power a name, as names just seemed too limiting for something so formless, so vast and powerful. He just simply referred to it as the Tao, heavens or universe.
Shi Zhen Li loved the universe with pure empathy. Every single day, without failure, he would take care of the animals and tend to the many sporadic gardens in the forest and open plains. He watered the plants and talked to the flowers, singing to the trees and giving them gift for gift, never taking more than what he absolutely needed. He made time to play with the lions and feed the squirrels, and he would often sing with the birds and socialize with all the other wild animals he came into contact with throughout his day. They were his only family, after all, and the Garden of Eden was their home. Li was born in the garden, or else created. He had no recollection of his parents or how he got there. He grew up in the jungle, far away from human civilization. He had no concept of sorrow, death, sickness, suffering or old age. He had never witnessed it or experienced such a thing for himself. He had spent his entire life in paradise, and was as happy as a pig in mud.
As the carefree monk slept peacefully against his ginormeous grey friend, he suddenly felt a slight tickle in his ear. Shi Zhen Li would grimace slightly and twitch, squirming a bit before falling still again. A moment later, he felt another tickle in his ear, causing the sleeping monk to roll over on one side. But then he felt something heavy resting on his bald head and messing with his scalp. "Tumtu stop that, I'm trying to sleep." Suddenly there was a loud huff as hot moist wind blew against his face. "Tumtu!" the monk wiped his face and opened his eyes. The elephant groaned and let out a strange noise which sounded like a disturbed trumpet, nudging him with its trunk. Li pushed the large mammoth's trunk away from himself before sitting up and wiping his tired eyes, letting out a long yawn as he stretched his arms.
The elephant, apparently named Tumtu, would stand up slowly, causing the sleepy monk to stand on his own two feet. Li took a minute to gather his thoughts and gain awareness before turning to stare at his floppy-eared friend. "What is it boy?" he asked. The gigantic mammal would scrape its paw along the ground, throwing its trunk up in the air as if responding. "Breakfast? But we already had breakfast earlier," Li remarked. Tumtu let out another bellowing groan before stomping his feet and turning around in circles. Shi Zhen Li scoffed and shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I thought you said you were on a diet. You're going to get fat you know," Li commented. Tumtu the elephant apparently understood this statement as he nudged the monk's whole body with his forehead, pinning him against the tree with his tusks while letting out another trumpet-like bellow, this time louder than before.
Shi Zhen Li giggled helplessly, the prickly hairs on Tumtu's forehead tickling him as he pet the elephant's squirmy trunk. "Hahaha fine fine okay okay, I'll get you some melons, sheesh. But then you have to take me to the temple, and no more pit stops until we get there. Promise?" Li placed his hands on his hips and gave the large beast a stern scowling face to face. Tumtu would lick Li's face with his big wet tongue and kneel down on his front legs, lowering his head as if bowing. Shi Zhen Li smiled and hugged Tumtu's big fat giant head before stepping on to his tusks and climbing on to his back. Afterwards, the mammoth would raise his head and stand upright, his large brown eyes seeming happy as can be as he carried the weightless monk through the forest, treading slowly along the dirt pathway along the riverbend, heading towards the mountainside with Li as his passenger.
Every morning, the 36 year old Asiatic monk would rise at sunrise and sit on the bank of the river to meditate and smile at the rising sun. Then he would wash himself under the freezing cold waterfall, throw on his simple loincloth or plain toga and go to work gathering fruits and vegetables, foraging for edible roots and berries. Some of them, he fed to the birds and animals he encountered, and some of them he ate. He built a small sacrificial altar out of simple flat stones that he had stacked together, and every day he made burnt offerings to the creator using sweet smelling herbs and spices. Li had no real concept of politics or religion, but his instincts told him that there had to be a creator and a higher power beyond what his normal eyes could see. Some people called it God, or Yahweh, while others called it the Force or something else. Li himself just felt it was the entirety of the whole cosmos, and so he never actually gave the higher power a name, as names just seemed too limiting for something so formless, so vast and powerful. He just simply referred to it as the Tao, heavens or universe.
Shi Zhen Li loved the universe with pure empathy. Every single day, without failure, he would take care of the animals and tend to the many sporadic gardens in the forest and open plains. He watered the plants and talked to the flowers, singing to the trees and giving them gift for gift, never taking more than what he absolutely needed. He made time to play with the lions and feed the squirrels, and he would often sing with the birds and socialize with all the other wild animals he came into contact with throughout his day. They were his only family, after all, and the Garden of Eden was their home. Li was born in the garden, or else created. He had no recollection of his parents or how he got there. He grew up in the jungle, far away from human civilization. He had no concept of sorrow, death, sickness, suffering or old age. He had never witnessed it or experienced such a thing for himself. He had spent his entire life in paradise, and was as happy as a pig in mud.
As the carefree monk slept peacefully against his ginormeous grey friend, he suddenly felt a slight tickle in his ear. Shi Zhen Li would grimace slightly and twitch, squirming a bit before falling still again. A moment later, he felt another tickle in his ear, causing the sleeping monk to roll over on one side. But then he felt something heavy resting on his bald head and messing with his scalp. "Tumtu stop that, I'm trying to sleep." Suddenly there was a loud huff as hot moist wind blew against his face. "Tumtu!" the monk wiped his face and opened his eyes. The elephant groaned and let out a strange noise which sounded like a disturbed trumpet, nudging him with its trunk. Li pushed the large mammoth's trunk away from himself before sitting up and wiping his tired eyes, letting out a long yawn as he stretched his arms.
The elephant, apparently named Tumtu, would stand up slowly, causing the sleepy monk to stand on his own two feet. Li took a minute to gather his thoughts and gain awareness before turning to stare at his floppy-eared friend. "What is it boy?" he asked. The gigantic mammal would scrape its paw along the ground, throwing its trunk up in the air as if responding. "Breakfast? But we already had breakfast earlier," Li remarked. Tumtu let out another bellowing groan before stomping his feet and turning around in circles. Shi Zhen Li scoffed and shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I thought you said you were on a diet. You're going to get fat you know," Li commented. Tumtu the elephant apparently understood this statement as he nudged the monk's whole body with his forehead, pinning him against the tree with his tusks while letting out another trumpet-like bellow, this time louder than before.
Shi Zhen Li giggled helplessly, the prickly hairs on Tumtu's forehead tickling him as he pet the elephant's squirmy trunk. "Hahaha fine fine okay okay, I'll get you some melons, sheesh. But then you have to take me to the temple, and no more pit stops until we get there. Promise?" Li placed his hands on his hips and gave the large beast a stern scowling face to face. Tumtu would lick Li's face with his big wet tongue and kneel down on his front legs, lowering his head as if bowing. Shi Zhen Li smiled and hugged Tumtu's big fat giant head before stepping on to his tusks and climbing on to his back. Afterwards, the mammoth would raise his head and stand upright, his large brown eyes seeming happy as can be as he carried the weightless monk through the forest, treading slowly along the dirt pathway along the riverbend, heading towards the mountainside with Li as his passenger.