After that episode with Moon, I never expected to see Amrapali again but I was mistaken. I again was drawn to the tree outside Ah Hoe's hut one afternoon and there she was, waiting for me.
"We meet again," she said smiling.
"Er - you've got another mission for me?" I asked.
She smiled again, then said, "You did very well for Moon. Now she's wonderfully happy in Nirvana. Actually, I have got a message for you from her."
"Oh really?" I asked, wondering what she had to say.
"Out of the goodness of her heart, she has asked the Lord Buddha's permission to send you these three plums from Nirvana," said Amrapali and she produced three big luscious red plums in her paw. "They're plums of immortality and whoever eats them will be released from the bonds of his karma and end his cycle of birth and death and never be born again."
"But what do I do with them?" I asked.
"You are to give them to three humans whom you think deserve them. But take heed, you must accomplish this task by sunset this evening, otherwise the plums will disappear and return to Nirvana, and you would have wasted a golden opportunity to save three souls."
I looked at the three plums in her paw, some doubts flashing through my mind. "Amrapali, I'm sorry to say this but how can I be sure you're not pulling my leg?"
"I don't have time to "mess around", as the humans say," she replied crossly. "If you don't believe me, so be it. I shall take the plums back to Moon. She will be very disappointed."
I hesitated. Then I thought of good people like Head Nun, Ah Hoe and Chief Nun. They certainly deserve these plums.
"Alright, I'll take them," I said.
"Good," said Amrapali and handed the plums over to me. "Come back here at sunset when you have accomplished your task."
Just before she turned to leave, she said casually, "Oh by the way, if you don't give them away by sunset this evening, you will be turned into a pillar of salt." And she disappeared.
"What?" I gasped. "Hey, come back..."
I stood there with the three plums in my paw, my legs beginning to tremble. I began to wish I hadn't listened to her. For all I know, the whole thing could be a hoax. But what's done cannot be undone and since I certainly wouldn't want to be turned into a pillar of salt, I had to act fast. I ran back to the temple and went straight to Head Nun who was in her room.
"Head Nun, this plum is for you....." and I told her the story behind it.
Head Nun looked at the plum, then returned it to me, saying, "Thank you for thinking of me, Vege Cat, but I am old already. I will accept whatever fate the Lord Buddha has planned for me. Give it to someone else who deserves it more."
"But...but ..." I protested. She gently shooed me away and shut the door. I got the feeling she didn't quite believe what I had told her about the plums.
I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall, it was already past three o'clock. The next person I thought of was Ah Hoe. I ran back all the way to his hut but found to my dismay that he hadn't returned home yet from his relative's place.
The next person I had in mind was of course Chief Nun but I had forgotten she was at the hill temple two hours away. How was I going to take the plum to her? I couldn't possibly make it in time. For the same reason, I couldn't give them to Ah Moi Kor or Lotus. Our "driver", Ah Ying, had also gone away for a few days.
I was now really in a quandary. Then I thought of APK. She may have her faults but her devotion to the Buddha is sincere and wholehearted. So from Ah Hoe's place, I ran back to the temple. I was huffing and puffing when I reached it. I hadn't run so much in a day and my legs felt like they were going to drop off.
I went in search of APK and found her in the kitchen helping to prepare the evening's dinner. I drew her aside, told her the whole story and pushed a plum into her hand.
She looked at it, then said, "Vege Cat, thank you but I don't deserve it. If I want immortality, I have to work for it, that's what I believe. Besides, plums give me a tummy ache. Please give it to someone more deserving."
No amount of persuasion could make her take the plum. In desperation, I asked all the other nuns if they wanted the plums but they laughed at me and said there was no such thing as plums of immortality and that I had been taken for a ride. As a last resort, I decided to give them to the villagers but those I met also laughed at me and chased me away, calling me a "silly cat".
It was close to sunset now. Tired and dejected, I returned to the tree outside Ah Hoe's hut. I was so tired that I fell asleep under it.
Then I felt someone shaking my shoulder. I woke up with a start. It was of course Amrapali.
"You have two minutes more, " she said pointing to the setting sun.
Just then I heard some laughter and I looked over my shoulder. Three children were coming up the road, they were laughing and singing, their innocent faces glowing with joy.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Amrapali.
I leapt up with renewed energy, ran over to the children and gave them the plums. They accepted them with delight without any questions and ate them immediately.
The relief I felt was so great that I almost cried. I had just made it!
Amrapali came over and said, "Well done!"
"Amrapali, I shall never forgive you if all this is a hoax," I said.
She looked at me, a serious look on her face and replied, "I have not lied to you. Don't you see? All that you went through were tests to prepare you on your journey to Nirvana. Your friends at the temple who refused the plums are good noble souls devoid of selfishness and greed, they will receive their just rewards. As for those whom you wanted to give but was not able to, well, it's their karma. The plums were not meant for them nor were they meant for those who ridiculed you."
"So the plums are really fruits of immortality?"
"They are, and those children through the good deeds they had done in their previous lives have earned their reward in this lifetime."
"Another thing, would I really have turned into salt?"
She laughed. "You should have waited until after sunset if you really wanted to know, " she replied cheekily.
She gave me a pat on the head, then disappeared. Somehow I got the feeling I hadn't seen the last of her yet.
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