-Prologue-
The ceiling is high, with large chandeliers hanging from glaze crystals. The wallpaper on the goose-yellow base has a line-shaped blue grid pattern. The walls were decorated with ornately carved medium cabinets. If you listen carefully, you can hear the melodious music played by the orchestra. With the slow tempo of the music, people began to waltz in circles. Everyone attending wears a half-face mask with exaggerated ornaments on their face, the edges were inlaid with crystals. The clothes on the top look monotonous. Men's black dresses and women's red dresses have different shapes of brooches on the right chest.
" Who will be selected today?"
"It's hard to say, I haven't seen earl appear in the banquets for recent years."
Two women standing on the periphery, holding a slender high-footed glass on their hands, staring at the circle but did not intend to go in for a dance. Instead, they started to chat casually beside them.
One of them had long shoulder-length hair with orange-red color, a turquoise necklace on his neck, and a ring of the same color on her wrist. The other long black hair woman with a high tail but no other accessories except a silver necklace. The women are wearing long dark red dresses, looks like the dress had been designed by the same designer.
"Unbelievable, it’s Alisa ! She’s here!"
"Gosh! Where is it?!"
The women tried their best to lower down their voice, but the discussion gradually became intense, and the excitement had already been rendered outward. Not only them, there are constant rustling noises nearby, and other people around are also discussing which name or nobleman appeared in the venue.
The rhythm of the music played by the orchestra is turning lighter and faster, laughter and whispering surrounding, the dark and red mingled by the people dancing in the circle, the smell of thick fragrance mixed in the air.
Suddenly, the sight turning slightly tranced, everything under the crystal lamp became blurred.
————--
In the frosty coolness of midnight, the full moon and twinkling stars hang in a pure black night sky. Without the shadow of clouds and fog, the daylight sprinkles and illuminates the corners of every shadow. There is a window behind it, the joyous atmosphere seeks inside from the gap, you can also feel the wind, rustle from the grass and the smell of tobacco.
"Oh?"
A man with golden hair leaned against the railing of the balcony. He turned to the light then turned to me. He had a mask on his face same as everyone, but wearing an ivory white suit different from others.
"Hello little girl, why are you staying here? It's dangerous to be here alone ."
Ignoring his frivolous tone and doubting, I walked near the bench staying away from him, sat down staring at the garden roses which are not far away.
The water pool is surrounded by a green wall full of roses, and is wrapped in a circle to form a small maze. There are different colors of roses on different walls, including red, white, purple, blue, and some black.
"Looks like there is a pretty girl who doesn't know the basic manners."
The man sat down on the other side of the bench, holding a half-burning cigarette between his right fingers, and spoke to me with his leg folded.
"Sorry sir, I don't know you."
I turned my head to the man, under the light, I can see him grinning under his half face.
"The sound of my magnetic voice and my outfit."
With the sound of shoes hitting the floor, the man stood up from the bench and approached slowly up to me. "No one can't recognize it, my identity."
He lifted my chin with his left hand, from the distance I could smell the scent of burning tobacco coming out of his mouth, and the thick smell of cologne.
" Who will be selected today?"
"It's hard to say, I haven't seen earl appear in the banquets for recent years."
Two women standing on the periphery, holding a slender high-footed glass on their hands, staring at the circle but did not intend to go in for a dance. Instead, they started to chat casually beside them.
One of them had long shoulder-length hair with orange-red color, a turquoise necklace on his neck, and a ring of the same color on her wrist. The other long black hair woman with a high tail but no other accessories except a silver necklace. The women are wearing long dark red dresses, looks like the dress had been designed by the same designer.
"Unbelievable, it’s Alisa ! She’s here!"
"Gosh! Where is it?!"
The women tried their best to lower down their voice, but the discussion gradually became intense, and the excitement had already been rendered outward. Not only them, there are constant rustling noises nearby, and other people around are also discussing which name or nobleman appeared in the venue.
The rhythm of the music played by the orchestra is turning lighter and faster, laughter and whispering surrounding, the dark and red mingled by the people dancing in the circle, the smell of thick fragrance mixed in the air.
Suddenly, the sight turning slightly tranced, everything under the crystal lamp became blurred.
————--
In the frosty coolness of midnight, the full moon and twinkling stars hang in a pure black night sky. Without the shadow of clouds and fog, the daylight sprinkles and illuminates the corners of every shadow. There is a window behind it, the joyous atmosphere seeks inside from the gap, you can also feel the wind, rustle from the grass and the smell of tobacco.
"Oh?"
A man with golden hair leaned against the railing of the balcony. He turned to the light then turned to me. He had a mask on his face same as everyone, but wearing an ivory white suit different from others.
"Hello little girl, why are you staying here? It's dangerous to be here alone ."
Ignoring his frivolous tone and doubting, I walked near the bench staying away from him, sat down staring at the garden roses which are not far away.
The water pool is surrounded by a green wall full of roses, and is wrapped in a circle to form a small maze. There are different colors of roses on different walls, including red, white, purple, blue, and some black.
"Looks like there is a pretty girl who doesn't know the basic manners."
The man sat down on the other side of the bench, holding a half-burning cigarette between his right fingers, and spoke to me with his leg folded.
"Sorry sir, I don't know you."
I turned my head to the man, under the light, I can see him grinning under his half face.
"The sound of my magnetic voice and my outfit."
With the sound of shoes hitting the floor, the man stood up from the bench and approached slowly up to me. "No one can't recognize it, my identity."
He lifted my chin with his left hand, from the distance I could smell the scent of burning tobacco coming out of his mouth, and the thick smell of cologne.
"If I offend you, I apologize, but I really don't know who you are".
"Huh?"
The man stroked the girl’s cheeks and the long hair hidden behind his ears, slender fingers passed through the smooth hair, gently pulled up the ends of her hair and dropped a soft kiss, then snickered.
"Hehe, what a bad child."
It all happened in an instant. The man grabbed the neck of the girl who was slenderer than his palm. The man lifted the girl up and walked to the railing side of the balcony.
"Uh! what are you...doing...?"
The girl kept stomping her feet in the air, trying to pull away her imprisoned palms with her hands, but she could only feel that it became difficult to breathe and vomit, her throat could not swallow and breathe normally.
"Unbehaved children have to be punished~"
The man hung the girl beyond the edge of the balcony, extinguished the last cigarette, then took down the mask and threw it out. A few seconds later, there was a crisp sound of broken furniture.
I could feel the fluid starting to boil and rush, my brain functioning gradually became sluggish, I can’t hear the faint sound of music in the venue and the jingle-like laughter. I can’t see the man clearly.
Suddenly, a sound came into my ears, he seemed to have said something, but my cognition had begun to sink into the deep sea of consciousness. There is only one thing I vaguely remember.
"Goodbye."
There was a scent of roses on him.
————--
There was no fall, but there was a huge impact and intense pain.
"~~~!"
The girl who fell under the bed with the quilt pulled up one of the quilts to avoid the sunlight entering the room. What was helpless was the middle of the day, and the outdoor heat raided through the open glass window. Even if it is a thin sheet, the cotton material cannot resist the enthusiasm of summer.
The girl gave up struggling decisively, got off the rolled sheet, walked to the low cabinet next to it, opened the drawer, took out the clothes and put on. At this time, there was the sound of scratching of the board and a small cat crying from outside.
" Christine?"
The girl twisted her handle and opened the door of the room. As expected, a black cat was lying in front of her, and her tail was swaying sideways against the floor.
"Good morning, Christine."
The black cat seemed to respond to the girl's call, and stared at the girl with ears erected. Glazed cat eyes reveal the girl's appearance, pink hair and immature face, wearing a pure white shirt and brown and yellow cropped trousers.
"It's time for breakfast!"
"Meow."
Pass the promenade, turn left at the end, you can see the kitchen with old equipment, a dining table and four chairs. The girl pulled a chair, adjusted its position slightly, and stepped on it with her feet, so that she could open the closet on the countertop. "I'm looking for something delicious for you. Keep it a secret for me!"
The girl took out a glass jar sealed with a stopper from the depths of the cabinet, filled with several biscuits that the girl slapped on her hands, and also took out another glass jar filled with jerkys.
One piece should be okay, anyway, the pastor will not check the closet every day.
The girl skillfully opened the soft stopper, took out a piece of biscuit from the glass jar and one piece of jerky, then sealed the glass jar and put it back in the closet. Biting a biscuit in her mouth, lifting up the jerky and waving it back and forth in front of Christine’s face, Christine wanted to grab the jerky, so he stretched out her left front paw and her right front paw. The girl looked at the cat and smiled.
"Well, I won't tease you anymore."
She jumped off the chair, squatted down in front of Christine, and handed it out. Christine bit the jerky and ran out. Hope Christine will not run out of the courtyard. Before, Christine ran out to find food by himself, but he ran into other people's homes. Fortunately, it didn't cause damage, but later he was scolded by the priest. Although the priest usually looked amiable, it would not end well if he was angry.
However, if you think about it carefully, Christine still looks good every time when he gets scolded, he should grab it before he wants to make trouble, or my ears will suffer again.
The pendulum of the clock on the side of the kitchen swings back and forth, making regular sounds. It is already close to noon. If you want to go out and find a fast-moving cat that is fast and nerve-sensitive at noon, it is a nightmare.
————--
There is no sign of rain, not even a single cloud is visible, and a shining sun hangs in the sky. I feel like standing out of the shadows, my body is like ice cubes about to melt. It doesn’t take long for me to start sweating. I will be sweaty if I stay in the sun and my clothes will become wet and sticky. .
I only ate a piece of biscuit just now. The hot rays of the sun are completely intended to burn everything in the world. The dazzling light and sultry breath make my eyes feel dizzy for an instant, and my limbs are a little weak. This can only be done quickly. " Christine! Where are you?”
Standing under the tree, shouting at the pile of grass beside the wall.
In addition to the small farm and church built by the priest himself on the other side of the house, there are many bushes on the side close to the wall, so there are many places where animals can hide. Outside the wall is a whole cemetery. It is said that many unknown corpses have been buried there since the last time during the war. I don’t know why there is no way to keep any objects in the cemetery. The cemetery was quiet and horrified.
I once participated in a funeral with the pastor. There is an inexplicable amount of pressure in that place, which will press inward from the body, the air is unusually thin and slightly cold. Quiet and powerful fear is enveloped in the entire space. All actions need to consume more energy. As long as the survivor steps into the cemetery, will be sucked out of life bit by bit until the last breath of death disappears.
Christine is very smart and will not run over there. The only place left to look for is near the wall of the street.
“Please...''
It’s fine to take a nap here. There should be nothing wrong with the day. In the afternoon, Christine will run back again if he can’t find food to eat. The short green grass under the shade of the tree is suitable as a short-lived bed. The breeze that blows across the face from time to time brings coolness to the intolerable hot and humid temperature. The quietness of the suburbs away from the center of the city is unique, and there is a slight weakness from the church. After lying down, the smell of grass and soil overflowed in the room. Drowsiness began to invade, and his eyes gradually became heavy. What strange dream would it be this time?
It's a pity that the hoarse cry of a certain crow just interrupted my sleep. My head, which was a little groggy, awoke completely, and my thoughts became quite clear. The crow was standing on the wall platform behind me, the head of the black swaying from side to side, his turquoise eyes staring straight into my pupils, suddenly a bit of coldness rushed into the body, causing a burst of goosebumps.
Suddenly, there was the rustle of leaves rubbing against the grass on the left. The crow and I turned our heads at the same time and looked at the direction where the sound came from. I sit up with both hands, and now there are no props on my side, so I clenched my fist to protect my chest. Although I'm not sure what it is, the posture of preparation is relatively safe.
"Meow~"
A black shadow jumped out of the grass, and made a loud meow in the direction of the crow, threatening and warning. The crow responded and patted its wings a few times and flew outside the wall.
"Christine!"
I ran forward and stretched out my hands to hug and grab it. I stretched out wherever it hid, but I didn't succeed several times. On the fifth attempt, there was a gap of less than a few centimeters, and when it was about to touch the back of Christine's neck, it stopped and sat obediently next to a pile of grass.
"what?"
Until just now, I was fully engrossed in Christine, and I didn't notice that strangers appeared in the most familiar courtyard, a child who was curled up and trembling.
Long hair and brown pupils are the most common ordinary appearance.
The teardrops in the eye frame were spinning, he was biting his upper lip tightly, and there were obvious stains on his face. The clothes he was wearing were also a little shabby, with traces of repairs on the edges. The most important thing was that he was holding a knife.
"Calm down, I am not malicious."
I don't know the gender of this child, both of his tightly clenched arms are shaking.
"Meow!"
"Christine!"
Christine's sudden approaching movement frightened him, he dropped the knife on his hand, stood up and ran towards the iron fence without looking back.
————--
Holding the back of Christine's neck with two hands. This guy has become heavier. I can only bring it to the front of the house by dragging. Christine is unexpectedly stable. In the past, it would insist on resisting death and struggle to twist its body to break free. For a girl who is dragging a five-kilogram adult cat, every step she takes can feel sweat from her forehead.
"Stop running around!"
Dragging Christine into the door of the large room, loosening the two hands that bound Christine, the air in the body seems to be taken away, and then lies directly next to Christine. This is better than the study of holy Poetry classics. There will be some sporadic drizzle in the first few months, but since yesterday, I could still see a blue sky with cumulus clouds. As the sky turns clear, I will never get out if I can stay indoors.
White streets are filled with many people, street vendors selling newspapers and magazines outside the store, playing musical instruments and performing. Street performers juggling, people gossiping on the road outside the church, you can also see children playing and laughing.
But today, it was uncharacteristic. There was no laughter or singing outside the fence, only the chirping of the birds when they were resting on the tree.
Listening to the noisy crows of the birds outside the house, I remembered the crow from last time.
"That kid..."
It's a face that I haven't seen before, not even in this neighborhood.
Very often there are small children from poor areas who come to the vicinity of the church. Although there are a lot of them, we can still remember everyone’s appearance after a long time. I will never admit it wrong, that kid is a foreigner.
Compared with the appearance of the small children in the poor area, there are no scars on their faces or on their faces, and the look in their eyes I can feel not only fear but also hatred.
I picked up the small knife that I brought back from the incident last time, it had a small sleeve tied to the handle.
It is a very simple set made, and there is no special embroidery when flipping back and forth. The small one still maintains a sharp front, and a word was engraved near the handle.
"Helios?"
What does it mean? A family name that has never been heard before, or is it a last name?The appearance of the child makes me very concerned.
Recalling the delicate patterns on the hem that flashed from the previous one, and the silver necklace slightly exposed from the collar, no matter how you look at it, I think he should be a child of some nobleman, but why does he look so dirty? His thin body will collapse at any time and the eyes have lost their light.
Most importantly, why did he appear here?
I can’t stop my brain thinking, looking for breakthrough points in the very little amount of information, but dragging Christine back to the house in the hot noon has already taken away half of my energy, and now I just want to let go of everything.
"Ugh..."
The crow or the child, no matter how it is impossible to reach a conclusion.
Lying on the side of the cool floor in the corridor, Christine is snoring by my side, my thoughts gradually sank.
In the blur memory, I remembered the little child's moisture mixed with the rain, a slight oily smell, a fresh green grass smell, and there was a faint smell.
The sweet fragrance of roses.
————--
NEXT CHAPTER>
|