After the heavy rain, the greenway is filled with the fragrance of grass.
The air is moist and refreshing, gently wrapping around the slightly tired body, so gentle that it doesn't feel like being in the south.
On rainy days, especially when it's been preparing to rain continuously for several days, the sky always gets dark early. Although the sun couldn't be seen all day, it didn't stop the night from quietly climbing up the horizon.
"I say, do you want to hear a story?" A student named A suddenly spoke up.
I was squinting my eyes, kicking my feet and staring at the dark color in the sky, lost in thought. Along with the scattered croaking of frogs nearby, I couldn't hear clearly for a moment, so I made a nasal sound, "Huh?"
I heard him sigh, seemingly full of exhaustion and hesitation. "I say...," his voice trembled slightly, but it wasn't impatience, rather more of a conflicted tone, "Would you like to hear a story from me? It's not a true story, but it can be quite unpleasant."
I stopped in my tracks, then turned around and returned to a group of benches I had just passed by. I used a tissue to wipe away the remaining water droplets and beckoned A, who was following slowly behind, "Come, take your time and tell me."
A furrowed his brows, looked from different angles, but it seemed like he couldn't see clearly. So he simply brushed his hand randomly a few times and sat down. He supported his chin with his hand, hunched his back, revealing a hint of vulnerability. I heard him whisper quickly but clearly, "I don't know if I should tell it, but since you're willing to listen..."
"Yes, yes," I drawled in agreement.
"I had a dream this morning," he continued, no longer hesitating, narrating softly.
You know, dreams are something we can't control. Anything can be dreamt of. Although sometimes there are vague patterns, like during puberty when you're growing taller, it's easy to dream of flying in the air and such scenes. But most of the time, dreams are chaotic and bizarre.
This time, thinking about it carefully, it was quite similar to the situation in "Death Fugue". Of course, compared to that unfortunate Ximen Tun, my treatment was much better.
Unlike him, who rolled around in various animal dens, growing and dying, I had top-notch treatment - I was an elephant, and moreover, an elephant with a human body.
Whether we became monsters or if the world was always like this, anyway, I lived together with the mother over there. I knew we were elephants, but it didn't stop me from knowing that our bodies were constructed like humans, although it sounds strange, you should be familiar with this setting, so I won't go into detail.
I, and the person in the dream, the mother, depended on each other. Life was plain but fulfilling. Until that day...
It was an ordinary day, without any clouds. The sunlight shone straight down, but I couldn't feel any warmth. Instead, the white light reflected on the ground stabbed my eyes, making me feel irritated.
I returned home in constant dizziness, pushing open the door. But the interior was also filled with bright light, making it difficult to open my eyes.
The house was quiet, without the ticking of a clock, the low humming sound of appliances running, or any voices. There were only patches of white light swarming from every corner, tearing apart my shadow, prying open my drooping eyelids, and even choking my throat - they made me feel oppressed, unable to breathe.
Walking along the long corridor to the end, I pushed open another door. Behind it was the bedroom of the woman who raised me, the one I called "mother". It was also filled with white light, but I could still see the body lying on the bed. Her belly was slightly swollen, rising and falling rhythmically.
The chaotic beams of light became even stronger. I still couldn't see her face clearly, not even her legs. But bathed in the white light, I seemed to know many other things: like how she was sleeping soundly, like how her abdomen was nurturing a little life that would probably be called a brother or sister, like... ivory is very valuable.
Yes, very precious, very valuable.
You know, as if possessed, only a few thoughts remained in my mind. Besides "ivory is very valuable," there was also "we can obtain ivory after death," and a question I had seen a long time ago, "why can't ivory be taken from dead elephants?"
Naturally, I didn't know why, and I didn't need to know. I just needed to be clear about three words: it's not allowed.
Yes, it's not allowed. Then, I let go of my hand, with warm and sticky liquid on it.
Yes, because it's not allowed to take it from the dead, so, it has to be from, for example, the one in front of me...
The white light became even brighter. I still couldn't see her face clearly, and I could barely see my own hand. But I heard a faint voice, very soft, very weak.
"That child should be born. I have to, have to let her out, can't block her."
She took out a small knife from somewhere and directly stabbed it into her abdomen, struggling to move it.
Warm liquid splashed again, but I still couldn't see clearly, I could only roughly imagine the scene in my mind based on touch and smell.
"And also," her voice sounded intermittently again, "haven't had lunch yet, wait, I'll make it for you after I'm done."
"And then I woke up with my eyes wide open," A added with a long sigh, "couldn't sleep at all."
I didn't look at his face, but just by listening to his voice, I could sense his fear and exhaustion. Saying such a passage should have exhausted him, there was no need to add more pressure. As a friend, I think he wouldn't blame me for this small impoliteness.
"Well... no wonder you've been so restless today, having nightmares and lack of sleep, it's normal," I thought for a moment and could only say some nonchalant words to distract his attention.
"It does have a big impact," after catching his breath for a while, he seemed to feel much better, and his tone became calm, "Actually, I'm also considering whether going back to Shengjing might not be so bad."
I finally turned my head and looked at the man in front of me, the man who used to say things like "not enough money" and "no fun going back," and then spread them with a mixture of sincerity and perfunctoriness. I pulled the corners of my mouth, trying to show a gentle smile as much as possible, "That depends on how you think about it."
A finally left, he said he was very tired and ready to go back to rest.
I watched him leave, staring straight ahead, even though that figure had already disappeared into the thickening darkness.
The air was moist and cold, sticking to the exposed arms, causing a slight stinging sensation.
The croaking of frogs became even more noisy, continuous. Perhaps they were celebrating their own frog life, or mating and giving birth, or simply mocking this person who was inexplicably melancholic.
I tightened my grip on the phone, using my thumb to continuously rub the smooth screen, tracing the unlock pattern on the nine-grid, and then pressing the power button firmly.
It was late at night, everyone should have a good dream.