Chapter 14 14 forest at the end of the world

Soon, Qiu Guang quietly passed away.Woke up one morning, only to see that autumn was over.The sky no longer sees the deep and elegant cloud shadows of golden autumn, but is replaced by dark and heavy clouds.The messenger of the letter brought by the cloud poked his head out from the top of Beida Mountain.For the town, autumn is an angel of beauty that makes people feel confident. Unfortunately, its stay is too short, and its departure is too sudden. After autumn passed away, there was a short gap.The blank space is wonderful, quiet, neither like autumn nor winter.The golden fur covering the beast's body gradually loses its luster, turning white as if it had been bleached, telling people that winter is coming.

All living beings and all phenomena braid their necks and tense their bodies against the snow and ice season.The premonition of winter is like an invisible film covering the whole town. Even the chirping of the wind, the swaying of the trees, the stillness of the night and the footsteps of people seem to contain some hint of stagnation and strangeness.Even the sound of the rushing water on the sandbars in the river, which had previously soothed me, no longer soothed my soul.Everything closes its shell tightly for its own preservation, and begins with a kind of finality.For them, winter is a season unlike any other.The song of the little bird also became short and sharp, and sometimes one could see its flapping wings trembling in the cold blank.

I'm afraid it will be extremely cold this winter, the boss said, you can tell just by looking at the shape of the clouds.Here, look.The old man led me to the window and pointed to the dark and thick clouds pressing down on Beida Mountain. He said that in the past, at this time of year, there would be clouds on Beida Mountain that herald the coming of winter.It is like the vanguard, and we can predict the degree of coldness in winter based on the shape of the clouds at that time.If the clouds are flat and flat, it means that it is a warm winter; the thicker the clouds, the colder the winter.And the worst thing is the cloud that looks like a roc spreading its wings.With its appearance, it must be freezing cold in winter.It's that kind of cloud!

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the sky above Beida Mountain.Although a bit blurred, the shape of the cloud that the old man mentioned can still be discerned.The cloud is elongated horizontally, enough to cover both ends of the Beida Mountain.In the middle, the wings swell like a mountain, and the shape is indeed very similar to that of the big roc that the old man said.It was a huge, ominous gray bird flying over the top of the mountain. The winter that drips into ice comes only once every fifty or sixty years.The colonel said, by the way, I'm afraid you don't have a coat. Well, no.I said.All I had were the not-so-thick cotton coats I was given when I entered the town.

The old man opened the closet, pulled out a navy blue military coat and handed it to me.The coat was as heavy as a stone, and the coarse wool scratched the skin. It's a little bit heavier, but it's better than nothing.It was made just for you recently.Hope it's the right size. I thrust my arms into my sleeves.The shoulders are a bit broad.I'm really not used to it, it's so heavy that it can make people stagger.But it seems to be a good fit.Besides, as the old man said, it's better than nothing.I thank you. Are you still drawing maps?asked the senior colonel. Well, I said, there are still a few parts left, and if possible, I want to finish it.It's so easy to draw to this point.

Drawing a map doesn't matter.That is your freedom, without hindering others.However, it’s not that I don’t listen to what I say. When winter comes, don’t go far away, and don’t leave the vicinity of other people’s homes.Especially in a winter as severe as this year, you can't be too careful.Although the place here is not big, there are many dangerous areas that you don't know about in winter.Drawing the map will not be completed until next spring. Understood.I said, but when will winter start? snow.When a snowflake passes by, winter begins.And when the snow on the Hezhou Island in the middle of the river melts, it will be the end of winter.We watched the clouds over Beida Mountain while drinking our morning coffee.

There is one other important thing.The old man said, try not to get close to the fence or the forest after winter.This kind of existence is very powerful after the winter begins. What is there in the forest? nothing.The old man pondered for a while, but there was nothing.At least there isn't anything you need there.For us, the forest is a redundant place. No one in there? The old man opened the furnace cover, scraped off the ashes, and added some thin firewood and coal. It is estimated that the stove will be fired tonight.He said that the sticks and coals were taken from the forest, and the food such as mushrooms and vegetables also came from the forest.In this sense, the forest is indispensable to us, but nothing more.

That being the case, should someone in the forest dig coal, collect firewood and mushrooms? Yes, there are people living there.They brought coal, firewood, mushrooms to supply the town, and we gave them food and clothing.This exchange is performed once a week by a specific person in a specific location.In addition, there is no relationship.They don't go near the town, we don't go near the forest.We are very different from them. What's different? in all senses.The old man said that they are different from us in every conceivable way.Be careful, though; never take an interest in them.They are dangerous and they are likely to have some sort of bad influence on you.Because how should I put it, you haven't settled down yet.It is best to avoid unnecessary danger until you are fully settled in your proper place.A forest is nothing more than a forest, you only need to mark the forest on the map.Understood?

Understood. Also, the fence in winter is even more dangerous.In the winter the walls grew tighter and tighter around the town, watching to see if we were securely enclosed.Everything that happens here, nothing can escape the eyes of the wall.Therefore, no matter what form you take, you must never have any relationship with the wall, and never approach it.I've said it several times, you haven't settled down yet.You are confused, you are confused, you regret, you are discouraged.For you, winter is the most dangerous season. The problem is, I have to go to the forest anyway before winter comes to see what's going on.The original deadline for handing over the map to Shadow has come, and he told me to inspect the forest.Just look at the forest once and the map is complete.

As the clouds of Beida Mountain spread their wings slowly and steadily over the town, the sunlight suddenly weakened the golden glow.The sky is covered with fine dust, and it is confused, and the sunlight is deposited in it, dying.For my injured eyes, it's the season I could only wish for.The sky will never be cloudless again, nor will the howling wind be able to blow away such clouds. I entered the forest by the riverside path.In order to avoid getting lost, I decided to peek into the forest along the wall as much as possible.Only in this way can the shape of the wall enclosing the forest be drawn on the map.

But the quest is by no means easy.On the way, there were steep ravines as deep as the entire subsidence of the ground, dense and huge wild chrysanthemum bushes taller than my head, and swamps blocking the way.And there are big, sticky cobwebs hanging everywhere, wrapping around my face, neck and arms.From time to time, there was the rustling of something in the surrounding bushes.Towering branches block out the sun, making the forest as dark as the bottom of the sea.Mushrooms of all shapes and sizes grow under the shade of the trees, like creepy skin diseases. Even so, when I once left the wall and stepped into the forest, there was still an almost inconceivable tranquility and peace in front of me.The fresh air of the earth, the mysterious nature that no one touches, fills the surroundings and calms my heart quietly.In my eyes, I can't see that this is the dangerous area that the senior colonel advised and even warned me about.There is an endless cycle of life composed of trees, grass and various tiny life forms.Even a stone on a glass can make people feel the unshakable providence in it. After leaving the fence, the deeper you go into the forest, the stronger this impression is.The ominous shadows are indifferent, the colors of the trees and grass blades seem to have become calm and soft, and the chirping of birds sounds melodious.Whether it is the small patches of grass flashing here and there, or the creek running through the dense trees like a thread, none of them give people the sense of tension and depression that the forest near the wall gives.I don't understand why there is such a huge difference.Perhaps the wall disturbed the forest air with its force, or it could simply be the terrain. But however pleasant the walk in the forest was, I still dared not leave the wall entirely.After all, the forest is endless, and once it gets too deep, it's even impossible to tell the direction.There is no way to go, no sign to follow.Therefore, I always move my steps carefully within the range where I can glimpse the wall out of the corner of my eye.Whether the forest is my friend or my foe, I can't yet tell.Besides, this kind of comfort and comfort is an illusion that wants to lure me into it.In any case, as the old man pointed out, I can't be too careful about this small and wavering existence in this town. I thought maybe because I hadn't really entered the depths of the forest, I didn't find any signs of human habitation. There were no footprints, and no traces of hands touching anything.I was half afraid and half looking forward to meeting them in the woods.But after going around for a few days like this, there was no phenomenon that suggested their existence at all.I figured they probably lived farther out in the woods, or eluded me subtly. On the third or fourth day of exploration, at the place where the east wall turned sharply to the south, I found a small piece of grass at the wall.Under the pressure of the corner of the fence, the grass spreads out in a fan shape.The surrounding dense forest unexpectedly stopped invading and left this small space.Strangely, the flustering tension unique to the scenery at the bottom of the wall has also disappeared at this corner, and the peace and tranquility in the forest are overflowing.The moist and soft grass gently covers the ground like a carpet, and above the head is a sky that has been cut into different shapes.A few stone foundations remain at one end of the grass, indicating that there were buildings here.Stepping on the stone foundations, I found that the original building layout was quite neat and formal, at least it was not a makeshift hut.There used to be three separate rooms, a kitchen, bathroom and hall.As I paced the site, I imagined what it would have been like when the building existed.As for who built this house in the forest for what motive, and why it was demolished afterwards, I can't point out. There is a stone well behind the tree branch of the kitchen.The well is filled to the brim, and the weeds above it become sap.The person who buried the well must have been the person who evacuated here at that time.Why I do not know. I sat down beside the well, leaning on the old stone railing and looking up at the sky.I saw the wind blowing from Beida Mountain slightly swaying the branches that surrounded the incomplete sky into a semicircle, rustling.Humid cumulus clouds passed slowly across the sky.I turned up my collar and watched Liuyun's stumbling steps. Behind the ruins of the building stands a wall.It was the first time I got so close to the wall of the map machine in the forest. From a close look, it can indeed be panted against the wall.Sitting in the wild field that suddenly appeared in the forest to the east, leaning against the ancient well and listening to the wind, I think the gatekeeper's words are still credible.If there is a perfect thing in this world, it is this wall.Presumably it existed here at the beginning, like clouds moving in the sky and rain falling on the earth. The walls are too large to fit on a page of maps.Its breath is too violent, its curves are too graceful.Every time I face the wall to sketch, I feel a boundless sense of weakness sweeping over me.The walls also change expressions incredibly noticeably depending on the angle of view, making it difficult for me to grasp the real face. I decided to close my eyes and take a nap.The sharp sound of the wind continued, and the trees and walls surrounded me tightly, protecting me from the cold wind.Before I go to sleep I think of shadows.It's time to hand him the map.It is true that the details are still uncertain, and the interior of the forest is still almost blank, but winter is imminent, and it is impossible to continue the survey after winter anyway.I have basically sketched out the shape of the town and the location and form of the existing things in the sketchbook, and recorded all the facts I have.Next, it is the shadow's turn to plan based on this. Although the gatekeeper had doubts about whether or not to let me meet the shadow, he finally agreed with me to allow me to meet him when the days became shorter and his strength weakened.Now that winter is approaching, the conditions should be met. Next, I still closed my eyes, thinking of the girl in the library.However, the more I think about it, the more I feel the sense of loss in my heart is so deep.Where it came from and how it came about I can't be sure, but the sheer sense of loss is real.I'm watching what's missing from her, and it's going on and on. The fact that I saw her every day did not fill the vast void in my mind.When I was reading Ancient Dream in a room of the library, she actually existed beside me.We ate dinner together, drank lukewarm drinks together, and walked her home.The two chatted mischievously while walking.She talks about the daily life of her father and two younger sisters. But when I sent her to the door to break up, my sense of loss seemed to be deeper than before meeting.I'm really helpless with this sense of loss without a clue.The well is too deep and too dark for no amount of earth to fill the void. I guessed that this sense of loss was somehow connected to my lost memory.The gap between the memory asking her for something and my own inability to respond accordingly left a hopeless void in my mind.This question is really troubling me at the moment.My own existence is too weak and powerless. Finally, I drove all these thoughts out of my mind and fell into sleep. When I woke up, the surrounding temperature was terribly low.I couldn't help shivering, and wrapped my body tightly with my coat.It was evening.I got up from the ground and shook the grass clippings off my coat. At that moment, the first snow fell lightly on my face.Looking up at the sky, the clouds are much lower than before, and they are getting darker, showing an ominous feeling.I found several huge and faintly shaped snowflakes drifting from the sky to the ground one after another by the wind.winter is here! I took one more look at the fence before leaving.Under the gloomy and dignified sky with flying snowflakes, the enclosure wall showed a more perfect appearance.I looked to the top of the wall, and felt that it was looking down on me, standing majestically in front of me like a primitive animal that had just awakened. It seemed to say to me: why are you here?what are you looking for However I cannot answer.The short sleep in the low temperature took all the warmth out of my body and injected something like a strange and vague mixture into my head.It made me feel like my limbs and mind were completely in the possession of someone else.Everything is so heavy, yet so ethereal. Trying to keep my eyes off the fence, I made my way through the forest, eagerly toward the east gate. The road is long and endless, the twilight is deepening rapidly, and the body loses its delicate sense of balance.On the way, I had to stop several times to catch my breath. I had to gather the physical strength to move on and gather the scattered and dull spirit. In the twilight, I felt a foreign body pressing heavily on me.The sound of horns was suddenly heard in the forest.But whether you hear it or not, it has passed through your consciousness without leaving any traces. By the time they barely made it through the forest and came to the river, the ground was already shrouded in a solemn night. There are no stars and moons, only the cold wind with snow and the sound of chilling water rule the four fields.I can't remember how long it took me to walk back to the library after that.All I remember is the never-ending walk along the riverside road.The willow branches swayed in the dark, and the cold wind howled overhead.No matter how you walk, the road is endless. The girl sat me down in front of the fire with her hand on my forehead.Her hands were so cold that my head hurt like it was on an icicle.I instinctively wanted to push her hand away, but I couldn't lift my arm.Just about to lift it up vigorously, but gagged. It's burning hot!The girl said, where are you going and what are you doing? I wanted to answer, but all words faded from consciousness.I couldn't even understand her words exactly. The girl found several blankets from nowhere, wrapped me up three times inside and outside three times, and let me lie by the stove.Her hair touched my cheek as I lay down.I couldn't help feeling a wish: I can't lose her. As for whether this wish came from my own consciousness, or a fragment of memory from the first day, I couldn't judge.There are too many things missing, and I am too tired.I feel that my consciousness is falling apart little by little in this sense of exhaustion.A strange sense of splitting captured me, as if only the consciousness was rising and the body was trying to hold back. I don't know which direction to take myself. During this time, the girl kept holding my hand tightly. sleep.I listen to her.The sound came from a distant place in a trance.