After the heavy rain, the greenway was filled with the fragrance of grass.
The air was moist and refreshing, gently wrapping around the slightly tired body, so gentle that it didn't feel like being in the south.
On rainy days, especially when it was expected to rain continuously for several days, the sky always turned dark early. Although the sun couldn't be seen all day, it didn't prevent the night from quietly climbing up the sky.
"I say, do you want to hear a story?" A student named A suddenly spoke beside me.
I was squinting my eyes, kicking the ground as I looked at the dark color in the sky, lost in thought. With the scattered croaking of frogs nearby, I couldn't hear clearly for a moment, so I made a nasal sound, "Hmm?"
I heard him sigh, seemingly full of exhaustion and hesitation. "I say... 'Would you like to hear a story? It's not a true story, but it can be quite unpleasant.'"
I stopped walking, then turned back 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 for A, who was following slowly behind, "Come, take your time and tell me."
A frowned, looked from different angles, but it seemed that he couldn't see clearly. So he simply used his hand to brush it randomly a few times and sat down. He supported his chin with his hand, hunching his back slightly, 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 elongated my voice 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 there are sometimes vague patterns, such as during puberty when it's easy to dream of flying in the air, most of the time, dreams are chaotic and bizarre.
This time, thinking about it carefully, it was quite similar to the situation in "Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out." Of course, compared to that unfortunate Ximentun, 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 I had 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 prevent me from knowing that our bodies were constructed like humans, although it sounded awkward, 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 ordinary but fulfilling. Until that day—
It was an ordinary day, without clouds. The sunlight shone straight down, but I couldn't feel any warmth. Instead, the white light reflected on the ground pierced my eyes, making me feel irritated.
I returned home in 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, without the low humming sound of appliances running, and no one speaking. There were only patches of white light rushing in from all corners, 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 still saw the body lying on the bed at a glance. Her belly was slightly bulging, rhythmically rising and falling.
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 younger 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 was not allowed. Then, I let go of my hand, with my hand covered in warm, sticky liquid.
Yes, because it's not allowed to take it from dead elephants, so, it has to be from, for example, the one in front of me—
The white light became brighter. I still couldn't see her face clearly, and I could barely see my own hand. But I heard a murmuring 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 inserted 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, "you 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, "no sleepiness 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 must have exhausted him, there was no need to add more pressure. As a friend, I thought he wouldn't blame me for this small rudeness.
"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 noncommittal 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 "low pay" and "no fun to go back" with an attitude that was partly sincere and partly perfunctory. 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 was going back to rest.
I watched him leave, staring straight ahead, even though that figure had already disappeared straight into the thickening darkness of the night.
The air was moist and cold, sticking to the exposed arms, causing a slight stinging sensation.
The croaking of frogs became more and more noisy, continuous. They were either celebrating their own frog life, or mating and giving birth, or simply mocking this inexplicably melancholic person.
I tightened my grip on the phone, using my thumb to continuously rub the smooth screen, tracing the unlocking pattern on the nine-grid, and then pressed the power button heavily.
It was late at night, everyone should have a good dream.