The First Day
I still remember that it was a rainy afternoon, the misty smoky rain outside the window blurred the vision, as if everything was seen through a light filter, only the plants were sucking up the rain with abandon, the dark green branches and leaves were spreading quietly. At this moment, my room is also filled with humid air, the sound of rain continues to knock on the windowpane, I face the computer screen alone, thinking about the beginning of the next novel.
Suddenly, the urgent sound of the doorbell rang, just as disturbing as the sudden rain outside the window. Always hating to be disturbed at such a time, I could only hold my breath and open the door to my room - only to see four unfamiliar faces.
The young man at the head of the group was well-built, with a dark complexion, and appeared to be regularly engaged in outdoor sports. With some rain drops still in his hair, he cautiously asked for my name.
After realizing that I was the author of The Deserted Village, they all breathed a sigh of relief. A small, white-skinned girl murmured, "Wow, what a surprise."
"Didn't expect what?"
"I didn't expect the legendary author to be so young."
I scratched my head, wondering if that was a compliment.
The girl said excitedly, "Well, this place looks great, the Arakura was written here, right?"
The boy in the lead glared at her, then smiled at me and said, "I'm sorry, we're all big readers and fans of your books, especially after reading the novel Deserted Village, we have a lot of questions we'd like to ask you in person."
So that's how it was, but there was still some hesitation, you guys don't know, usually I never receive readers in person. But I let them in anyway. The four of them carefully placed their umbrellas at the door, still a little wet, but I didn't mind much and poured drinks to entertain these uninvited visitors.
All four of them were carrying school bags, two men and two women, young people like me, they should still be in their first or second year of college. My guess was confirmed by them, another tall girl said, "Let's introduce ourselves first, my name is Han Xiaofeng."
She then introduced each of them in turn, the older boy at the head was called Huo Qiang, the smaller girl was called Chunyu, and the last boy was called Su Tianping. They were all sophomores and had joined the famous "Mockingbird College Adventure Club".
Huo Qiang got right to the point: "We've read all your books and novels, and after reading the fourth issue of Sprout this year, we were all shocked by your book Deserted Village, and we've read it a dozen times over and over again. We just couldn't help ourselves, so we made a special visit this time to ask you to answer some questions for us."
I shook my head helplessly, this was what I was most worried about after the novel was published, "I'm sorry, how did you guys know my address?"
"Well-"Huo Qiang scratched his head awkwardly before uttering a name.
So it was that guy! I can't believe I revealed my address to these college students, I'll be sure to scold him a few times the next time I meet him.
The girl named Chunyu speaks up, "Sorry, this is us stalking him and he was forced to tell us."
Forget it, that guy must have seen someone else's pretty schoolgirl and couldn't resist the temptation to betray his friend.
"Alright, what exactly is your problem?"
The silent boy named Su Tianping finally spoke, "First of all, I really like this novel of yours, I think 'Deserted Village' is just too peculiar, I find every word of yours is a trap, a mystery to be solved. Please tell me that there must be other secrets hidden beneath the surface of the story of the deserted village, yes? Is it because of the length that I feel you have many more stories that you have not revealed to us."
Han Xiaofeng suddenly interjected, "Are you still planning to write a long story about the Deserted Village?"
"Well--" For their questions, I really do not know how to answer, can only casually perfunctory a few sentences.
But these college students are not relentless, machine gun like questions to me, the rain outside the window is getting heavier and heavier, the dim light of the sky covering the room, it is easy to let a person have some kind of illusion, as if these four people are from another time and space to come.
Finally, Huo Qiang couldn't help himself and said, "Alright, now please answer one question, does the deserted village even exist?"
"I've already said it a few times, this is just a piece of fiction, please don't take it too seriously."
The little girl called Chunyu suddenly got a little agitated, "No, you're lying, the Desolate Village must exist, it must exist!"
Look at this girl's pitiful appearance, even if the hard-hearted can not hold out, perhaps my friend is also because of the "betrayal" of me, after all, we are too soft-hearted.
I gritted my teeth, finally nodded: "Well, I admit, the deserted village does exist."
The moment I said these words, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed outside the window, followed by a deafening thunderclap that seemed to make even the windows tremble. Could it be an ominous sign? My heart immediately sank - no, I can't say that, barren villages shouldn't exist.
Unfortunately, the words that were said could no longer be taken back, and now that I think about it, I really regret it very much.
At that time, after hearing my words, several college students were unusually excited, only Su Tianping remained calm as he asked, "Then please tell me, where exactly is the deserted village?"
"I've already said in my novel that the Deserted Village is between the sea and the cemetery."
"That we both know. Now, what we want to know is the exact address of the Deserted Village, you said in your novel that the Deserted Village is in Xileng Town, K City, Zhejiang Province, so where is K City?"
"What exactly do you guys want?"
Huo Qiang said loudly, "We want to go to the deserted village."
Unbelievably, when the words "to go to the deserted village" have not yet fallen, the window was another earth-shattering loud thunder, shaking the girl called Chunyu tightly embraced next to Han Xiaofeng trembled.
I was also stunned, looking out the window at a white blanket of smoke and rain. Strange, this season shouldn't have such a big thunderstorm ah.
Turning around furiously, those four college students were all staring straight at me, they were waiting for my answer. This made me even more distracted, strange premonitions hit my heart like rain and droned in my head repeatedly like a mantra.
Never let them open the gates of Satan.
I answered categorically, "No, I can't tell you guys."
The four college students, who had already been expecting it for a long time, immediately looked like leaky balls, especially the girl named Chunyu who was on the verge of crying out.
"Why?" Han Xiaofeng was clearly an acute person, and she immediately rushed out.
"No reason, you guys can't go to the deserted village anyway."
Huo Qiang shook his head, "No, we are all prepared, all the equipment for wilderness travel and adventure is in place, the only thing missing is the detailed address. Whether you support it or not, our plan to explore the deserted village will never change."
"Cancel the plan, such a plan is pointless. I suggest you pay more attention to UFOs or the Bermuda Triangle, don't let fantasy overwhelm reason."
"Bermuda is too far away, and the deserted village is close to us." The one who spoke was Su Tianping, who was also a bit excited, "You know what? Chunyu and I joined the Adventure Club because we read your novel and became enamored with your words. Do you know how much effort we went through to find you? And today we're braving this thunderstorm to pay a visit, so you mustn't let us loyal readers down."
My fellow readers, how could I disappoint you? However, on the matter of the Deserted Village, I have absolutely no room to back down, I can only say with a hard head, "You guys go back, I am not going to tell where the Deserted Village is."
Huo Qiang said coldly, "I'm really sorry. However, it doesn't matter even if you don't say it, because as long as the place, Desolate Village, does exist, then we will definitely find out."
After saying that, he had hurriedly left, and several other college students followed behind Huo Qiang. The girl called Chunyu was the last to leave, and she glanced back at me again at the doorway, saying quietly, "I'm really disappointed."
I could only say helplessly, "Beware of the thunder outside."
As I watched the four uninvited guests disappear between the hallways, my heart suddenly felt a sense of guilt, should I have done that? They were all my loyal readers, I should have tried my best to help them, but the deserted village-
No, don't mention Arakura anymore.
Originally, I thought that was the end of the matter.
However, on the very night that the four college students left, something even stranger intruded into my life--
Late into the night that day, it was no longer thundering and lightning outside, and the rain pattered down on the windows like some woman's fingers were tapping. I opened my e-mail as usual to receive EMAIL, and naturally I received many more e-mails about the deserted village, largely worshipful and abusive. But the subject of one of the e-mails caught my interest - "You missed the well".
The moment I saw this headline, my eyelids suddenly jumped, as if that deep round hole appeared in front of my eyes again - the well?
My mouse slid to nowhere in a blink of an eye as if it had been struck by this headline. I swung my right hand a few times and finally found this timid mouse, was it scared by the headline?
Clicking on the headline "You missed the well", I opened the e-mail and a line of text jumped into my eyes---
Hello:
You are the author of The Deserted Village, aren't you, and if you think this letter is harassing mail then please delete it now.
I read Issue 4 of Sprout this afternoon, and I certainly didn't miss your middle grade novel The Deserted Village. Forgive me, I'm commenting on your novel as a knower, not as a reader. But I have to tell you that you have left out one important thing in your novel. I don't know whether you are deliberately concealing it or your memory is too bad, assuming that you have really been to the Old Mansion in the Deserted Village, and not just heard about it from hearsay.
Remember the well in the backyard of the old mansion, Jinshi Di?
You don't have to reply.
Excuse me.
A reader
After reading this strange EMAIL, I froze for several minutes as the words on my computer screen seemed to skip my eyes and go straight to my head. After a few hesitant moments of touching my mouse hand, I didn't press the delete button, but slowly closed my eyes.
Wells?
The moment I closed my eyes, the dark hole reappeared-
Carefully probing my body into the mouth of the well, the narrow ancient well was so deep that it seemed to be immersed in the darkness of the light. Suddenly, a few ripples appeared at the bottom of the well, the slightly swirling water reflecting the light from the hole. Instantly, I found the reflection of my own face in the ripples of water at the bottom of the well.
I trembled as I looked at myself at the bottom of the well, as if I were facing Einstein's hypothetical "black hole", a cosmic black hole billions of light-years away that was absorbing all matter with infinite power, while time was twisting and distorting around it.
Yes, facing this ancient well, I also seem to feel a breath that slowly rises from the bottom of the well, through the narrow, wet walls, like the birth canal of a baby, and rushes out of the narrow opening of the well, spraying directly onto my face, between my nostrils, and filling my chest with my breath. I can't touch it, but I can breathe it in greedily, and I know it's here. Now it's run out of the well ......
Who is it?
My eyes snapped open and the deep, ancient well disappeared in an instant, still with my computer's screen saver in front of me. I let out a long breath, the scene that had just surfaced was too poignant, I didn't know whether to describe the emotion I felt at that moment as fear or sadness, but I knew I shouldn't have opened that well, I didn't know what was going to happen next, and the only thing I could do was to hide the existence of the well.
This strange EMAIL is right, the ancient well does exist in the Deserted Village, right in the backyard of the ancient mansion Jinshi Di, only I didn't include it in my novel The Deserted Village. Because I have a special fear of this well, I can't imagine what will happen when it enters the novel and is shown to countless readers?
No, I couldn't imagine. Now, I am faced with this strange EMAIL, wondering how the other party knew about the well, or perhaps it was just hearsay?
Although, the other party said I can not reply, but I think it is better to reply, at least I want to know who the other party is? Is it a poor and bored person who fantasizes about an ancient well to scare me, or does it really have some kind of relationship with the deserted village?
After thinking about it, I replied to the person with an EMAIL -
Hello:
I don't know how to address you or who you really are. But now I must admit that there is indeed an ancient well in the backyard of Jinshi Di.
Be sure to reply.
After sending this EMAIL, I finally turned off my computer and let out a long breath as the rain continued to pound on the windowpanes, like the receding tide on the shores of a deserted village.
I didn't realize that night that my life would change dramatically because of those two emails.