Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

When our group finally walked into the restaurant, the old couple from France had already sat down at the round table. "Coincidentally, we also have a story about birds." The old man cleared his throat and said tremblingly, "The most beautiful bird in the world, some people say it comes from heaven." Next, he slowly told everyone the following story: "This bird has two pairs of scissor-like wings. The extraordinary feathers on it can refract light and reflect rainbow-like colors, as if from another world. Therefore, people give It is named the Bird of Paradise, also known as the Bird of Paradise, or the Wind Bird. According to legend, they are lonely and solitary by nature, but once they have a mate, they will not change until death. In addition, the male Wind Bird has a singing voice that is astonishing as heaven and man, and the singing is like the sound of heaven , Enough to make travelers in the forest forget to return, and even lose their way.

"In Paris in the era of Louis XVI, the colorful feathers of windbirds became a passport at the ball at that time. If you don't put one or two on your hair or hat, it is difficult to enter the banquet salon of Queen Mary. This is already the case in the court, and the folks are also flocking Following suit, all the people in the court and the opposition were frantically pursuing Fengniao. "But the windbirds are so precious. The real windbirds were exchanged by Spanish envoys from the natives of the remote New World with expensive gifts; the Venetians also have them, because they are always used to carry out various A weird business that can make high profits. But in Paris, which is an inland city, there are very few real windbird feathers. Most of them are trimmed and dyed by shrewd businessmen. Manufactured after complicated procedures.

"These fake feathers are finely crafted and colorful, and are loved by gentlemen and wives in the upper class. They are in increasing demand and their shapes are becoming more and more realistic. But they are not real windbird feathers after all. Because the wind Birds only drink the nectar of 'Wind Bird Flower', and their bodies are born with an intoxicating sweet fragrance, which is easy to distinguish. But these artificially dyed feathers are not smelly. Especially after being wet by rain, That smell is lingering, and it can be smelled across the whole street. So the dance salon at that time was forced to cancel whenever it was cloudy.

"The main character of the story is a young girl named Monica. Her father is a businessman in the fake feather business, so her family is very rich. Monica was raised as a princess since she was a child, and she has everything she wants, If she wanted the stars, no one gave her the moon. But Monica was still very distressed. Because although her daily clothes were more luxurious than a real princess, and her dance steps were more graceful than a real princess, But she is not a princess after all. She cannot get the invitation letter from Queen Mary, and she cannot enter the palace banquet. That is to say, Monica has beauty and wealth, but she has no status and class. At that time , class is everything. Especially in Paris, the aristocracy and the common people are completely two worlds. The arrogant Monica can't bear this, and she is determined to change the status quo at all costs.

"Monica's plan is actually very simple. Like almost all girls in that era (and today's era), she dreams of marrying a noble man with status and status, and then she can throw away her original surname. Forever out of the shameful civilian class. But this is easier said than done. One of the most practical problems is that if Queen Mary cannot enter the ball salon, she will have no chance to meet any big shots, and of course it is even more impossible to get Chance to dance. "We just said that Parisians are crazy about the colorful feathers of windbirds. Monica is not satisfied with those mass-produced fakes. As the only daughter of a feather merchant, she is an expert in feathers. Although she is young, she can easily Identify the names and types of various feathers, use the smell and feel, and know all the secret processing details. It is conceivable that she looks forward to seeing the real windbird more than anyone else, or in other words, she is more than anyone else. Everyone wants to get a real wind bird feather, because it is equivalent to a passport to enter the upper class.

"The bad news came that Monica's father fell ill and was about to die. Since Monica was an only child, the businessman left all his property to Monica before he died. In addition, there was a wax seal Box to live in. Inside the box is a real, undyed windbird feather. "Before opening the box, Monica didn't know that this treasure was in the house. But then again, it is reasonable for a rich businessman who makes a living selling fake feathers to keep one or two genuine ones in his home .In short, after getting this treasure, Monica was ecstatic, but a little disappointed. Because this feather turned out to be black. A deep black, darker than the feathers of crows, without a trace of light on it , not to mention the seven colors of the rainbow in the legend. To be honest, those imitation fake feathers she has seen on weekdays are much more beautiful than it. But it is indeed the feather of a wind bird. For a moment, an indescribable sweet smell sprayed out, as if the air was filled with flowers in an instant.

"Monica found her best dress, and carefully inserted the feather into her carefully braided hair. The petals from heaven flew thousands of miles from her head, and she walked lightly, with flowers blooming at every step When she walked into the Palace of Versailles, the guests looked sideways and the doorman bowed to her respectfully, as if she were a real princess. "Monica was very happy. She took a glass of champagne, pretended to be reserved and stood in the most brilliantly lit corner, keeping a close eye on the surroundings, waiting for her prey. "The prey was quickly hooked. The lords and sons of Versailles were full of interest in this mysterious beauty. They asked each other about her background secretly, and the lack of answers aroused their curiosity even more. They fought Xiang Xiang went to Monica to ask for a dance. To their delight, this unfamiliar lady had almost perfect social etiquette, and she never refused anyone.

"Every invitation to dance is an opportunity for Monica to show herself. Show off her gorgeous dress, exquisite appearance, delicate dance steps, but most importantly, the real bird feather on her head. When Monica When Ka danced, the feather swayed gently with the breeze brought by the dance steps, boiling, and spreading the mysterious fragrance all over the ballroom. Monica's dream that she had been looking forward to for many years became a reality. The center of attention at the dance. "Monica saw a young man dressed in black. In fact, she had noticed the young man from the moment she entered the hall. She saw him moving among all the big people, even The noble Queen Mary greeted him with a smile. The young man was tall and proud, with black hair hanging down his shoulders, like expensive silk woven in the night, making his skin that had not been exposed to sunlight paler. He came from a prominent family, maybe a prince from some country, and was invited to the ball. Because he looked closely, there was a hint of exotic color between his brows, but this made his chiseled face even more charming.

"Monica was deeply attracted by him. She kept telling herself to keep the so-called 'noble girl' reserved and not to stare at people all the time, but she couldn't turn her eyes away. So when the young man finally walked up to her , when bowing and saluting with the most elegant movements, Monica gave her hand to the other party without thinking. "Monica did not expect that the young man turned out to be a master dancer. When he danced lightly, everything around him seemed to be still, and he was the only one spinning endlessly in the frozen time. It was like a black and white spinning top. It was unobtrusive at the time, but when he started dancing, the monotonous top turned into colorful in an instant. Monica couldn't keep her eyes open, and she knew she had found her goal. They kept dancing, and kept dancing, changing one after another. In the wee hours of the night when the dance finally ended, the two kissed in front of the fountain, privately dating their lives.

"But things can't always be perfect. When a bolt from the blue fell on Monica's head, this handsome and mysterious young man turned out to be a mute. After Monica cried, she was still determined to maintain the marriage contract. On the one hand, she was indeed deeply fascinated by young people; On the other hand, her father has passed away, and Monica has no one to rely on. She firmly believes that the other party must be a prince of a foreign race with a great background. She must not give up the golden opportunity in front of her. "The wedding was held soon, and Monica married this young man with her incomparably rich family. She bet all her father's property before her death, hoping to live a decent life of the aristocratic class in the future, but she lost It was a crushing defeat. The mysterious young man Monica met at the dance turned out to be a bird of wind. After defrauding the other party of love and money, he returned to his original form and never returned. And took back his feathers."

"How can this be!" Emily shouted angrily, "Didn't you say that Fengniao was loyal to love until death?" "That's a misunderstanding. In fact, the windbird is the most typical swinger among birds. It uses its extraordinary dance to attract female birds, and then walks away after mating. Leave everything to the other party." The old man sighed. "So, their singing may not be pleasant?" "In fact, the sound of the wind bird is very unpleasant, and it can only make a hoarse wah-wah sound like a crow. I think this is why the wind bird in the story has to pretend to be dumb. Since ancient times, people have given the wind bird too many dreams factors, in fact, they are close relatives of crows." "Then they are really black too?" Emily continued to ask. The old man pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That's really unclear. Maybe there is such a bird in nature, maybe not, who knows? Anyway, I have lived for such a long time, but I have never seen it. This story It’s just a legend after all.” After the old man finished speaking, the clear chime of the Bell Tower of San Marco was sent out of the window.The candle shadow flickered, the ceiling reflected the water color of St. Mark's Square, and the whole room seemed to be shaking.I was dizzy from the sound of the bell, and I suspected that I was wrong, because in the turbulent water waves on the four walls, I saw familiar black shadows rising from the ground, climbing all the way like vines on the wall, Without enough time to cover their ears, the shadows of the two people at the table were engulfed in an airtight manner. Those two people were the French couple who had just finished telling the story. I hesitated for a moment, and just as I was about to speak, the candles on the round table suddenly went out. "Good night everyone, see you tomorrow night." In the darkness that fell suddenly in front of me, I heard Heath's voice.