Chapter 19 Chapter Eighteen

We wait.The space in the mask shop is very small, let alone sit down, the two of us who are not bloated just stand there and seem to have taken up all the space.The backside of the counter was also cramped, with only one chair placed. The old mask maker sat there with a stooped and thin figure, and blank mask molds, brushes and paints piled up on the counter in front of him to form a hill. From this point of view, the original intention of this mask shop seems to be to provide private services. The two shopkeepers alternate shifts, make appointments in advance, and only accept one customer at a time.I remembered the "rule" that the old masker just mentioned.Apparently, D is his guest for tonight's appointment, and he is not welcome to anyone but D.But this is also very unusual.Were not the Venetians the shrewdest merchants in the world?Don't they want to attract customers?Because this weird mask shop in front of him doesn't look like it's doing business seriously.

I raised my head and asked D with my eyes: How long do we have to wait? D didn't answer me.He put his index finger to his lips in a silent gesture.I followed his gaze and saw that the old mask maker behind the counter was still busy.His ten long fingers were as thin as chicken feet, but they were extremely flexible. In a short while, the main pattern on the mask was completed.Now he is using a brush as thin as a mosquito's foot, dipped in gold powder, and outlines the final pattern on it. From the moment we walked into the store, D has been staring in that direction, watching every movement of the masker, every movement of the brush, trying to capture every subtle detail.Judging by his appearance, he seems to be fascinated.

I do not understand.The mask had the same pattern as the one I had seen during the day, the logo on the small business card, and the same mask hanging from the lintel.Simple wooden background, with black and red eccentric totems around the eyes.The pattern is charming, yes, but beyond that, I don't see any otherworldly qualities about it.In terms of weirdness, the doctor's mask with long beak and round glasses is even weirder; in terms of exquisiteness, any mask hanging on the walls here is more beautiful than this one. I don't understand why the mask maker wants to use this mask as the logo of the shop.

I don't even understand why D said that this is the only mask shop in Venice. When I was puzzled, D spoke again: "Mr. Mario and Mr. Stefano are the only remaining mask makers in Venice." Is he answering me?It dawned on me that when D spoke, his voice was reverent.This is very unusual.I followed his eyes and saw that the old mask maker named Mario had stopped what he was doing.My companion stretched out his hands, holding the newly completed mask that was handed over by the other party with great care. "I don't know how you found this place." The old masker coughed, squinted his small eyes, and looked him up and down through the round lenses, "I just hope that this matter ends here. Don't come again Come to me and don't tell anyone. We're old and we won't be taking jobs like this again."

"Mr. Mario, if you don't do it, this amazing craft will really be lost." D showed a regretful expression.I was at a loss as to what they were talking about. "So, you think it should be handed down?" asked the old masker. "Of course, it will help a lot of people." "Help you who are dying!" The masker suddenly raised his voice, and I was taken aback.The one who died?What exactly does he mean?What the hell are they talking about?I just can't help it.What's more, the facts are already in front of us, it is obvious that D is going to do something, and this matter is closely related to me.Even this strange mask maker knows about it, why am I the only one kept in the dark?

"Hey, these masks," I asked, clearing my throat, "what are they for?" The masker glanced at me and raised his eyebrows. "I wanted to explain later." D turned his head and sighed, "Since you have already asked, I shouldn't continue to hide it from you. Odell." He called my name and told me I realize the seriousness of the situation.Then he said to me with a serious face: "In fact, we came to Venice to go to a place. And these masks are needed to get to this place safely." "Where are we going? Why do we need a mask?" I was even more confused.I suddenly found powerlessly that I knew nothing about him, or the whole world in front of me.

"It's a long story, and I'll explain it to you slowly on the way. Let me just say a little bit now, do you know the origin of the carnival?" "In order to commemorate Jesus Christ's fasting in the wilderness, the believers regard the forty days before Easter as the day of repentance and fasting. During these forty days, people cannot drink and have fun, and life is solemn and dull, so before the beginning of Lent, people There were dances and parties, and there was a lot of carnival. And those events were passed down to become the carnival,” I told him like an endorsement.

D frowned, obviously quite dissatisfied with this "standard answer" that can be easily encyclopediad. "What else?" he asked. "Or the Saturnalia from ancient Rome. People pray to the gods for a good harvest for the year. It's a spring festival," I thought for a while and answered him. "During the carnival, all laws and morals have been relaxed, and people can enjoy themselves regardless of class of rich or poor." I see D smiling at me.He held the mask that had just been painted in his hand.mask!We are in Venice.The Carnival in Venice is also known as the Mask Festival, because the masks here are the most famous.So, is this the origin of the mask?Because after wearing it, people can make no distinction between rich and poor... Wait!My brain is running fast, and I suddenly feel like I understand something.Why do we need masks.And what D just mentioned about the loss of skills.and everything else.

After I connected all these seemingly completely unrelated dots, I came to my conclusion.I was shocked. "You mean..." I tentatively opened my mouth, and saw D nodded to me.I've seen why we need masks, but I still don't understand why we have to go there.Or, where exactly is that dangerous place. "People tend to rely too much on their own vision, and only believe in everything they see with the naked eye. The sky above their heads, the ground under their feet, the surrounding buildings and scenery, passers-by... You and I believe that they are real, because these can be used Our eyes directly observe it. But this is not our entire world.” D finally gave up this painful guessing game with me, and he said, “Actually, there are many spaces in the universe similar to our world. In these different spaces, different 'inhabitants' live. Some are very similar to humans, while others are quite different. Some worlds never meet, and their inhabitants never meet; They are connected by 'bridges'. As long as you cross these 'bridges', you can reach other worlds."

I was in shock listening to him tell all this.Believe it or not, it wasn't what he was telling me that shocked me, although it would shock any normal person enough; it was something else that shocked me.Because I suddenly realized that I knew everything he said.When he was talking, all the memories buried deep in my mind were awakening, as if I had opened a big book that had been dusty for many years. The dust was brushed away. Underneath the dust, all the answers are in plain sight. "So, Mardi Gras is what you call a 'bridge'?" I suddenly understood. "Carnival is an 'opportunity'. A long time ago, the 'inhabitants' of various worlds would choose to wear masks on these days to cross the gap between worlds. Well-made masks confuse smell, sound and shape, No one knows who you are or what world you are from. In other words, as long as you wear a mask, you are safe."

I looked at the inconspicuous wooden background and the ugly red and black mask in D's hand, and I couldn't believe it had such power. "But for thousands of years, when the roles of 'inhabitants' have gradually changed, the world no longer coexists peacefully with the world, and the role of 'bridge' no longer needs to be maintained, and most of the crafts of making masks have also been lost. D breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the old mask maker who was obviously impatient, and then finished his sentence concisely and forcefully, "We were lucky to come to the only mask shop in Venice, and met the only mask shop in the world. The last two remaining Mask Masters."