Chapter 13 10 of spades  …—distant islands that my little sailing ship will never reach...  

"After I left Hans' cabin that night, the rainbow soda lingered in me. My ears would suddenly taste the cherries, and the peppermint would rush to my elbows, and then , a pungent rhubarb root smell would creep into my knees. "Although the moon had set, the sky over the mountains was so brightly lit with stars that at first glance it looked like a huge salt shaker had been knocked over. "I used to feel like a tiny human being on Earth, but now through my entire body—the rainbow soda is still in me—I feel that Earth is my home. "I've seen why Hans said Rainbow Soda is a dangerous drink. It stirs up an insatiable hunger in people. Now, after Rainbow Soda, I've started wanting more.

"When I got back to the Waldermart I met my father. He was staggering out of the Waldermart. I went up to him and told him I had just called on Hans the baker. He was furious. , gave me a solid slap in the face. "I was in a good mood at first. I didn't expect to get a slap in the face for no reason. I felt aggrieved for a moment and couldn't help crying. My father saw me crying, and he also shed tears. He asked me to forgive me, but I didn't answer him. Silently followed him and walked home. "Before going to bed that night, my father told me that my mother is a very kind-hearted woman, just like an angel. The bad thing is that she couldn't resist the temptation of the devil, became addicted to alcohol, and couldn't extricate herself. This is what my father told me during his lifetime. The last words I spoke. Not long after, he was poisoned with alcohol.

"I went to see Hans at the bakery early the next morning. We both made a point of not talking about Rainbow Soda. It didn't belong in the village down the hill - it belonged to a whole different world. But inside Hans and I We all know that from now on, the two of us have to guard a deep secret together. "If Hans asked me if I could keep it a secret, I think I'd be very upset, because it would show that he didn't trust me. Fortunately, the old baker knew me well enough to feel that there was no need to ask. "Hans went into the baking room at the back of the shop to make some pastries out of oil and dough, while I sat on a bench and stared blankly at the goldfish in the glass tank. It was so colorful that it never It makes me tired of watching it. Look at its vivaciousness swimming around in the water, jumping up and down, as if there is a wonderful desire in its heart that is constantly driving it. Its body is covered with flexible and flexible scales. Its pair of The eyes are like two small black dots, they are open all day long and never close. Only the small mouth keeps opening and closing.

"I thought to myself, every small animal is a complete individual. This goldfish swimming in the glass tank has only one life to live; when the life comes to an end, it will never return to the world Come. ' "I was about to get up and go out of the shop, and go for a walk in the street—which I usually do after visiting Hans in the morning—when Hans suddenly turned to me and said: 'Albert , will you come to my house tonight?'" I nodded silently. "'I haven't told you about the island yet!' he said. 'I don't know how many days I have left.'" I turned and threw my arms around his neck.

"'You can't die!' I couldn't help crying. 'You mustn't die!'" 'Everyone dies when they get old,' Hans hugged me tightly by the shoulder. 'The most important thing is that when the older generation is gone, the younger generation can carry on their careers. '" That night I went up the hill as promised. Hans met me by the pump outside the house. "'I put it away,' he said. "I know he's referring to Rainbow Soda. "'Oh, can I have another drink?' I couldn't help asking. "Hans snorted and shook his head: 'Absolutely not.'" He straightened his face and his expression became very serious.But I know he is doing it for my own good.I understand that I will never taste this mysterious drink again in my life.

"'This bottle of soda will always be in the attic,' Hans told me. 'It will be half a century before you can take it down again. Then, a young man will knock on your door, and you will have to let him taste it. Taste this bottle of nectar. And just like that, from generation to generation in the bottle. And then, one day, this extraordinary stream will flow to the land of tomorrow, into the ocean of hope. Do you understand, child? You Do you think I'm too nagging?'" I told Hans, and I understood what he meant.Then, we walked into the cabin filled with rare treasures from all over the world.We sat down by the fire just like last night.There are two cups on the table.Hans picked up an old glass jug, poured the lingonberry juice it contained into the cup, and then began to tell the story-in January 1811, in the midwinter night, I was born in Lubeck, a city in northern Germany .At that time, the Napoleonic Wars were in full swing.My father was a baker, like I am now, but I decided from an early age to be a sailor.In fact, I too had to go to sea to make a living.There are eight children in our family.My father's small bakery couldn't feed the eight hungry mouths. In 1827, when I was sixteen years old, I went to Hamburg to join a shipping company and became a sailor on a galleon.It was an ocean-going ship registered in the Norwegian town of Allendal, and its name was Maria.

For the next fifteen years, Maria was my home and my life. In the autumn of 1842, the ship set off from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with a cargo for New York.The sailors on board were very experienced, but this time, somehow, the compass and octant were out of order, so that when we left the English Channel, our course was too far to the south.We sailed all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.How did this happen? It remains a mystery to me to this day. After seven or eight weeks on the high seas, we should have arrived in port, but there was no land in sight.At this time, our position may be somewhere south of Bermuda.One morning a storm came.The wind continued to intensify throughout the day until it turned into a powerful hurricane.

I don't remember exactly how the shipwreck happened. I only know that the ship capsized in the sea under the sweep of the hurricane.Things happened so fast that now I only have fragmented and vague memories.I remember the whole ship turned over and submerged in the water; I also remember one of the crew members being swept out to sea by the waves and disappearing.That's all I remember.I don't know how long it took: I woke up and found myself lying on a lifeboat.The sea returned to calm again. I'm still not sure how long I was in a coma.It may be just a few hours, or it may be several days.After waking up on the lifeboat, my sense of time; ten gradually recovered.I found out later that our ship sank entirely in the sea without leaving a trace.I am the only survivor.

The lifeboat has a small mast.I found an old piece of canvas under the bow deck, and hoisted it up, trying to steer by the direction of the sun and moon.I judged that at this time; my position should be somewhere on the east coast of the United States, so I kept sailing west. I have been drifting at sea for more than a week.During this time, I didn't eat anything except biscuits and water.In the vast sea, I didn't even see a single sail. I will always remember my last night at sea.Above me the sky was full of stars, but the stars were like distant islands, beyond the reach of my little sailboat.It suddenly occurred to me that at this moment, my parents in Lubik, Germany, and I are under the same sky, looking up at the same stars, but they are so far away from each other.Albert, you know? The stars never say anything.They don't care how people live on Earth.

Soon, my parents will receive bad news: I have sunk in the sea with the "Maria". The next morning, the weather was very clear, and the morning glow dyed most of the sky red.Suddenly, I saw a black dot appear in the distance.At first I thought it was just a speck of sand in my eye, but I rubbed my eyes hard and the little black spot was still there and motionless.I suddenly realized: it turned out to be a small island. I managed to steer the boat towards the small island, but felt a strong current coming from the island and prevented my boat from approaching it.I let down the sails, and got two strong wooden oars, and sat with my back to the island, and put the oars on the oarlocks at the side of the boat.

I tried my best and kept rowing and rowing, but the boat didn't move.If I can't reach the island, the boundless sea in front of me will become my burial place.The ship's store of fresh water has been exhausted; I have not had a drink all day.I paddled for hours at a stretch, and the palms of my hands were scratched and bleeding.This island is my only way of life. I rowed furiously for a few more hours, and then, looking back, I saw that the island had grown in size and was clearly defined.I saw a lagoon surrounded by palm trees.But I have not arrived at my destination; there is a hard road ahead. Finally, my hard work paid off.Around noon, I paddled out into the lagoon and felt the bow of the boat lightly touch the shore. I climbed out of the boat and pushed the boat onto the sand.After so many days at sea, my feet finally set foot on land.For a moment I thought I was dreaming. I ate the last of my rations before pushing the boat into the palms.I was anxious to know whether there was any water on the island. Although I finally made it to a tropical island and saved my life, the prospects were not very promising.The island looks pitifully small, and there is no human habitation around.From where I stand now, I can almost see the whole island. There are not many trees on the island.Suddenly, I heard the song of a bird in a palm tree. At this time, hearing the chirping of the bird/L is particularly pleasant, because it means that there is life on the island.After all my years as a sailor I knew that the singing bird was not a sea-bird. I left the boat on the shore and followed a path to the palms where the birds sang.The more you go inside, the more you feel that the island is actually not small.Along the way, I saw more and more trees and heard more and more birds singing.I also found that the flowers and shrubs growing here were quite different from what I had seen before. Looking from the beach; I saw only seven or eight palm trees, but now walking on the path I see tall rose trees on either side, and a small clump of palms just ahead. I quickened my pace and walked towards the clump of palms.This way I can deduce how big the island really is.I went under the palm trees and found a dense forest ahead. I turned around, and the lagoon I had just paddled lay before my eyes.To my left and right, the sparkles of the Atlantic shone like gold in the bright sunlight. I don't want to think too much now, I just want to see where the end of this forest is.So I pulled up my legs and ran into the bushes.When I came out from the other side of the forest, I found myself trapped in a deep valley, and I could no longer see the sea.