Chapter 45 Heart 2...she might be standing on a beach somewhere looking out to sea right now...

I looked up from the bun book.It was already 3:30 in the afternoon, and my ice cream had already melted. Suddenly, a terrible idea came to my mind: Frod said that the dwarves on the magic island do not age like humans; if so, then the clown must still be wandering around the world at this moment. I remember, in the ancient square in the city of Athens, my father talked to me about the ruthlessness of time, but now it seems that the power of time does not seem to have any effect on the group of dwarves on the island.They are full of life, alive and kicking, just like real humans and animals, but they are not flesh and blood after all.

The Bun book mentions several times that gnomes can't be hurt.During the feast on the island, the clowns made havoc in the banquet hall, throwing bottles and jugs all over the place, but not a single dwarf was cut by a piece of glass.When evading the pursuit of the dwarves, the clown fell down from the cliff without any flesh wounds; later he rowed out of the sunken island in a lifeboat, and the clown rowed for a day and a night, but his hands remained intact. As good as ever.In addition, Hans also mentioned that the hands of dwarves are as cold as ice... Thinking of this, I couldn't help shrinking my neck and shivering.

The dwarf who has been following me during the journey, his hands are also cold! When passing through Switzerland, the dwarf that my father and son met in a garage, could it be more than 150 years ago, after disembarking at the port of Marseilles? The dwarf who escaped? The dwarf who gave me the magnifying glass and then directed me to find the bun book, could it be the clown on the magic island? In the Como playground, the bridge of Venice, the ship bound for the port of Patras , The dwarf that suddenly appeared on the Sindagma Square in Athens, could it be a clown? This idea is so bizarre and terrifying that I can't help but feel sick when I see the melted ice cream on the table.

I looked up - I wouldn't be surprised if the dwarf popped up here in Bireeves Harbour.At that moment, my thoughts were interrupted by my father hopping down the street on the hillside behind the restaurant. I could see at a glance that my father's hope of finding my mother was not lost. Somehow, it occurred to me that the Buns book mentioned that before it was turned into a card, the Heart stood on the beach looking out to sea.At that time, she told Hans, she came from a beach that was very far away in time and space. "We'll find out where she is this afternoon," said Pa.

I nodded, looking very solemn.We, father and son, looked out to sea. "Right now, she's probably standing on a wide beach looking out to sea," I told Dad. Dad sat down across from me. "Yes, she may well be in one of those places. But how do you know?" I shrugged. My father told me that my mother is currently on a promontory by the Aegean Sea, busy taking photos.This place is called Cape Sunian, located on the Greek peninsula fifty miles south of Athens. "On the cliff of this promontory, there are still remains of the Great Temple of Poseidon." Dad said. "Poseidon is the Greek god of the sea. They are going to take some photos of Anida in front of the temple."

"A young man from afar met a beautiful girl in an ancient temple." I said. Dad sighed, looking helpless. "What the hell are you talking about?" "The Oracle of Delphi," I said. "Did you forget that you played Apollo's priestess Pythia in the Temple of Delphi?" "Oh, of course I haven't! But I was thinking of the High City of Athens." "You think of the high city of Athens, but Apollo doesn't think that way!" Dad smiled coyly.I don't know why he smiles like that. "I, Pithia, was so confused that I almost forgot the oracle I had conveyed." Dad finally confessed.

There are many things I can't recall from this long journey across Europe, but the one at Cape Sunian will never be forgotten as long as I live. Along the way, my father drove the car at a fast speed, passing through one resort town after another in the south of Athens.It didn't take long before our eyes suddenly opened up, and the blue Mediterranean was displayed magnificently on the right side of our car, accompanying us all the way. Both of us, father and son, had our minds on meeting Mom, but Dad kept talking to me about completely irrelevant things.I guess his purpose in doing this is to prevent me from having too high expectations for this trip.On the way, he asked me again and again if I was going on a trip with him this time.

"I should really take you to Cape Horn in South America or the Cape of Good Hope in Africa," Dad said. "However, it would be nice to go to Cape Sunian in Greece." The journey was not long, and my father only stopped once in the middle of the journey to smoke a cigarette.We stood on a protruding cliff by the sea, and the surrounding scenery was as desolate as the moon.The waves undulate under the cliff, splashing clusters of water.Two or three seals were lying on the bare rocky slope, looking like water nymphs in Greek mythology. The sea water is so blue and clear, staring at it, my eyes can hardly hold back the tears.I guess the water here is at least twenty meters deep, but Dad says it's only eight or ten meters deep.

After that, neither father nor son said a word.Dad stopped for a cigarette every now and then throughout the trip, but this was probably the quietest one. Before arriving at the destination, we could see the Tanah Lot standing on a promontory on the right from a distance. "What do you think?" Dad asked me. "What do you think? Will she be there?" I asked Dad. "Yes." Dad said. "I knew she'd be there," I answered Dad. "I also know she will come back to Norway with us." Dad laughed loudly: "It's not that easy, Hans Thomas. I think you also understand that a woman who has been away from home for eight years will not be easily dragged home by you."

"She had no choice," I said. We all fell silent.Fifteen minutes later, Dad parked the car in the parking lot under the mountain gate of the Sea God Temple. We got out of the car and shuttled between two tour buses and forty or fifty Italian tourists.Dad took out one or two hundred Greek coins, bought two tickets, and pretended to be a tourist visiting the temple.On the way, Pa took out a comb, and took off the strange-looking sun hat on his head.That hat was bought at Delphi.