Chapter 12 Maomao Chapter 12 Maomao goes to the birthplace between the elbows

Maomao was standing in a very spacious hall, she had never seen such a large hall.It is bigger than the huge church and the biggest station waiting room.Thick solid columns supported the ceiling, and the upper part of the hall was half-lit, and there was more to be imagined than seen.There are no windows here.The incomparable space is filled with golden light, which is the light from countless candles in every corner.The flame of the candle was motionless, as if painted with flashing colors, so that although the candle glowed, it did not diminish. As soon as Maomao walked in, he heard all kinds of sounds, some rattled, some ticked, some tinkling, and some rumbling, it was really strange.This is the sound of clocks of all kinds and sizes.Some stand on the ground, some on the table, some in glass cabinets, some on the gleaming ledge, and some on rows of shelves.

There are small pocket watches inlaid with precious stones, ordinary clocks, various alarm clocks, sand clocks, dancing puppet toy clocks, sun clocks, wooden clocks, stone clocks, glass clocks and running water Propelled water clock.There are all kinds of cuckoo clocks hanging on the wall (the sound of timekeeping is like cuckoos, so there are all kinds of cuckoo clocks. In addition, some clocks swing heavy pendulums, which look very slow and solemn. Some small pendulums swing back and forth very fast. Quick. There is a circular corridor on the second floor that surrounds the entire hall, and a circular staircase spirals up. There is a second circular corridor, and there are two more. There are also clocks everywhere, standing, hanging Lying flat on the table, there is also a spherical world clock, which marks the time at this moment in various parts of the world, and there are many astronomical clocks of different sizes marked with the sun, moon and stars. In the hall There are so many standing clocks that look like a forest of bells. There are all kinds of clocks here, from wall clocks in ordinary rooms to big clocks on tall towers.

Because the clocks all told different times, the chimes and alarms were always heard. These sounds, however, were not obnoxious noises, but a uniform, droning groan like the forest in summer. Momo turned around, staring at these wonderful clocks with wide eyes.At this moment, she was standing in front of a richly decorated toy clock, on which two small figures, a man and a woman, were dancing hand in hand.When she was about to touch the two little people with her fingers, she suddenly heard a kind voice: "Ah, you are back again, Cassiopeia! Did you bring me little Mao Mao?" Maomao turned around, and saw a tall, thin old man with silver hair in the middle of the aisle, bending over, staring at the turtle in front of him.He wore a gown embroidered with gold, blue silk breeches, white silk stockings, and shoes with gold buttons.His white cuffs and collar show from his wrists and neck.Silver-white hair is pulled into a small bun at the back of the head.Mao Mao has never seen such a costume.Someone more ignorant than she would have said at once that it was fashionable to wear such garments about two hundred years ago.

"What did you say?" At this time, the old man was still talking!Ri bent down and talked to the turtle, "Is she here already? Where is she?" He took out a pair of small glasses, put them on, and looked around.Those glasses were like old Beppo's reading glasses, but his glasses were gold. "I'm here!" Mao Mao said loudly. The old man smiled happily and walked towards her with his arms outstretched.As he was walking forward, Mao Mao felt that every step he took was getting younger, and the further he walked, the younger he looked.When he finally stood in front of her and grabbed her hands, shaking them affectionately, he didn't look much older than Momo.

"Welcome!" he said happily. "You are very welcome to Wufanglou. Please allow me to introduce myself, little Maomao. I am Master Hou La—full name is: Secundus Minu Toast very pull." "Do you really want me to come?" Mao Mao asked in surprise. "Of course! I even sent Cassiopeia to pick you up!" He took out a flat, diamond-encrusted pocket watch from his vest pocket, and let the cover pop up automatically. "You came very punctually." He smiled affirmatively, and handed the pocket watch to Mao Mao. Maomao looked at it and found that there were neither hands nor numbers on the watch, only two very thin spirals overlapping and pointing in opposite directions and turning slowly.Where the two spirals meet, sometimes faint points of light flicker.

"Here," said Master Hola, "is a sidereal clock which accurately indicates the rare sidereal hours which are just beginning." "What is sidereal time?" Maomao asked. "Sidereal time is in the course of the world, and sometimes there are special great moments," explained Master Hula, "when all things and living things, down to the most distant stars, come together in an extraordinary way. have an influence, and together make something happen at exactly that moment. It is a pity that people generally do not know how to take advantage of this moment. Therefore, such great moments often pass away without knowing it. However, if someone knows this at that moment, then he will see the great events happening in the world."

"Maybe," Maomao thought, "so people need a watch like this." Master Hou Ji smiled and shook his head and said: "It is not enough to have such a watch, people must learn to use it." He closed the watch cover again and put it in the pocket of his vest.When he saw that Mao Mao was looking at his appearance in surprise, he also looked down at himself thoughtfully, then said with a crooked brow: "Hey, my dress is a bit outdated—— It's fashion. But I'm too careless about my clothes! I'll fix it right away." He made a frame with his fingers, and in an instant, he was standing in front of Maomao wearing a high-necked mid-length coat.

"Does this look better?" He asked tentatively.However, when he saw Mao Mao's disapproving expression, he immediately said, "Of course this is not good! Look, where did I think?" He framed again, and in the blink of an eye he was wearing another coat.Not only has Mao Mao never seen this coat, but also no one has ever seen it, because this style will only be worn a hundred years later. "Isn't it good?" he asked Maomao. "Then, we must go to Orion to inquire about it! Wait a minute, I'll try again." He opened the closet again, and changed into a set of ordinary clothes, exactly the same as what people on the street are wearing now.

"That's right, isn't it?" he said, winking at Momo, "I hope I didn't scare you, Momo, this was just a joke. Now, I'll ask you to sit down at the table first, little Girl, breakfast is ready. You have come so far, I hope you can eat sweet and delicious." He took Maomao's hand and led her into Zhonglin.The tortoise was a little behind and followed them at a leisurely pace.Like walking into a maze, they turned left and right, and finally came to a small room.The room is enclosed by several clock cabinets. In one corner stood a small table with turned-out legs, alongside a fine sofa and some upholstered chairs.Here, too, candles were lit, and the golden flame danced and flickered.

On the little table stood a pot-bellied gold pot, two gold cups, and a plate.Spoons and knives and forks are all gold, shining golden.In one little basket were crisp golden buns, in a little plate golden butter, and in another little bowl of honey that looked like liquid gold.Master Hou Ji picked up the golden pot with a big belly and poured some chocolate into the cup, and said very politely: "Please, my little guest, try to eat as much as possible." Maomao wolfed it down without saying a word.Chocolate can be drunk, but she has never heard of it before.And she had butter and honey on her bread, which she had never done in her life.In short, she has never tasted such a delicious thing.

Yes, such a breakfast is too much for her.She didn't think about anything, so she ate big mouthfuls and stuffed her mouth full.But to her surprise, the tiredness disappeared immediately after she finished the meal.Although she didn't close her eyes all night, she still felt very energetic and happy at this moment.She ate so well, it seemed like she could eat like this all day long. Master Hou Ji smiled and looked at her kindly, without saying a word, so as not to hinder her from eating.He knew that this little guest was often hungry, so now he had to let her eat in peace.I don't know if this is the reason, but he gradually became old again, and slowly became a gray-haired old man again.When he noticed that Maomao couldn't handle the knife well, he spread butter and honey on a piece of bread, put it on her plate, and only ate a little bit by himself, that is to say, he just ate with Maomao. Mao Mao was finally full.She drank the chocolate from the glass and gazed at her Master from the rim of the golden cup, wondering who and what he really was.Of course, she had seen that this old man was extraordinary, but until now, except for his name, she still knew nothing about him. Maomao put down the cup and asked curiously, "Why did you let the turtle pick me up?" "To protect you, prevent you from being caught by Mr. Fa." Master Hou La said seriously, "They are looking for you everywhere, and you will be safe only if you come to me." "Why did they arrest me?" Maomao asked in fear. "Yes, boy," sighed Master Hola, "I can tell you now." "Tell me, why?" "Because they are afraid of you," explained Master Holla, "because you have done something very serious and terrible to them." "I didn't offend them at all," Mao Mao said. "No, you not only offended them by causing one of them to betray them, but you also told your friends about it. You also told all the people in the city about Mr. Fat's real situation. You have become their sworn enemy, come to think of it, isn't that enough?" "But the tortoise walked through the city center with me." Maomao said, "If they were really looking for me everywhere, it would be easy to find me, and we walked so far." At this time, the tortoise was lying on the ground. At Master Hou Ji's feet, Master Hou La picked it up, put it on his lap, and scratched its neck. "What do you think about that, Cassiopeia?" he asked with a smile. "Will they catch you?" A few words appeared on the turtle's carapace: "Never." Its eyes gleamed happily, and it seemed that one could hear a giggle. "Cassiopea," Master Hula said, "can see the near future. Although it is not far, it can always predict the situation half an hour later." "Be more precise." These words were displayed again on the turtle's carapace. "I'm sorry." Master Hou La corrected, "It can predict the situation at that moment for a full half hour in the future. It can absolutely grasp what happened at that time, so it knows whether it will run into Mr. Friends." "Ah." Momo said pleasantly, "That's not bad! If it knew in advance where it would meet Mr. Gray, it would be easy to avoid them, wouldn't it?" "No." Master Hou said, "It's not that simple. It can't change what it knows in advance, because it just knows what will happen. If he knows in advance where he will meet Mr. Gray, then he must will meet them. There is nothing it can do to avoid meeting them." "I don't understand that." Maomao said a little disappointed, "In this way, it would be useless to know earlier." "Sometimes it works too," replied Master Hu La. "For example, your business, it knows to go this way or that way, and it will never meet Mr. Fat on this way. Don't you think it's very Is it worth it?" Mao Mao fell silent.Her thoughts were like a mess. "Let's talk about you and your friends," Master Hula continued, "I have to give you a good compliment. I'm particularly impressed by your placards and banners." "Did you see it?" Maomao asked happily. "Saw it all," said Master Holler, "not a word!" "It's a pity," said Mao Mao, "it seems that no one in the city has seen them." Master Hou La nodded regretfully, and said, "Yes, what a pity! This is exactly what Mister Gray is worried about." "Do you know them?" Maomao wanted to ask. Master Hou La nodded again and sighed: "I know them, and they know me." " Mao Mao didn't know what he should expect from this noteworthy answer. "Do you go to them often?" "No, never. I've never left Wuxilou." "So Mr. Gray often visits you?" Master Hola smiled slightly. "Don't worry, little Maomao, they can't get in here. Even if they know the way to Never Lane, it's useless. Besides, they don't know at all." Maomao thought for a while, although Master Hou La's explanation reassured her, but she still wanted to know more about Master Hou La. "How do you know all this?" Mao Mao asked again, "And our slogan and Mr. Gray?" "I have been observing everything connected with them," explained Master Sira, "and therefore I have seen you and your friends." "But you never left here?" "There is no need to leave here." At this time, Master Hou Ji looked younger and younger again, "I have a full-view mirror." He took out the pair of gold-rimmed glasses and handed them to Mao Mao. "Do you want to see?" Mao Mao put on her glasses, squinted her eyes, and looked sideways, "Oh, I didn't see anything." "All she saw was a blur of color, light, and shadow. She felt dizzy. "Yes." She heard Master Hula say, "Everyone is like this at the beginning, and it is not an easy thing to use the all-seeing mirror. You get used to it quickly, though. " He stood up, walked behind Mao Mao, and lightly straightened the glasses frame on Mao Mao's nose, so the scene in front of him became clear immediately.The first thing Maomao saw were those Mr. Grays driving cars, they were backing up at the edge of that strangely shining urban area at the moment. Maomao continued to look into the distance, and she saw a group of Mr. Grays on the streets of the city talking excitedly and gesticulating, as if they were conveying some message. "They're talking about you," said Master Holla. "They don't understand how you escaped their grasp." "Why are their faces always so gray?" Maomao asked while watching. "Because they stave life by something dead," replied the Throat Technician. "You know, they survive entirely by stealing people's time.Once time leaves the real owner, it will gradually die.Because everyone has their own time.Time is only alive when it belongs to that person. " "Then Mr. Gray is not human at all?" "Yes, they only have human form." "Then what are they?" "They're actually nothing." "Where did they come from?" "The reason why they appear is that people have given them the possibility to produce. They only need to have the conditions to produce, and now, people have given them the possibility to control their own destiny. So, the conditions for such things to happen It's more than enough." "What if they don't have time to steal?" "Then, they will return to the nothingness that produced them." Master Hou La took off the glasses from Mao Mao's face and put them away. "However, it is a pity," he added after a while, "that they have many accomplices in the crowd. It is a very bad thing." "I will never let them steal my time!" Maomao said firmly. "I hope so too." Master Hou La said, "Come on, Mao Mao, I will show you my collection." At this moment, he suddenly looked like an old man again. He took Maomao's hand and led her into the hall.There, he showed Mao Mao the clocks one by one from left to right, made the toy clock move, and let her see the world clock and sidereal clock.As the little guests showed great interest in all kinds of wonderful clocks and watches, master Hou La became younger and younger again. "Do you like guessing riddles?" He asked Maomao as he walked. "Oh, I like it, I like it very much!" Maomao replied, "Can you name one?" "Yes." Master Hou La looked at Maomao with a smile and said, "However, my riddle is very difficult to guess. Only a very few people can solve this riddle." "That's great." Yu Mao said, "Then I have to remember it well and let my friends guess later. " "I would like to know," continued Master Hola, "if you can solve this riddle. You must listen carefully: there are three brothers living in the same house, and although they look different, it is not easy to distinguish them. They are almost the same. The eldest is not at home and is walking home. The second is not at home and just went out. Only the third sits at home. Although the third rank is small, it is very important. Because the eldest becomes the second, the birth of the third Dude. You wanna stare at one, always see his brother. Can you tell me now: are they one or two?Or none?What are their names?If you solve this riddle, you will know the three rulers.The three of them are strong, they govern the country with one mind and work together, brothers and benevolent people unite as one, the kingdom is their own! " Master Hou La looked at Maomao and nodded encouragingly.Maomao listened nervously. She had a particularly good memory. After listening, she slowly repeated it word for word. "Oh!" said she, with a sigh, "that's a difficult riddle. I can't guess what it is. I don't know where to begin." "Try it," said Master Hola. Mao Mao repeated the whole riddle to herself, and then she shook her head again. "I can't guess." She conceded. At this time, the little tortoise crawled over and lay down beside Master Hou La's feet, looking at Mao Mao with concern. "Hey, Cassiopeia," Master Hula asked, "you can predict the situation half an hour later, do you think Mao Mao can guess this riddle?" "She can." These two words appeared on the tortoise shell. "Look," Master Hou Ji turned to Maomao and said, "You will solve this mystery, Cassiopeia is never wrong." Mao Mao frowned, and began to think hard again.She thought, what are the three brothers living in the same house? Obviously it's not about people.Brothers in riddles tend to be apple cores, teeth, or something like that.However, the three brothers in the riddle can transform into each other.What exactly does that mean?What can transform each other? Fluffy looked around.She saw many candles standing there, the flames motionless.Ah, yes, the candle becomes light through the flame.Isn't this the three brothers?However, this is definitely not right.They all lived there, two of them should have been absent. Maybe things like flowers and fruit and seeds.Ah, yes, these kinds of things do resemble a lot.The seed is the smallest of the three things, and when it exists, the other two do not exist.And without it there wouldn't be the other two.However, this is not right either!Because people can observe the seeds carefully.That is to say, when one looks at the smallest of the three, one always sees one of the other two. Mao Mao's thoughts were so chaotic that she couldn't figure it out.However, Cassiopeia has said that she will find the answer.So she began to repeat the riddle slowly from beginning to end. When she read again "The boss is not at home, he is walking home...", she saw the tortoise blinking at her, and the words "I know" appeared on its carapace, and then disappeared immediately. "Be honest, Master Huanji of Casiopeia Factory smiled and said, in fact, he didn't look there, "Don't prompt! Maomao can guess it by himself. "Of course, Momo had already seen the writing on the tortoise's shell. Now she began to think about what it might mean. What exactly did Cassiopeia know? It knew Momo might solve the mystery. But, that meant nothing. It What else does it know? It always knows what's going to happen, it knows "the future! " Mao Mao shouted, "That's right, 'Boss is not at home, he is walking home' is the future!" Master Hola nodded. "This second child," Maomao continued, "...is not at home, just went out, this is the past." Master Holla nodded again and smiled happily. "But now," Mao Mao said while thinking, "the third child is hard to guess.What is this third child? The riddle said that although he was the youngest, there would be no other two brothers without him, and he was the only one at home..." She thought about it, and said suddenly, "It's now!That's it!The past is the moment that has been, the future is the moment that is to come!Therefore, without the present, there is no past and future.Right now! " Mao Mao's cheeks became flushed with excitement.She went on to say, what do the following two sentences mean? "This third brother was born because the eldest became the second... That is to say, the present is only because the future has become the past!" She looked at Master Holla in surprise. "Yeah, why didn't I think of that. But there really isn't a present at all, there's only a past and a future, isn't there? Because, say, the present moment—when we speak of it, It has become the past! Ah, now I finally understand the meaning of this sentence: 'You want to stare at one, always see his brother.' The rest I understand now, so to speak, the three Brothers are really one: this is the present, or the past, or the future, or neither. For each of them exists in the presence of the other two! That's all I think of!" "However, the mystery is not over yet," said Master Hula. "What does it mean that the kingdom ruled by brothers is themselves? " Maomao looked at him in bewilderment.What could it be?What is the past, present, and future put together? She looked around the wide hall.She glanced at the hundreds of millions of clocks, and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Time!" she cried, clapping her hands. "Yes, it is time! This kingdom is time!" Mao Mao jumped up and down excitedly. "You still have to tell me, what house do these three brothers live in?" Master Hula asked Mao Mao to answer. "It's this world." Maomao said. "Excellent!" At this time, Master Hou La also raised his voice and applauded. "Congratulations, Momo! You solved the riddle! I'm so happy!" "I'm very happy too!" Maomao replied.But she still felt a little strange, she solved the mystery, why is Master Hou La so happy?They went on through the hall of clocks, and Master Hula showed her some other strange things, but Mao Mao was still thinking about the riddle. "Tell me," she asked at last, "what the hell is time?" "You yourself have just found out the answer," replied Master Zilla. "No, I mean," Momo explained, "time itself—it must be something, it does exist, but what is it?" Master Holla said, "It would be great if you could tell yourself." Maomao pondered for a long time. "It exists." Maomao murmured absently. "Anyway, that's for sure. But it can't be seen or touched. Maybe it's something like a fragrance? A fragrance is It keeps disappearing. Maybe it came from somewhere? Maybe it's something like the wind? Oh no! Now I know! It could be an eternal music, people just can't hear it. Still, I feel Sometimes you can hear it, the sound must be very soft." "Yes." Master Shila nodded, "That's why I called you here. " "But it must be something else at the same time." Mao Mao was still thinking about her question, "Although the music comes from a far away place, it sounds like it is ringing in the depths of my heart, and maybe time is also like this." There was a dreamy silence for a while, and then, as if resignedly, she added: "It seems to me that it is as if the wind makes the water waves. Ah, all this seems to me to be nonsense. "I think," Master Hou Ji said, "you said it very well, so now I want to tell you a secret: the time of all human beings is created in the Wuxi Building in Never Lane." Mao Mao watched him in awe. "Huh?" she asked softly, "Did you make time yourself?" Master Hula smiled again. "No, boy, I'm just an administrator. My responsibility is to give him the time everyone deserves." "So, can't you make arrangements so effortlessly that no time thief steals anyone's time?" Momo asked. "No, I can't do it," replied Master Hula. "These clocks are only my favorite things, and at best they are imperfect replicas of the thing in the human breast.Just as you have eyes to see light and ears to hear sound, you have a heart to sense time.Time that is not felt by the mind is lost, just as the colors of the rainbow are to the blind and the song of a bird to the deaf.It is a pity that there are also blind and deaf hearts in the world, although they beat, they can't feel anything. " "What if my heart stops beating all of a sudden?" Mao Mao asked. "Then," answered Master Holla, "time stops for you, boy. Or you yourself go back through time, day after day, month after month, year after year. There you go. You go back the way of your life, all the way back to the big round silver gate through which you will walk one day. Then walk out from there again. " "What's in that door?" "Then you're there, and that's where you sometimes hear the soft music come from. But then you're also part of it, and you're yourself one of the many voices. " He looked at Mao Mao, and said: "However, you may not understand the mystery of this!" "Understood." Maomao said softly, "I think I have understood." She recalled walking through Never Alley, where she felt everything was going backwards, and she asked, "Are you dead?" Master Hula smiled and remained silent for a moment before replying: "If people realize what death is, they will never be afraid of it any more; if they are no longer afraid of it, there will be no People can steal their time." "Then, wouldn't it be enough to just tell them the truth?" "You think it's that simple?" Master Hola asked, "I keep telling them this when I give them time, but they don't listen to me at all, instead they prefer to listen to things that scare them. What people say. It’s also a mystery.” "I'm not afraid." Mao Mao said. Master Hou Ji nodded slowly.He stared at Maomao for a long time, and then asked, "Do you want to take a look at the birthplace of time?" "Of course I want to." Mao Mao whispered. "Then I'll take you to have a look." Master Hou La said, "However, you must keep quiet there, you are not allowed to ask anything, and you are not allowed to say anything. Can you promise me?" Maomao nodded silently.At this time, Master Hou La bent down, lifted Mao Mao, and hugged her tightly in his arms.Maomao felt that Master Hou Ji suddenly became very tall and old, but he didn't look like an old man, but like an ancient tree, like a high mountain.He covered Mao Mao's eyes with his hands, and Mao Mao felt like a light and cool snowflake fell on her face. Maomao seemed to feel that Master Zila was leading her through a long and dark corridor, but it was very safe, and she was not afraid at all.At first, Maomao thought that what she heard was the sound of her own heart beating, but then she gradually realized that it might actually be the echo of Master Hou La's footsteps. It's been a long road, and Master Hou La finally let go of Maomao.He put his face close to Mao Mao's, looked at her with wide eyes, put his finger on his lips, then stood up and backed away.Around Maomao, there was a piece of golden fog and thunder. After a while, Maomao gradually realized that he was standing under a huge Qimei hemispherical roof.It seemed to her that the great roof was as big as the whole sky, and was made of pure gold.There is a round hole in the middle of the roof, and a beam of light shoots in through the hole, and shines on a similarly round pool. The water in the pool is black, clean, and calm, like a black mirror. Just where the beam of light is close to the water surface, there seems to be a bright star shining and moving slowly, looking very solemn.Maomao saw a huge pendulum swinging back and forth on the black mirror.However, it is not hanging anywhere, but suspended in the air, as if it has no weight.When the star pendulum slowly gets closer and closer to the edge of the pool, a huge flower bud emerges from the black water, the closer the pendulum pin is to the edge, the bigger the flower blooms until it is fully open and lies on the water until. Mao Mao had never seen such a gorgeous flower before, and it seemed to have nothing but shining colors.Maomao could never have imagined that there would be such beautiful colors in the world. The star pendulum paused on the flower for a moment, and Mao Mao kept staring at it, forgetting everything around her, as if she was completely intoxicated by the flower.She felt as if there was a fragrance, which was exactly what she had been longing for, but she couldn't tell what kind of fragrance it was. Then, the swing needle slowly swings back again.Just as it gradually left the pool, Mao Mao was surprised to find that the beautiful flower had started to wither.The petals fell off one by one and sank to the bottom of the water.Mao Mao felt very sad, as if something was irreparable and left her forever. When the pendulum was placed in the center of the black pool, the flower disappeared completely.But at that same instant, another bud began to rise from the black water on the opposite edge.Maomao found that when the swing needle gradually approached, the flower that was about to open was more beautiful than the one just now.Maomao went around, wanting to get closer to look at the flower more carefully.This one is completely different from the one just now, and Mao Mao has never seen its color before.This flower is more gorgeous and rare, and its fragrance is also different and more refreshing. Already spleen.The longer Maomao observes, the more wonders he discovers. However, the pendulum swung back again.So this more beautiful flower also began to wither, and the petals fell off one by one, sinking into the bottomless abyss. The pendulum gradually moved to the opposite side again, but this time it was not close to the place just now, but deviated a little bit. Just a step away from where the first flower opened, a bud rose again and gradually opened the corolla. Now, Mao Mao seems to think that this flower is the most beautiful, the flower of flowers, that is simply a unique miracle! When Maomao saw this incomparably gorgeous flower began to wither and sink into the bottomless abyss, she really wanted to cry a lot.But she suddenly remembered the promise she had made to Master Hou La, and finally restrained herself from crying. At this moment, the swinging needle moved to the opposite side again, and it was one step away from the position just now, and another brand new flower floated out from the black water. Maomao gradually understands that every new flower that appears is different from the previous ones, and each one is more beautiful than the last one. She kept walking around the round pool, observing how one flower after another appeared and disappeared.She felt that the spectacle would never tire her. After a while, she discovered that at the same time, something she hadn't noticed was still happening here. The beam of light shot down from the hemispherical roof can not only be seen, but also heard!The sound was rustling at first, as one hears the wind in the treetops far away.The sound grew louder and louder until it sounded like the rushing of a waterfall, or the rumble of waves hitting rocks. Mao Mao heard that the whistling sound that became clearer and clearer was formed by the confluence of countless voices, and it was constantly adjusted and changed to form a new harmonious sound.Like music, but also like other sounds.Suddenly, Mao Mao remembered, isn't this the kind of soft music that she heard when she listened quietly on a starry night, as if it came from a distant place. At this time, the sounds became more and more clear, and the colors became more and more dazzling.毛毛隐约地感到，正是这种能发声的光，从漆黑的池水深处把那些花呼唤出来并使之具有不同的颜色和形状。 她听得越久，就越能准确地区分每一种声音。 那不是人发出的声音，而是像金、银和其他金属发出的响声。随后，又响起一些十分异样的声音，那些声音特别强劲有力，简直无法用语言形容，它们来自令人难以想象的地方。 毛毛已经听到那些声音，而且越来越清晰了，那是她从未听到过的声音。不过她听懂了，那是太阳、月亮和各种星星公开说出自己的真实姓名并解释每一朵时间花怎样开放、怎样凋谢，它们应该干些什么，怎样合作。 毛毛忽然醒悟了，那些话都是对她说的！整个世界直至遥远的星空，就像一张难以想象的巨大面孔正转向她，看着她并对她讲话。 一阵比恐惧更强烈的感觉向她袭来。就在这一瞬间，毛毛看见候技师傅正默默地向她招手，于是她就飞快地向他跑去。他把毛毛抱起来，毛毛把脸理在他的胸前，他的手像雪花一般轻柔地放在她的眼睛上。毛毛感到眼前黑了，静了，同时也更安全了。侯拉师傅带着毛毛顺着长长的走廊走了回去。 他们回到存放钟表的大厅，侯拉师傅把毛毛放在一个小巧玲成的沙发上。 “很技师傅，”毛毛小声说，“我从来没有想到，人类的时间那样……”她想找一个合适的词儿，但却找不到，最后说出一句，“那样伟大。” “你刚才看到的和听到的，毛毛，”侯拉师傅说，“不是人类的时间，那只是你自己的。 每人心里都有一个你刚才到过的地方。但是，要到达那个地方只有在我的带领下才能去，而且普通的肉眼也是看不见的。 " “那我刚才到底在哪里呢？” “在你自己心里。”侯拉师傅一边说一边温柔地抚摩着她那蓬乱的头发。 “侯拉师傅，”毛毛小声问道，“我能把我的小朋友们带到你这儿来吗？” “不行。”他说，“现在还不行。” “我还能在你这儿呆多久？” “直到你自己回到你的朋友们那儿为止，孩子。” “俄可以给他们讲述星星说过的话吗？” “可以，不过你现在还讲不出来。” “为什么不能呢？” “这得等那些话在你心里成熟才行。” “可是，我想讲给他们听，全讲出来！我真想给他们唱唱那些声音。我相信，那样一来，一切都会重新好起来的。” “如果你真希望这样，毛毛，那你就必须等待。” “等待对我来说没什么。” “孩子，等待就像一粒种子，要在地下沉睡一年之久，才能发芽。要等到这些话在你心中成熟，也需要那么长时间。你愿意等吗？” “愿意！”毛毛小声说。 “那你就睡觉吧。”侯拉师傅摸了一下她的眼睛，说道，“睡吧！” 毛毛心满意足地深深吸了一口气，便进入梦乡。