1. I hear that voice all the time, day after day. That was three weeks ago, when I put my head against the window and drew circles on the foggy window.That voice suddenly rang in my ears: No, there is no time... When I turned around, the cuckoo was protruding from the wooden house clock, swinging from side to side, six times, and then retracted its wings.It will raise its head and cry like a real bird. First, it will grunt from the bottom of its throat, and then slowly spit out a series of high-pitched notes, spinning around at high altitude, just like stirring the whipped cream on a cup of snow-topped coffee.

It sounds so good that even I can hear it. But where does the sound go when it dissipates in the air?I tried desperately to catch them, to hide them in the snail-shaped trap in my ear. That way, I will never be called by that name again.The lip shape of those two words is so ugly-deaf! However, I heard a voice like this. This time, I was not abandoned. From then on, like the bubbles at the bottom of the water, it reverberates irregularly and in a low voice. Slowly, I discovered that the sound did not rely on air transmission, it was like a stone thrown into a well, thumping... There was a loud echo.

In other words, it came from somewhere in my body.Maybe it's the heart. So I found a small entry in the "Tomabreta Encyclopedia": To find the source of the inexplicable sound, you must find the Third Principality (Note: That is the birthplace of all unknown phenomena), and end your fate. 2. What exactly is fate?No one ever told me. Not even the clown at the amusement park who was always smiling. I entered the Third Principality from the fountain in the park in the middle of the street.I threw a small stone into the water and counted the third circle of ripples (this is also taught in the encyclopedia, and it is said that ripples are the entrance to another time and space).

The water patterns gradually opened up, and the white light faded away, looking very cold.But when people threw that clown into the river, he was obviously smiling.Clown, thinking of his smudged smile makes me want to eat, maybe a cup of hot cocoa can keep that smile a little longer.But what does hot cocoa taste like?I have no idea! In the orphanage, in the little bakery where I work, in the coffee shop where I can see the gleaming cups and plates at random, I have not tasted this coveted thing.Only once, when a girl in a white gauze dress was about to pick up the cup, her gaze suddenly stopped above the rim.I was watching her from there.

What did she say afterwards?I can't remember anything.Because her lips were covered by a shadow.Later, I was thrown out the door by the clerk.A group of children eager to buy candy ran past me holding a windmill. Who will tell me why I was born? I took a deep breath, plopped...and jumped into the water.The hair is floating, and the sun has dyed it half warm yellow and half charming green. Unexpectedly, it feels as comfortable as being surrounded by countless hands in the water.I am asleep. When I woke up, someone was kicking me hard.Oh, no wonder I had a cow hoofing at my bright horns in my dream.

"Welcome to the Principality of the Third Circle!" said a tumbler above my head. "Is it a robot?" I asked in my heart, but my mouth opened automatically, and, probably from there, something seemed to fly out. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I kept patting my lips with the palm of my hand, that thing seemed to be a kind of air current?They rushed out of my body without leaving a trace.Could it be... "It's a voice, outsider!" The tumbler glanced at me with that idiotic look, "Didn't you see that you are already a healthy person?"

I actually... can listen? I stopped and froze for twenty minutes.I pressed my tongue against the palate and exhaled, so the ear, which had always been closed, seemed to be gushed into the wind all at once. I mentally read the names of the things my eyes could see with great speed, and I decided to find the most peculiar thing that would form the protagonist of the first sentence that my mouth freely uttered.Finally, I said in surprise: "You are a living tumbler!" "We are not the kind of man-made rags you mentioned, we are—people!" The tumbler said slowly. But he really doesn't look like a human being—the head and feet are round balls, and they are two identical heads, sharing the same body, which looks like a poker person.

"In your eyes, we may be just a tumbler in the shape of a poker man. But in this world, we are people who are alive like you." He spoke again. "Do you have mind reading skills?" Another blank stare, "We don't use the magic tricks that you humans have come up with. We use the heart-heart." He slapped his chest loudly, "Whoever doesn't know how to listen to other people's hearts, No one has the right to be here!" I had already turned my head away, and it was the voice I heard for the first time, which came again.Right here, near here, in a house I don't know.

But why does this place need so many rooms?The hall where I am standing is surrounded by doors. What is the room behind each door?I thought to myself, walked to a room, reached out to push. No push. "Ahem, you can't go to these places!" The poker man stopped me, "Haste makes waste, girl. We have to follow the procedure. The instructions we received were to send you to Duke K. This is It's Soldier 4, the only one we can help." He raised his hand, as if greeting a taxi.In the end, I ran over from nowhere... crutches?I'm sorry for making such an association, but he is too much like a horizontal crutch, except that he has a row of small feet, and each of them is wearing little red buckskin boots.

Crutches introduced himself, "I'm J, and I'm a good driver! Sit down quickly, I'm going to drive." Soldier 4 has already sat on it, as if sitting on a bicycle beam.As soon as I sat down firmly, I heard J yell "One, two, run in unison." The row of little feet began to trot. "The journey is still long, you can order a drink and bring it with you." Soldier 4 thoughtfully suggested. "No, I don't want anything to drink...no, if there's hot cocoa..." When the hot cocoa warmed my palm, I suddenly saw a touch of golden color in the cup.I shook it, and the light flowed slowly.

"I added a little something." Soldier 4 looked at me expectantly. "Oh? A ray of sunshine?" He shook his head, "It's an introduction to memories." "Memory introduction?" I chuckled, "Is there any memory yeast? Are you waiting to use memories to make bread?" "In the Third Principality, no one has a secret. You must dedicate your memory." He paused, "But don't worry, everyone's memory can only be seen by the person related to him. So ..." Before he could finish speaking, the creamy drink had filled my entire mouth.Clown, I can't bear it anymore, I want to take another look at your smile... 3. I didn't know until I was four years old that I should have a father and a mother. But the first thing missing in the orphanage is father and mother.But luckily I could go out and see the parents of other kids.The city I live in is divided by roads, small strips.If you look at it from the blue sky at an altitude of 16,000 meters, it seems that there are strips of glowing ribbons strewn about it. There will be round beads rolling on the belt, which suddenly slip out of the child's hand when the parents are leading the child's hand.The slight white light flickers, it is really beautiful! They always don't know that something beautiful can be spilled inadvertently. I draw pictures on paper with a pencil, one after another, only my dad, only my mother.what do they look likeHow many degrees will the lips bend when smiling, and how many hairs will fall on the forehead, waiting for the wind to blow by. I put pictures all over the wall.It's right across from the amusement park, right in front of the clown's brow. Every time I post a drawing, I glance at the clown out of the corner of my eye.He must be looking at me and my paintings, so my heart is full and slightly warm like a swollen river in spring. The clown can't talk either, but I don't think that matters.Because I always know what he wants to say to me, his painted face is the expression.If I see his big red nose first, it proves that he is a little bit dissatisfied with my drawing.If I see his lost eyes first, it must be because I haven't seen him in a long time.If the white oil paint broke into my eyelashes first, it only proves that he is still my most loyal waiter. I lost my voice, but I still have the whole world.Because, there must be someone just looking at me, just waiting for me, standing in the rain, wind, sun, insects, motionless... Yes, the robot clown.A clown who can't move, only laughs. But why take the Joker away too?They disassembled him, screws, iron arms, funny nose, and even steel eyeballs... all thrown into the river, and the water splashed in my eyes and on my face. The fishing boat on the river suddenly started its motor, and drove towards the end of the sea and the sky... When it was engulfed by fog, the sound could still be heard—— woo woo woo woo…… It's been 9 years since then... I looked up in a daze, driver J was turning a corner. From a narrow bluestone alley, a large group of catkins gushed out with the wind, and rushed straight into my long hair.Ten steps forward, the cherry blossom petals on the right side of the road fell like rain, two pieces and three pieces, spinning slowly... I blinked, and blinked again, my God, why did the cherry blossoms that were in full bloom just now suddenly become flower bud? I wanted to touch this real illusion, stretched out my hand, paused in the air for three seconds, and then let out a scream.I looked at Soldier 4 in amazement, his roar just now was extremely shrill. "You, you, shrink!" He pointed at me. At this time, I also discovered that I was smaller than before. "You used to be size M, but now you are size S!" Khan, am I a piece of clothing?But, my God!I also found out that I...really shrunk! 4. Duke K is really fat.His neck was caught in a circle of something like an accordion bellows, so that every time he said a word, his neck would get stuck.But I know that is the most popular dress in Europe in the Middle Ages. "My child, first of all congratulations on finding this place." Duke K said very quickly, as if pouring water, "Only those who are recognized by the Third Principality can find this place. The Third Principality may be a little strange to you, but it is just as the name suggests , which means entering from the third circle of ripples. Unfortunately, you are affected by this place. This——the influence of time reversal.” He held up my "shrunk" sleeve, "Due to the reverse flow of time, you are shrinking at a rate of 60 millimeters per hour towards your infancy. You can easily calculate that after 10 hours, you will be back to a baby." state." "Sorry, I hate mathematics the most." I replied with a frown. He made a stop gesture, "It doesn't matter. The point is, since you are here, you must want to go back before you become a baby, right? In other words, you have to find what you heard within 10 hours. source of the sound and figure out what it is, right?" I nodded, "Of course! But, who are you? Why is time flowing backward here? Will you shrink yourself?" Duke K opened his mouth—— "It's not good! Duke!" The door was knocked open suddenly, and a large group of people poured in. They all looked the same, and they all looked the same as Soldier 4. If we must distinguish, then only the hats, some of their hats are embroidered with spades, and some of them are hearts.Apparently, they were all soldiers, and they were yelling in unison, "It's the turn of the colored clown!" Duke K's face turned red all of a sudden, his eyes widened suddenly, and then he moved his heavy body and ran out following the soldiers. 5. In the wind, the corners of my skirt fluttered.A distant singing voice flew towards me from every fold and crevice of my skirt. Such a desolate and hoarse song, reverberating in the air, as if, like the wings of a white bird passing by—two poker soldiers walked out from nowhere, on the long road, on the hard and clean marble , spread a scarlet blanket. Then the singing came closer. It was an extremely old woman with her eyes closed, stepping onto the red carpet, followed by a clown in a colorful circus costume.Somehow, I feel like that figure is like a tentacle, flapping somewhere inside of me. They walked firmly and slowly step by step.All the people watched silently from both sides of the carpet, their sad eyes were like a few forged belts, swaying behind the colorful clown, until they came to a black painted door, and there was a dull "bang" sound, This was taken back. And the colorful clown disappeared behind the huge door alone. quietly. Sitting in Duke K's wicker chair full of pale golden streamers, I heard all the mysteries about this wonderful world. Finally, I raised my hand to gently cover the sunlight that made my pupils white. "You mean to say that the time in the Third Principality has always flowed backwards because you were all lifeless people? This time is just the accumulation of expectations in your hearts?" Duke K tried his best to force a wry smile, "Yes. Who would have thought that a deck of cards formed a country in another dimension? We originally existed in your world as a 'thing', and we are just a part of your world A passer-by, not a participant. You may understand that we also want to have a heart, long for emotion, and look forward to loving and being loved? Can you feel the feeling?" "Is it like an orphan yearning for the light of home? That is really a distressing expectation. However, time can be understood as extending infinitely forward, but what about backward? Does it have a starting point? If time flows back to the starting point, then Wouldn't this world disappear automatically?" "Have you ever seen the sand on the seashore? If you can blow it away, it will float to the sky. Blow one layer, and another layer." Duke K said, "This country is a phantom of sand. Time There are different lengths for everyone. As you said, when a person’s time flows backwards to the starting point, then he will disappear as if he died. And when the person in the third principality who has the longest time also goes to his At the beginning of time, the Third Principality will cease to exist!" "But I only see your flowers returning from full bloom to buds, and me, I am running towards my infancy. What about you? None of you have changed! You are not affected by the reverse flow of time at all. " "No!" Duke K stood up excitedly, and the chair behind him made a long stabbing sound on the ground, "No, this is the most painful place in the Third Principality. In order to slow down the impact of the reverse flow of time, we One person must be selected to do the 'needle' at regular intervals. That is, the time for one person to resist the countercurrent of everyone. Only in this way, other people can live longer. What you saw just now is the 'needle offering ceremony'." It dawned on me that this was what happened when I first met Duke K and was interrupted by soldiers breaking in.Speaking of which, the soldier seemed to have said something like "this time it's the turn of the colored clown". As if thinking of some trouble, Duke K sat down slumpedly, hugged his head, "It's the turn of the colorful clown! It's over, I will be next, and then...maybe the king!" "King?" My eyes lit up, "What kind of person is your king?" I suddenly felt that I, who came here after a voice, didn't seem to be summoned by an ordinary person here. "The king? No one has seen him." Duke K said to himself, "We only know who he is waiting for, so we are so persistent in asking people to do 'needles' to prolong the waiting time." His The voice began to choke, "But who didn't wait in their hearts? When I was still bored in the playing card box, I only hoped to see the colors and hear the sound. But every time I came out, I was always thrown back and forth. Go, I hope to have a pair of warm hands holding me. Ah, until now, until now. Is it so difficult to desire a little care? I came to the Third Principality and became a living person, but ... still haven't been treated with care by anyone." I came to him, stretched my arms, hugged Duke K tightly as much as I could, and said in his ear: "You are right, it is not difficult to be cared at all. As long as, as long as you willing to wait." Duke K actually cried... In his sobbing and staccato narration, I finally understood that I had to find the king to find out where the voice was coming from, and how could I return to my own world (I was afraid that I would really become a baby).But in a country where none of its subjects has seen the face of the king, there is only one vanity way to make him visible. It is nothingness, because it is just a legend - go to the 'needle' to ask.Only the moment of becoming a Needle has the right to know where the King is (a right that is almost useless, since the Needle's final fate will be to die alone). If 'Needle' is willing to tell you... 6. I stayed behind this door, the colored clown who was offered to be a 'needle' is here. At first, it was dark everywhere, and there was a strange click, click sound that sounded regularly, like gears rubbing against each other.Slowly, the surrounding light up.I saw—clocks, lots and lots of clocks, all over the house.These are mechanical clocks that need to be wound.They point to different times, but the second hand has been removed.So, where is it ringing? clack, clack... Glancing at the clocks again, I was suddenly taken aback. When did their hands all deviate to the right half?From where I stand, it looks as if all arms are pointing forward. A weird road sign. Walk along it until you hit a giant dial.The mahogany wood also has the shape of spreading annual rings, and two long and sharp copper needles are nailed to the central axis—an hour hand and a minute hand, and the clown covered in oil paint is also nailed to the central axis, one grid at a time. moving.Make a hoarse sound like that.Gosh, the 'hand' is supposed to do the second hand on this big dial? I couldn't help shivering. "Please don't believe my smile!" the colorful clown said smiling at me. My heart was suddenly tightened, why can you still smile even in such pain? The smile didn't diminish at all, "I'm sorry, it's time to oil up, this sound is not good..." "You... don't you hurt?" The smile froze for a moment, "Ah, how long, how long has it been since I heard this sentence? Nine years ago, a child also asked me this way. Silly question, silly child." He lowered his head, as if completely immersed in his own memories.It wasn't until I picked up the stool, climbed up, and tried so hard to take down the big watch that almost lifted the wall, that he came back to his senses and looked at me puzzled, "Is there an earthquake?" "How to let you down? Where is the organ?" The colorful clown's eyes were extremely gentle, "Why do you ask me if it hurts?" "What why!" I said angrily at his slowness, and I went to remove the dial again. "This watch has no mechanism. Life is actually a period of time. I will spend my last time on this watch, and then I will return to a state of no life, which can also be said to be death." Colorful Clown Still smiling, "The 'needle' can't stop, it will fall off the wooden shaft only the moment he breaks. And me, I still have a while before it breaks." I stood in amazement, looking at him, not knowing what to do. "Come closer, kid, yes, closer. You remind me of a kid... have you ever been to an amusement park?" "Yeah." I nodded, "In a very small amusement park, there are robots that automatically blow up balloons for children. I often go there." "Ah, the robot that gave away the balloon?" He narrowed his eyes, completely unable to see what he was thinking. "He is also a clown robot. I like his purple balloon. But, one day, he was thrown into the river that couldn't stop running. I ran to ask the mother in the orphanage, and he was thrown into the river. After that, where will you go?" "Oh? Then what's your mother's answer?" "Mom didn't say anything, maybe she thought my question was silly." The clown didn't answer, but changed the subject, "Let me show you my memories." "Isn't it only visible to people related to you?" "As long as the memory owner allows it, it can be shown to anyone." He couldn't help but stretch out his arms, as if there was a planet spinning around.In fact, I saw nothing but air. "Come on, put your head down and bury it in my arms." I lowered my head in doubt, and in an instant, a sky with clouds hanging down slowly opened up.I saw a setting that couldn't be more real— There was a girl who stood far away from the clown and watched him, but never went up to ask for a balloon like the other kids did.That day, she hesitated for a long time before coming to the line, and she was at the end of the line.However, when she came to the clown, there was no balloon left. The voice of the clown explaining the picture fell a little bit, as if a paper airplane had floated down into the hollow of the valley. The girl hugged the clown's leg and cried for a long time, and she got tears on his costume. "Why is she so sad? I wish I could comfort her, but I can't speak, and I can't reach out to wrap my arms around her shoulders. I can't even give her a balloon." The clown's voice finally became low. Kind of mumbling. I wiped my face again and again, a lot of salty water flowed down the back of my hand and mixed into my mouth, it was very salty.I raised my head, looked at him and said, "So you are here! I always remember, remember you! I am that little girl..." "How impolite to show such a face to someone who is dying." He reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes... 7. Sometimes, at the moment of meeting.A few seconds are longer than a lifetime. At that time, the colored clown would occasionally miss a frame and close his eyes from time to time, which was a sign that the "needle" was damaged.I shook him awake more than once.I'm terrified of being left here alone. When he woke up again, he told me the original reason for the formation of the Third Principality, "Everyone here has a simple wish. I initiated it, and everyone gathered together. We live for our own wishes, for that Wish to breathe. We desperately want to leave something in this world, so no matter if it is painful or difficult, we all endure it and wait until the day that wish comes true. But... everyone knows that we have so little time Do you know what it feels like? When you expect so much and you don't get to do anything, it's all over." "So, what is your wish?" "My wish..." He paused, "Just... to see you again! Remember? 9 years ago, you were just a girl with a dirty apron and messy braids... ..." I remember the day I first met the Joker, it was raining.Several boys kicked the robot colorful clown while pouring sewage into his mouth that was always slightly open. "You blocked me behind you and stared at those boys hard, but you were spit on by those boys. Do you remember? Your umbrella was knocked off, and the clothes on your wet clothes It's all muddy... Then, of all the kids who lined up for balloons, I wanted you most, but when I finally got you, I had no balloons." "I don't mind!" "But I mind! I want to do something for you, always, always...in...in my left pocket, there is a balloon reserved for you, it's...purple." He reached into his mouth with difficulty He took out a deflated balloon from his bag, put it near his mouth, poof, and took a deep breath. I smashed his balloon, "I don't want a balloon! I want a friend, a friend like you!" "Friend...friend?" He seemed unable to understand, "Can you say it again?" "I want you to be my friend, can I?" A tear trickled down his oil-painted face. "Oh, what a shame. I can't help crying all the time." "Don't you want to be my friend?" "Ah, no no!" Another line burst into tears, "You just gave me eternal time." "Eternal... time?" "Well! From now on, I am no longer alone, I have a friend, I am deeply remembered by a heart, and I will never worry about disappearing in this world! If there is someone who is willing to be there for you If you have a corner in your heart, then you have endless time." "Is that eternal time?" "Spirit time, so to speak. Now... I'm going, kid," said the Colored Clown in a voice so soft it was barely audible. "No!" I immediately understood what "go" meant. "You know, no one lives forever. You've got to be like a little puff of smoke, poof, fly away..." "No, I won't allow it!" As if answering me, there was a sound of breaking in his body... It fell off the wooden shaft with a bang. "Can you... give me a hug? Like a real friend?" I jumped up and hugged him tightly. "Ball...ball..." He lifted up the purple balloon with great effort and grabbed my sleeve, "This...here...I'm sorry...I can't accompany you." ... He just closed his eyes and never opened them again. Many, many years later, when I fell into the days when no sound was heard again, I kept thinking about the last words said by the colorful clown before the door between the third principality and reality opened: "Actually, I am the king ..."