Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

"I really can't climb up." After Chiyo got off the swan's back, she became timid when she saw the scene in front of her. "It's not as steep as you imagined. Let me take your hand and climb up together. There will be no danger." "But……" Chiyo was still hesitating, but Kosuke took her hand and climbed up the stone ladder.After a while, the two climbed up to about twenty levels. "Look, it's not difficult at all, is it? Here, try harder." The two of them went up step by step, and they didn't expect to reach the top in a blink of an eye.When I looked up from the bottom just now, I felt that the stairs had hundreds of steps, which seemed to be towering into the sky, but in fact they were only a few hundred steps, and they were not as unattainable as imagined.However, why is there such an illusion?Even if it was caused by inner timidity, the gap is really too big, and Chiyo suddenly felt quite unbelievable.It was only later that she understood the reason for this result, but at that time she only understood it as, just like mistaking the monkfish for an ancient monster at the bottom of the sea just now, similar illusions spread all over the island, and she was shocked by the splendor here.The gap in the number of steps can also be regarded as one of the illusions.But before hearing Hirosuke's detailed explanation, she didn't understand why this happened.

Regardless of this, at the moment they are standing on the high ground at the top of the stairs, looking ahead. In front of you is a narrow grassy slope, extending down to a lush forest.Looking back, the valley is in the shape of a big boat with a big black mouth. The two swans that carried them just now floated melancholy at the bottom of the cliff like two white pieces of paper, looking extremely lonely.But in front of them was a dank and dark forest.There is a small piece of turf with a different scenery in the middle. Under the sunshine in the late spring afternoon, it glows bright red as if it is about to burn. On the vibrant grass, white butterflies flutter low.This rare spectacle in the world can't help but make Chiyo feel an unnatural beauty.

In front is a large old fir forest, which can’t be seen at a glance. At first glance, it seems to be a mass of cumulus clouds rolling over, with branches intersecting and leaves overlapping. Intertwined with intricate and colorful patterns.The strangeness of this forest is that when standing on the grass and gazing at the panorama, a strange emotion will gradually sprout in people's hearts.What triggers that emotion is the majesty of the forest as if it is about to sweep up the sky and cover the ground, as well as the compelling wild aroma of the first young leaves.Beyond this, the careful eye will surely discover the evil artificial traces that have been added to the whole forest.This big forest presents an extremely strange and coquettish appearance as a whole. The creator is very nervous to hide even the very slight traces of man-made, leaving only some vague shapes that seem to be absent, but the more blurred, the more The disgusting horror became more profound.This forest is probably not a natural virgin forest, but a large-scale creation.

Chiyo stared at the scenery silently, unable to agree with her husband Genzaburo's hidden interest in such an unusual way, and she became more and more suspicious of the man who looked like her husband standing beside him as if nothing had happened.But how to explain the contradiction in her heart?The uneasy doubts deepened moment by moment, and at the same time, her love for this unknown person became more and more difficult to suppress. "Chiyo, why are you in a daze? Are you afraid of this forest again? This is all my creation, not scary at all. Here, see that tree, the servants standing under the tree are waiting It's too late."

After hearing Hirosuke's words, Chiyo looked forward and found that under a cedar tree at the entrance of the forest, someone had forgotten to take it away, tied two donkeys with shiny coats, and they were leisurely chewing the grass on the ground. "Must we go into this forest?" "Oh, of course. Don't worry, these two donkeys will take us in and keep us safe." So, the two stepped on the donkey that looked like a toy, and entered the unfathomable dark forest. In the forest, the leaves are so dense that the sky can hardly be seen, but the forest is not completely dark, surrounded by the faint twilight light at dusk, and the fog is so thick that the road conditions are not completely invisible.The trunk of the giant tree is like a large garan column, and the capitals are connected by arched green leaf domes, and the feet are covered with thick cedar leaves comparable to carpets. The scene in the forest is reminiscent of a well-known The cathedral makes people feel more mysterious and mysterious than several times.

Having said that, the symmetry and balance of this forest path cannot be achieved naturally.For example, this vast forest is all made up of giant cedar trees, and there is not even a single tree or weed of other types to be seen, and the interval between the trees should have been carefully calculated, but the designer cleverly concealed the calculation You can feel the delicacy of the designer during the walk; the path through the trees has unusual ups and downs, and it seems that there is a mysterious power that makes everyone who passes by fall into an indescribable excitement. Little by little accept the author's creativity above the Creator.I am afraid that the pleasing symmetry of the leaf domes and the pleasant touch of the leaf carpets are the result of careful arrangement.

The two donkeys carried their master on their backs, stepping on the thick fallen leaves without making any footsteps, and walked quietly through the lonely dark forest.There is no chirping of wild animals and birds, and the entire forest is immersed in a death-like silence.Soon, they were getting deeper and deeper into the dense forest. At this moment, as if to set off the solitude, there was a heavy sound from a high place that could be mistaken for the wind blowing through the treetops, but in fact The sound was similar to the sound of a pipe organ, rumbling with a mysterious tune. The two humble humans in front of them hung their heads on the donkey's back without saying a word.Chiyo suddenly raised her head, as if she was about to open her lips, but she didn't say a word, and lowered her head again.The donkey has been moving silently and intently.

After walking for a while, Chiyo felt that the appearance of the forest seemed to be slowly changing.The silver light coming in from nowhere made the originally dark fallen leaves in the forest sparkle, and as far as the eye could see, half of the huge tree trunk was illuminated dazzlingly.These great columns, half silvery and half black, stretched as far as the eye could see, and it was a sight to behold. "Are you leaving the forest?" Chiyo asked hoarsely, as if waking up from a dream. "No, we'll be in the swamp soon. We should be almost there when we get out of the swamp."

After a while, they arrived at the bank of the swamp.The shape of the swamp is like a painting of burning will-o'-the-wisps, with a circle on one side and three deep depressions on the other side of the bank, filled with water as heavy as mercury.The dark shadows of ancient cedars are fully reflected on the water surface without any ripples, and a small piece of blue sky is reflected in the missing mottled gaps.The music just now can no longer be heard here.All things are silent, all things are still, all things sink into a deep sleep. Not daring to disturb the silence, the two got off the donkey's back silently, and quietly approached the edge of the swamp.On a protruding flame at the other end of the swamp, there was the only exception in this forest—a few old camellia trees were planted, and their thick green bodies, each about ten feet long, were blooming with luxuriant blood-colored flowers.Surprisingly, on a small, slightly dark open space under the shade of flowers, a beautiful woman lay there lazily with her milky white skin exposed.She used moss as a mattress, rested her cheeks, and looked down at the swamp on her stomach.

"Ah, there..." Chiyo couldn't help but make a sound. "Quiet." Hirosuke hinted to Chiyo not to speak as if he was worried about disturbing the woman. I don't know if the girl knows that there are outsiders on the side, but she is still staring at the surface of the swamp water in a daze.The swamp in the forest, the camellias on the shore, and the nude woman reclining in ecstasy, the simple elements outline the concise lines, but they have played an extremely outstanding effect.If this is not accidental, but a deliberate composition, then I have to say that Kosuke is a very outstanding painter.

The two stood on the shore for a long time, ecstatically watching the dreamlike scenery.During this period, the girl only exchanged her folded plump legs once, and for the rest of the time, she stared tirelessly at the swamp with a very melancholy expression.Soon, under the urging of Kosuke, Chiyo rode the donkey again, ready to leave.At this time, a huge camellia blooming directly above the girl fell down like a drop of liquid, slid over the girl's plump shoulders, and floated on the surface of the swamp.However, all of this was really too silent, it seemed that even the water in the swamp didn't want to react, the water surface was still like a mirror, not even a ripple was stirred up, and it remained motionless.