Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

Next, the two walked forward for a while under the shade of the ancient forest, but the deeper they went into the forest, the more they couldn't see the end. They didn't know how to leave here. Even if they wanted to turn back to the earliest entrance, they couldn't recognize the original path. .Chiyo gradually became uneasy about letting the donkey go. However, the scenery of the whole island is ever-changing. It seems to be going forward, but in fact it is turning back, as if climbing a slope, but in fact going down, the ground is the top of the mountain, and the wilderness becomes a path without knowing it.At this time too, when the traveler came to the deepest part of the forest, when an indescribable uneasiness surged in the traveler's heart, it implied that he had reached the end of the forest.

The big trees that had been maintaining a moderate distance before quietly shortened the distance, and the two of them unknowingly came to a wall with several layers of densely formed walls without gaps.There is no dome of green leaves here, and the branches and leaves that grow freely even hang down to the ground. The darkness is getting deeper and deeper, and you can hardly see your fingers. "Okay, no more donkey rides. Come with me." Hirosuke climbed off his donkey first, took Chiyo's hand, helped her down, and then suddenly walked into the darkness ahead. The two were surrounded by tree trunks, blocked by branches and leaves. Advance like a mouse.After struggling for a while, I suddenly felt light in my body. When I came back to my senses, I found that there was no longer a forest in front of me, but a flat and vast green grassland with warm sunshine. Look, there is no trace of that forest, as if it has disappeared.

"Oh, am I out of my mind?" Chiyo pressed her temple in distress, and looked at Hirosuke as if asking for help. "No. People who come to this island can freely shuttle in different spaces at any time, stepping from one world to another completely different world. I plan to create several worlds on this small island. You know Pa Norama? This kind of exhibition facility was very popular when I was in elementary school. Before visiting, you have to go through a narrow and dark passage. When you walk out of the passage, your vision will instantly open up, and another world will appear in front of you. As far as the eye can see, there is a perfect world completely different from the original living environment of the audience. What an astonishing deception! There are trams running outside the Panorama Hall, there are rows of vendors, and there are row upon row There, yesterday, today, and tomorrow are the same. My home is among these businesses. However, once you enter the Panorama Pavilion, all those ordinary things disappear, and the vast Manchurian Plain continues to the distant Beyond the horizon. There is a bloody war going on."

Kosuke disturbed the hot haze on the grassland, talking while walking.Chiyo followed her lover's footsteps with a dreamlike mood. "There is a world outside the building, and a world inside the building. These two worlds have separate lands, skies and horizons. Outside the Panorama Pavilion are real, everyday familiar streets; but inside the Panorama Pavilion , no matter where you look, you can’t see the street, you can only see the field extending to the far end of the horizon. In other words, on the same piece of land, the field and the street overlap. At least it creates such an illusion visually. You also know the method of separating the scene into two worlds. Surround the auditorium with a high wall painted with the scene, spread real soil in front, place trees and dolls, try to blur the difference between the real thing and the picture, and divide the auditorium The eaves are designed deep to hide the ceiling. That's all it takes. I've heard about the French who invented Panorama. It is said that the earliest inventors intended to use this method to create a new world. Like a novelist On paper, actors create another world on the stage, and he also uses his unique scientific method to try to create a magnificent new world in that small building."

Then, Kosuke raised his hand, pointing to the distance between the wilderness and the blue sky blurred by heat haze and fragrant green grass, and said: "Seeing this vast grassland, don't you think there is something incongruous? Don’t you think that this grassland is ridiculously vast? If you look carefully, you will find that there are several kilometers between here and the horizon. However, if you think about it carefully, the distance between the horizon and the grassland is not Should there be a piece of sea? Should we see the sea first? In addition, apart from the forest we passed by and the grassland in front of us, there are various landscapes set up at intervals on this island. Then even if there is the entire M The county is so big, it's obviously not enough to put all these things in. Do you understand what I mean? That is, I have set up several independent panoramas on this island. The sea passage we just passed, The dark path at the bottom of the valley and the forest is actually equivalent to the secret passage at the entrance of the Panola Horse Pavilion. Now, standing in the spring, heat haze and the desolate fragrance of fragrant grass, our mood seems to be suddenly enlightened when we walk out of the secret passage, and it seems that we have just come out of a dream. Wake up in the middle of the night, don't you? Next, finally step into my panorama kingdom. But the panorama I created, is not an ordinary panorama house, it's just a drawing on the wall With the help of distorted natural hill curves, careful arrangement of light and shade, and the orderly arrangement of plants and trees, I skillfully hide the traces of artificial configuration, and expand and contract the natural distance at will. To give an example, if you know what you just passed I don't think you will believe the real size of the forest, but it is so small. The path outlines an imperceptible curve, which twists and turns; As you can see, they are all towering trees of the same size. A little farther away, there may be only a row of small cedar saplings that are only about one room high. At first glance, the size seems to be the same, and it is not difficult to achieve such an effect. Just like the white stone steps we just climbed up. Looking from the bottom up, it looks like a ladder that goes straight to the sky. In fact, there are only a hundred You may not have noticed that the stone ladder is like a stage set, which becomes narrower as it goes up, and the height and width of each step are constantly decreasing, but the number of each step is not visible to the naked eye. Come out. In addition, I also moved a little bit on the inclination of the rock walls on both sides, so it is so towering when viewed from below."

The illusion was handled seamlessly, without any flaws. Even though Hirosuke dismantled the diorama in front of her, the incredible scene was still imprinted in Chiyo's heart, and it was not diluted at all.She still thinks that there is an endless wilderness in front of her, and the other end of the horizon is the end. "So, this field is actually very small?" She asked dubiously. "Of course. There is a wall around the wilderness, which is tilted upwards at a small angle that cannot be recognized by the naked eye, so that all other surrounding scenery is hidden behind the wall. But it is small, with a diameter of five or six towns. In order to make this ordinary The wilderness looks even more extraordinary, and I used some tricks to make it look endless. Just such a little ingenuity creates such an amazing illusion. Even after listening to my explanation, you still can't believe this piece The Great Plains are only the size of Wuliu Town, right? Even I, who designed and created it myself, looked at the undulating horizon looming like waves in the heat haze, and felt as if I was really lost in this boundless wilderness. There was an indescribable uneasiness, as well as an unspeakable sweet sadness. Looking far away, the line of sight was not blocked by anything, and the eyes were full of sky and grassland. For us now, this is the whole world. It can be said that this grassland Covering the entire Okinoshima, extending to I Bay, even touching the Pacific Ocean, until the horizon. If this is a famous Western painting, there should be a large group of sheep and shepherds on it. Or imagine a group of gypsies near the horizon silently Passing by, under the rays of the setting sun, there are long shadows. But in our field of vision, there is no one, no animal, not even a dead tree. This wilderness is like a green desert, compared to those Famous paintings move us more deeply, don’t we? We seem to feel something with a sense of time, oppressing people’s hearts instantly with a shocking force, isn’t it?”

From just now, Chiyo had been looking at the vast sky, which was more gray than blue.Uncontrollable tears welled up in her eyes, which Chiyo didn't want to hide. "This grassland can lead to two places. One leads to the center of the island, and the other leads to the outer landscape. Normally, we should go around the island first, and finally enter the center, but today we don't have time, and the outer The landscaping isn't finished either, so let's go straight into the gardens in the center from here. That should be your favorite spot. However, walking straight from the plains to the gardens might be too boring, so let me give you an overview of the other It’s about two or three towns away from here to the garden. Take advantage of the leisure time passing through this grassland and listen to my description of those scenes that don’t seem to be human scenes.

"You know the shape in gardening—Topiary, right? It is to trim evergreen plants such as boxwood or cypress into geometric shapes, or imitate the shapes of animals and celestial bodies, and carefully trim them like sculptors. The most amazing thing is that there is a scene in the middle , all kinds of strange and beautiful trees of different types stand on it. Magnificent and slender, countless straight lines and curves intertwine, playing a wonderful symphony. The one imitating the famous ancient sculpture is performed by many human beings It is a group of nude men and women who are as silent as fossils. Travelers from Panorama Island walked into it from this vast wilderness and witnessed the incongruous carvings of humans and plants that filled the entire field of vision. They will feel a breathless life tension. Then, they will see the indescribable grotesque beauty in it.

"The other world is occupied by lifeless iron machines, a group of black monsters that are constantly whirring. Their power comes from the island's underground power plant, but what is placed in that world is not a steam engine, Ordinary machines such as electric motors are symbols of extraordinary mechanical power that only appear in dreams. The iron machines listed there are completely incomparable in size regardless of their purpose. The cylinder is as high as the side of the hill, and the big flywheel roars like a beast. , the black teeth of the large gears bite and push each other, the swing rods are like monster arms, the high-speed burners are dancing wildly, the shafts are interlaced one after another, and the belts are pouring like waterfalls. Whether it is bevel gears, The worm is still the worm wheel, the pulley, the chain, the sprocket, the black skin of the dry machine parts is full of dense oil, and they are spinning like crazy. Have you visited the machinery hall of the exposition? There are technicians, commentators and guards there, Your viewing range is limited to a building, and the machines are all made for specific purposes, and those things look rigid. But my machine country is vast and boundless, and this alien world is inexplicably The machinery is completely covered. In the mechanical kingdom, you can’t see any human beings, animals or plants. The plains of big machines cover the horizon and operate according to their own rules. Can you imagine how the tiny human beings who entered there would feel?

"In addition, there are beautiful buildings in big cities, beasts and poisonous snakes in the gardens planted with poisonous plants, gurgling fountains, waterfalls, and gurgling rivers to create a world full of water flowers and mist. The interesting water world has been designed now. Unknowingly, travelers turn around this world of wonders that seem to be encountered only in dreams. Turning a turn into another sky with aurora hovering, the air is filled with The overwhelming aroma, the alien space that seems to be seen in the kaleidoscope, the gorgeous birds in the garden and the playful humans are the living creatures and protagonists of this dream world. However, in my Panorama Island , the core building that can be called the finishing touch - the big column is invisible here, it is located in the center of the island, and it is currently under construction day and night, standing on the top can overlook the beautiful scenery of the entire island. From there Looking down at your feet, you will find that the entire Okinoshima is a Panorama. Not only can you have a panoramic view of a single independent Panorama, but it can also create another completely different panorama of the Panorama. This There are several overlapping universes on the small island, and they exist either overlapping or separated. Now, we have come to the exit of this wilderness, here, hold out your hand, and then we have to cross a narrow road The path is gone."

There was an inconspicuous exit ahead, which on closer inspection revealed to be a recess through which a secret path ran through this dark, overgrown recess.After walking down the path and walking forward for a while, the weeds grew taller and denser, and soon covered the two of them, and the road stretched into the darkness again.