Azalea garden

What’s it like hovering above the Grand Crayon? I used to ask myself this question when I was little. The first time I saw a travel book from the next door neighbor, I was mesmerized by all those scenic views from various countries. Cherry blossoms, tulips, Swiss chalets, and English chateaus carried indescribable magic to me. Who wouldn’t want to visit those places if one had a chance?

I looked down the street from my room, spotting neighborhood kids playing house, but I confined myself in a world of books and studies. I knew I had to finish homework before joining them to catch cicadas over the Mountain Cat. Yeah, Mountain Carp and Mountain Cat were two famous playgrounds to us. Certainly there lied a mysterious story under the dark and filthy ground behind a cemetery.

Summer time seemed too short as it always did. I hadn’t had any opportunity visiting my secret garden in the Forest of Horror. W. and I dissected a frog and lizard to see which one’s heart beat faster. We then buried the remains under a rose bush, pretending to be shamans from South America, to ward off the evil. I wonder how those azalea trees were. I planted them for a wish made by my little but wondering soul…

Who said I couldn’t be good at math? Who said I would never speak multi-languages? Who said I must lead a lifestyle everyone else did? Oh, generic category disgusted me. I wanted something different, something out of this world! I wanted to fly over oceans and mountains. I wanted to float in thoughts of unlimited galaxies! I WANTED to be my own master in everything!

So, it’s time to move on. I shall go and learn again. I shall enjoy the ivory environment and savor the nectar of intellectuality and academics. Burning every bit of my energy both physical and spiritual is to define humanity and stretch wisdom to its limits.

I heard childhood friends’ laughter and saw their worn-out khaki uniforms. But the sun shone on those angelic faces, reminding me who I really was-a child from a pristine and blue world of eastern sea…