Just like what Professor Drake recorded, the poet Mr. Roland’s experience happened this year, that is, in the spring of 1853.
It was a sunny day. Mr. Rowland took his notebook and a self-defense knife hidden on his body, and went for an outing to the wetland and lake area west of Huntingdon City to collect information.
Although his main occupation is as a translator, Mr. Rowland has a wide circle of friends. When passing by the apple orchard of my friend Mr. Cedric, I wandered around the apple orchard, preparing to write a short poem based on the frost on the trees in winter.
When he came to the depths of the orchard woods, a human face suddenly appeared on the tree next to him. To be more precise, the lines and cracks on the trunk formed a human face:
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m sure it wasn’t a hallucination caused by my drunkenness.”
When Mr. Roland in the tavern said this, he defended himself with a glass of wine:
“I usually don’t drink when I write poetry.”
Just like the fisherman in Lower Luther Village was frightened by the talking snake, Mr. Roland in the spring was frightened by this strange thing even though he was more educated than the villagers.
He described to Shade his panic at the time and his desperate attempt to escape:
“I don’t remember how long I ran, but I couldn’t escape from the woods. Yes, I feel that since the autumn of 1850, when I was chased by wild dogs for three streets, I have never been able to escape. Had such strenuous exercise.”
Mr. Roland recalled, Shade nodded while recording, feeling that these magical experiences were more interesting than the Lady of the Lake itself.
The faces on the tree can move with each other on the trunk, so when Mr. Roland no longer has the strength to move forward, the faces on the trunk speak again.
“It was singing, like a fairy tale. I can’t describe the sound the trees made, but the song was basically asking me, when spring is coming and the winter snows are melting, Doesn’t that snow look miserable?”
The poet said, taking a big gulp of wine. The ale content in this tavern is not high, so there is no need to worry about getting drunk.
“So how did you answer then?”
Xia De asked curiously. Mr. Roland drew a circle in the air with his right index finger and hummed softly:
“Snow is the messenger of winter. When spring comes, they should give up their place and let flowers and sunshine come to the world.”
This statement is very similar to the poet’s tone.
“So if it were you, Mr. Watson, how would you answer?”
The poet asked Xiang De again, and Xia De thought for a while:
“Snow does not disappear, but turns into water, soaking the earth in spring. It will evaporate into the sky again in the following summer, fall as rain in autumn, and return to snow covering the earth in winter. It’s a cycle, the snow is not dead.”
Mr. Roland smiled:
“Do you mind if I write down what you said?”
After answering the question about the face on the tree, the face seemed satisfied with the poet’s answer. Then the ground shook, and the trees that surrounded Mr. Roland gave way to a path around him.
Mr. Roland, who was trapped in the woods, walked along the path towards the end in fear, and saw a lake at the end.
“I immediately thought of the legend of the Lady of the Lake. Mr. Watson, I am a local. Although I am just a commoner, my family has been living in the local area for five generations. I have been listening to local stories since I was a child. It’s easy to think of those wonderful rumors.”
“Did you walk on the ice to the island in the middle of the lake?”
Xia De asked, but the poet shook his head slightly:
“No, no, spring had arrived at that time, and there was no ice on the lake. However, there was a small boat parked by the lake. When I sat down on the boat, it automatically carried me without even having to paddle. , sliding across the silky surface of the lake, heading towards the island in the middle of the lake where everything is full of vitality. ”
He squinted his eyes, enjoying his memories.
Shad nodded and wrote down this matter in his notebook again. It seems that the seasons of that lake correspond to the real world, rather than always maintaining the winter appearance described by the one-eyed fisherman Mr. Grave:
“Next question, what did you encounter on the island in the middle of the lake?”
“I met a middle-aged lady wearing a white robe and holding a white oak cane. Although she was very plainly dressed, I felt that even the queen in the newspaper was not as beautiful as her.”
This is different from what Old Grave said in Lower Luther Village. The fisherman met an old woman.
“Did you make a wish to her?”
“Yes, but before that, she asked me to write a poem for her to praise her beauty, which was not difficult for me. Or, even if she didn’t let me do it, I She can still write poetry, and her beauty is unmatched.”
The poet said with nostalgia.
“After I finished writing the poem, she asked me if I had any wishes. I was so excited that I was a little confused. I was going to say ‘talent’, but I felt that my talent was already very outstanding. It was right to ask for talent again. The unfairness of other poets.”
“Yes.”
Xia De secretly suppressed a smile.
“So I finally made a wish to that lady and asked for luck.”
He pointed to the playing cards next to the wine glass on the table.
“You left then?”
“Yes, I looked for that lake later, but couldn’t find it again. But this extraordinary luck did appear in me.”
Mr. Roland sighed, holding the wine glass with his intact left hand, and touched it with Shade:
“It’s a wonderful story, isn’t it? But I don’t want to share it with anyone because I don’t want those greedy people to disturb that lady’s peace.”
Xia De frowned and took a sip of his own wine. He was very satisfied with the wine that had been mixed with water and tasted a bit like grape juice:
“I noticed that in your story, you didn’t mention how your fingers became like this.”
“Actually, in my memory, I can’t find the reason why I am missing these two fingers.”
Mr. Roland shook his head, also looking puzzled:
“It seems that they are always like this. In all my previous photos, my hands also look like this. My friends also said that when they met me, my hands were like this. But I clearly remember that I was not I was born with this disability, so there must be something wrong with it, but I just can’t remember it.”
“Is it related to the special experience this spring?”
Xia De asked, the poet shook his head slightly:
“Maybe it’s related, I don’t know.”
“Can you tell me the address of that orchard?”
“Of course, I wish you success, Mr. Watson. But don’t be greedy, yes, don’t be greedy.”
He took out the pen from his pocket, pulled out Shade’s notebook, and wrote letters one by one in his notebook with blue-black ink. This is the address of the orchard:
“The only things we can get are those things that will eventually belong to us.”
After finishing writing, he did not return Shade’s notebook immediately. Instead, he selected Star 1 [Carson Rick’s Horror Story – Jack the Headless Horseman] from his deck and clamped the cards in the notebook. The medium was handed to Sha De:
“This belongs to you.”
“Why?”
Xia De asked curiously, picking up the Rhodes card and checking it.
Mr. Rowland shrugged:
“You did beat me. Since you don’t want my money, just accept this card. You deserve it. Moreover, I think you are the kind of person who takes the benefits of others and will definitely help others. People. So, please try your best to find the Lake of Cherubim and let the Lady of the Lake take back the luck from me. I really can’t bear this luck anymore.”
Xia De looked at the card face of the Headless Horseman and smiled:
“Yes, I promise you.”
It was two o’clock in the afternoon when I left the tavern. It was probably the hottest time of the day, but in early winter, the biting wind could still make people shiver.
The Cedric Orchard mentioned by Mr. Roland is a large apple orchard in the west of Huntington City. The owner of the orchard, Mr. Cedric, is not a local, but a wealthy businessman from Willendale. The orchard and bookstore are only one of his properties.
Shad didn’t want to encounter the same bad luck as yesterday, so he did not take a detour to the east of the city to find Mr. Bernhardt and ask him to write a letter of introduction to him, but rode directly to the west of the city.
The area of Cedric’s orchard is so large that it is impossible to fence the entire forest. In addition, in winter, there are no fruits on the treetops, and even the orchard guards are not interested in patrolling. Therefore, when Shade led the horse into the woods from the east side of the orchard, near Lake Lane, he did not attract any attention. anyone’s attention.
He still remembered what Professor Drake said, not to search for the Lady of the Lake, but it was actually difficult for him to control his thoughts. Last night, we encountered a pack of wolves and encountered an accident while chasing the escaping wolves, but there were no wild wolves in this forest that would mess with Shade without opening their eyes.
Leading the horse and walking in the forest, there are dry branches above the head and soft earth under the feet. Shade knew that he might not be able to find any clues if he continued walking, so he simply found a sparse woodland to stop, tied the horse to a tree, and let it eat the few remaining grasses, while Shade leaned on He sat down against the tree trunk, then took out his notebook, intending to complete the outline of the mathematics paper he planned to write.
He started writing part of it last night. If he can finish it today, he will have time tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to find Miss Sylvia for help with corrections.
The winter sunshine in the suburbs is just right. The sunshine illuminates the notebook and the handsome young man in a black coat. He is immersed in mathematical problems.
Next to me, a brown-red horse was carrying a saddle and grazing docilely. Occasionally, he would raise his head and look into the distance, and then impatiently stamp the ground with his hoof, as if curious about what Shade was doing.
It was a very ordinary winter afternoon, and Shade was looking forward to another encounter.
7017k