I opened my eyes, and saw the whole summer unfolded itself under the most brilliant light; I saw wind danced through the gate of garden and hide under shadows; I saw birds’ feathers painted on the canvas of sky; I saw the river flow all the way from yesterday; and myself in the pond, a tiny pale jasmine. I grown up near the bush—the most interesting neighbour in the world. You can’t really distinguish their differences, but they were all talkative. They had lots of friends and knew lots of stories. There were two thousands and eighty three leaves in the bush, and they told one story one night. Most of the stories were from ants, birds, and the new flowers.
Two weeks after my birthday, I left my old branch and bush to start my own adventure. One of the oldest leaves secretly told me that only wind can bring me to a bigger world. That was gonna be a new world beyond my imagination. I could fly and sing as much as I want. “Before you die in the mud, you are free to leave all the time.” He stared at me like the mud that provided us nutrition can swallow us at any minute.
That was a restless night at the end of May. I kissed good-bye with my siblings and shake myself over and over again. I was waiting, for the wind. I did not remember how long I had been waiting in the dark, but I can still clearly recall the moment I got rid of the branch and flew up to sky. I was floating with millions of gas molecules, and I heard them murmured near my ears. They said I was the bravest jasmine they had ever seen and promised to stay with me all the time. I thought I was going to explode. Every petal of mine were yelling with the stars. I looked down to the garden that nurtured all of my friends and family gradually disappeared at the end of valley, but that old leave still stared at me, with his exciting and nervous eyes. “Nothing can stop me now.”
I flew over a small village and saw a woman with her lovely young boy playing near the lake. The boy was seeking for flowers to make a garland for his mom; I saw a fisher siting on the boat and sang an old rhythm; I saw teenage girls lying under the locust trees and looking for flyers like me. They found me and shown me their smiles. I knew they were praying deep in the hearts. I saw sweaty workers running through the factory and eating under the sunlight; I saw infants were delivered by soft and thick hands. I saw dancers dancing under the moon, stretching out their elegant necks, and raising up red ballet shoes; I saw brides walking into the church and grooms wearing the suits. I kept flying with the wind and seeking for my bigger world.
I hoped time could stop while I flying in my adventure, but I started to feel my withering. One of my smallest petals disappeared without saying a word. I turned back and looked for it, but the water in my body were also evaporating. I knew I could not last longer. My gas molecule friends held me approached the ground. Ten meters, five meters, three meters…Oh my dear ground. I could even smell its familiar sweet odour. “ I am back.” After witnessing so many people and lives, I finally came back to my comfortable mud. Instead of hanging on the top of branch, I lay near the root of an unknown willow. One of its twigs passed by from the sky and brought me its blessings. Everything was breathing, and hearts were beating. Beetles had already slept, but cicadas were still crying. “What a beautiful world.” I felt so satisfied. Before I closed my eyes for good, the old leave’s voice appeared in my head again: “ Before you die in the mud, you are free to leave all the time.”
“But if you don’t, it is not mud that will swallow you.”
I suddenly opened my eyes. The old leave was staring at me like yesterday and the day before yesterday. I saw a woman with basket walking toward me; I saw her bent down and reached out her hands; I saw her picked me up from the branch that I haven’t had the chance to leave yet; I saw her put me into the basket and drive the car away; I saw my whole plain life, and myself in the tea cup, a tiny pale jasmine.
“ It is always you, who is meant to swallow yourself.”
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