Yuthy 朱灿230110223
I closed my eyes, and the world, which should have been pitch black, was unexpectedly bright, with a view that seemed to extend indefinitely within my limited field of vision. I close my eyes, and the other side of the world comes into view - near-white daylight pours onto the grass in front of me, and the reflected light stings my eyes. I control my vision and try to look into the distance, which is hazy and indistinct, as psychedelic as a dream. There's a wind blowing through this place, it goes through the grass, brushes through the branches of the trees, brushes the hair on either side of my cheeks, and makes everything it can touch rustle. I can hear my own steady breathing, my body sitting as quietly as if I am asleep, leaning against a tree, the shadows of the tree trembling softly above my head.
"Is this a dream?" I think this as the ocean of thoughts floods the beach of consciousness with tidal waves, leaving white foam behind with each fading of the water, "Is this a dream?" Shells on the beach piece together fragments of words, I think myself wide awake, for nothing could be closer to reality than these things around me, but it is as if my body has sunk into a deep sleep, sitting motionless against a tree, and I have never been more at peace within myself.
Perhaps this is a dream; aren't there people who can clearly realize they are dreaming? I feel my breath, feel the sweet aroma of the bountiful earth. I can hear the sound of the waves not far away, as I heard the soft whispers of my parents when I was a baby. I think back to my parents, to their loving smiles, as moving as jewels in the sunlight on the shimmering sea. My father was the benevolent and kind water god, my mother was the beautiful and fraternal goddess of the ocean, and all their children were springs, streams, and oceans, some of them laughing, some of them silent, flowing freely in every corner of the world. But now, here I am alone, sitting alone in this meadow, sleeping in this island.
It is a very strange dream; the sadness, the pain, all disappear without a trace. My consciousness begins to blur a little. I thought I heard the wanton laughter of children, chasing and playing near me, running across the grass beside me, filling the air with a smell of earth and grass, but their voices seemed to come from far away, like a soft musical sound, blown away in mid-air by the passing breeze. My perspective feels like it is covered in a white gauze, and I can’t see anything but the tree-dappled grass and the light in the distance. I breath weakly, the scent in the air reminding me of a time long ago when Persephone, the goddess of the seasons, was abducted to the Underworld, ate the fruit of a pomegranate, and became the wife of the King of the Underworld. There, she sowed seeds on the same black soil as this one I’m lying on, and when the seasons turned and spring came, she returned to earth with green shoots of life. How did Persephone feel when she was taken to the place where there are no living souls? Did she, who eventually became the Queen of the Underworld, ever feel sad for herself? And I'm sleeping here at the moment, letting my gradually hazy thoughts go. The ocean of thoughts floods the beach of consciousness with tidal waves, leaving white foam behind with each fading of the waves. I have been sleeping on this island of eternal peace and blissful bliss, as if I am waiting for something, and vaguely sensing that I have lost something without a hint of frustration. I sit alone in silence, as if death has given me a sweet kiss.
……
What a weird dream I had. It was a world where I no longer existed. Children laughed freely, and the trees rustled and shook. There was no sadness here, no pain, the people, having ended their lives on earth in war and disaster, had been sent by Zeus, the Lord God, to this island in the middle of the sea in the sky, to live here as mortals favored by the gods and given the right to live forever, and I was just sitting alone in this meadow.
After an indeterminate amount of time, my senses clear as the dream fades away, and the world is finally fully present to my eyes. I come to my senses, the warm earth telling my story in my ears; they made me remember that once Hades had coveted my looks and brought me to this island of Elysium, not realizing that I was not an eternal deity, leaving me to face death alone. I had been favored by the god and brought into the fishbowl of this island called Elysium; I was abandoned by the god, and the tides of time flowed relentlessly as I experienced the end of my physical body. Death gave me a sweet kiss, I died alone on this island of bliss, free of pain and sorrow, I finally remember what I have been sitting here waiting for.
In this waking dream, I hear a call from the underworld, his voice, which I am finally able to hear. Hades, the King of the Underworld, is now standing by my bones, after many long years, the resentment and bitterness in my heart that I have no place to express have all faded away helplessly with time, I have been waiting for him to come, at least to stand in front of me and say the words of apology to me. Hades stretches out his hands. the dissipating warmth in his palms enveloped my body, the sadness and pain in my heart, the hatred and loathing, all of them were now transformed into a bone-colored poplar along with my ashes. He looks up at the crown of leaves in the night sky of the aspen tree, then spoke the words I had waited for until now.
ps: This story’s background is about an Okeanid-nymph named Leuce, she was abducted to Elysium by the god Hades, and transformed into a white poplar tree by him after her death. Since then, the poplar tree has become the symbol of Hades.
