Chapter 1 Magical Court
The sky was as blue as ever, and the sea breeze gently blew over the city, as if winter would never come. This was Macao . At this moment, a little girl looked up at a butterfly in the court corridor with her big eyes.
A dozen of people had just finished their quarrel on the court, walking past this quiet girl, while there were only butterflies in this little girl’s eyes. Therefore, a Philippines security guard straightened his hat, and then this girl noticed the security guard and smiled innocently at him.
This is the third time he had seen this little girl. She wore a black red checkered shirt, similar to those of the previous two times. Her eyes were extraordinarily serene. It was noticed that no matter how many times he met with this girl, she never made any sound.
Perhaps this girl has precipitated her story into black, hidden in her angelic eyes. However, when she looked at him, the Filipino security guard inexplicably believed that they had already been friends.
He could tell her any secret from his heart, and this little girl must be able to understand, but she would never tell others——she was mute.
He remembered that when this girl came for the first time, she was accompanied by a Filipino maid. But the Filipino maid did not take good care of her, and the girl alone played in the inner garden of the court——playing with butterflies as well as rough and hurtful trunks.
Once the butterfly flew too fast and this girl ran in a hurry……so she hit her head on the trunk. Then the Filipino maid slowly went there.
This was the first time for the Filipino security guard to see the little girl. He rushed there for fear that her cry would disturb the peace of the court, but it turned out that the little girl fell silent. He asked why, and the Filipino maid just mercifully replied, “It doesn’t matter! She was born mute.”
When he saw the little girl for the second time, there was no Filipino maid around her, and she was accompanied by her father, a South American. No wonder this little girl was a beautiful hybrid. After the court session began, her dad left the girl alone in the courtyard, and she ran to the corner of the yard, where there was an old tree that she hit on last time, and several newborn butterflies……
This time, before she came here again, he just received the news from one friend in his hometown that this friend’s wife was pregnant. More than a year ago, he just came to Macao, his friend just got married……Now this Filipino security guard fantasized that if the child of his friend’s would be a girl, would she be as cute as this little girl?
This little girl ran after butterflies in the courtyard again.
This Filipino security guard was puzzled why the little girl could play so happily in the garden of the courtyard. He thought this girl would be very sad, for her parents were fighting for her custody in the court, but it turned out that she seemed to be much happier.
He was touched by her joy, and he also wanted to do something for the girl……for example, secrets sharing? Anyway, he was leaving Macao tomorrow.
He took her to the basement under the atrium, which was originally to be made into a lighting well and fountain a hundred years ago, but now there was only the base of the fountain and the walls full of cracks.
“I want to tell you a secret, girl.” The Filipino security guard bent down and they looked at each other, “I don’t think anyone will believe it. But I’m telling you, and you will not tell anyone else, right?” Then he paused.
“Definitely you will keep this secret for me.” Of course she would, for this girl could not speak at all.
“Crazy things happen here every day.”
“First the plants inexplicably grew in a crazy way in the dark.”
“Then the lunches I brought here were always stolen.”
“……The most exaggerated one is that one day I thought I was dreaming. My God! I didn’t know where the penguin came from. The penguin wobbled to the basement in front of me, yelling at the damn wall, just like it was talking.” There was a combined expression of being surprised and panicked on the face of the Filipino security guard, so his dark face looked like a crumpled orange.
“Do you know what I’m talking about? A living penguin grandly waddled into a court in Macao. This is Macao! Aren’t penguins living in a cold place?”
“Have you seen that crack on the wall? I suspect there live elves.”
“I only dare speak this to you, but it’s too hard to hold it in my heart. For God’s sake, you don’t know what I have been through lately. If I say that to someone else, they must think I’m crazy!” The open hands showed his pity and despair, “I mean, the salary is really high, and I do not want to lose it.”
As if being aware of something, the Filipino security guard made his impassioned tone back to calm. He had shared too many secrets, but people didn’t come to the court to find out secrets……
His walkie-talkie was buzzing at the moment, so the Filipino security guard left there in a hurry, and he even forgot to take the little girl away. However, the girl liked adventure, running and the corner. Running could make her stop thinking about trouble, and the corner……She would never guess what would be after the corner and what will happen. Maybe it was the surprised expression of others, or maybe it was a new landscape. Anyway, this mute girl always could observe some fleeting moments.
Being left alone in the basement, she was driven by her instinct of curiosity to have a look at the “dangerous” gap……
The girl was so frightened that she flinched back and fell……Without the knowledge of how long it was, she felt dizzy when waking up again……The girl saw something seeing herself through the gap.