"Bird lost in paradise", Sophia Huang
Translated from《那只鸟》by Stray Birds
“After that bird slept for half a day, it woke determined to truly live.”
When the bird arose, his gaze turned towards the forest. A patchwork of emerald, gold and ebony embellished the grey heavens. He looked on dreamily, enthralled by the sight. There he stood rooted, lost in the moment. The alarm rang, and he remembered the day — it was the memorial anniversary of his friend. He grabbed a bouquet of flowers and hurried out the door. The lamps in the house were still lit; it seemed he had forgotten again. It was the daylight’s fault for rendering the lamps useless. The faucet was still leaking water — it wasn’t that he had forgotten to shut it — but rather, they were drippings after a shower. Just like the lamps, it would turn itself off.
2
There was no way to muster a warm heart response to the frigid shades of rose. He stared coldly at the IKEA chicken wings that lay unfinished on the plate. He was awaiting the sun to shoulder a bit of the burden, but instead, found his heart gripped by the garlands embellishing the casket. It was a long while since he had reminisced these moments. A crowd of people emerged, as the bird vanished among the blades of grass.