blue lotus

25. There's a hole in the sky

The boat went upstream along the winding river, the water was clear and the water was splashing, and the little fish frightened and shuttled among the pebbles at the bottom of the river.On both sides are towering mountains, the sound of birdsong, here is their world, the kingdom of birds and trees.

"If it rains, it will be beautiful. The waterfalls on the mountain fall from the sky one by one. You can't enter the boat, you can only walk." Uncle Jun chatted with me cheerfully while pushing the boat hard, with a smile on his face. Radiant and covered with sweat.

"Uncle, take a rest when you're tired." I feel a little distressed.

"Wait until you pass that mountain before you rest. It's commonly known as the gate of ghosts. You have to sit still. If you fall into the water, you won't be saved."

"Is it that scary? What's in the water?" I was skeptical with lotus seeds in my mouth.

"It's nothing, it's a limestone cave about five miles away. I heard that the bottom of the river is empty. If you go in, you will get lost in those caves and you won't be able to get up." Uncle told me very seriously, unlike You are lying to me.

From a distance, I saw the big mountain that Uncle Jun said, it was vast and green, the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, and it was overwhelming.At the foot of the mountain, a dark water curtain hole appeared, and the small river gushed out of that hole. "Is there no other way to go there?" I was a little scared when I wanted to go through such a long tunnel.

"The mountain is too steep, there is no other way to go."

"Or, let's go home." I retreated.

"Don't be afraid, with Uncle here, nothing will happen. Don't you want to see what's behind this mountain? I promise, you will never forget it." Uncle's overconfidence and composure made me feel like I was just Rat, what a coward.

When the boat entered the cave, Uncle Jun asked me to hold a flashlight to help him illuminate the way.The scene in the cave is really spectacular, rows of agate-like stalactites are densely covered on the top and both sides of the cave, strangely shaped and slippery.It's very dark in the cave, and if you don't use a flashlight, you can't even think about staying in it.Uncle Jun propped up the boat cautiously and moved forward little by little.The roof of the cave is dripping water continuously, and the sound of water dripping becomes louder in the cave, and the lingering sound is lingering.What's more frightening is that the tunnel is turning around and turning around. We are like walking through the belly of the devil, looking for a way out on the string of life and death.Suddenly there was a vibration of wings on the top of the cave, and then, hordes of black ghosts—bats rushed over our heads and flew out of the cave, and a few fell into the water, struggling in vain.

"Uncle, are there monsters in the water?" I asked timidly.

"What do you say?"

"have it."

"How to say?"

"I think there should be, there must be a ghost city under the water. Will they find us?"

"Yes, but they are also afraid of us, so they dare not come out." Uncle Jun's words made me shudder, and a monster with green face and long teeth flashed in my mind, wearing crocodile skin, and threw a handful of fish at us with a grinning smile. cross.I was startled, and my body swayed on the boat a few times, and the boat also bumped a few times on the water surface, so that it didn't turn upside down.Uncle Jun immediately squatted down to control the balance of the boat. "Xiao Lei, don't think about it and don't move around. Once the boat capsizes, neither you nor I will get out alive."

What Uncle Jun said was true. I took a flashlight and took a picture under the water. It was dark and bottomless, and there were smooth stone walls on both sides, and there was not even a place to hold my hand.I didn't dare to think about it any more, so I raised my eyes to look at Uncle Jun, who nodded at me, and I understood, so I shone the flashlight on the cave wall in front again, so that Uncle Jun would know how to steer the boat to a safe place.

After walking in the cave for more than an hour, I felt a faint light in front of me, and after turning a few turns, I saw the shadows of the green trees at the entrance of the cave falling into the water, swaying in various shapes.

"Uncle, let's come out." I yelled happily, and turned to look at Uncle Jun.

"Don't move around, we'll be docking soon." Uncle remained calm, and it seemed that this area was no stranger to him.

We tied the boat to the root of a banyan tree by the river, jumped out of the boat, and sat side by side under the banyan tree to rest.After struggling in the dark for an hour, I was exhausted physically and mentally.I put a lotus pod on the root of the banyan tree, stretched my limbs, lay down, looked up at the dense branches and leaves of the banyan tree, breathed the fresh smell of mountains and water, and my favorite army uncle was lying beside me. It is also a kind of happiness for an individual to live like this for a lifetime.

"Uncle, how did you find this place?" I put my arm on Uncle Jun, opened my eyes wide, and handed him a lotus pod, daydreaming.

"Here, we have been here when we were more than ten years old. At that time, we were timid and bold, and we were very curious about the cave. So we rowed a boat with Tian Dazhi, entered here, and climbed over the mountain ridge. Below is a big cave. In the basin, there used to be a large area of ​​wild Tianqi, star anise, tung tree, and camellia, but unfortunately, it has become a place where evil breeds." Speaking of this, Uncle Jun frowned and held my hand in his palm, "Do you want to know what it looks like there now?"

"Think." I rested my head on Uncle Jun's belly, closed my eyes, and put a lotus seed into my mouth, "Let's go to sleep first, get enough energy before going. By the way, I heard that Tian Dazhi went to Vietnam ?”

"It's been five or six years. The two of us served as soldiers together. Both were armed police officers. Later, he was selected to go to the special police brigade. I recovered two years earlier than him. He left shortly after he came back. Some people said that he went to Beijing. I got a part-time job, but I know that I was ordered to go to Vietnam to sell goods, because as a soldier, I would be familiar with our country’s borders and know where the garrisons are weak, so the goods have been going smoothly these years, it’s only a pain for you Aunt Man has to take care of a child and farm at home. Has no one told you about these things?"

I shook my head, "So, when you find time, you can help Aunt Man with work and Uncle Dazhi take care of their house?"

"No, I'm atoning for myself. Our family has done a lot of crimes in the town. Look at Tongzi Town, every household is rich, but everyone has become a big smoker. Yesterday I saw Lao Kang's He looked like he was bleeding from his mouth and nose, and he died a terrible death, which was very harmful. I always have an ominous premonition that the town will soon become a slaughterhouse." Uncle Jun said sadly.

"You mean, people will still die?" I gasped, "Could it be that Kang Bo was murdered? Why?"

"I'm just guessing. I heard people say that a drug addict fell from upstairs and died. Anyway, Tongzi Town will not be peaceful in the future. You should go to the county to study as soon as possible and leave this place."

I didn't speak, and the surrounding was very quiet, only the sound of the running water of the small river and the singing of birds in the mountains could be heard.