To celebrate my admission to the university in his hometown, my predecessor, edgar allan poe, sent me an invitation letter from Spider, inviting me to the masked ball of Prince Pushpero.
"... I know this invitation seems a little sudden now, but I hope you don't feel scared. The dance was held in an extremely remote castle. After all the guests arrive, our craftsmen will weld all the bolts from the inside. Materials and facilities are sufficient, and you are absolutely safe and happy here. If you like, you can even stay until the global epidemic is over ... "
When I woke up, I was already at the dance. I stood in the magnificent suite of the castle in strappy boots and a Gothic dress with suspenders called "Decadent Poison Gas Garden".
"Sweetheart, what's the matter with you?" My boyfriend took my hand with some concern. "Are you sick?"
I looked at him, to be honest, his appearance startled me-thick dark circles, straight pure black military uniform, wearing a red silk military cap on his head. A touch of blood flowed from his right temple to his chin, which looked very realistic.
"No ... I'm fine." I shook my head, "just some soldiers who don't adapt to your cosplay suicide ..."
"What's the problem? We were quarantined here for five or six months. You haven't seen my skirt. " He smiled casually. "In addition, today this dress is a tribute to edgar allan poe's predecessors. Didn't he have a dream of being a professional soldier when he was my age? Went to West Point, and then was fired ... "
Soldier ... Being a soldier is a happy thing. People who become soldiers no longer belong to themselves. Teenagers do not want to live in mediocrity. They either rushed to the battlefield in the hope of revitalizing their family business and honoring their ancestors, or in order to escape the fear of mediocrity. Whether the war is just or not, these children should be happy-at the moment when they die for their country, they will have nothing to do with old age and illness ... Incredibly, Poe gave up being a hero at the best age and gave up dying with a bang.
At this time, the lover captured a wonderful piece of music, and his green eyes lit up: "Hey, listen, this is Tchaikovsky's 18 12 Overture". Beautiful young lady, may I ask you to dance? Let's forget all the unhappiness outside the high wall. You are absolutely safe here. "
We danced in a strange and tortuous palace composed of seven rooms: the crystal blue window in the first room is as clear as the ocean that just gave birth to life hundreds of millions of years ago, which is the rushing Nile and the cobalt blue eye shadow of Pharaoh-the color of ancient civilization; The purple curtains in the second room are windless and automatic, rolling like purple gas from the east, like the gorgeous clothes of Qi Huangong and Plato; The third room has the green dome of the mosque, and I smell the yearning of countless desert kingdoms for the abundance of water plants in the vast green; Then there are orange, white and purple rooms, which are the sunset of the great voyage, the steam of the industrial revolution and the dead chrysanthemums of soldiers in the neckline during the War of Independence ... At the end of Song of Human Civilization, like sun gear, we rotate from the easternmost part of the palace to the westernmost part and kiss in the dark room at the end of the corridor.
Heavy black velvet curtains hung on my lover's shoulders, and beside him was a Gothic window inlaid with scarlet glass. Because the color of the clothes is too close to the background, he almost blends in with the whole room. He smiled at me, his white teeth reflected the flashing light behind the lighting glass, and the blood on his face moved.
At this moment, a crunchy sound came from behind him. Unconsciously, I grabbed him by the shoulder and looked over: a bronze statue clung to the wall on the west side of the corridor-an oriental with glasses, a mask hanging on his chin, a beautiful dial embedded in his heart and a whistle blowing in his mouth. A clear and high-pitched voice gushed out of the whistle like a stream. I looked out of the room and was surprised to find that people seemed stunned by the whistle. And no one dares to stay in the dark room where we are now, let alone dance here.
The reporter's clock rang eight times and then quieted down, and the guests slowly recovered their composure in the reverberation. After some light jokes, musicians began to play new tunes, and dancers in strange clothes gathered in groups and spat on others' cheeks without scruple. Half a year has passed, and the party in the castle has never been afraid for a minute because the clock strikes. Even those old people who bow their heads and meditate when the bell rings will start partying again without scruple after the bell stops.
Perhaps because I have never heard a whistle so close, I suddenly felt very uneasy and clutched my lover's sleeve tightly. "Let's go." I begged, "I feel a little sick ..."
"Shh-"As he planned, he calmly took me into his arms, and his pale arms fixed me in place. "Wait, the performance will start soon."
"... what do you mean? "My fear deepened again. "Since you know something is going to happen here, why can't we leave now?"
"Listen, you may think that Prince Prospero is crazy, but he is not." Suicide Warrior whispered in my ear. "People all over the world know that he has a good eye for color and effect. His ideas are bold and enthusiastic, but his thoughts shine with savage brilliance. "Since you come to his free party, you must listen to him, meet him and shake his hand ..."
"Come on, no one here wears a mask, it will be infected!" I finally realized what was wrong with the whole dance, so I struggled desperately, but he restrained me from moving. "That's enough, I want to go home-"
"Cough-cough-"The noisy ballroom was completely quiet in a series of sharp coughs. The crowd parted on both sides like the sea facing Moses, revealing a man in a hospital robe. Wearing a breathing mask full of white mucus, he limped on the drip stand. He was soaked to the skin, his skin was ferocious pink, and he smelled of pungent disinfectant and sweat.
The patient uninvited guest came straight to our side, ignoring the disgust, anger, fear and the roar of Prince Pushpero in the eyes of other guests.
"Who is so bold?" The blond prince asked the attendant standing beside him at the top of his lungs. His loud voice came from the easternmost blue room, and we could hear it clearly in the westernmost part. "Who dares to insult us with such rude ridicule? Grab him, unmask him and let's see what guy was shot at sunrise! "
"Don't go there, the virus can spread through the air!" I couldn't help shouting, "You don't even have protective clothing. Isn't this going to die? "
"What do you care? These people are used to being sloppy and will not listen to you just because you are right. " The teenager who imprisoned me here has a clear face. "Oh, you'd better not go out casually this year. This Prince Pushpero is unreliable, and he can't even keep his own people, let alone foreigners ... "
At first, someone approached the arrogant stranger, but he remained expressionless and calmly dragged his thin body forward with a drip stand. His morbid calmness almost produced an indescribable sense of majesty, which made people afraid to approach easily, so that he walked straight past the angry prince like nobody's business, and even gave him a dirty look halfway. Uninvited guests came to us slowly along the long corridor of history, and kept approaching this dark red room symbolizing death and the end of mankind.
As if to cover up his previous gaffe, the prince took the lead in pulling out his gun and rushing at the stranger, but no one dared to follow him. After a scream, I watched helplessly as the people who had just reveled fell to the ground and twitched, with white mucus in their mouths. Some energetic people caught the ghost that had moved to the informant's clock, and they were surprised to find that there was no tangible entity under their clinging hospital gown and mucus-filled breathing mask.
In edgar allan poe's Doomsday Prophecy, it is the most terrible thing for human beings to face natural disasters without vaccines and specific drugs. People in power don't know when they will be killed by a nobody who looks harmless, just because they took a breath in front of him. The leaders were beheaded one after another, and the world was in chaos. This is the end of civilization.
I closed the masked ball of Red Death with a lingering fear, and wrote this article before tomorrow.
2020.4.26
——The Masque of the？ Coronavirus pneumonia-19
My senior, Mr. Poe, insisted on celebrating my college entrance in his hometown of Virginia. He sent me an invitation letter with a letter from a Richmond spider, inviting me to join a mysterious? Masked? A ball hosted by Prince Prospero.
"... I know this invitation seems, um, a little sudden at this very moment, but believe me, I didn't mean to scare you. The dance will be held in a remote castle without any intrusion. More importantly, once all the guests arrive, our craftsmen will weld all the bolts from the inside. There are abundant supplies and facilities in the castle, which means that you will be absolutely safe and happy there. If, any chance, your preference, you can even stay there until the end of the epidemic ... "
Before I realized it, I was already in the ballroom. Confused, I stood motionless in the middle of a gorgeous suite in this castle, wearing my strong boots and a pair of shoes called? Decadent gas garden.
"Are you feeling all right, dear?" My boyfriend An Yao put my hand in his with a worried expression. "You look a little lost."
I turned to face him, and to be honest, his appearance shocked me. Anyao already has a straight posture, even if there is no neat black military uniform. He wore a red ribbon on his cap. My boy has those thick dark circles under his eyes. There was a trail of blood flowing from his right temple to his chin. The makeup looks very realistic.
"Um ... I'm fine." I nodded. "I just need to get used to cosplaying, a suicidal soldier."
"Oh, come on, you've seen me wear more shabby clothes ..." He laughed it off as if I was just joking. "Besides, today's uniform is a tribute to Lao Po. Didn't he dream of becoming a soldier when he was my age? Although he was admitted to West Point Military Academy, he was later fired ... "
Become a soldier ...? For many people, this should be a dream come true. People who join the army no longer belong to themselves. Young people don't wait for hospitalization all their lives. They went to the battlefield, either hoping to revitalize their families, or to honor their ancestors, or just to escape the fear of mediocrity. Whether the war is just or not, these children should be happy about it: when they die for their country, they will be free from old age and fatal diseases. It is a bit unbelievable that Mr. Poe gave up being a hero and died nobly in his best years.
Suddenly, my son heard a wonderful tone. His green eyes lit up: "Hey, listen, are they playing Tchaikovsky's? Overture 18 12. Miss, may I invite you to dance? Let's forget the misfortune outside the castle. You are very safe and healthy with me. "
We strode through the twists and turns of seven huge rooms: the first room had a blue crystal window, as clear as the ocean that just gave birth to life millions of years ago; There lay the Pentium Nile and the Pharaoh's cobalt blue eye shadow-the color of ancient civilization. The purple curtains in the second room are like purple clouds, which reminds me of the gorgeous robbery of Qi Huangong and Plato. The third room has the green dome of the mosque; In the boundless emerald green, I can smell the yearning of countless desert kingdoms for the abundance of aquatic plants. Next, there are those orange, white and purple rooms: the sunset of the great voyage, the steam of the industrial revolution, and the bachelor's buttons pinned on the collars of soldiers during the revolutionary war. At the end of Requiem for Human Civilization, we rotate from the easternmost end of the palace to the westernmost end, just like the sun's journey from day to night. There, we kissed each other warmly in the dark room at the end of the corridor.
Heavy black velvet curtains hung on Anyao's shoulders, and next to him was a Gothic window inlaid with scarlet glass. Because his uniform and wallpaper are similar in color, An Yao can hardly see them. My boy smiled at me, his white teeth reflected the flashing light, illuminating the seventh room behind the glass, and his blood makeup was a little curly.
A clear and crisp voice sounded behind Anyao. I grabbed his shoulder tightly, didn't notice, and peaked at anything behind him. A brass statue was placed so close? That? Farthest? None of us really realized it. It depicts an Asian with glasses, a mask on his chin, a beautiful dial in his heart and a whistle in his mouth. The bright, sharp voice gushed from the whistle of the Asian people, just like a running stream entering this gloomy room. I glanced out of the room and was surprised to find that people seemed stunned by the whistle. And no one dares to step into our room, let alone dance here.
The whistle clock struck eight times before it rang, and the guests slowly recovered their composure in the sound. After looking at each other and laughing, the musicians began to play new songs again, and the dancers in those weird cloaks and masks gathered in groups and gasped on others' cheeks without restraint. This situation has been going on for about half a year, and the crazy party in Prince Prospero's castle has never stopped for more than a minute because of the bell. Even the elders who listened with their heads down for another hour and I will start partying without scruple.
Maybe it's because this is the first time I've heard such a close whistle. I suddenly feel very uneasy and hold on to Anyao for a moment. "Honey, let's get out of here, shall we?" I begged him, "This room bothers me."
"Shh, don't be afraid ..." As if planned, Anyao embraced me heartily and wrapped me gently in his pale arms. "Not now, my love, not now. A good show will begin in a few seconds. "
"... what do you mean?" My heart began to pound.
"Listen, you may think that Prince Prospero is crazy, but he is not," he whispered. "People all over the world know' him'? Had it? Answer? How are you? Eyes? For what? Color? And then what? Effect. ? What? Ignore? That? decora？ Yes? mere？ Fashion. ? His? Plan? Used to be. Bold? And then what? Hot? And then what? His? Pregnant? Glowing? With what? Savage? Glossy. " Now that you have come to his most free party, is it necessary? Where to? Do you hear me? And then what? Do you see it? And then what? Touch? He ... "
"How can you be so stubborn? ! No one here wears a mask; They will all be infected! " I finally realized what was wrong with the mask ball, so I struggled desperately, but Anyao kept me still. "Stop it! I want to go home-"
When someone suddenly coughed, the noisy ballroom became silent. The crowd, like the sea in front of Moses, quickly parted, revealing a man in a robe. His face is covered with a breathing mask, and white mucus is covered from his mouth and pipes. The man hobbled on the drip stand. He was soaked to the skin, his skin was terrible pink, and he smelled of disinfectant and sweat.
The patient walked straight to us despite the guests' disgust, anger, panic and the roar of Prince Prospero.
"How dare he?" ? Blonde prince? Requirements? Hoarse? Yes? That? Courtier? Who is it? Standing? Nearby? He, "how dare he insult us such ridicule? You catch him and peel off his mask, so that we may know who I have executed at dawn.
"Don't go near him! The virus is airborne! " I couldn't help crying out, "You don't even have any protection! You will catch it-"
"That's enough. These lunatics are used to have unlimited freedom and will not listen to you just because you are right or something. " The boy who tied me up always had that casual smile on his face, and seemed to appreciate one of Poe's best works. "Besides, you'd better stay at home this year and don't go to any university outside your motherland, especially in this country. Prince Prospero may be a rather untrustworthy guy in his office. He can't even save one of his own, let alone you international students ... "
At first, this group of people had a slight impulse in the direction of the intruder, but the patient remained expressionless and deliberately dragged his thin body forward with a drip stand. His morbid calmness almost produced an indescribable sense of majesty, which made people afraid to approach easily. He pushed past the angry prince unimpeded and even gave him a blank look. The uninvited guest came to Anyao and me through the corridor of history and approached the dark room symbolizing death and the end of mankind.
As if to cover up his previous gaffe, the prince took the lead in drawing a gun at a stranger, but no one dared to follow him. A scream-I stood there watching the revelers faint, twitching and coughing up white mucus. Some of them threw themselves into the black apartment with their last strength. Whose patient did they catch? Tall? Figure? Standing? Erection? And then what? Still? Inside? That? Shadow? Yes? That? Whistler? Zhong, in unspeakable fear, found that the robes and mucus masks they handled so rudely had no tangible form.
In Poe's "doomsday prophecy", when human beings face natural and man-made disasters, the worst thing is that there is no redemption. The person in power doesn't know when he will be killed by a seemingly non-aggressive individual just because he took a breath in front of him. Leaders were beheaded one after another, and the world was in chaos-the end of civilization came.
I closed the red masquerade? Death, with lingering fear, filled this page before tomorrow.
2020.4.27