Summer of Fireflies

The ground is buried by thick snow, which will melt into snow water in the fields in spring, bringing sufficient nutrients to the dry land.

When I got to the bottom of the mountain, I remembered that there was a path leading to the mountain. The path up the mountain was covered with withered grass, which showed that no one had walked this path for a long time.

I pushed aside the withered grass that obstructed the road, and the path that had rained was slightly wet, making it very difficult to walk.

I looked up at the top of the mountain, and while paying attention not to let the dew on the withered grass wet my clothes, I was careful not to step on the potholes full of muddy water.

After a while, I finally saw the old shrine in my impression. The huge gatepost was extremely mottled, with an old grass-colored rope hanging from it, which was now covered with spider silk, and the spell paper pasted on the gatepost had long been It was dilapidated by the wind.

On the right is a huge stone, and on the left is a broken and low log cabin. The stone steps inside the doorpost meander all the way to the depths of the forest.

The stone steps are as long and deep as I remember.

Going up the old stone steps step by step, the stone statues on both sides are covered with moss like the stone steps. Every once in a while, you can see a huge doorpost, and some of the doorposts are even hung with paper. Wind chimes and sunny dolls, paper wind chimes and sunny dolls sway with the wind when the wind blows, and the bells are still crisp.

Apart from the broken stone statues on both sides of the stone steps, the most common ones are the stone platforms used to place candlesticks, and one can be seen every two meters or so.

The inside of the stone platform is now empty. The candlesticks were originally used to illuminate passers-by when people went to the shrine to worship at night. On the mountain, it will be a very beautiful scenery.

It is a pity that this shrine has been abandoned by humans a long time ago.

Most of the stone platforms, some have been broken in half, some have fallen down, and some have even lost their roots and tails.

When we reached the top of the mountain, we soon saw the mountain temple where the mountain god lived. Weeds were overgrown around the mountain temple. It used to be a big mountain temple, but now it is only depressed and cold.

When you see the mountain temple, you will unconsciously think of the mountain god.

The mountain god in my memory is a very kind old man with a long beard. The mountain god was born because of human belief, and his divine power depends on the sum of the number of human beings who believe in him.

I remember that at the beginning, the mountain god was still able to maintain a human figure that was the same size as a human being, but in the end it became smaller and smaller because of the weakening of faith. If one day the human beings who believed in the mountain god disappeared, then the mountain god would also disappear with the disappearance of faith. disappear.

Time flies, and now decades have passed.

I don't know if the mountain god is still alive or not at this time, I helped get rid of the weeds around the mountain temple while thinking.

After the weeds were pulled out, a small worship platform was exposed in the mountain temple, which was already stained with blue.

I took out a small basket of snacks and fruits from my bag and put them on the platform, lit another stick of incense, closed my eyes and folded my palms together for a prayer, then inserted/inserted the stick of incense into the incense stand in the temple.

Master Shanshen helped me a lot when he was around, but now I just came to see him, and I felt a little ashamed.

"Humans, don't get close there, or I'll eat you!"

A hoarse and gloomy voice sounded behind me, I turned my head, and the shadows in the distance spread over the grass and rushed to the front of the mountain temple, only to see a shadow behind a tree, and there appeared a black-and-white figure all over the body. A monster with one eye.

Seeing me turning my head, the shadow monster that rushed towards me paused: "Are you...?" With a bang, the dark shadow monster suddenly turned into a snow-white fox, screaming and pounced on me. On the body, the voice is as tender as a child: "Wow, it's ほたる!" (ほたる pronounced as: Hotaru)

"ほたる have you finally come back to see us?" A certain white-haired fox rubbed back and forth in my arms with teary eyes, its snot sticking to my clothes.

"You are... Xiaobai, right?"

I touched the fur on its head and smiled. There is an old fox in the Youkai Forest who likes to change shape to scare people, and Xiao Bai is the son of the old fox.

Holding Xiaobai's heavy body, I didn't expect that the little white hair has grown into a big fox now, even though its IQ is still in its infancy.

The growth period of monsters is much slower than that of human beings. After more than ten years, Xiao Bai is still a cub fox that has not grown up.

"In other words, has Lord Shanshen become as big as a broad bean?" I pushed aside the grass and walked deep into the forest.

When I heard Xiaobai say that the mountain god has not disappeared yet, he couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief, but, the mountain god who has become the size of a broad bean... I imagined the appearance of a bearded old man the size of a bean, and I laughed unconsciously out.

Everything that belongs to the monster forest is strange and familiar, and after being familiar with it, I feel very kind. I used to be familiar with every road and every scenery here.

"Everyone, ほたる is back!" Xiaobai stood on my shoulder and yelled into the forest, flicking his tail without forgetting.

Some monsters appeared one after another behind the forest trees: Xiao Hei who lacked one eye, Aunt Hong Qiao with a red umbrella floating in mid-air, a white snake with a long neck, a chicken head and a hippopotamus head, and a timid and scary monster. The old fox, every monster is the most familiar appearance to me.

"ほたる." "ほたる." "ほたる." "ほたる......" "ほたる......"

The whole forest has been echoing my name.

I pressed my reddish nose in response, feeling as if I had returned to another home, and they were my relatives here.

There is a river deep in the forest, the river is now covered with a layer of ice, I remember that I used to like to catch fish in this river in summer, and beautiful white lotus blooms on the river in summer.

There is a small wooden bridge in the middle of the river. I used to like to sit on the wooden bridge and put my bare feet into the river to play in the water.

After passing the wooden bridge, there was an open grass field, but now it has become a wasteland.

But in summer, the grass that has sprouted will bloom a variety of colorful wild flowers, which are as beautiful as a small garden.

"Hetaru, you came back to see us."

The old voice with a touch of nostalgia came to my ears from the tree, and soon, a big hand turned from a branch stretched out and dragged my body.

I stood on a huge tree trunk with my grandpa tree's big hand. There was obviously a swing hanging under the tree trunk. I remember that I built this swing by myself. I didn't expect it to be placed here without damage. Even the swing The blue vines on it have withered.

There are very few entertainments in the forest, and swinging used to be one of my favorite games.

Grandpa Tree is a tree demon.

The root of the tree is so thick that it takes three or four people to circle it around. In summer, it has lush branches and leaves, but in winter it withers and straightens, with countless trunks.

Tangled and spiraling tree trunks hang straight from above and are deeply rooted in the ground.

Grandpa Tree is one of the oldest monsters in the forest.

After getting off the tree, I took one last look at the swing on the trunk, and then I planned to get up and walk back.

Xiaobai said that it put something belonging to me in the mountain temple and wanted to return it to me. I asked what it was, but Xiaobai refused to tell me mysteriously.

I had no choice but to go back to the temple with Xiaobai first.

When I returned to the mountain temple, the incense stick was still burning little by little, and the fruits and snacks had not been touched, but the strange thing was that there was an extra stick of incense in the incense burner at some point. At that time, it was obvious that only one plug was inserted.

It is definitely impossible for the monsters to come here to offer incense, but if it is not the monsters, are there other people here besides me?

I looked around the temple, not to mention seeing a figure, not even a sparrow.

Maybe I'm suspicious, I scratched Xiaobai's head and thought uncertainly, or maybe I misremembered the amount of incense offered earlier.

Xiaobai quickly jumped out of my arms, wagging its fox tail, jumped into the mountain temple, and dragged out a wooden box with its mouth.

A lot of dust had accumulated on the wooden box. I swept it with a branch, and Xiao Bai picked up a bunch of keys from somewhere in his mouth and handed them to me.

I took the key and opened the lock. Many parts of the key were rusted. I opened the lock for a while before I turned the lock. On the top was a white fox mask, and underneath were neatly folded clothes in silver. My light gray bathrobe, my small floral red bathrobe, and the orange scarf I once gave to Silver.

Picking up the silver fox mask with one hand, and stroking the wrinkles of the clothes with the other hand, I don't know why I always have the urge to cry.

"Study... sister?"

Hearing a familiar voice behind me, I turned around holding the fox mask.

At this time, the little white standing on my shoulder hid behind my back with a whoosh, his expression like a frightened little white rabbit.

"Gangji...Jun?" I opened my mouth to read out the young man's name, and the center of my brows twitched at the speed of my words: "Why are you here?"

The young man came over and approached me, his eyes flicked over to Xiao Bai behind me, and he paused, so frightened that Xiao Bai grabbed my clothes and paws and immediately trembled.

"I just want to ask, why is senior sister here?"

"Well, it's a long story." I smiled at him awkwardly, not knowing how to explain——

The author has something to say: Every Saturday, the Internet will be disconnected, and it will not be restored until 9 o'clock in the afternoon, so I don't want to complain about this stupid campus network anymore!

I'll send it as soon as I get online