Uriel opened the door to the lounge, and shadows rushed into the room. He subconsciously looked at the light bulb and felt that the light suddenly became much dimmer, but he still turned on the light.
The stars were faintly overhead, and the sky was purple-blue. The shop across the street was lit with candles, and shadows danced on the walls, as if someone had fallen to the ground and was convulsing. But the long street was empty, with no pedestrians at all. The stone road was covered in the first snow of the frosty moon, looking smooth and fresh. Uriel felt his body tremble when he touched the cold latch, leaving a dirty footprint on the steps.
The hands of the bell tower were blocked by the gloomy snow and fog. You didn't need to look to know that night was falling and it was already late. Uriel had to get to the station as soon as possible if he didn't want to run in the snow. Most people have enough time after get off work to catch the shuttle bus, but unfortunately Ms. Emma from the laundry always makes her apprentices work overtime in various ways, and then kicks them out of the break room to save electricity. Maybe I shouldn't complain, the electricity bill saved might be my salary.
When the apprentice fastened the buttons on his collar and walked on the quiet Sonbigrad Avenue, some random thoughts were still running through his mind. He held on to the railing and carefully climbed down the stone steps to avoid falling and breaking his head. It’s really not worth paying for medical expenses for a wasted job.
There was a light box at the end of the street, and the station sign was right next to it. They were old and dirty, and could only stand there with their heads held high against the cracked oak bulletin board in the middle. As Uriel approached, he immediately smelled the pungent smell of vegetable glue. Taped to the board is today's Eastman Kingdom Daily. Going to the bulletin board in the dead of night is probably the only way to know the news without spending money. This was originally prepared for passengers who got up early to catch the bus the next day.
The newspaper headline was "The Frost Moon Arrives Early."
Unlike most apprentices, and even adult citizens, Uriel knew the written language of Common. He had attended the charity school in the monastery, so he stood out when applying for the job and was accepted by Ms. Emma. It is true that a laundromat apprentice was less literate than someone who could use an iron, but this was favored by the vast majority of illiterate people.
The stop sign is covered in frost and reflects white light, but people can barely make out the inscriptions. There are seven stops on the central route from the depressed Nancheng to Sombigrad in the central area. There is a twist in the central route, which may be mistaken by outsiders. Uriel looked at his fingertips, which were white from soaking, and hesitated whether to clean the frost stains on them. If a car comes at this time, I don't have to think about it.
The hope was unfortunately in vain. He waited in the dusty pavilion until the moon rose above the Lyre. Uriel was not wearing a watch and wondered if he had missed the last bus.
The snow outside was getting denser and denser. When Uriel raised his head belatedly and wanted to see the hour mark on the clock tower in the distance, it was already so blurry that no one could see anything clearly.
He couldn't help but feel uneasy.
If I fail to catch the bus, I will probably have to go back to the lounge, otherwise the angry Ms. Emma will deduct my salary the next day... Wait, Uriel touched his pocket and realized that he had not rested at all. room key. He began to consider spending the night at the station.
Uriel waited uneasily, stepping on the platform to keep warm and looking around. The light from the light box illuminated the notice board. It was so cold that the apprentice read the article beneath the title in an attempt to distract himself.
"Due to the tunnel collapse accident in the Morris Mountains, this year's Harvest Moon was terminated... There was widespread snowfall in the southern region. Experts from the Astrology Meteorological Tower claimed that this was not the advance of the Frost Moon, but the season of the Harvest Moon. The characteristics have changed... This year's Frost Moon will still end after a long one hundred and fifty days. 』
The Frost Moon has one hundred and thirty days and is the coldest month in the kingdom. In the past, the Harvest Moon lasted for seventy days, but unfortunately this year, due to the large-scale collapse of the Morris Mountains, the cold current poured into the Eastman Kingdom through the gap, causing the Harvest Moon to be shortened by nearly half.
Uriel became interested. He wanted to know if the Eastman Kingdom had issued any holiday announcements for the long frost moon.
"At the end of this month, the Kingdom's Geological Survey and Mapping Bureau will launch condolences to the families of the victims of the Angmar Tunnel collapse..."
"Queen Flavia passed the "Marine Act" submitted by the Parliament, and the development of Knights Bay is about to begin. 』
"The 61st Education Policy Reform for Young Children..."
"The border city suffered a snowstorm...A very dark night fell. 』
Snow disaster? Uriel was surprised. It was still the middle of the Harvest Moon. Fortunately, I am in Yotsuba Castle and can still see the sun during the day. If it were Whinneys further south, it would probably be late winter now. Sister Mary said that there were even twenty days of darkness every year.
In Eastman, that period was known as the Blackest Night.
The kingdom has a typical cold zone climate, that is, the days are short and the nights are long, winter is long and summer is short. In the apprentice's memory, the sunshine of the scorching moon is as precious as the woolen coat in the store cupboard. It’s time for me to prepare for the Frost Moon, but where will I find money to buy clothes?
When the cold wind blows, people crave a thick coat. Uriel was colder than others, but he couldn't survive the Frost Moon in just one coat. But let alone woolen clothes, he couldn't even afford the moldy cotton clothes in the warehouse. The clothes he was wearing were also given to him by Sister Mary of the convent, three years ago... It seemed that I had to choose between starvation and cold.
The snow suddenly stopped, but Uriel would have preferred it to continue falling for a while, because the wind suddenly became fierce. He only stood here for ten minutes and felt that his soul was frozen. Uriel stared at the condensed water droplets on the light box, feeling that the idea of spending the night here before was ridiculous.
Didi——!
Just when he was about to lose hope, the whistle finally sounded at the end of the street...
...or some other sound.
Uriel raised his head in surprise. The long, melodious shrill sound echoed through the streets, and he almost thought he was hallucinating. Come on Gaia, where did the train whistle come from in Sombigrad?
But the accident left no time for the apprentice to think.
The silver-gray locomotive rushed into the road like an arrow, and its tail flew out of the street corners one by one. The steel roared, the whistle screamed, and the snow splashed out from the wheels like fireworks, crackling and throwing all over the ground.
The poor apprentice's eyes widened and he froze on the spot. The violent air flow tore at his coat and broke the buttons on his collar.
With the gradually dying whistle, the train plunged into the statue fountain at the corner. The water in it had solidified due to the cooling at night, and now it shattered into powder, but he was surprised to find that the stone angel statue below was not damaged at all. Through the phantom-like side wall, Uriel could even see the street view opposite, but the car window glass was blurry.
Could this really happen in the world? The apprentice thought. The train passing by at high speed is like a mirage, but it has a real impact on reality. The only explanation he could think of was that he fell asleep without realizing it.
When-when-when-
Then the tower bell tolled again, announcing the arrival of midnight.
The train came to a slow stop. The apprentice watched helplessly as the car passing by quickly moved and turned still in a strange and majestic manner, and the shadows on the glass were blurry and clear.
Just then, the light box made a bang, a string of sparks erupted from the air holes, and then went out completely. Strangely, the light was still there, making Uriel's eyes dim. He couldn't tell where the light came from.
The steel slid along the track, like an iron cutting through silk. Another feeling of indistinguishability, how could there be railway tracks at the bus station? He tried to let common sense guide his judgment, but he couldn't form a complete thought in his mind. I'm dreaming, Uriel decided.
Until someone spoke from behind:
"Where are you going?"
"This is the last bus."
