The Little Snail Beneath the Map
The Little Snail Beneath the Map
In a
world of tiny shells, they're born with a map in hand
A guide
to their journey, a life they command
But one
little snail, with a line so plain
No
beginning, no ending, just a whisper of rain
He
crawls through the meadows, a world to explore
His
heart full of wonder, a thirst for so much more
But the
others laugh, they don't understand
The
beauty he sees, a world in his hand
He's a
slow snail, a dreamer, a soul so free
He
follows his compass, a heart that won't be
Bound by
the rules, the whispers of fear
He's
carving his path, with a smile so clear
A gentle
guitar melody, a soft, wistful sound
The
world around him, slowly unwound
He meets
a girl, with a map so grand
A
million paths leading, a life in her hand
But
she's lost in the maze, of what's meant to be
Until
she sees him, his simple melody
He's a
slow snail, a dreamer, a soul so free
He
follows his compass, a heart that won't be
Bound by
the rules, the whispers of fear
He's
carving his path, with a smile so clear
They
walk hand in hand, through sunshine and rain
Discovering
the magic, of life's gentle refrain
The
world unfolds before them, a tapestry bright
Two
souls intertwined, in the soft, golden light
He's a
slow snail, a dreamer, a soul so free
He
follows his compass, a heart that won't be
Bound by
the rules, the whispers of fear
He's
carving his path, with a smile so clear
Story: The Little Snail Beneath the Map
There was a place called Snail Town. Every
little snail born there received a Life Map, marking their journey. Each map
was different, unique. However, the maps of newborn snails were simple,
evolving as they grew.
One little snail, however, had a map with
only one line, no end, no beginning, as if to say, "Take your time, you'll
understand." This snail was called Slow.
Slow was a curious snail, curious not only
about Snail Town, but also about everything beyond it. Yet, his curiosity was
not accepted. Friends mocked him, his parents laughed.
Everyone was building greenhouses for their
homes, large farms, small indoor enclosures, whatever, as long as it was
artificial cultivation. Otherwise, snails would die mysteriously, die faster.
With ideal environmental conditions, living for twenty years was not a pipe
dream. Slow's grandfather was already thirteen, unlike those wild snails in the
countryside, who died at two or three.
Since building greenhouses was so
important, Slow had to follow suit. He didn't want his parents to die early,
and he didn't want to die early either. However, Slow was slower than other
snails in doing these tasks, and his achievements were inferior. Slow would
become embarrassed by the criticism. He thought one cultivation farm was
enough, its management was already burdensome, and he couldn't understand why
some snails kept building more.
For Slow, walking through the forest,
exploring along the way, was the most important thing. He crawled, encountered
slippery leaves, sloping mounds, and saw them all as challenges. He thought,
"Snails are born to climb, climb up, slide down, climb up again, endless
fun!"
Where he crawled, beautiful flowers
bloomed. Slow was astonished to discover that his every step, unknowingly,
brought change to Snail Town, making the world more beautiful.
Moreover, he met Little Green in the
forest. Little Green's map was filled with intricate lines, and she was always
rushing, rarely stopping. However, when Little Green saw the changes Slow
brought, she began to slow down, to appreciate the scenery around her. The two
snails formed an inseparable bond.
But Little Green's family believed Slow's
Life Map was too simple, insufficient to support her future life. To find a
partner, she needed a snail with a more complex map, a multi-linear Life Map.
Little Green was torn, and saddened.
Though Slow moved slowly, his mind was
sharp. He felt that the routes on the Life Map didn't necessarily have clear
destinations, the key was to bravely move forward. Flowers bloomed along the
way, grass swayed, showing him colorful days. Even when storms came, he
discovered another kind of color. "Life is a long road, walking every day,
one day you'll reach the end," Slow thought.
Slow and Little Green came to the big
forest, sometimes walking slowly, sometimes running wildly.
Though sometimes they felt the darkness of
the forest, the roots under the big trees were like a maze, impossible to
escape.
Little Green accidentally slipped into a
deep ditch. Slow used all his strength to pull her up. They thought quickly,
spitting out slime, cleverly escaping. They found that after several near-death
experiences, they were increasingly aware of how to protect themselves.
"As long as she doesn't marry, she'll
keep pulling Slow's hand and running through the forest!"
She discovered that Slow was no longer the
little snail she first met, not just the snail who made her heart flutter, Slow
was now a companion in her life.
She realized that Slow recorded his
experiences in the forest in his own way, and tried to touch and feel the world
with his body.
Slow would build different gadgets and
makeshift nests. They were blown away by the wind, washed away by the rain,
calculated wrong, experiencing many successes and failures.
Gradually, Little Green no longer felt
surprised by Slow's failures, unless he kept repeating the same thing.
Otherwise, failure and success were almost half and half, failure was the norm.
Little Green held Slow's hand, feeling the
unity of their two snail hearts. The surrounding environment was changing, the
vibrant flowers, the green leaves, all like the two snails, advancing day by
day, advancing at a very fast pace, too fast to stop.
When they encountered a fork in the road,
unless there was danger ahead, Slow would always go forward, because time
doesn't go back, once missed, it can't be repaired. Even if everything he did
turned to dust tomorrow, Slow never cared about rewards, that's how Little
Green saw him.
One day, Slow and Little Green stopped,
they had new inspiration and a new direction. The two snails suddenly unfolded
their Life Maps. To their surprise, the Life Maps were different!
Little Green found that her map was not as
frequent as before, the lines no longer overlapped, they were clear, one by
one, and her thinking was clear.
And Slow's map, surprisingly, had an extra
line, unlike the simple one before, and the two lines extended very, very long.
Two different maps, yet they seemed to
point in the same direction.
They didn't know what it meant, they only
knew they were happy now, happy holding each other's hands.
Full of life, happy, that was enough.
The End.
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