travel
China Elevator Stories
A Starlit Sky And A Nightly Follower
I go to Shangri-la’s grasslands after dinner.
10/03/2013
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
One day while I’m in Shangri-La, I decide to go to the grasslands after dinner. Twilight is progressing fast, but I don’t mind. This evening the seemingly unboundedness of the grasslands is exerting its pull on me, luring me into the arms of its green meadows.
With every step the school buildings on the outskirts of town are getting smaller and the grasslands nightly silence is growing louder. The only sound to be heard is the grunting of pigs and the barking of dogs, who – chained in the courtyards of their masters – probably feel the same spell as I do.
After walking for a while, I sit down on the grass and look up at the sky. The moon is shining brightly, as are the stars. I take in the beauty of the starlit sky. After sitting there for a while listening to the nightly peace, I get up to walk back home.
I realize another being is following me. As I get closer to the school buildings, my follower starts to bark. I turn around and look calmly at an aggressively barking dog. This stops the dog in its tracks. When I walk on, the barking is gone. The dog has stopped in its tracks, and simply sits there watching me progress towards the buildings that form the outskirts of Shangri-La.
Have you ever been to grasslands in China?