01

In our childhood, the game we were most passionate about was hide and seek, one hiding and one seeking. The person hiding would exert great effort, while the seeker would give their all. If, in the end, the seeker still could not find the hider, as long as the seeker called it off and admitted defeat, the hider would voluntarily reveal themselves. Yet now, I admit defeat and call it off, but why do you still remain hidden and do not appear

I can no longer recall how many times I have dreamt of that scene, the riverbank in the dark night with no end in sight, the gentle and subtle sound of flowing water, and the biting cold wind, along with that person whose face I will never see, only their voice I can hear. But I know it is the summer solstice; I recognize their voice, as well as the prophetic whispers of the gypsy woman in my dream. Everything feels like a riddle; I wander through the mist, exerting all my strength, yet I can never find the exit, nor the end, nor the answers I seek.

I remained silent, staring blankly at the somewhat dimly lit carriage, surrounded by the intermittent soft sounds of snoring, the clattering of the tracks against the rails, the faint light cast from the smoking area, the swiftly passing scenery outside the window that was indistinct, and Su Can's face, which was filled with flickering worries, all of which left me with a disorienting sense of not knowing where I was.

I nodded.

Are you alright? she looked at me

Thank you, Sister Su I whispered softly as I leaned on her shoulder

"Did you have a nightmare? You were quite frightening just now, mumbling a name, flailing your arms, and gasping for breath," she asked me while blowing smoke rings. Su Can's appearance while smoking is utterly captivating; the phrase 'smoke and charm' is probably meant to describe her.

In a daze, I felt a hand gently shaking my body, and an urgent voice came to my ears: "Wake up, wake up..." The shaking gradually intensified. I slowly opened my eyes, and through the faint light, Su Can's face suddenly came into view, becoming clearer bit by bit. Seeing that I had awakened, her slightly furrowed brows relaxed a little, and she let out a gentle sigh, leaning back slightly to sit on her own bunk across from me.

I reached out to touch my forehead, drenched in sweat, cool yet sticky. I got up, jumped off the bed, and ran towards the smoking area. As the cold water slid over my skin and the harsh white light pierced my eyes, my thoughts gradually began to revive. Looking at my slightly pale face in the mirror, I suddenly realized that I was on the train returning home from Gansu.

"Put on your shoes, the temperature is relatively low in the early morning, and it's easy to catch a cold." Su Can's figure appeared in the mirror as she thoughtfully placed the sneakers at my feet. Then she took out two cigarettes, placed them at her lips, lit them simultaneously, and handed one to me.

I looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then took it. Su Can had told me that cigarettes were the best thing in this world, bringing her peace. But as soon as I took a puff, I was immediately choked and coughed incessantly, my nasal passages and throat feeling extremely uncomfortable, leaving no room for any sense of calm. I threw it into the trash can

In fact, I have only known Su Can for seven days. Aside from knowing her name, that she is 6 years older than me, and that we come from the same city, I am unaware of anything else about her. However, this does not prevent me from regarding her as a close sister; the depth of feelings sometimes has little correlation with the length of acquaintance.

Su Can extinguished the cigarette butt, leaned over, and suddenly embraced me. "Don't be afraid, it's okay now." Her voice was gentle, and the warmth and strength emanating from her soft body made my nose tingle unexpectedly in the unfamiliar space of the slowly moving train in the deep night