Dan Heng

Sunlight sparkled on the drops of water cascading from a high ledge. The waterfall roared powerfully and steadily, filling the air with freshness and a light haze of mist. A rainbow trembled in the spray—a thin, almost ghostly arc stretching across the green valley.

I stood on a flat rock at the edge of a small lake formed beneath a waterfall. A book was in my hands, its pages trembling slightly in the wind. Here, far from the express train, time seemed to slow down, allowing me to breathe deeper and hear more clearly.

I heard from afar - someone was carefully making his way through the thickets of ferns and low-growing trees.

I didn't turn around right away. I just closed the book, placed it next to me on the rock, and turned my head slightly, catching my reflection in the water's surface.