Encountering the Spring Breeze

by Vivian

When the spring wind begins to blow, I always like to wear a flimsy shirt so that it can stick to my back when I sweat. The kind of wonderful encounter with the spring wind began when I was fifteen.

It was a strange spring evening, hot but with no breeze. I was running on the school playground. I was exerting myself as if I was being pursed. The sweat was pouring off of me and my uniform shirt stuck to my back. I was running and running and wished to free myself from the thick and sticky sweat on my back. But it was too hard; the faster I ran, the more sweat was flowing. But I could not stop because I feared if I stopped, I could not run any more. It was a charming spring and a fifteen-year-old girl was running without appreciating the blooming flowers or listening to the singing birds.

I could not remember how long I had been running. My turbid breath reminded me that I must stop; otherwise, I would faint. I was slowing my steps and hated my weak body that had been consumed in studying day by day. With difficulty, I stopped and gasped; my uniform was tightly stuck to my back. I raised my heavy head to look at the still clouds.

Alone I stood under the boundless sky.

From afar, a stream of tiny sounds disturbed the peaceful air. I turned my head to see what was going on. Surprisingly, a gust of wind was blowing through the peaceful air and the grass, and the breeze was approaching me. I stood, held my breath and closed my eyes to wait for it.

It blew with the gentleness and brightness of spring, flowing through between my back and my uniform. It easily took away my sticky sweat. When sweat left, the gentleness of spring seemed to kiss my back and a kind of tingling sensation covered and washed over me. I seemed to hear that it murmured, "You are not alone, my dear, I am here with you." I closed my eyes and enjoyed the gentleness.

It was a spring evening, after a series of failed examinations. I was fifteen years old, a junior student in junior high school.

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