“Gege …”

“Jun Mian-ge!”

“JUN MIAN-GEGE, WAKE UP!”

Jun Mian coughed. Water was bursting from his lung through his throat, leaving a fiery, burning sensation that pained him. He couldn’t stop coughing for several seconds, emptying all of the water leftover inside his lung. He felt someone rubbing his back. After a while, the pain subsided and he could breathe more easily again.

“Gege, are you okay?” a worried boy scanned him with worried look. Jun Mian coughed twice, spitting the water before he could answer the question.

“I’m fine. Qing Zhu. I’m fine, don’t worry.”

All of Jun Mian’s friends sighed in relief. One of them patted his shoulder and squeezed it.

“We were so shocked when we saw you falling from the cliff, Ge. You fell to the lake pretty hard and you did not come again. None of us could swim, we couldn’t get you back. We are really sorry, Ge.”

Jun Mian smiled. “That’s fine, Zhong Ren. I was so shocked and I guess I fainted. If I hadn’t fainted, I would have swum back myself.”

“How come did you fall like that, Ge? I didn’t see anything bad. Everything was fine before you screamed and lost your balance. Thank Heaven you were washed away to the shore, which was kinda strange as well ....”

“I don’t know, Chan Lie. I …,” Jun Mian shivered as he remembered the moment, “saw a giant snake there, when --”

“A giant snake?” Qing Zhu shouted.

“Yes. A green giant snake. I was climbing the cliff when it suddenly appeared before me. It was opening its mouth and God …, it was so scary. I fainted and ….”

“And what?”

“ I saw a girl ….”

Jun Mian remembered the moment when he opened his eyes. There was a girl in front of him. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen in his life. And she was kissing him.

Yes, a kiss.

A very unforgettable kiss.

It was really gentle and soft and warm. It sent something inside him, something that gave him life. He could feel warmth covering his body, spiraling down his spine, circulating through his veins, filling him with energy and existence.

Was he in the heaven already?

And that was when he realized that he was in the middle of the water, drowning. He panicked, but then the girl broke the kiss, making him stunned. He didn’t want it to stop, he wanted the kiss to last forever. The girl then smiled at him. It was the prettiest smile in the universe. It was dark down there but her heavenly face was glowing.

He wanted to touch the girl’s face but a moment later he felt like being dragged upward. He was launched defying gravity. He could see her smiling at him before he lost consciousness again ….  

“Gege!”

Jun Mian jerked. Zhong Ren and Chan Lie were laughing their asses at him.

“It was Qing Zhu who ‘kissed’ you, Ge! He was giving you rescue breathing aka the kiss of life.”

Jun Mian looked at Qing Zhu’s embarrassed face and started feeling nauseated. He choked and wiped his lips, only making Chan Lie and Zhong Ren laugh harder. Jun Mian stood up, feeling a bit tipsy. He smacked both Chan Lie and Zhong Ren’s heads, earning him whine.

“Enough! Stop laughing and let’s go back. I was almost drowned and it's not a bit funny! Besides, I don’t want to see that giant snake again.”

His three friends quickly stood up. They knew that they were really close to Mount Er Mei. The girl Jun Mian saw might have been a product of his imagination, but the giant snake part could just be true. After all, this was the demon mountain anyway and they indeed had heard the rumor about snake demons ruling this mountain.

“Alright, let’s go. I feel scared of this place already. If we keep roaming in this place, we will get caught by the snake demons.” Chan Lie rubbed his hands together.

They quickly gathered their things and scurried away. Jun Mian turned his head to take a look at the lake for the last time. He lifted his head and saw something glowing on the cliff opposite the lake, across where he was standing. It was white, shining, looking like wavering in the air, like a sheer white silk. When he blinked to try to focus, the glowing white had disappeared.

Jun Mian took a deep breath and left the place, with the image of the girl haunting his mind like demon.    

ɷ ɷ ɷ ɷ ɷ

2014/04/19

Finally .... Amidst the pain of the throbbing toothache, I was able to finish this chapter. Still need to wait till Monday to go to the dentist. Oh God ....

Well, the show must go on. I am sorry if this chapter is really show, I am trying to keep in a good pace. However, expect me to write a longer chapter next time. I have prepared that. Just wait and see.

Happy reading!!!

Schandelierre