A person’s prison

I remember when I was in junior high school, there was a child who was out of tune with the rest of the class. I can’t remember his name. I only remember that his last name was Li, so let’s call him Xiao Li. As for why we had a brief friendship with him later, in retrospect, it was probably mainly driven by curiosity.

Children in junior high school, especially boys, are at the age of playing. It is almost impossible for junior high school students to study motionless all day. But Xiao Li did it, but his state was a bit weird. No matter what time, he always sat silently alone, doing nothing, looking around with a pair of eyes. At first we thought he might just be shy, but then we realized he was just weird.

My friendship with Xiao Li started one afternoon, and that afternoon was no different from other afternoons in junior high school. Xiao Li still sat on the chair without saying a word. For some reason, I suddenly felt the urge to talk to him. I walked over and patted his shoulder and said, "Xiao Li, let's walk together after school." He turned around, looked at me, and nodded silently. However, this urge disappeared on the way home, disappearing so quickly that it seemed as if it had never existed. I looked at Xiao Li's bloodless profile and didn't know what to say, but Xiao Li was the first to break the suffocating silence.

"You and I are both in prison."

"Ah! What did you say?"

However, Xiao Li was silent again.

I was speechless all the way. When I got home, I kept thinking about Xiao Li’s words. The reason why I made a sound was because those words were too weird. prison! What's the meaning? Don’t only those who commit crimes go to prison? As I lay on the bed, questions kept popping up. As night fell, I fell asleep unknowingly. In my dream, Xiao Li's pale face kept spinning.

"What do you mean?" I asked Xiao Li early the next morning.

The corner of Xiao Li's mouth twitched and he said: "Want to know? Become friends with me first."

It wasn't until later that I understood his purpose of wanting to be friends with me. It's disguise, is the best word I can think of.

On weekdays, we are just like all ordinary children, bouncing glass balls, collecting cards in instant noodles, and playing with each other. However, he only plays with me and remains indifferent to other people. All the classmates were surprised, and some even asked me, what method did you use to get that boring gourd to wake up? But I don't know the answer either. However, every time I asked him what he meant by what he said that day, he would change the subject. Finally, when he got tired of being asked, he just said, "You will know later."

It was a Sunday evening. Xiao Li and I were playing marbles on the school playground. Everything was dyed red by the sunset.

"Haven't you always wanted to know what I meant? I'll tell you today." Xiao Li's face was still the same, but it showed a strange color under the setting sun.

"Okay, I've wanted to know for a long time," I answered him excitedly.

"This world is a prison, you and I are in it, but you don't know the truth." There was no expression on Xiao Li's face.

"Are you kidding me? Have you read too many novels and gone crazy?" I shouted dissatisfied.

"No, everything I said is true."

A surge of anger rose in my chest, and I was determined to expose his lies. "Okay, I went to Beijing when I was in elementary school. I saw Tiananmen with my own eyes. If the world was a prison, how could I go to Beijing? Shouldn't my freedom be restricted?" I looked at him provocatively.

"How did you get there?" Xiao Li said with a rare smile.

"Take the train!"

"Okay, on the train, although the scenery outside the window is constantly changing, you can't jump out of the window while driving. That is to say , those scenery cannot be proven to be true. So the truth is that after you get on the train, the train does not move at all, and all the scenery is changed to what it looks like in Beijing. When you get on the train again, everything becomes here again. "Look." It was the first time that Xiao Li said so many words, but to me these words sounded like the ravings of a madman.

"You..., are you okay?" I shouted.

Xiao Li just looked at me without saying a word.

"Okay, even if what you said is true, there are so many people here, and everyone wants to go to a different place, how can you change the scenery? And how can you turn this town into Beijing? City? Ah! Tell me how to change?" I almost roared.

"The number of prisoners in this world is limited, and everyone else is false. As for the methods, this world is far more terrifying than you think." Xiao Li was still so calm.

"Hahaha, you are really crazy, I don't believe it!" I couldn't help laughing angrily, because I felt that I had been tricked by Xiao Li.

I continued: "In the future, I will go to college, go to many places, and meet many people. If this is a prison, how can I achieve this?"

Xiao Li said: "All we need to do is change the scenery and keep it unchanged, and then new people will emerge."

"Then..." I couldn't help but be speechless for a moment, and my anger also disappeared a lot.

"Oh! By the way," I yelled because I found that there was something wrong with his words.

“You said that the scenery will change when I take the train to other places, but what if I walk?”

“When you are extremely sleepy, How can you leave? As soon as you close your eyes, everything will be changed again."

"What if I drive or take a plane?"

"Is this different from taking a train?"

I was completely silent, and fear flooded me like water.

As if grabbing a life-saving straw, I shouted: "These are all your speculations! How do you prove it?"

"Yes, I can't prove it to you, but I I’ve seen the truth!”

“Hahaha, you’ve exposed yourself. In fact, you have been lying to me,” I laughed, but my voice was obviously weak.

“I took medicine given by an old man. He was the third prisoner I knew. I kept my eyes open for a whole day in the safe spot he set up, without blinking, while the old man sat Taking the train to Shanghai, before getting on the train, he put a camera on the outside of the car. I don't know how he avoided the eyeliner, but he did it. The image sent back by the camera showed everything. Not coming back," Xiao Li said calmly, as if he were talking at home.

I couldn’t help but said: "Then how do you know that I am also a prisoner? What if I am not?"

"No, you have the same aura as me"

"What breath?"

"The breath of the prisoner."

I shouted: "Okay, what is the purpose of doing this? Why not Are we put in a real prison?" I seem to agree with what Xiao Li said.

"This is the real prison, and what we endured is the real punishment."

"Are there any other prisoners?"

"Absolutely Yes!" Xiao Li has never been so determined.

Unconsciously, it was dark, the lights in the playground had been turned on, and a strange blush appeared on Xiao Li's face.

I don’t know how I got home. When I woke up the next day, I felt like yesterday was like a dream.

After I arrived at school, a classmate told me that Xiao Li did not come to school today. From that day on, Xiao Li disappeared, just like a drop of water falling into the sea and disappearing completely.

Twenty years have passed, and I have long forgotten what Xiao Li said. One day at noon, I received a letter without a signature.

I opened the letter, and there was only one sentence on it. I found a way to escape from the prison, and that is to leave this world completely. Come to me quickly!

I raised my head, and the whole The world seems twisted.