Isabella was dressed in a bright yellow long dress, sitting alone on a half-meter high stone pedestal.
The same bright yellow high heels gently glided across the water's surface as she lifted her feet, revealing that a part of her shoes had been eroded by the water. Isabella became even more delighted as she danced on the water's surface, shaping the tips of her shoes into the form of a small boat.
Before Isabella could admire her masterpiece, her aunt Karen suddenly appeared and disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake. Karen's angry footsteps made the stones tremble, causing ripples to form on the water.
Without waiting for Isabella to speak, Karen began to complain about how she found her way through the gloomy ventilation duct, how she suppressed her breath to crawl through the dark interlayer, and how she nervously jumped onto the stone that was a foot away. She also mentioned that she dropped her newly bought amber necklace into the water while trying to find Isabella, and asked why Isabella always liked to come to this dangerous place.
Isabella remained seated, looking at Karen and then turning her head to gaze at the calm water in the distance. The riverbed gradually lost its color as her gaze moved, blending into the milky white color with the distant sky. The water was still, so clean that no impurities could be seen. Somehow, Isabella felt that this silent scene was full of vitality.
Finally, Isabella stood up, pushing Karen aside to indicate that she was ready to go home. Karen stumbled on a stone the size of a yard and almost fell, instinctively taking a step back and nearly losing her balance. She scolded Isabella sharply, but Isabella walked straight past Karen, lightly landing on the stone.
She didn't stop there, continuing to jump, spin, and sway between the rocks and above the water's surface. She jumped, spreading her legs as far as possible to form a momentary graceful arc in the air. She spun, and the fluffy skirt elegantly opened like an umbrella, creating a breeze. She waved her arms freely, resembling a fledgling bird learning to fly. She kept jumping, spinning, and swaying among the rocks, inviting the milky white sky to dance with her with the flick of her fingertips, and thanking the rocks with a gentle touch for their silent generosity. She closed her eyes and smiled, immersing herself in the joy of life.
Finally, she stood on a golden rock with one leg, maintaining her posture in the air, lifting her right leg and leaning forward with her left hand. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the air gently brushing against her pores. The sunlight dyed the water surface yellow through her long dress, and the milky white world was painted with a touch of warm golden color.
Isabella was brought back home by Aunt Karen. Aunt Karen left again after throwing the pie she had just put in the oven, telling Isabella to keep an eye on the clock and take it out when it was time. If it burned, Isabella would have to go hungry.
Isabella sat bored in the living room. After a while, she slowly stood up, tiptoed, crossed her legs, raised her hands to her chest, and then spread her limbs. She repeated this motion, dancing in the room, listening to the noise of people outside. She stopped in front of the coat rack, bowed to the somewhat taciturn gentleman, took off his hat, and wore it properly on her own head. Her high ponytail lifted the hat, which eventually fell to the ground. She bent down to pick up the hat, pretending to dust it off, and returned it to the taciturn gentleman.
She walked into her room and picked up the photo frame on the bedside table, examining the photo of a man and a woman that had become blurry in her memory. Usually, when she looked at this photo, she could recall the feeling of home, but now that feeling was gone. Something had unknowingly changed. She may have forgotten something, but she clearly remembered who the little girl in the middle of the photo was.
Before the time was up, Isabella turned off the oven. She stared at the perfectly baked pie, glanced at the bottles and jars stacked in the cupboard, and then looked at the aloe vera on the windowsill. She looked at the skyline of the city, where the sharp and twisted lines cut through the already weak sunlight like knives. She suddenly remembered that it was not the real sun but an artificial sun created by people to survive.
She didn't belong here, just like that star didn't belong here.
The door was locked from the outside, and without hesitation, Isabella jumped over the windowsill and was caught by the bushes. She ran on the street, through the crowd, over the fence, and down the stairs, diving into the ventilation duct in the corner. She crawled with her eyes closed and suddenly bumped into the wall.
She felt it again, or maybe she didn't feel anything at all - the still air, the calm water, the silence, the pure milky white and the temperatureless sunlight, all of which made her heart incredibly calm.
She opened her eyes and knelt on the rock, looking at the golden color merging into the milky white, like the blooming of life - this was the sunset here.
Isabella slowly stood up, gazing at the setting sun, which was completely different from the sunset of her homeland or her memories. It was warm yet gentle, beautiful yet pure, following the rules yet free. She had never seen such a view before, and she was deeply attracted to it. She wanted to jump, spin, and dance among the rocks as she had done for the past three hundred days, breaking the still air and tapping the silent water. She wanted to feel the pulsation of life in the silence, but she realized that she had already brought change to this place.
Isabella closed her eyes, opened her arms, and leaped towards the setting sun - this was her final dance. She reached out her arms to the sun in the air, as if embracing the infinite life. Then, slowly, she descended.
The sun quickly rose from the other side, its light spreading across the water, merging into it.