Shadow trail of the beautiful world

Chapter 9 8. Parting

If one day, the world suddenly forgets you, what kind of scene will it be?

All evidence of your existence is erased, as if you have been dead for a long time, so long that no one can remember you.

But in fact, you are still alive.Shuttle in the bustling crowd, like a wandering ghost, no one knows you, and no one cares about you.

You can only live for yourself, you can only live alone.

To make matters worse, you have bad luck.

"boom"

A sudden explosion caused screams of panic from pedestrians on the streets of Madison in the afternoon.A cascade of sparks erupted at the top of a utility pole above the intersection.

The suddenly snapped wire swayed in the wind, blowing the feathers of an innocent bird. Its poor life ended at this moment, and then it hit the ground straight, emitting a strange aroma of barbecue.

People were terrified and far away from the electric pole wrapped around Mars, and some people were still running, calling for help.But some people fell in a panic, and even caused traffic chaos for a while.

But Merlin didn't panic like they did.

He stood where he was, just under the short-circuited telephone pole. He looked at the dying bird on the ground in front of him. The gray, burst feathers fluttered and fell in the air in front of him, swirling in the air.

That was another life that died because of him.

The longer he stayed in this city, the more intense the doom surrounding Merlin became.From being unlucky at the beginning, to now after a few hours, that invisible bad luck has begun to implicate the surrounding things.

Bad luck is spreading, like a pair of invisible hands, urging Merlin to leave this place.

He was almost like a walking calamity.

"Why you? And why me?"

Merlin looked at the dead bird under his feet, and he muttered to himself.

Until now, now that everything has happened, he still can't let go.

Although in the past 18 years, he has prepared many times for possible supernatural events, but after everything happened suddenly, he still seemed at a loss.

But the dead bird in front of him seemed to be a warning.

The longer he stays in one place, the more bad luck gathers.Whether he wants to or not, he has to step forward and explore the unknown world.

He's not a bad guy, and he doesn't want to cause a bigger disaster.

Merlin stretched out his hand, pulled down the black cowboy hat on his head, and took a few steps back.He bent down, reached out to help a lady with a sprained ankle, and helped her to the side of the road. Then, amidst the lady's thanks, Merlin pushed through the crowd, quickened his pace, and walked towards the parking lot.

A moment later, with the low sound of the engine, the red Lola rushed out of the parking lot of Madison Hospital, and Merlin, who was sitting in the driver's seat, looked back at the hospital behind him for the last time.

The three most important people in his first 18 years of life were in that hospital.

But he had to stay away from them, or even disappear from their lives completely.

"buzz"

A gust of wind blew, rustling the trees on the side of the street.A tree branch fell, and it hit the back of Merlin's car amidst the exclamation of pedestrians. The fallen leaves swirled and fluttered, which seemed to indicate that a tornado had begun to brew, which was the most traditional disaster in Wisconsin .

Merlin's heart tightened again.

He withdrew his gaze and stepped on the accelerator hard. Lola, whose wheels were still stained with turf and mud, seemed to feel the owner's anxious mood. This classic convertible sports car accelerated again and drove away from the urban area quickly.

Merlin didn't know what happened to him, he didn't know anything about magic and energy.He could only guess that this haunting misfortune should have something to do with that contract.

The demon contract that should have been completed was destroyed by the Phantom Stranger, and the ceremony was not completed, which probably led to a third possibility besides success and failure.

This made Merlin feel heavy, but it didn't completely disappoint him.

Now that the devil has appeared in front of his eyes, and since there are still beings like the Phantom Stranger in the world, it means that the magic and witchcraft that only exist in legends really exist, and since they exist, It means that in that magical world, there must be a solution to his physical problems.

Even... Even the supernatural event that his existence was erased can probably be resolved through magic or other strange means.

Of course, the premise of all this is that Merlin can find those magical creatures in the real world.

But people in desperate situations need a hope to support them.

Colson Farm, in Merlin's room, Merlin picked up the family photo on the bedside, in that photo, his image has disappeared, Phil, James and Mrs. Coulson are like the most perfect family, There seemed to be no place for Merlin in it.

The young man put the photo frame back into place with a wry smile. He reached out and opened the closet, took out his own clothes, and put them into a large suitcase.

Then he took out some money he had hidden there from among the books on the bookshelf.That was what he earned from part-time jobs, and after he replaced Lola with a new engine, the money he earned was almost used up, but the money was enough for Merlin to buy a ticket to other places, and it was enough for him to leave his hometown.

Ten minutes later, Merlin prepared everything needed for the long journey. He sat on his bed in a daze. He looked out the window at the setting sun. The fiery red halo shrouded the sky, like a painting The most beautiful and gorgeous scenery.

He has seen such a scene countless times, but it has never been filled with an indescribable sense of parting like this one.

"Maybe I can go to New York."

A thought suddenly appeared in Merlin's mind.

"I can go and finish my studies."

Driven by this idea, Merlin hastily opened the bedside cabinet and took out his admission notice, but when he opened the white envelope, he saw in despair that in the envelope, the The admission notice in custody has turned into a faded yellow piece of paper, as if it has been thrown into the long river of time and washed away for more than ten years.

The handwriting on it has long been blurred, like a clumsy hand-painted painting, mocking Merlin's whimsy.

"boom"

The disappointed Merlin slammed his fist on the table, and his last place was also ruthlessly erased.

A kind of weakness rose from Merlin's heart, like a stream of water, filling his already exhausted heart. He fell down on the soft bed, covering his face with his hands, but this time, he didn't cry.

An indecipherable murmur sounded in his ears again, like tinnitus, making Merlin shake his head uncomfortably, trying to shake the vague voice out of his mind.

He stood up, dizzy for a while, the things in front of him began to blur again, and the symptoms of double vision seemed to become serious again.A viscous liquid flowed from his nostrils, carrying a familiar fishy smell.

Merlin touched it with his finger, and in his eyes that started to have double shadows again, he saw a smear of scarlet on his finger.

"time to go."

Merlin gritted his teeth, grabbed the suitcase, and walked out of the room as fast as he could. Just as he was standing at the door of the house, another spark sprang up from the telegraph pole in the distance, causing a flock of crows to croak fly into the air.

And the street lamps that were just lit, like extinguished candles, went out one by one before Merlin's eyes.

Shadows... The shadows after dusk, in this weird way, enveloped the Colson Farm and the surrounding blocks.A few screams came from the distant block, and Merlin, who had witnessed all this, felt the invisible wind blowing his body, and he once again felt the bone-chilling ice-coldness.

He dragged the box and walked into the garage in the dark.

In the dark, Merlin looked at Lola parked in the garage, the best 18th birthday present James left him.

It is like a classic beauty in a red dress, quietly staying in her boudoir, waiting for the arrival of the master.

Unfortunately, its owner is about to leave, and Merlin can no longer drive Lola across the land.

The young man endured the headache. He stretched out his fingers and stroked the shell of this classic Corvette. The cold touch made Merlin feel mixed feelings.

In the end, Merlin took out the car keys from his pocket, put them on the driver's seat, and stuck the sticky note in the windshield wiper.

In the dark garage, Merlin leaned against Lola's car, his hands trembling, and he lit a cigarette.The Coulson family has no history of smoking, and Merlin doesn't like the smell of tobacco very much, but now, he desperately needs something to calm himself down.

Spicy smoke rose in the darkness, covering Merlin's fuzzy cheeks.

Standing in the darkness, he regards the memories of the past as the most beautiful treasures, and seals them bit by bit in the deepest part of his memory.These memories are not a drag for a wanderer who is about to leave home, but the best pillar.

Enough to support him through the most difficult dark times.

But this is really not easy.

"boom"

Merlin patted Lola's cold car hood, as if saying goodbye, he took off the half-burned cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped it out.

Then he lifted the suitcase, put a black half-worn cowboy hat on his head, and used sunglasses to cover the abnormality of his eyes.

He walked outside the garage, looked back for a moment, and then stretched out his hand. Amid the rattling of the rolling gate, the entire garage became quiet again.

It's like completely sealing up the most beautiful and best treasure.

----------------

Early the next morning, a tired Phil Coulson returned to Coulson Farm.

A 15-year-old young man has encountered many things recently, which completely overturned his simple life in the past.But fortunately, the father who was in a car accident had his first operation last night. The operation was very successful. The doctor said that if he was lucky, James might wake up in a few months.

This is undoubtedly really good news for this devastated family.

But losing the farm was a big blow to Phil. After all, he was born here and grew up here.This is more like his home than the bustling Madison.

It's a pity that in order for his father to recover better and to allow Phil to complete his studies, his mother reluctantly sold it.

In a few days, this place will never belong to the Coulson family.

With his mother taking care of his father in the hospital, Phil had to go back home, pack his things, and prepare to move out.While the young man was walking in the farm, he noticed at first sight that the garage door was locked, which surprised Phil a little. He clearly remembered that the door was not usually closed.

Could it be that the house was burglarized?

This thought made Phil subconsciously rush back to the room. A few minutes later, he carefully approached the garage with a baseball bat and a baseball helmet on.

The rolling gate wasn't locked, it was just closed.

Phil stretched out his hand and pulled the door open. With the sun shining into the garage, the vigilant Phil Coulson couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw what was in the garage.

It was a super cool red sports car, a 1962 classic Corvette. Phil vaguely remembered that when he was a child, his father seemed to have such a super cool car, but it was a pity that the car was sold in the end.

But why does it stop here?

Phil walked into the garage with a dazed expression. He walked around the super cool car, and then found the car keys on the driver's seat, and a note on the windshield wipers.

Phil took down the sticky note, and there was a message on it.

For some reason, Phil felt that font was very familiar, even though he had never seen it before.

"She belongs to you, Phil Coulson, take good care of her."

"???"

Seeing the message on the sticky note, Phil was at a loss.

The young man didn't think he had the kind of friend who would be so bold as to give away a car casually. In his memory, his father didn't seem to have such a friend either. So what happened to this car?

Could this be a prank?

Phil's first thought was to call the police, but when his eyes fell on the red car body, the love light in his eyes could not be concealed at all.

Yes, he couldn't bear to give it up just like that.

In fact, he fell in love with the car the moment he saw it.

Phil Coulson stretched out his hand and gently stroked this super cool car. He hugged it like a lost and recovered treasure, embracing the whole world.In this garage, he said to himself:

"Then, baby, I'll call you..."

"Lola."

(End of this chapter)