By the side of a highway, there was a forest.There was a farmhouse standing alone in the woods.One could walk along the highway and enter the large yard of the farmhouse.The sunlight flooded the yard, the windows were open, and busy voices came from the house.
But in the yard, under a patch of blooming lilac trees, sits an open casket.A funeral was to be held here this morning.A man who had died lay in it.Not a single person stood guard beside the coffin, nor did anyone shed a single tear.His face was covered by a white cloth, and a thick book was padded under his head.
There was something special about this book.It was made of sheets of gray paper, with a dried flower sandwiched in the middle of each page.The flowers had been collected from different places and were of many kinds.This was the will he left behind: the book had to be buried in the earth with him.Because for him, this book is not just a book, it records the story of his life.
We can’t help but wonder: who was this man?
Some say he was an old student who used to study at Ubsala University (Note: Ubsala is an old university in Sweden).When he was young, he was very active, loved literature, and would sing and write poetry.But then something happened that made him negative.He started drinking and tried to use alcohol to forget the pain.Over time, his body broke down.Eventually, he moved to this country place and lived on the charity of others.
Normally, he looked like a quiet kid.But if he was in a bad mood, he would run around the forest like a frightened deer.As soon as someone called him home and took out the book with the dried flowers for him to read, he would be quiet and sit there all day, turning over the dried plants, sometimes shedding tears.No one knew what he was thinking.
But he told those around him clearly: this book must be put in his coffin.Now, it was lying there quietly, waiting to be nailed on the lid and buried together in the soil.
At that moment, someone lifted the white cloth covering his face.The dead man’s face wore an expression of calmness, and the sunlight shone on his face, making it look extraordinarily soft.A swallow suddenly flew into the gazebo, circled around, stopped above the coffin, and chirped a few times.
We often have the feeling that when we open old letters and read the words written in the past, it is as if the whole person is taken back to the old days.The hopes, worries, joys and sorrows of that time all come up at once.And where are the people who accompanied us then?They may no longer be alive, or we may just not remember them for a long time.The friends we thought we’d always be together are now scattered to the ends of the earth.
This book of botanical specimens contains many dried leaves and flowers.Among them was an oak leaf that reminded the owner of the book of an old friend-an old schoolmate, someone who had once promised to be friends for life.Back then, they put the leaf on their hats together and became “lifelong friends”.But now, where is this friend?This leaf is still saved, but the friendship has long been forgotten.
There are several delicate flowers in the book, they are grown in the greenhouse, not suitable for the northern climate.The leaves seem to retain a faint fragrance.These flowers were given to him by a lady from a noble family.
There was also a water lily that he had picked with his own hands, its petals stained with his tears.It was picked when he was alone by the lake, when he must have been very sad inside.
There was also a nettle leaf, it wasn’t a pretty shape, but why was it in this book?What was in his mind when he picked it and carefully preserved it?
And the lily of the valley, which was quietly hidden deep in the forest; and the honeysuckle, plucked from a pot on the windowsill of the tavern; and a thin blade of grass ……
At this moment the lilac boughs were gently drooping over the dead man’s head, emitting a fresh scent.The swallow flew by again, “Chirp!Kiki!”as if bidding farewell.
Then several men with hammers and nails came over.The lid of the coffin slowly closed, sealing him inside along with the silent book.They then buried him in the dirt.As he had done all his life, he was eventually forgotten by the world.
This story is about a lonely man who once had dreams, friends, and love.But reality hit him and he lost himself.He chooses to stay away from people and keep company only with a book filled with dried flowers.Each flower was a part of his life, recording the roads he had traveled, the people he had met, and the sorrows and joys he had experienced.
Although he left this world without anyone to walk with him on his last journey, the silent book would sink into the earth with him.Perhaps in another world, he could see again those once-forgotten fragments.
