Pinpinlu's Adventure

Author: Zheng Yuanjie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Tomorrow, the school is organizing a spring outing to the zoo, and Piliu is so excited he can't sleep. He lies in bed, eyes wide open, happily imagining, eager to play. "Not sleeping yet?" His mother pushes open his bedroom door, reaching to turn off the light. "Don't turn it off, Mom. Do animals have their own language too?" Piliu asks, sitting up in bed. "Go to sleep quickly. I don't have time to discuss animal languages with you." His mother glares at him and turns off the light, plunging the room into darkness. Piliu falls silent. He's encountered such stubbornness countless times—his father, his sister, his teachers. In the darkness, Piliu stares at the ceiling. Though he lives in a warm family and a vibrant school, he has felt lonely since childhood. He once suspected he had some illness, but later found the reason: the Earth is lonely in the vast universe, and as someone living on it, he inevitably contracted loneliness. Piliu falls asleep drowsily, dreaming he's floating alone in the pitch-black universe, like a tiny leaf in the endless sea. He sees no living beings, no light, no end in sight, and he breaks out in a cold sweat.
The next morning, the weather is clear and pleasant. Piliu and his classmates arrive at the zoo in a large school bus rented by the school. It's beautiful here—soft grass everywhere, flowerbeds all around. Piliu is extremely excited, wanting to run, jump, and sing, but the teacher has a stern face and insists the students line up to play, specifically ordering Piliu to behave. Seeing the teacher call his name in front of so many people, Piliu loses all interest in playing. He sulks at the back of the line, listlessly looking at the animals in their cages. Staring at the iron bars, he suddenly feels pity for the animals in the cages. They're trapped in such a small space all day—must be very lonely. Suddenly, a giant cliff appears—the "Tiger Mountain." Many people are watching the tigers, surrounding Tiger Mountain like a flood. The line disperses, and the students squeeze into the crowd. Piliu sees a large rock next to the railing and quickly climbs onto it. Haha, he's much taller than everyone else, and from the rock, he has an unobstructed view of Tiger Mountain. He sees a magnificent tiger walking below. Piliu loves tigers and often dreams about them. In his dreams, various tigers chat with him in a strange language, though he realizes it's just imagination upon waking but clearly remembers the language.
The teacher notices Piliu daring to stand on the rock at the edge of Tiger Mountain and immediately widens his eyes in anger, shouting fiercely, "Piliu, get down!" Startled, Piliu slips and falls. The crowd erupts in chaos—someone has fallen into Tiger Mountain! Thousands of onlookers gather. Piliu falls into the water in the tiger enclosure. The cold shock wakes him up. Piliu pokes his head above water, only to realize—oh no, the tiger is watching him, approaching step by step.