The young child curled up quietly in the corner of the room, holding the little bear in his arms. The world in front of him was shrouded in darkness like thick smoke, and the blazing flames devoured this dark world.
The child hugged the little bear in his arms and shrank into the corner. In front of him lay a man and a woman, silent and motionless. No matter how the boy cried and called, they could not give him any response.
The boy threw away the teddy bear in his arms and climbed up from the corner with difficulty. Lack of oxygen made his eyes go dark and he was about to lose consciousness in the next second.
The little child stumbled with every step. He had used up all his strength just by reaching the woman. His knees went weak and he stumbled and fell into the woman's chest.
The child had difficulty breathing in the thick smoke. He slowly lowered his head and put his ear against the woman's chest. The woman's body was still soft, but there was no heartbeat that made him feel at ease. The young child nestled in the woman's arms with a blank look in his eyes.
He didn't understand why the woman's body was still soft, but she could no longer respond to his call, and could no longer hold him in her arms. But he was clearly aware of one thing, that was death.
The thing that can devour everything in this world is not a black hole, but death. Fire is death, an unanswered call is death, and a quiet and silent world is death.
In this world, death is the only chasm that cannot be crossed. Even light cannot catch up with its speed.
The child's vision gradually blurred, and before he fell into darkness again, there seemed to be an anxious and young voice that transcended time and space. After a loud bang, the door of the room was forcibly opened by an orange-yellow figure, and the voice could finally be heard clearly.
"---Hey! Come here! There's a kid here!"
Gabriel suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head blankly. The world in front of him was dyed a strong red, burning like a raging flame.
Gabriel opened his eyes wide in horror, and uncontrollably wanted to call out a name, but the next second his voice was choked in his throat. No matter who those two cold corpses were, they could not respond to his call again.
In that orange dream, he could not see his mother's face clearly, nor could he remember his father's voice, but he could vaguely smell a burning smell. The past hidden in the dream would not disappear like smoke.
The warmth and wetness from his fingertips made him regain some of his sanity. A big, fluffy white dog jumped into his arms and nestled in Gabriel's arms like the teddy bear in the past.
Gabriel lowered his head, his eyes met the wet black eyes of the white dog. He suddenly covered his eyes with his hands. The reappearance of darkness made Gabriel subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.
It turned out that it was not the flames, but the clouds of fire outside the window. He was not in the flames, but in the bed of Mr. Evan's house.
Gabriel lowered his hands, and his belly was covered with a small yellow blanket. The blanket was printed with a pattern of a yellow electric mouse and the very iconic phrase "Pika Pika".
Gabriel lifted the blanket and stepped on the floor in his socks. The Samoyed followed behind him, and they walked down the stairs one after the other. Evan, wearing a snow-white sweater and gray sweatpants, was lying on the sofa and taking a nap.
He was holding a Pikachu doll in his arms, and a small blanket with the same Pikachu image fell to the ground. Gabriel moved over quietly, picked up the blanket on the ground, leaned over and covered Evan with it again. Just as he was about to get up, Evan suddenly opened his eyes.
The young man seemed to be awakened by his movements, but his eyes were clear and warm, without the haziness and confusion when he just woke up. Evan raised his head slightly, his black eyes were gentle, he said nothing, just looked at Gabriel.
"...Did I wake you up?" Gabriel hesitated and asked softly.
The dim sunset was about to be swallowed up by the distant mountains, but the sunlight left in the world gently enveloped Evan.
The young man shook his head and smiled, "Nothing. I woke up a long time ago, and just lay on the sofa, thinking about something."
Evan lifted the blanket and sat up from the sofa. "What do you want to eat? While you were asleep, I went to the supermarket and bought some ingredients. Are you allergic to anything?"
Gabriel pursed his lips and whispered, "No."
"Not picky about food." Evan smiled, stood up and touched Gabriel's head, "If you are bored, you can play the game console on the coffee table. The small bag next to it is the game cartridge."
Gabriel nodded, sat on the sofa, and his eyes fell on the small blanket on the sofa. He patted the sofa, and the Samoyed on the ground jumped up, found a comfortable position with ease, and put his head on Gabriel's legs.
There was a small yellow blanket on the sofa with a Pikachu pattern printed on it, and there was a Psyduck doll next to it. Gabriel couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Before falling asleep, it seemed that there were no such things on the bed. He rubbed the soft head of the doll, and it was hard to believe that Mr. Evan would like these childish things.
That elegant gentleman should have been the high and mighty king, but now he found that he was not a proud king, but a little prince picking stars.
Gabriel looked up and was attracted by the notebook spread out on the coffee table. The black leather notebook was filled with fresh and elegant handwriting in fountain pen. Gabriel immediately realized that this was the perfume formula written by Evan.
The boy carefully picked up the notebook on the table, sat on the clean floor, and opened the first page.
[No Man's Land Perfume Recipe]
Jasmine essence 0.2
Jasmine absolute 0.6
Orange flower absolute 0.3
Lily of the valley absolute 0.2
Clove absolute oil 0.5
Civet oil 0.15
Decanal 0.15
Musk ketone 0.2
Ambergris Tincture 2.0
Musk Tincture 3.0
Ethanol 79.5
Top notes: lemon, bergamot, orange blossom
Middle notes: jasmine, lily of the valley, lilac, lily
Base notes: Musk, Ambergris
As I write this recipe, it’s raining in Paris.
It was not the intermittent showers in my hometown, nor was it a continuous drizzle, but a torrential rain with thunder and lightning.
I prefer rain. Even a downpour like this can't hide my desire to go out.
At this moment, I am in the studio, facing the dropper and the perfume bottle, but my mind is not here.
Completing the blending of a perfume only brings me a brief sense of satisfaction, which is far less than the joy that this rain brings me.
I think I should get up and go out now, put on my rain gear, push the door into a bar, have a glass of gin, and then chat with my familiar bartender friend throughout the rainy night.
After this rainstorm, the grass and trees in the yard will grow more lush, and the fragrance of lavender will accompany Paris throughout the rainy season.
I have been thinking about what meaning perfume brings to me. I asked my mother the answer before she passed away, but she kept silent and just looked at me with a smile.
We often quarreled when she was alive, but after she died, I always think of that conversation with her and the faint scent of jasmine on her body.
I know that this is her pheromone. The fragrance is lighter than any jasmine, but it lingers. With this feeling, I created "No Man's Land".
Perhaps I have never reached the land that my mother expected, so it is called no man's land.
[Mulouri perfume formula]
Spearmint Oil 2.5
Anethole 0.3
Menthol 0.15
Vanillin 0.01
Ethanol 97.59
Top notes: mint, bergamot
Middle notes: spearmint, tea leaves
Base notes: cedar, freesia
For this mint theme, I provided two perfume formulas for Hermès, and the one I wrote down was actually a scrap.
Although this is a dead letter, I actually prefer it. I may prefer salon perfume to some so-called commercial perfumes.
I love the scent of mint, it reminds me of the time I spent in my little garden as a child, the scent of green leaves after the rain, the smell of soil, and the large patches of green mint on the ground. Therefore, the top notes of this perfume are very simple, just pure mint and tea.
If the rose scent brought by phenylethyl alcohol is popular among the public, then perhaps for me, these niche and somewhat unpopular scents are what I pursue.
The lush green of mint, the soil after the rain, and the sunlight pouring through the gaps between the green leaves are the time I have spent.
There may be better names than this one, but at the moment, I feel that no word better fits the theme I want to express in my heart than "木漏日". It is the most suitable name for mint.
Maybe I am not suitable for the job of "chief", and being the royal perfumer is just a gimmick, it cannot bring me what I really want.
Although I don't know what the perfume I hope to find is yet, maybe it's time to leave Paris.
Maybe I should go back to that little garden, back to my mother's hometown, which is a real spring city, the hometown of flowers.
+++
Gabriel closed his notebook silently, stood up and walked to the kitchen, standing by the glass door and silently watching the busy young man. Evan rolled up his sleeves, chopped the onion skillfully, and cut the carrots and potatoes into small pieces.
He put a small piece of butter in the pan, then poured all the ingredients into the pan and fried them over low heat.
Evan added some water, chopped apples and half a block of curry to the pot, and finally put the lid back on. When he turned around, he saw Gabriel standing by the glass door, not saying a word, just watching him cook.
Evan couldn't help laughing, thinking that the child was hungry and ran to the kitchen to find food.
He untied his apron and joked with a smile: "There are macarons and caramel cakes in the refrigerator."
Evan took out a teapot and dried roses from the cupboard, apparently intending to make a pot of tea.
"No need to trouble you like this, sir." Gabriel pursed his lips, took a few steps toward the glass door, and shook his head: "I... just have something I want to ask you."
Evan was stunned.
He held the teapot and laughed helplessly: "Well, I'll tell you the truth. I just hope you won't be so reserved. At least, in front of me, I hope you can relax, and I hope the atmosphere between us is relaxed and pleasant."
Gabriel lowered his eyes, as if he didn't know how to respond, so he could only stare at his toes.
After a long time, Gabriel raised his eyes, looked at Evan, and said softly: "Thank you, sir."
The boy paused and smiled faintly: "I have a kitten named May. It is very small and cute. Although it can't understand me and can't empathize with me, I still like to hug it because it is soft and warm."
"Grandma gave it to me, probably because she wanted me to have something more to care about in this world."
The curry sauce in the pot was bubbling, and the last ray of sunset outside the floor-to-ceiling window sank into the distant mountains.
Evan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he lowered his eyes silently. He silently poured boiling water into the teapot, rinsed the tea, and then refilled it with new boiling water.
The air was filled with the aroma of tea. Evan picked up the teacup and walked into the living room, gently placing it in front of the boy. The porcelain white teacup was filled with white mist, and blooming dried roses were floating in the red tea soup.
"It's very small, but it eats a lot. After eating, it will lick its paws and fall asleep in my arms. I will hold it in my arms and sit on the rooftop to look at the sea of buildings in the distance."
"Everyone in this city is very lively, yet everyone seems very lonely." Gabriel's voice was calm, as if he was telling someone else's story.
Evan sat beside Gabriel and raised his hand to touch the boy's black hair. The moment he looked at Gabriel, he thought of many things. He thought of the sweet jasmine scent on his mother's body, the young child in the lonely evening at the amusement park.
The taciturn child will eventually grow up, but his eyes will still be so lonely, as if hiding a frost that never melts.
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