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, as she lifted her feet, part of the shoes had already been eroded by the water. Isabella became even more delighted, her feet danced on the water, carving the shape of a small boat with the tips of her shoes.
Before Isabella had a chance to admire her masterpiece, Aunt Karen suddenly appeared and disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake - her angry footsteps made the stones tremble, causing ripples on the water.
Before Isabella could speak, Aunt Karen began to complain about how she found her way through that gloomy ventilation duct, how she suppressed her breath and crawled through the dark interlayer, and how she nervously jumped onto the stone that was a foot away. She also said 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 Aunt Karen, and then turned her head to look at the calm water in the distance - the riverbed gradually lost its color as her gaze moved, blending into the milky white with the distant sky; the water was calm and clean, without any impurities - somehow, Isabella felt that this silent scene was full of vitality.
Finally, Isabella stood up, pushed Aunt Karen aside, indicating that she was ready to go home. Aunt Karen stumbled on a stone the size of a square meter and almost fell, instinctively taking a step back and almost falling down. She scolded Isabella sharply, but Isabella walked straight past Aunt Karen, lightly landing on the stone.
She didn't stop, she continued to jump between the rocks, above the water's surface. She jumped, spreading her legs as far as possible, forming a momentary graceful arc in the air; she spun, her fluffy skirt elegantly opened like an umbrella, creating a gentle breeze; she waved her arms freely, like a fledgling bird flapping its wings. She kept jumping, spinning, and swinging between the rocks, inviting the milky white sky to dance with her with the touch of her fingertips, and thanking the rocks for their silent generosity. She closed her eyes and smiled, immersed 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 yellow through her long dress, and the milky white world was painted with a touch of warm golden color.
Isabella was taken 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's time, otherwise she 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 put it on her head properly. The high ponytail held the hat up high and eventually dropped it on the ground. She bent down, picked up the hat, pretended to dust it off, and returned it to the taciturn gentleman.
She walked into her room, picked up the photo frame on the bedside table, and looked at it carefully. The man and woman in the photo had become blurry in her memory. Usually, when she saw this photo, she could recall the feeling of home, but now that feeling was gone - something had unknowingly changed. She might 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 looked 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, the rigid and winding lines cutting through the already weak sunlight - she suddenly remembered that it was not the real sun, but an artificial sun launched by people in order 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 leaped 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 quietness without people, the pure milky white and the temperatureless sunlight, making 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 and even the sunset in her memory. It was warm yet gentle, beautiful yet pure, following the rules yet free. She had never seen such a scene before, and she was deeply attracted to it. She wanted to jump, spin, and dance between the rocks as she had done for the past three hundred days, breaking the still air and touching the silent water. She wanted to feel the pulsation of life in the tranquility, but she realized that she had brought change to this place.
Isabella closed her eyes, opened her arms, and leaped towards the sunset - this was her final dance. She reached out her arm to the sun in the air, as if embracing the infinite life, and then slowly descended.
The sun quickly rose from the other side, its light spreading across the water, merging into it.