Shell Brooch

Introduction：這篇文章講述了一個我與爺爺相依為命跨越了20年的故事。全文以貝殼胸針為線索，從貝殼胸針被爺爺珍視、后失去、用別針替代的過程表現了爺爺對故鄉的深沉熱愛的心。

I had little memory about my life before three years old. I could only remember some fragments， my parents continuous quarrels， grandmas moan of sorrow and brothers leave for prison without saying good-bye. I did remember how salty the air was there and how delicious the fish my grandpa cooked. It was my grandpa that held my hand tightly and took me away to a place far away， where I was acquainted with nobody， so unfamiliar that I often saw my grandpa weeping in the corner of our new home， talking to the walls alone.

My grandpa bought many new clothes and shoes for me and himself， utilizing the money he received after fighting in a war before I was born. The clothes made me so dazzling and brilliant when I stood in front of my kindergarten classmates. My grandpa was one of the most stylish old men in the new town where we lived， with clean shirts， modern trousers and a pair of shiny shoes which would often be polished in the early morning. However， there was always something incompatible with others——an old-fashioned and worn-out shell brooch pinning on his suit. I once asked him why he fastened this brooch all the time and never put it off no matter how it was out of place. However， he always graciously said that I was too young to know the reason， which made me even more curious.

Four years later， I was old enough to go to primary school and had made many friends with other kids in this new town. On the first day of school， I tried my best to focus on the teachers topic， but my deskmate Paul kept telling me about the opening of a new park two kilometers from our school， and about how fantastic the seesaws and how delicious the chocolate marshmallows at that park were. When he described those things in my ears， my stomach kept grumbling like an auto-track. I could not hear what the teacher said and the only thing I did was watching the clock beside the blackboard ticking every second.

Naturally， because of my excellent well-being among fellow students， I was the first to rush out of the classroom after the school bell. Followed by Paul， I pushed aside the crowd， make a way for his chubby body to pass and raced against the roaring wind. Arriving at the park， Paul immediately bought two chocolate marshmallows and we ate them satisfactorily and joyfully. The seesaws there were nicely coated， with bright colors and smooth surface， and I could jump really high when Paul put his weight on the board. It was really an amazing experience， which made us feel that only ten minutes had passed， but actually it was two hours later.

As time passed， gloomy clouds occupied the sky， which got darker and darker， and trees had to blend their back. Although it was four oclock in the afternoon， it seemed to be nine oclock. All of a sudden， there was lighting and later comes thunder， followed by raining cats and dogs. Neither Paul nor I had an umbrella， but his mother picked up him very soon， leaving me alone in the fierce rain. I ran to a telephone booth， called my grandpa and waited for him silently. It was not long before I saw him coming to me in a hurry， with the conspicuous shell brooch on the raincoat in his hands.

I quickly grabbed the raincoat and put it on， making a spurt towards our home together with my grandpa. When we stepped onto a bridge， we could saw the river was swift and violent， which carried rocks and sands from one place to another in the blink of an eye. Unexpectedly， the brooch on my raincoat dropped on the ground， rolling down the slope and fell into the river. My grandpa stopped short， seized my selvedge， stared at me directly， not saying a word. I was too thrilled to say anything and did not know why my grandpa reacted so furiously. A few seconds later， he signed and let my hands go， marching forward without looking at me. I finally had courage to speak： “Im so sorry， grandpa. Please forgive me and I will buy you a new brooch.” He stopped again， with rain beating heavily on the umbrella， looked back at me for several seconds and forced a smile. I smiled back， waiting for his reply， but he just silently held my hand and we kept going ahead.

Ten years later， when I was a high school girl， I stood in front of my grandpas bed in hospital and watched him sleeping silently. His doctor said to me without reserve that his days were numbered. There were peace and kindness on his hoary and old face， and it was fairly to say that he looked as fashionable and modern as he was in my childhood. It was noticeable that he always had a pin （instead of that lost brooch） on the clothes he wore in the past ten years， and this time was on a hospital gown. I decided to ask him about the secret of the shell brooch right away， or I would probably miss the chance of talking to him very soon.

Several hours passed and my grandpa woke up. I asked him： “Grandpa， could you please tell me why you cherish the shell brooch， or the pin like it so much？” Looking down on the ground， he replied that： “My sweetie， you were born in a coastal city， where there used to be continuous naval battles with countries nearby. I was once fought for a war thirty years ago and we won， thus regain the territory where you were raised before age of three. I still remember beautiful shells， elegant seabirds， lively fish and the salty air there. It is that shell brooch or something alike that give me a sense of belonging.”

After saying those words， it was not long before my grandpa passed away and left me alone with no other relatives. I am now a college student studying in a place that is neither the one where I was born nor the one where my high school is. I have a shell brooch pinned on my bag， which is much newer and shinier than my grandpas. Every time I look at it， the memory from childhood and the gentle smile of my grandpa always strike me drastically， making me ponder over and over again.

作者簡介

李如意（2000.02—），女，四川德陽，本科，學生，環境工程。