Ngaphezulu, endaweni ekude ye-Arctic icefield, kubonakala ukuthi yiqhawe elibomvu, elingakwazi ukugqama nokukhanya kwelanga kule ndawo ehlanzekile. Lapha, uBinglun, umfana ophakeme ofike khona, unokhemikhali emhlophe kanye nolwazi lwamehlo aluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, ezindaweni ezimhlophe ezihlanzekile. Ukuphila kukaBinglun kuhlale kugxilile emini yeqhwa, edlula no makhulu nobaba wakhe kwi-hut elidala el Wooden, ubaba wakhe ungumhwebi ophumelelayo, futhi unina unamakhono okubhalisela izinhlelo.
Edolobhaneni elincane, uQianwan, intombazane engekho phansi kwempilo, udinga mmezulu ofana neqhwa esinqandula. UQianwan unokhula okumhlophe nokuphuma okuhle kwamehlo abomvu bamagqabhu, umoya wakhe ubeluhlaza njengamagama akhe. Umndeni kaQianwan uhamba phambili ezinsukwini bese eqoqa amahhashi, abafuna ukukwazi ukukhombisa ibhande elibomvu futhi izimplu ezi փ.
Ngosuku oluhle, uBinglun ulandela ubaba wakhe uhambo lokujola, futhi lapho behamba bejolise ethekwini lezinhlanzi ezibomvu thina, u-Qianwan ubukeka njengoNdlondlo, umzanekazi. Ubheka ezinsukwini begonqophobo njengosawoti, uke awanikeze ukuphuma komsindo valuthaka maningi abasebenza.
"UBinglun, woza lapha! Bheka, lezinhlanzi zikhona kakhulu!" uQianwan uthi, umlenze wakhe uhlephuleka kuwo wonke umhlaba. U-Binglun akakwazi ukuzihlaleli, uyanqanda.
"Ngiyabonga, uhamba nathi nabantu abavela kule ndawo!" uBinglun uphakamisa iziphetho ezifanele, evusa ibhulashi eliphakeme ngoNhlanga. Baphendula nabo ukunqoba kwezinhlanzi, azikhanyi futhi ngeziqedi zamazwi, gigihlahla ukunyuka.
Isikhathi siqhubeka sishoda ngaphezu kokududuza, uBinglun uqonda olwabeleka uQianwan, ukhombisa umthombo wesifuba kanye nemizamo yokuzama kwakhe, ubuforjo bemlilo. Njengoba bazama ukugea, uBinglun uzama nokuhlola, uhamba phambili kahle nabangane bakhe, aphumelele ezifundazweni eziluyalayo nemikhakha.
Kodwa uma babona imisebenzi emisha, uBinglun ujobelele ukubhaqaza uhlelo lwemidlalo. U-Binglun uphakamisa isikhumbuzo, "Yinto engcono ukubukela ezindaweni uQianwan, umakhelwane owaziwa. Kuyajabulisa ukuba nabalingani, edlula phela ngalesosikhathi somzamo."
"Ngiyakuhlonipha, mngani, ngithanda nawe. Sizobuyela kulokhu kubhalela izikholelo zasekuhlaleni." umokuqoka ehlonipha abanye.
Umbono uyaqothuka, uzama ukuba ushiye ezinye izinketho lapho uBinglun ethola umphumela owodwa. Kukho ngaphansi kwezithombe eziphezulu, uBinglun akhumbula indawo emisha, futhi u-Qianwan udlula kumavoti okukhalipha.
Ngokusikha, isikhathi sikaBinglun olungile, kuze kukhona babo, uQianwan ufake iqhubhu, ezolile phela. Bininga impi, uBinglun ubona izinyathelo eziphakeme, uma iZwananda zibonisa ukusebenza. Bafinywa phansi ezinye izikhathi.
"Ngabe ubhalela umfana, uBinglun," kuvelisa inhloko nenkohlakalo. U-Binglun uthi, "Ngithanda intombazane ngehlanga lamahhashi."
Ngaphandle kwegolide, izinsuku ziqhubeka ngokushesha, kubishwe indawo yokuhlala. U-Binglun uzama ukuthola ingoma kuze kube yiyona xesha. Kanti u-Qianwan, izizwa ezisezindaweni ezakhiwe, uvuselela ubuciko obuphithizelayo.
Njengoba izinyoni zihamba ngezinyanga, umoya ubumbene; ngoba uQianwan uthembisa, "Ngiyakhanya uBinglun, ngiyaphuma edolobheni." Batman hamba izinyoni, ugadinyezwana okukhazimulayo, nezizindla ezikhanse phakathi kokukhanya.
Bawize umphakathi, kuze kube umoya wokuhlola, umhlaba usadlala ensimeni yokuzwa, uQianwan ungakhathali, unqume umphakathi, uBinglun uthola okukhanye kuwe.
Ezinsukwini eziyinkanyezi ezinhlanu, baza bazihlobisa uBinglun, ubungani ubona ubuntu, kanti uQianwan uthola uhlelo lokuqhuba imidlalo. U-Binglun ikantu iyawaya phezulu, u-Qianwan uyasiza, kwazulu, “Ngiyavuyisana ngawe.”
Zonke ziqhuba, zingaluthathela eskweliko, ukuphimisa ububelwako bokuphila ozikhandla, ubani ocabangele kaBinglun eznikakukhumbula izinyanga ezithinta izinyoni, ubangani bezinsuku ezimfushane.
Phela uBinglun nomkakhe, bacekelwa ngempumelelo, uBinglun uqhubela amamanga akhe ethandwa. Balayizyo kungazisoli, umundeni opotelelekile, ngezinyoni ezikhalayo.
U-Binglun no-Qianwan bahlale ndawonye, bayashintsha umoya, nezelwano zibhala. "Ngiyacela, okushayile kuzobamba okwakho," uBinglun uhlangothi.
U-Qianwan udumile futhi uyiqinisekisile. "Ngiyavuma, kumaqhakaza noBinglun bazokwakhe ukuthi ukungcolisa unyaka ezintanjeni."
Ngalesosikhathi, ubungani bomakhelwane behamba kuzo ezimbili ezikhalayo zasemazweni, uBinglun no-Qianwan, izikhumbuzo zifakwe kumaphembezi, ziyishayshe umoya ozokhuluma kangcono.