I breathed the fresh air as much as possible and couldn’t help feeling excited. Dennis and I walked inside the park. I was amazed when I saw a big waterfall in front of me, as if a silver river falling from the sky. Looking down from the bridge, I could see several big green lakes scattered here and there inside the valley. They reflected the green light under the sun, like a source of magic. We walked further, and saw water splashing on the stones, making white foam. The water in the lakes was so clear that I could see the bottom of the lakes — they were full of limestone. The sunlight fell down through the branches on the mountain, and everywhere was illuminated. I was deeply impressed by the beautiful scenery. Dennis was excited too. He kept saying, “It’s so beautiful.” As I had acrophobia, he offered me his hands. “Hold tightly to my hands. I will never give you up,” He said. I blushed and held his hands. His grasp was so warm, and strong, that I felt quite safe and satisfied. While we were following the crowd on the path, Dennis began to tell me the legends of Plitvice Lakes National Park. “Ping, do you know there is a legend of this beautiful park? Once in Plitvice, there was a serious draught. Even the rivers turned dry. People and plants were dying because of the draught. While the goddess appeared in the sky of Plitvice, people began to have ceremonies to beg for the rain. Out of pity, the goddess answered people’s request, and dropped the rain water. The rain water accumulated and became 16 lakes.” “No wonder it’s so beautiful. It’s the art of God,” I laughed. He took a lot of photos for me. I was very happy and intoxicated by the beautiful scenery. My white dress caught so much attention in his camera. He treated me so well, that for one moment, I felt I was a princess. I was so happy that I was not alone to enjoy the beauty of Plitvice Lakes National Park. There was someone who accompanied me by my side, seeing the beauty of nature, and walking on the difficult path hand in hand. “Ping, may I ask you a question. Do you have a boyfriend?” Dennis asked while we were walking with the crowd. There was something stirring in my mind. I felt dark clouds were flying over my head and bitter feelings comes back. “Before, yes. But he didn’t love me. Or I should say that I fell in love with a person I shouldn’t love. This person made my life chaos. Then we broke up. I came to Croatia, because I wanted to forget him. “ “Ah, beautiful scenery is the best healing medicine for people.” Dennis said sympathetically. “In our life, we can’t avoid making mistakes. Sometimes, we make a wrong decision in our life; sometimes, we make wrong friends; or sometimes, we love a wrong person.” |