The afternoon flew past. The professor stopped the students asking various questions and asked the class to return to the hotel and have supper. He ordered the class to have a sleep at once after super, and at three o’clock the next morning they must all get up and observe the starry sky. 

However, none of the students went to bed after supper. They crowed the scientist and asked him various kinds of questions, such as “Is there any alien in the universe? If you see an extra-terrestrial, would you get nervous? Do you believe there is a higher stage of life in the universe?” and so on. The scientist said the problem now still remained a misery. He became very high-spirited when he talked about aliens. He told the class a story of his own: “One midnight when I was climbing down the stairs alone, I suddenly saw a shadow at the window. Being frightened I drew back to the corner and observed the shadow. It looked like a man’s head, but much smaller. Besides, there were two sharp little ears on the little head. My first impression was, was it an alien?”    

At this moment, every one was very excited. All listened attentively. 

“I was both excited and fearful. As a scientist who has devoted many years studying the universe, how I longed to know the existence of an alien! Now in front of me there was a queer creature, very much like an alien I saw in science fiction films. My brain was reeling, considering every possibility. If the queer creature was really an extra-terrestrial, and if their civilization was much advanced than ours, it might catch me to its planet. If the queer creature had had some accident and fell on earth, then our observatory could catch it and experiment on it. It was a chance in a million and I could not miss it. During those special seconds, my thoughts were as many as what was during a common year. I thought I might be killed by the alien, or caught to its planet, never to return home. I thought I must say goodbye to my family forever. Of course, I did not give up the last hope. Maybe the alien was much more stupid than me! After a while, the queer creature was still standing outside the window, not making any movement. I wanted to run away, but I dared not surprise it. 

“What happened next?” asked Sophie. 

“At last, it flew away and croaked twice. It was an owl.”

Laughter broke out. Sophie chuckled. She had read many science fiction novels and this story was the best one. This scientist was so indulged in his research that he mistook an owl for an extra-terrestrial! For the lucky scientist, this must be an unforgettable experience. 

After listening to the story, Sophie and Star became more and more excited. They could not fall asleep. So they ran out to watch the sunset. They climbed onto the peak of a small hill and they held their breath. A spectacular picture came into view: Great mountaintops were bathing in rosy fogs, which added a kind of slight softness to the hard stones. Nymphs soaring in remote clouds echoed the whistling wind. Green pines were standing on the summit of Mount, looking down at the world below. 

Nature was the creator of this picture. Only Nature could create this kind of color. It could not be found in the myths, for the myths was too far away from the truth, it could not be found in the city, for the city was too realistic.

Neither spoke for several minutes. Silently, the two girls sat on the hill, feeling the firmness and tolerance of the great mountain. 

It got darker and darker. The rosy sunlight faded and the wind blew stronger and stronger. Sophie and Star lingered for a moment and returned to their room. The picture had remained in their minds forever, and would never fade. 

In the hotel, everyone was fast asleep. She and Star soon fell fast asleep too.