Deep in the secret garden on the outskirts of London, a merry-go-round made of vines and glass is awakening in the morning light. Different from ordinary plastic horses in amusement parks, each seat here carries a living animal-the fox curled up in a moon-shaped basket, the peacock's tail feathers are covered with star-shaped cushions, and even the usually lazy sloth hangs upside down on the rainbow arch, with crystal bells hooked on the tips of their claws. When the old gardener pressed the start button, the entire device began to spin at a snail's speed, and a fantasy waltz across species began.
"The second position from the right in the third row is empty! "The hedgehog keeper wearing a unicorn waved his baton, and the slush-eared rabbit that was chewing on the carrot immediately jumped onto the octopus-shaped swing seat. The rabbit, who accidentally lost his left ear, was originally a circus star, but now it has found a new position here-it is responsible for using its long ears to block out the glare of timid snail passengers. When the merry-go-round turned the third circle, the octopus's tentacles suddenly sprayed out colorful foam, shocking the penguins sitting on the whale's back to flap their short wings, and their ice-blue tail feathers swept across the cheeks of the onlookers, attracting cheers.
The birth of this merry-go-round originated from a stormy night twenty years ago. Thomas, then an apprentice carpenter, found the injured baby unicorn on the edge of the forest, with the spiral angle between its forehead broken off by poachers 'traps. Thomas used brass gears left by his grandfather and a pearl necklace left by his mother to create the first movable "healing cockpit" for the unicorn. After the news spread, more and more magical creatures came here: butterfly elves with turpentine wings, princes who were cursed and turned into hamsters, and even talking sunflowers. Thomas simply transformed the workshop into a rotating device so that every injured soul could find balance in slow circular motion.
"Slow down by half a beat! "The Raccoon engineer in bib pants tapped the acorn button on the console. As the only North American animal with an engineer's license, it always complains that European mechanical designs "lack natural rhythm." At the moment, it is staring at the dancing firefly indicator light on the dashboard-these little creatures converted into galvanometers can accurately sense passengers 'emotional fluctuations. When the anxiety level of the penguin flock exceeds the threshold, the device will automatically release Antarctic cold fog; if the fox smiles, thorns on the edge of the basket will gently stab the tip of its tail.
The most popular one is the constellation Cygnus on the top floor, where sits the core of the entire merry-go-round: an albatross with a phobia of flying. It was once the champion of transoceanic postal delivery, but broke its right wing in a certain storm. Now its nest has been transformed into a suspension cabin, which keeps rotating in sync with the main body of the horse through magnetic force. Whenever a child slips a note full of wishes into the mailbox on its chest, the albatross will tap its beak on the console, making the entire device bloom with an auror-like color. "Look! It let the stars fall into my eyes! "The little girl pointed at the light dust flying all over the sky and screamed, but did not know that it was feather powder deliberately shaken off by the albatross.
At dusk, the carousel welcomes special guests-a group of fireflies disturbed by city noise. They danced in a spiral between the gears, and the taillights and glass decorations complemented each other, turning the entire device into a floating galaxy. Old gardener Thomas sat in the control room drinking elderwood tea and looked at the playful creatures on the surveillance screen. Twenty years have passed, and his white hair has been integrated with the copper rust on the gears, but whenever new passengers climb into the cockpit with trepidation, he will always think of the rainy night that changed their destiny: "The so-called healing is just letting the broken soul find its own rhythm in the spin. "
When the last ray of sunlight penetrated the clouds, the merry-go-round slowly stopped. The penguins helped each other off the whale's back, the sloth finally let go of the claws that hooked the bell, and the albatross folded the collected wish notes into a paper airplane and threw them into the distance. After the children dispersed, the animals began to comb each other's hair-the fox helped the peacock tidy up the flying tail feathers, the hedgehog tied a bow to the ears of the slush-eared rabbit, and even the raccoon engineer, who always had a straight face, quietly poured water on the sunflower.
When the moonlight rose, Thomas pressed the hide button, and twelve glowing vines rose from the bottom of the merry-go-round, lifting the entire device into the air. Looking down from a high altitude at this moment, this miracle intertwined with life and machinery is like a beating green heart, spreading the melody of tolerance and healing to every corner of the night.
