I Ran Away with My Twelve-Year-Old Self

I met my 12-year-old self. A summer day. A ponytailed girl licking a popsicle. I was sitting on the ground. All my money was in Alipay, and I didn't have a single yuan in cash. The blazing summer sun made my skin sting, and the cicadas' cries left me restless. My 12-year-old self licked her popsicle for a while, then suddenly said, "I'll give you five yuan if you take me with you." I looked her in the eye. I said, "Sure." - At 26, I smashed the half-height window with an easel and took her away from that dark, locked room. We walked without a destination until we reached an empty train station. An old green train belched black smoke as its machinery clanked and rattled. We were its only passengers, sitting by the window and swaying with the train. My memories of being 12 were hazy. I vaguely remembered being quiet and insecure. At 26, I had only four years of work experience, and still hadn't amounted to much. The warm afternoon sun shone through the window onto my skin, stinging a little. Outside, waves of wheat rolled beneath the same warm, sultry air that filled the carriage. A young attendant in a dark blue uniform checked the blank ticket I'd printed out, then smiled and told me that my ticket only went as far as this station. We had to get off here. My sense of responsibility as an adult made me even more nervous, and afraid of the uncertain future. Then a small, soft hand clasped mine. My 12-year-old self said, "Don't be scared." I got off the train with her and stepped into a strange, dazzling new world... ※The blurb was posted on Weibo in September 2020. The premise was posted in March 2020, and screenshots of both posts are on Weibo. Theme: You will become a better person