Lorelei

A gift from doting parents—a slightly heavy affection for most people to bear. Her most familiar friend. Made of leather and hard cotton cloth and joined with iron rivets, it is generally used for internal and external surgery or psychiatric treatment. Fortunately, the lining is soft. No one has the desire to see a clumsy child scratch themselves, or break a limb, or crack their head open. Therefore, it is indispensable.

A gift from a believer, Lorelei once used it to stop a small melee and saved him from death. In the era of war, a uniformly dyed and brightly-colored ribbon is considered of value. However, her mother didn't care about its value—she used it to decorate her daughter's fluffy golden hair as though awarding her a medal.

A gift, also from doting parents. At this age, most valuable items received are from this source. She asked it to capture and listen to various sounds, filling it with waves and the ocean breeze. It also helped her better meet the expectations of others—the "Little Mermaid" fairy tale they all anticipated.

Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony, vanished as easily as his admired Versailles and Louis XIV, leaving behind nothing but war in Dresden. Music, architecture, paintings, even the alchemy of legend, surfaced briefly in the waters of history.

His desired splendor and ideal hegemony were fleeting; chaos took over, vying for the church's golden dome. After the infantry left the forests and riversides, the cavalry set up camp with their artillery. Chaos breeds more chaos. Just look at the people in the square.

When everyone's gathered here with nowhere else to go, you know how bad the world is out there, and Dresden has drawn the short straw. She and the wanderers she prays for are struggling in the same way—too insignificant to be noticed, drifting with the tide. The boat that would carry them to salvation has not come.

The children won't understand why, before the torrent swallows them, why the red water would seep out from people's hearts first—why different notes appear at the beginning of a song destined to end.

At that time, the people saw and recorded the following:

"I am accustomed to seeing cavalry ready for action, wounded patients, wandering refugees, like grains of sand on the beach. Artillery fire is more frequent than birds, and corpses float faster than boats on the Rhine. Everyone needed her song, willing risk their sanity for it."

"A coin intended for a wishing well, left by her parents in the square, next to a clean fountain. She hums, kicking away pebbles—with her hands still tied. Even if things were different, with these dusty hands of mine, I wouldn't dare go hold hers. She's the girl who makes people happy, after all."

"But what does she want? Those young vagabonds either end up dead or in orphanages—she's lucky to have loving parents. But she's all tied up, toiling away in the square ... Oh, I hear a group of people heard her singing, and then they jumped into the river!"

"What does she want? To be kind, to stop a small skirmish, to ease pain ... and then what? What if a bigger disaster comes?"

At that time, the parents taught their adopted child:

"Bear all pain, endure your hardships, and maintain discipline. Self-discipline is akin to helping others."

"Before the masses, she will lead, guide, and give blessings, for her birth was a blessing."

Lorelei: Wow, I can't believe it! You're Ms. Mouth! That means you can talk in all different kinds of ways, right? Can you sing all different kinds of songs, too?

Pandora Wilson: I'm working on that. I'm pretty good at interviews though.

Lorelei: Please ask away and I'll do my best to answer.

Pandora Wilson: I'm curious ... Where did you get the name "Lorelei from the Rhine"?

Lorelei: At first I was just me, a little pebble, then I went farther than the valley—people invited me to sing. So this is me now. People say the name fits better.

Pandora Wilson: Fits what better?

Lorelei: It fits the Dresden Elbe Valley, the fountain in the square, the crossing streams ... maybe more. People like it though ... names don't matter, right?

Pandora Wilson: Not to you, it seems.

Lorelei: Of course, rivers all have sources, but, like my mother said, we all know where they come from, but we don't need to know where they flow. I just hope that the boats can sail steadily, and that people can bathe in the water.

Pandora Wilson: That is a beautiful blessing.

Lorelei: And I wish you many blessings, my kind interviewer!