A Final Glimpse of Lugu Lake

As dawn pierced through the clouds and spilled onto the lake, I stood at the dock of Daluoshui Village, watching the wooden canoes carve ripples like unfolding silk. The water lilies stretched their petals in the crystal-clear water, like stars falling into an indigo ribbon—this unique purity of Lugu Lake felt especially piercing at this moment. In the distance, the silhouette of Gemu Goddess Mountain loomed faintly through the mist, like a silent plea from a Mosuo grandmother. On the lakeside road, I deliberately slowed my steps. The viewing platform at Lige Peninsula was empty, the lake reflecting the fading warmth of last night’s bonfire, while only the sound of wind teasing the waves remained in my ears. The buckwheat cake given by the hostel owner still carried a wheaty fragrance in my backpack. He had said, "The lake turns dark on rainy days, but it will always wait for you to return on sunny ones." Those words suddenly stung my eyes—turns out, the four days of alternating sun and rain had already woven regret into a promise of return. As the car wound through the eighteen bends of the mountain road, the runway of Ninglang Airport emerged among the peaks. This high-altitude airport, perched at 3,293 meters, felt like a relay station suspended in the clouds. Before boarding, I looked back—Lugu Lake had shrunk to a teardrop cradled in the palms of the mountains. Outside the airplane window, the prayer flags of the Grass Sea Walking Marriage Bridge tangled with the wind, while fragments of Mosuo love songs brushed against my heart. > Longing is the unfinished Sulima wine; > Hope is the boat ticket I keep for myself. > As the plane broke through the clouds, I whispered in the turbulence: > *"Goddess Mountain, please keep guarding this mirror of water—* > *Wait for me to return with clear skies—* > *To see the lake shores carpeted with flowers,* > *And the unfinished marriage bridge* > *Stretched into three thousand meters of moonlight."*