I have heard a story about the origin of human beings. It says that we are all angels in the heaven before we come to this world. We lead an extremely safe, simple and puritan life there, where there are no pains, no starvation, no severe heat, no chilliness, and every immoral conduct and ugliness you can imagine in the land of the living. But we do not have the five senses of feeling, hearing, smell, vision and taste. So we have one but only one chance to choose, stay or leave. If we choose to stay, we can go on with our heavenly life eternally; if we choose to leave, we have to bear the pains, overcome the disasters, and face the uncertainties. Meanwhile, we also get the chance to begin our sensorial experiences. So many angels choose to come to this world. They jump from a high place, and when they land on the earth safely, they become real human beings.

Happily I have made the correct choice, otherwise I would not have had the possibility of seeing the white clouds, blue sky and lofty mountains in my hometown, of smelling the delicate fragrance of the flowers and grasses in the field, of tasting my favorite delicious foods made by my father, of hugging my friends (whom I have not seen for a long time) tightly, and most important of all, I would have lost the chance to hear the most attractive sound in the world—MUSIC.

In my memory, the first time I heard music was amazing, unbelievable and, of course, unforgettable. That year I was just over one year old. It was late in the night of summer, but I was crying fiercely. I cannot remember the reason (maybe there was no reason at all), but my grandma, my father and my mother were all surrounding me trying to comfort me. My grandma was telling me bedtime stories while patting on my chest slowly but rhythmically; my mother was sitting beside me swaying a big fan for me, and my father could do nothing but stand beside my bed looking at me worriedly with sweat falling down his face on the floor. (I believe you will definitely not think that I can see all the above and even believe them for I was only a baby at that time. But I did not make them up. They were really, absolutely, 100% seen and remembered. Of course I could not really understand what they were doing and why they were doing so at that time, but I saw them and remember them. That is why I say that it is unbelievable and unforgettable.) My father was so restless that he walked to and fro in the room. Suddenly he sat down on the chair in front of the desk and quickly took out the newly bought radio from the left drawer.

As soon as he turned on the radio, the miracle happened. I stopped crying for I heard a kind of magical sound streaming out of that little, black box. I felt like I was lying on the grassy ground, the sun was shining upon me, the breeze was blowing my hair softly, and the stream was flowing beside me. I heard birds and frogs singing around; I saw flowers and grasses laughing and swaying and the kite flying freely in the cerulean sky while playing with the soft breeze; I smelt the fragrance of the earth; and I tasted the sweetness of the flowers. I felt so comfortable and tired. I did not have the energy to cry, and I did not want to cry any more, for everything was so quiet and serene. All at once, I found myself standing on the top of a blue mountain with wind howling around me. In the distance the bashful rising sun was gazing at me curiously hiding his lower part behind the opposite mountain. I closed my eyes and stretched out my hands. I was surprised to find that I became an unfettered kite hovering in the pleasant wind tirelessly. Little by little I heard the sound of the waves surging towards me and my heart beat with the rhythm of them. I could even feel the spindrifts spattering on my body. They were so cool… I felt so safe and reassured. I fell asleep deeply and never woke up again throughout the whole night. I guess I must have had a sweet dream that night, and only that one-year-old boy knew what he had seen in his dream.

After that, my parents would let me listen to the music every time I did not want to sleep and cried loudly, and I became to know that magic sound had a wonderful name called: MUSIC.

I remember when I was 12 years old, my father asked me a question. It was “why does music prevent you from crying?” At that time I answered that, “ it is simply because I love it.”

But now I think maybe there is another reason. That is that I have been gone from heaven for a long time, and I miss it and the angels that have chosen to stay. I miss the feeling of being simple, safe and quiet, which this noisy and crowded city can never bring us and only music can provide us. However I never repented the choice I made. And I feel so lucky and contented to grasp the chance to have a sensorial experience for a lifetime.