Pink cherry blossoms sway gently in the warm April breeze

as I run through the freshly grown grass
wearing willow branches on my head.
I let my handmade kite fly freely over me,
a traditional ball shaped lantern-kite
with a candle in the middle
bouncing around in the sky.

My mother shouts, “Minxi, it’s time for dinner!”
I sprint to my cottage with my kite
trailing behind an illuminating light.
As I get towards the cottage,
delightful scents gush into my nose.
“Mama, leave some fried snails for me!”
I tie my kite to the door knocker before going in.

I can smell garlic and sesame oil
as I sit down on the table.
Fried snails, faya dou, beans with buds
and my favourite, Zhengyi Sweet Green Rice Balls.
With my family surrounding the table and
my stomach growling, I grab a cooking needle
and dig it into the flesh of a seasoned snail.

After dinner, the whole family goes out for an evening stroll,
each holding large basins of empty snail shells.
We toss the snail shells on the roof
to chase the mice away.

As the adults go back to play mahjong,
I walk towards the forest, with willow
branches loosely attached to my messy hair,
and the string of my kite in my hand.
I take a last glance at my paper kite,
letting out an illuminating light in the 
dim sky, before cutting the string.
As it floats away, I wave,
looking forward to the next Pure Brightness Festival.