Chasing the Sunset

Dusk is my favorite time of the day. I like to observe the interplay of light and shadow. I always leaned on the wall in my house’s yard, watching the layered clouds in the valley below change from amber to crimson.  When the earth was slowly enveloped in darkness, the feeling of calm filled my mind, as if the world had paused just for this moment.  

But the rolling mountains always shield my sight from the sunset, allowing me only to snoop its gorgeous gradient colors behind the golden edge of the silhouetted mountain ridges. It’s disappointing that I cannot embrace the full view of the setting sun. But then again, it doesn’t matter; there is always tomorrow. I thought.  

Things changed at the end of my 17th summer break. It’s a tough season for most 12th-grade students. The heat saturated the air in the study room and turned it sticky and heavy, making it unbearable to lift one's head up. In the meantime, the college entrance exam was stretching its shadow ever closer to the windows of my room, and ultimately unfurled its menacing posture by late winter. 

So, we hid ourselves under the lamps when the midday sun burned in the sky, and drained one ballpoint pen after another until the streetlights illuminated the edge of the desk. The passage of time seemed to have lost all meaning except the feeling of forlornity.   

I immersed myself in the study room, straining over piles of books and test papers, and time just slipped through my fingers. When I finally got a moment of relief and gazed out of the window, it was already the last afternoon of the summer break. Opening the window, I noticed that the sunlight had become pleasantly warm and inviting. The cool breeze also caressed my face, bringing a hint of autumn.  

I found myself unable to sit still at the desk. It had been a while since I last appreciated the varied landscape surrounding my house. I landed my sight along the undulating lines formed by the ridges. I stood there, stretching my sight farther and farther, imagining that it would pierce through the mountains and catch a glimpse of the sunset that was then veiled by the hills.  

Casting my eyes down, I saw petals of dark green wandering between the ridges, inadvertently flaunting the prosperity of the forest. The sunlight leaned gently on the yard, leaves rustled in the air, yet the beauty couldn’t conceal the sense of hidden desolation. Soon, as winter engulfed all this scenery, I would be trapped in endless busyness. I feared that I might never see the sunset again.  

I made up my mind to chase the sunset.  

I climbed up to the rooftop. My sight could only reluctantly cross the treetop, watching the leaves flicker in the breeze. Clouds began to bank on the edge of the sky, urging me to rush toward the street. But all within sight was only the endless forest. The sunset was still concealed except for its teasing light. I was eager to see beyond each turn, stretching my view to the other side of the mountain. I started to run.   

I ran on and on, advancing toward the peak. To my dim memory, there was a broad grassland overlooking the entire valley with an uninterrupted view. But the mountain roads were steep and winding, making the ascent extremely demanding and challenging. I began to waver, feeling uncertain about whether the grassland could reveal the view of the sunset. I stared into the distance, anticipating the glowing flame would appear after I passed every turning point along the path. Yet, what I saw disappointed me. The sunset was nowhere to be seen.  

The sky was dimming, and the path was less clear. I kept looking back at the path I just traversed and wondering how much farther it would take to reach the grass field. Would the sun still be there when I arrive? Should I return home and come back earlier next time? What would Frost do if he were here?  

I knew the breeze would not always whisper gently as it did today. As time passed, the sun would sink into the horizon earlier each day.  

So I marched on. My breath quickened, and my legs were burning. Covered in sweat, I could almost hear my body screaming for a break. Even though I took off my jacket, I could feel my body heating up. In the gaps of my knee joints, there were lakes of acid that deterred me from running even faster. The route in front of me appeared to be endless.   

“Isn’t it my life?” I asked myself. In the past years, countless challenges arose, one after the other, almost devoured me. In every breathless moment, I always calmed myself with hope and looked forward to the end of the school year when I could renew myself. But my hopes were dashed again and again. Difficult tasks arrived incessantly, and the pressure was unrelenting. Hardship never ended; the path I traversed that day was like a portrait of my life.  

I lowered my eyes to the path below; its faint image was the only certain thing. I watched as my feet moved, left, right, and left. The ground beneath each step showed no noticeable difference. But with the dirt gradually accumulated on my shoes, I could tell I had stepped on a path that was rarely traveled.  

Indeed, interminable trials might be the norm of life. The goals were unattainable most of the time on the journey. Hence, looking into the distance or hoping for gains would be of no avail. I realized that the only way to confront the frustration of unfulfilled pursuit was to keep my head down, look at every step I took on, and run without hesitation. Until an unexpected moment, success was tangible at my feet, no longer just an elusive goal.  

A slant of light weaved through the leaves, stretching my shadow to fill the trails behind. I had reached my destination. Raising my eyes, I extended my view beyond the ridge of the mountains. I saw the vast plain where the river wound through, reflecting the brightness of the melting gold drifting above. Clouds half veiled the sun, yet its radiance persisted. I stared into the middle of it, watching it turn into violet, indigo, and gradually covered by darkness.  

The wind began to stir. It brushed against my face, driving me onward again. Turning back, the roads seem different under the light of night. I knew that it was another arduous journey back home. I wiped away the sweat on my forehead and ran forward into the unknown.  

Nigel, a sophomore at National Taiwan University, writes with a lyrical sensitivity shaped by the landscapes of his youth and the rigors of academic striving. In his story, the serene rhythms of nature—shifting clouds, rustling leaves, fading light—stand in quiet contrast to the relentless demands of school life. Yet these forces are not merely opposed. For Nigel, the act of climbing a mountain becomes a potent metaphor: each step mirrors the exhaustion of exam preparation, while the elusive sunset represents the fleeting, hard-won beauty glimpsed only after persistence.