那些看見現實的人

Those Who See Reality

「好了，至少我們吃飽了，」Matilda說。「太棒了！Futi，你還想要什麼嗎？」

“T here, at least we have fed ourselves,” said Matilda. “Wonderful! Do you want anything else, Futi?”

「不，這一切都很美味，」Itfut回答。「我從來沒吃過這樣的東西。沒有你我該怎麼辦？」

“No, it was all delicious,” replied Itfut. “I’ve never eaten anything like this before. What would I do without you?”

「沒有你我在這裡會瘋掉。我差點失去理智。」 「我們把這些盤子處理掉吧，留下椅子和桌子？」

“I would have gone crazy here without you. I was on the verge of losing it.” “Let’s get rid of these dishes, shall we and leave the chairs and table?”

「當然。」Matilda一個接一個地推動部分的邊緣，讓它們和內容物一起滑回圓柱。「酷炫的機器。我們現在不會餓肚子了。」

“Sure.” One by one, Matilda pushed the edges of the segments which slid back into the cylinder together with their contents. “Cool machine. We won’t go hungry now.”

放鬆下來，她們繼續聊天，就像坐在咖啡館裡一樣，完全不覺得自己身處時間和空間的邊緣。

Relaxed, they carried on chatting for a while as if they were sitting in a cafe and not at all at the edge of time and space where they had mysteriously ended up.

「Futi，告訴我，你來自哪個國家？」Matilda問。「來自神的國度，」Itfut回答。

“Futi, tell me, what country are you from?” asked Matilda. “From the land of the Gods,” replied Itfut.

「那你們和你們的神做什麼？」 「我們讚美他們。」

“And what do you do with your gods?” “We praise them.”

「那他們做什麼？」 「統治。」

“And what do they do?” “Rule.”

「我明白了。」

“I see.”

「你來自哪個國家？」Itfut問。

“What country are you from?” asked Itfut.

「我嗎？哦，我來自愚人的國度，」Matilda回答。「那你們和他們做什麼？」

“Me? Oh, I’m from the land of fools,” replied Matilda. “And what do you do with them?”

「和他們？『愚人』和『我們』之間沒有區別。」 「所以，你是說那裡的每個人都是愚人？」

“With them? There is no distinction between the ‘fools’ and ‘us’.” “So, you’re saying that everyone there is a fool?”

「沒錯！」

“Exactly!”

「我們只是努力讓自己感覺更接近我們的神。」

“We just strive to feel closer to our Gods.”

「在我們那裡正好相反。一群愚人對另一群喊，『滾開，你們這些傻瓜！』而另一群則回應，『不，你們滾開！』」

“With us it’s the opposite. One group of fools shouts at the other, ‘get lost, you fools!′ And the other group replies, ′no, you get lost!′“

「真的嗎？」Itfut問。

“Really?” asked Itfut.

「不，我在開玩笑，」Matilda回答。「我來自哪個國家……我該怎麼說呢。嗯，你可以說，比如說，我來自蘑菇之國。」

“No, I was joking,” replied Matilda. “What country am I from... how can I put it. Well, you could say, for example, that I am from the land of mushrooms.”

「那你們和它們做什麼？」

“And what do you do with them?”

「我們收集它們。然後我們煮、乾燥和醃製它們。然後我們吃掉它們。」

“We gather them. Then we boil them, dry and marinate them. And then we eat them.”

「你們還做什麼？」

What else do you do?”

「我們唱歌跳舞。這就是我們的生活。」 「真奇怪。」

“We sing and we dance. That’s how we live.” “How strange.”

「嗯，只是當有這麼多事情要告訴你時，我不總是知道該說什麼。」

“Well, it’s just that when there’s so much to tell you, I don’t always know what to say.”

她們沉默了幾分鐘，各自陷入自己的思緒中。

They fell silent for a few minutes, each lost in her own thoughts.

「Futi，你想家嗎？」Matilda問。

“Futi, do you miss home?” asked Matilda.

「是的，」Itfut帶著悲傷的語氣回答。「你呢？」 「是的，我也是。你相信我們能回家嗎？」 「是的，我想我們可以。一定有出路。」

“Yes,” replied Itfut with sadness in her voice. “And you?” “Yes, me too. Do you believe that we can return home?” “Yes, I think we can. There must be a way out.”

「你知道，我擔心的是，」Matilda說，「如果你回到你的世界，我回到我的世界，我們就不再在一起了。」

“You know, what worries me,” said Matilda “is that if you return to your world and I return to mine, we won’t be together anymore.”

「是的，事實是我們要麼回家，要麼就待在一起，」Itfut說。「我無法想像現在和你分開會是什麼樣子。」

“Yes, the truth is that we can either go home or we can stay together,” said Itfut. “I can’t imagine what it would be like parting with you now.”

「我也不知道。」

“Me neither.”

「你想來我們那裡嗎？那裡不錯。」

“Would you like to come to us? It’s not bad.”

「我不知道。如果你來我們那裡呢？」

“I don’t know. What if you were to come to us?”

「我也不知道。我只知道我不想失去你。」

“I don’t know either. All I know is that I don’t want to lose you.”

「那我們需要決定什麼更好，是在一起還是回家，」Itfut理智地說。

“Then we need to decide what’s better, to be together or to go back home,” said Itfut rationally.

「我討厭這樣的兩難選擇！」Matilda喊道。「為什麼我們總是要選擇其中一個，為什麼不能兩者兼得？」

“I hate dilemmas like this!” Matilda exclaimed. “Why do we always have to choose one or the other, why not both?”

「Tili，Tili，我們還沒有任何選擇要做。」

“Tili, Tili, we don’t have any choice to make at all yet.”

「只是我討厭那種把你逼進死角的情況。」 「像什麼？」

“It’s just that I hate situations that force you into a box like that.” “Like what?”

「那種施壓和強迫的情況！就像牛奶湯。他們小時候逼我喝牛奶湯。我討厭牛奶湯！為什麼我必須喝它？或者當人們彼此相愛，需要彼此或想在一起時，為什麼必須分開，為什麼？這沒有任何正當理由！你不會相信我們在這方面上演的戲劇。他們如此相愛，無法沒有對方，他們痛苦不堪，但情況卻迫使他們分開。然後就是一場大悲劇！在這種情況下，我總是想，見鬼，如果你不想分開，那就拋開一切在一起，因為這都是牛奶湯！你不必被迫喝牛奶湯！」

“Situations that pressurize and coerce! It’s like milk soup. They made me eat milk soup when I was a child. I hate milk soup! Why should I have to eat it? Or when people love each other and need one another or want to be together, why must they part, why? There isn’t any good reason for it! You wouldn’t believe the kind of dramas we play out on this score. Oh, they love each other so much, can’t live without each other, they suffer and yet circumstances force them to part. And then it’s a major tragedy! And in cases like that, I always think, what the hell, if you don’t want to part sod everything and stay together because it’s all milk soup! You aren’t obliged to gag on milk soup!”

「Tili，Tili！冷靜下來。是什麼讓你這麼激動？」Itfut撫摸著Matilda的頭，整理她的蝴蝶結，就在那一刻，整個巨石的內部空間充滿了一個巨大的影像，如同全息圖。

“Tili, Tili! Calm down. What’s got you so wound up?” Itfut ran her hand over Matilda’s head and straightened her bow and in that moment the entire inner space of the megalith filled with a huge image like a hologram.

透明的畫面懸在空中，一個接著一個地替換：有一個操場，孩子們在玩耍，老師在叫他們，孩子們聚集成群，走進幼兒園，在儲物櫃前脫下外套，進入餐廳，坐在已經擺好午餐的桌子旁。

Transparent pictures hung in the air, each being replaced by the next: there is a playground, children playing, the teacher calling them, the children gathering in a crowd pattering into the kindergarten taking off their coats at lockers, entering the dinner hall, and taking their places at tables already set for lunch.

一個頭上戴著粉色蝴蝶結的小女孩坐在其中一張桌子旁，用勺子攪拌著碗裡的食物。

A little girl with a pink bow in her hair is sitting at one of the tables, stirring the food in her bowl with a spoon.

「又是煮牛奶！多麼噁心的泡沫！我不想要。」

“Boiled milk again! What disgusting foam! I don’t wa-a-ant it.”

「小Matilda是個好女孩。她安靜地吃她的湯，從不在食物上調皮，」老師對她說。

“Little Matilda is a good girl. She eats her soup quietly and is never naughty with her food,” the teacher is saying to her.

「我沒有調皮。我只是不喜歡它！」

“I’m not being naughty. I just don’t like it!”

「吃湯的小女孩會長得強壯又漂亮。但不吃的女孩……」

“Little girls who eat their soup grow up to be strong and beautiful. But girls who don’t...”

「我已經又大又漂亮了，所以不用了！」

“I’m already big and beautiful, so there!”

「你必須吃完，否則就沒有布丁了。」 「我不介意沒有布丁！」

“You must eat it all up, or you won’t have any pudding.” “I don’t mind not having any pu-u-u-udding!”

「看，其他孩子都在吃湯。你以為你是誰，特別的人嗎？」

“Look, all the other children are eating their soup. Who do you think you are, someone special?”

「是的，我是特別的！」

“Yes, I’m special!”

「立刻吃掉你的食物，否則你就去站在角落裡！」

“Eat your food, this minute, or you’ll go and stand in the corner!”

小女孩停止了用勺子在碗裡攪拌，轉過身來直視幼兒園老師的眼睛。她明顯地變了，彷彿剛剛醒來。用孩子的聲音但帶著冷靜的成人語氣，她說：

The girl stopped running her spoon around the bowl, turned and looked at the kindergarten teacher directly in the eye. She was noticeably transformed, as if she had just woken up. In a child’s voice but with a calm adult tone, she said:

「你在試圖操控我。你沒有權利強迫我。如果我不想吃，我沒有義務吃。」

“You’re trying to manipulate me. You don’t have the right to force me. I am not obliged to eat if I don’t want to.”

老師驚呆了。她呆立不動，驚訝得下巴都掉了下來。然後，她似乎萎縮了。

The teacher was stunned. She stood stock-still her jaw dropping in amazement. Then finally, she seemed to wither.

「沒有小女孩應該這樣說話！誰教你說這些話的？我要和你媽媽談談！」說完，老師慌亂地跑出餐廳，幾乎要驚慌失措。

“No little girl should talk like that! Who taught you to say things that like? I shall be speaking with your mother!” With that, the teacher rushed out of the dining hall, confused and on the verge of panicking.

「我要去叫主任！」她在門的另一邊喊道。

“I’m going to call the head!” she shouted from the other side of the door.

空中的畫面逐漸消失。Itfut和Matilda靜靜地被吸引著觀看。女主角是第一個回過神來的。

The picture in the air gradually dissolved. Itfut and Matilda had watched silently captivated. The diva was the first to return to her senses.

「Futi，那是我！那些是我的記憶。」 「我也是這麼想的，」女祭司回答。

“Futi, that was me! Those are my memories.” “I thought as much,” responded the priestess.

「太不可思議了！這就像一部電影，不，像是我過去的錄像！

“That’s incredible! It is like a movie, no, like a video of my past!

「什麼是電影，錄像？」

“What is movie, video?”

「就像我們剛剛看到的那樣。活生生的影像，過去發生過或可能發生的事情的影像。」

“Pretty much what we have just seen. Live images, images of things that have either passed or could be.”

「過去發生過或可能發生的？」Itfut重複道。

“That have passed or could be?” repeated Itfut.

「是的。」例如，當那段錄像拍攝時，他們用攝影機捕捉到了一些真的發生過的事情。電影是當他們表演，或者說，演出一些可能發生的事情，然後拍攝下來。然後人們觀看拍攝的內容。你為什麼問？」

“Yes.” For example, when that video was shot, well, they captured on camera something that really happened. A movie is when they have performed, or well, acted out something that could potentially happen, and then they filmed it. And then people watch what was filmed. Why do you ask?”

「這模糊地讓我想起了我曾經學過的東西。」

“It vaguely reminds me of something I was once taught.”

「到底是什麼，Futi？說出來吧。這裡沒有什麼是不相關的！」

“What exactly, Futi? Go on, out with it. Nothing is irrelevant here!”

「我被教導過，所有曾經存在、現在存在和可能存在的事物都是同一件事。」

“I was taught that everything that was, is, and could ever be is all the same thing.”

「什麼意思？」

“In what sense?”

「它們都是同一類的事物。」

“They are all things of the same order.”

「Futi，現在你說得很複雜。我不明白。」

“Futi, now you’re making it sound really complicated. I don’t understand.”

「如果用你的話來解釋，那麼所有曾經存在、現在存在和可能存在的事物都是一部電影，因為它們在某個原始起點已經被拍攝下來。先是被拍攝，然後才發生或有可能發生。你明白嗎？」

“If I were to explain it in your terms, then everything that was, is and could be is all a movie because it has all been filmed at some primordial outset. First it is filmed and only then does it take place or have the potential to take place. You see?”

「你是說在某個原始起點被拍攝下來？被誰拍攝的？」Matilda驚訝地問。

“What do you mean, filmed at some primordial outset? Filmed by whom?” asked Matilda, surprised.

「我不知道。我不能完全記起來。我只知道這些事物，『曾經存在、現在存在和可能存在』都是同時存在的。」 「怎麼同時存在？你到底在說什麼？」

“I don’t know. I can’t quite remember it all. All I know is that these things, ‘what was, is and could be’ all exist simultaneously.” “Simultaneously how? What on earth are you saying?”

「想像一下，一方面有一個模型，另一方面是模型的物質實現——現實。曾經存在的和可能存在的都是模型，一個是過去的，一個是未來的，而那個存在的，就是物質現實。模型和它們的物質表現可以同時存在。」

“Imagine, on the one hand there is a model, and on the other, the physical realization of the model - reality. What was, and what could be are both models, one of the past and one of the future and that which is, well, that’s physical reality. The models and their physical manifestation can exist simultaneously.”

「哇！我從來沒有考慮過這些問題，」Matilda說。「我還是不明白。」

“Wow! I’ve never considered these kinds of questions before,” said Matilda. “I still don’t get it.”

「你記得我告訴過你我和無形的時間門檻的對話嗎？」

“Do you remember my telling you about my conversation with the invisible Threshold of Time?”

「怎麼了？」

“What about it?”

「嗯，門檻說這個世界是一個超現實，一個現實的原型，這些灰色的人不是真正的人，而是人類的模型。」

“Well, Threshold said that this world is a meta-reality, a reality prototype and that these gray people aren’t really people but mannequins, models of human beings.”

「不管是不是模型，他們真實得差點把我活活吃掉！」

“Models or not models, they were real enough to almost eat me alive!”

「Tili，我真的在這裡看到了一個自己的模型，我只有在進入它後才找回了我的身體！」

“Tili, I really saw a mannequin of myself here, and I only got my body back after I had entered it!”

「我的頭好暈！」Matilda喊道。「你不能簡單地告訴我這一切意味著什麼嗎？我們怎麼使用這個模型或非模型？」

“My head’s spinning!” Matilda exclaimed. “Can’t you simply tell me straight what all this means? How can we use this model-not-model?”

「Tili，我很抱歉，但我只能說我真的不記得了。」

“Tili, I’m sorry, but again, all I can say is that I just don’t remember.”

「Itfut，女祭司，女祭司，你就是一個大謎團，而我就是一個大誤會！我們該怎麼辦？」

“Itfut, priestess, priestess, you’re just one big mystery, and I am just one big misunderstanding! What are we to do?”

「Matilda，你能看見現實嗎？」Itfut問。「你是什麼意思？」

“Matilda, do you see reality?” asked Itfut. “What do you mean?”

「那個小女孩在她還是小女孩的時候就能理性思考，好像她能看到事物的本質，看到周圍發生的事情的本質。在我的國家，那些能看見現實的人被認為是開悟的。」

“That little girl reasoned when she was still a little girl as if she could see the essence of things, the essence of what was happening around her. In my country, those who can see reality are considered enlightened.”

「那給他們帶來什麼？」

“And what does that give them?

「那些能看見的人不受事件必然進程的影響。」 「怎麼做到的？」

“Those who see are free from the inevitable course of events.” “How?”

「嗯，情況不再能控制我們。類似這樣。」 「那普通人呢？」

“Well, circumstances no longer have control over us. Something like that.” “And what about ordinary people?”

「普通人看不見現實。他們只是生活在其中。」 「就像水族箱裡的魚。」

“Ordinary people can’t see reality. They just live within it.” “Like fish in an aquarium.”

「是的，就像魚。他們按照必須的方式生活，就是這樣。」

“Yes, like fish. They live as they have to and that’s it“

「哇！我開始明白了！」Matilda高興地說。「或者說，我還沒有完全理解，但我有了一種理解的感覺。」

“Woot! I’m beginning to get it!” said Matilda pleased with herself. “Or rather, I don’t fully comprehend it yet, but I am getting a sense of understanding.”

「是的，獲得『理解的感覺』正是我現在的狀態。」

“Yes, getting ‘a sense of understanding’ is exactly what’s happening to me at the moment.”

「但僅僅感覺是不夠的。我們必須能夠理解它。當你開始記起來時，我們就會明白。」

“But it’s not enough to feel it. We have to be able to understand it. When you start remembering, then we’ll understand.”

「所以，幫我。告訴我。你在這裡看到了什麼？你怎麼看這個現實？」

“So, help me. Tell me. What have you seen here? How do you see this reality?”

「是的，我確實看到了一些東西！當他們『帶我去屠宰』時，我清楚地記得我在想，這種事不可能發生在我身上……這不是我的現實！」

“Yeah, I did see something! When they were ‘leading me to the slaughter’, I clearly remember thinking that this was something that just couldn’t happen to me… that this wasn’t my reality!”

「然後發生了什麼？」

“What happened after that?”

「我感覺自己與這個現實分開存在，好像我進入了一本書或一部電影。」

“I felt as if I existed separately to this reality, as if I had ended up in a book or a movie.”

「然後呢？」

“And then?”

「然後，我決定一切都會好。我不知道怎麼做到的，但我確信一切都會好，絕對的。我完全確定。之後，我看到一條黑線從天空閃現到地面，好像書頁翻過去了。然後，在下一頁上，一切真的都變好了。」

“Then, I decided that everything would be okay. I didn’t know how, but I knew for definite that everything would be fine, period. I was totally certain. And after that, I saw a black line flash down from the sky to the earth, as if the page in a book had turned. And there, on the next page, everything really did turn out okay.”

「你知道嗎，」Ifut說，「讓我們試試用巨石來實驗，看看它是否能讓我們穿越現實的頁面。如果你的記憶召喚出過去的畫面，那麼如果你想像你的現在會發生什麼？」

“You know what,” said Ifut, “let’s experiment with the megalith and see if it can shift us through the pages of reality. If your memories conjured up a picture of the past, what might happen if you imagine your present?”

「我可能只會得到另一個影像。但你說得對，我們應該試試。」

“All I’ll probably get is another image. But you’re right, we should try it.”

「利用你背後的那種感覺。不僅要想像場景，還要想像我們也在其中，就像我們在你自己的電影裡一樣。」

“Use that feeling behind your back. And don’t just imagine the scene, imagine us inside it too, as if we were in your own personal movie.”

「那我們就互相抓緊，這樣我們不會飛向不同的方向。我不想失去你。」

“Let’s hold onto each other then, so we don’t end up flying off in different directions. I don’t want to lose you.”

女主角和女祭司互相擁抱，靜靜地站了幾分鐘。Matilda開始低聲說著什麼，然後發生了一些她們都無法預見的事情。影像先是平放，然後垂直，整個二維投影向前彎曲，分裂成懸在空中的幾個碎片。每個碎片都帶著這對擁抱的平面剪影的影像。整個轉變伴隨著金屬般的嗡嗡聲，隨後是一片寂靜。

The diva and the priestess held onto one another and stood in silence for a few moments. Matilda began mumbling something and then, something happened that neither of them could have foreseen. The figures were laid out flat, first in a horizontal position and then vertically, and then the entire two-dimensional projection bent forwards and split into several fragmented segments that hung in mid-air. Each fragment carried the image of the flat silhouette of the couple stood in embrace. The entire transformation was accompanied by a metallic hum after which there was total silence.

看見現實的人

Those Who See Reality

「喏，至少我們已經填飽肚子了，」Matilda說，「太棒了！Futi，你還想要什麼嗎？」

“T here, at least we have fed ourselves,” said Matilda. “Wonderful! Do you want anything else, Futi?”

「不，這一切都美味極了，」Itfut回答，「我從未吃過這樣的東西。沒有你，我真不知道該怎麼辦。」

“No, it was all delicious,” replied Itfut. “I’ve never eaten anything like this before. What would I do without you?”

「要不是你，我在這裡早就瘋掉了，我差點就崩潰。」 「咱們把這些餐具收起來吧，只留下桌子和椅子，好嗎？」

“I would have gone crazy here without you. I was on the verge of losing it.” “Let’s get rid of these dishes, shall we and leave the chairs and table?”

「當然。」Matilda逐一推動著那些區段的邊緣，讓它們連同內部物品一起滑回圓柱裡，「真酷的機器。咱們現在再也不會餓肚子了。」

“Sure.” One by one, Matilda pushed the edges of the segments which slid back into the cylinder together with their contents. “Cool machine. We won’t go hungry now.”

輕鬆下來後，她們繼續閒聊，彷彿正坐在咖啡館中，而完全忘卻了自己竟身處那神秘時空邊緣的事實。

Relaxed, they carried on chatting for a while as if they were sitting in a cafe and not at all at the edge of time and space where they had mysteriously ended up.

「Futi，告訴我，你是從哪個國家來的？」Matilda問。「來自神之國度，」Itfut回答。

“Futi, tell me, what country are you from?” asked Matilda. “From the land of the Gods,” replied Itfut.

「那你們又怎麼對待你們的神？」「我們膜拜祂們」

“And what do you do with your gods?” “We praise them.”

「他們又做些什麼？」「統治」

“And what do they do?” “Rule.”

「我明白了。」

“I see.”

「你是從哪個國家來的？」Itfut問。

“What country are you from?” asked Itfut.

「我？哦，我來自傻瓜之國，」Matilda回答，「那你們對你們的傻瓜又怎麼做？」

“Me? Oh, I’m from the land of fools,” replied Matilda. “And what do you do with them?”

「跟他們在一起？‘傻瓜’和‘我們’之間根本沒什麼分別。」 「所以，你是說那裡每個人都是傻瓜？」

“With them? There is no distinction between the ‘fools’ and ‘us’.” “So, you’re saying that everyone there is a fool?”

「正是如此！」

“Exactly!”

「我們只是在努力拉近與我們神明的距離。」

“We just strive to feel closer to our Gods.”

「我們這邊卻正好相反。一群傻瓜會大聲喊著‘走開，你們這群傻瓜！’而另一群則回應‘不，是你們走開！’」

“With us it’s the opposite. One group of fools shouts at the other, ‘get lost, you fools!′ And the other group replies, ′no, you get lost!′“

「真的嗎？」Itfut問。

“Really?” asked Itfut.

「不，我只是在開玩笑，」Matilda回答，「我究竟來自哪兒……怎麼說呢？嗯，你可以說，比如我來自菇類之國。」

“No, I was joking,” replied Matilda. “What country am I from... how can I put it. Well, you could say, for example, that I am from the land of mushrooms.”

「那你們又怎麼處理它們呢？」

“And what do you do with them?”

「我們會把它們採集起來，然後煮熟、烘乾、醃製，最後再吃掉。」

“We gather them. Then we boil them, dry and marinate them. And then we eat them.”

「還有別的做法嗎？」

What else do you do?”

「我們會唱歌跳舞，這就是我們的生活方式。」 「真奇怪。」

“We sing and we dance. That’s how we live.” “How strange.”

「只是要說的話太多了，有時我真的不知道該如何開口。」

“Well, it’s just that when there’s so much to tell you, I don’t always know what to say.”

她們隨後沉默了幾分鐘，各自陷入了自己的思緒中。

They fell silent for a few minutes, each lost in her own thoughts.

“Futi，你想家嗎？”Matilda問道。

“Futi, do you miss home?” asked Matilda.

「是的，」Itfut哀傷地回答，「你呢？」 「我也是。你相信我們能回家嗎？」 「是的，我想我們可以。肯定有一條出路。」

“Yes,” replied Itfut with sadness in her voice. “And you?” “Yes, me too. Do you believe that we can return home?” “Yes, I think we can. There must be a way out.”

「你知道嗎，我最擔心的是，如果你回到你的世界，而我回到我的世界，我們就再也無法在一起了。」

“You know, what worries me,” said Matilda “is that if you return to your world and I return to mine, we won’t be together anymore.”

「是啊，事實上我們可以回家，也可以繼續在一起，」Itfut說，「我無法想像現在要和你分開會是什麼樣子。」

“Yes, the truth is that we can either go home or we can stay together,” said Itfut. “I can’t imagine what it would be like parting with you now.”

「我也一樣。」

“Me neither.”

「你願不願意來跟我們一起？這裡挺不錯的。」

“Would you like to come to us? It’s not bad.”

「我不知道。如果你來和我們在一起呢？」

“I don’t know. What if you were to come to us?”

「我也不知道。我只知道我不想失去你。」

“I don’t know either. All I know is that I don’t want to lose you.”

「那我們就必須決定，到底是繼續在一起比較好，還是回家更好，」Itfut理性地說。

“Then we need to decide what’s better, to be together or to go back home,” said Itfut rationally.

「我真討厭這種兩難處境！」Matilda叫道，「為什麼我們總得在兩者之間選擇，怎麼就不能兩全呢？」

“I hate dilemmas like this!” Matilda exclaimed. “Why do we always have to choose one or the other, why not both?”

「Tili，Tili，我們其實還完全沒有什麼選擇要做。」

“Tili, Tili, we don’t have any choice to make at all yet.”

「只是我討厭那些把你逼進箱子般狹隘的情形。」 「比方說？」

“It’s just that I hate situations that force you into a box like that.” “Like what?”

「那種逼迫與強制的情況！就像牛奶湯一樣。他們小時候就逼著我吃牛奶湯，我真是受夠了牛奶湯！為什麼我非得吃它不可？又或者說，當人們彼此相愛、互相需要、渴望在一起時，為什麼還得分離？根本沒有什麼合理的理由！你難以想象我們在這方面上演的各種戲劇。哦，他們相愛得如此深切，彼此無法分離，卻又因環境所迫不得不分開，這簡直是一場大悲劇！在那種情況下，我總覺得：若你根本不想分離，就該全部堅持在一起，因為那牛奶湯根本不該成為你必須吞下的東西！」

“Situations that pressurize and coerce! It’s like milk soup. They made me eat milk soup when I was a child. I hate milk soup! Why should I have to eat it? Or when people love each other and need one another or want to be together, why must they part, why? There isn’t any good reason for it! You wouldn’t believe the kind of dramas we play out on this score. Oh, they love each other so much, can’t live without each other, they suffer and yet circumstances force them to part. And then it’s a major tragedy! And in cases like that, I always think, what the hell, if you don’t want to part sod everything and stay together because it’s all milk soup! You aren’t obliged to gag on milk soup!”

「Tili，Tili！冷靜點。到底發生了什麼，讓你這麼激動？」Itfut邊說邊輕撫Matilda的頭，整理了一下她的 bow (bow)，就在那一刻，整個巨石的內部空間突然出現了一幅巨大的全息圖像。

“Tili, Tili! Calm down. What’s got you so wound up?” Itfut ran her hand over Matilda’s head and straightened her bow and in that moment the entire inner space of the megalith filled with a huge image like a hologram.

透明的圖像懸浮在空中，一幅接著一幅更換：有個遊樂場，孩子們在玩耍，老師在呼喚他們；孩子們聚在一起，快活地衝進幼兒園，脫下外套放進儲物櫃，再走進餐廳，並在已經布置好午餐的桌旁就座。

Transparent pictures hung in the air, each being replaced by the next: there is a playground, children playing, the teacher calling them, the children gathering in a crowd pattering into the kindergarten taking off their coats at lockers, entering the dinner hall, and taking their places at tables already set for lunch.

一個頭戴粉紅色蝴蝶結的小女孩正坐在其中一張桌旁，用湯匙攪拌著碗中的食物。

A little girl with a pink bow in her hair is sitting at one of the tables, stirring the food in her bowl with a spoon.

「又是煮沸的牛奶！那噁心的泡沫，我真不想要！」

“Boiled milk again! What disgusting foam! I don’t wa-a-ant it.”

「小Matilda是一個乖孩子。她總是靜靜地吃湯，從不在食物上捣蛋，」老師如此對她說。

“Little Matilda is a good girl. She eats her soup quietly and is never naughty with her food,” the teacher is saying to her.

「我不是故意淘氣，我只是討厭它而已！」

“I’m not being naughty. I just don’t like it!”

「吃湯的小女孩長大後都會變得又強壯又美麗，而那些不吃的……」

“Little girls who eat their soup grow up to be strong and beautiful. But girls who don’t...”

「我已經又大又美了，所以就算了！」

“I’m already big and beautiful, so there!”

「你必須把湯全喝光，否則就連布丁都吃不到。」 「我才不介意沒有布丁呢！」

“You must eat it all up, or you won’t have any pudding.” “I don’t mind not having any pu-u-u-udding!”

「看啊，其他孩子都在喝湯，你以為你是誰，特別的存在嗎？」

“Look, all the other children are eating their soup. Who do you think you are, someone special?”

「是的，我就是特別！」

“Yes, I’m special!”

「快把食物吃掉，立刻，不然你就去角落裡站著！」

“Eat your food, this minute, or you’ll go and stand in the corner!”

那女孩停下了用湯匙在碗中攪拌的動作，轉身直視著幼兒園老師的眼睛。她整個人似乎徹底醒來了一般，神情煥然不同，語氣既保留著孩童的稚氣卻又流露出成人般的從容，她說：

The girl stopped running her spoon around the bowl, turned and looked at the kindergarten teacher directly in the eye. She was noticeably transformed, as if she had just woken up. In a child’s voice but with a calm adult tone, she said:

「你這是在操縱我，你沒有權利強迫我。我不想吃就不必勉強。」

“You’re trying to manipulate me. You don’t have the right to force me. I am not obliged to eat if I don’t want to.”

老師被嚇得目瞪口呆，呆立不動，嘴巴張得大大的，最後似乎整個人都垮了下來。

The teacher was stunned. She stood stock-still her jaw dropping in amazement. Then finally, she seemed to wither.

「沒有哪個小女孩應該這樣說話！誰教你說這種話的？我要跟你媽媽好好談談！」說完後，老師慌亂地衝出餐廳，神情困惑，幾乎要慌張起來。

“No little girl should talk like that! Who taught you to say things that like? I shall be speaking with your mother!” With that, the teacher rushed out of the dining hall, confused and on the verge of panicking.

「我要去叫校長！」她從門的另一邊大喊。

“I’m going to call the head!” she shouted from the other side of the door.

懸浮在空中的圖像逐漸消散，Itfut和Matilda默默地注視著，全神貫注。那位diva率先恢復了理智。

The picture in the air gradually dissolved. Itfut and Matilda had watched silently captivated. The diva was the first to return to her senses.

「Futi，那是我！那些都是我的記憶。」 「我早就這麼想了。」祭司回答道。

“Futi, that was me! Those are my memories.” “I thought as much,” responded the priestess.

「真是不可思議！這就像一部電影，不，像是一段我的過去影像！」

“That’s incredible! It is like a movie, no, like a video of my past!

「什麼是電影？什麼是影片？」

“What is movie, video?”

「大致上就是我們剛才所見的：現場影像，紀錄著那些已經發生或者有可能發生的事。」

“Pretty much what we have just seen. Live images, images of things that have either passed or could be.”

「已經發生或者有可能發生？」Itfut重復道。

“That have passed or could be?” repeated Itfut.

「是的。舉例來說，當那部影片拍攝時，他們用鏡頭捕捉了真實發生的事情；而電影則是指他們演繹出一個可能發生的情境，然後拍攝下來，讓人們觀看這些記錄。你為什麼這麼問？」

“Yes.” For example, when that video was shot, well, they captured on camera something that really happened. A movie is when they have performed, or well, acted out something that could potentially happen, and then they filmed it. And then people watch what was filmed. Why do you ask?”

「這讓我隱約想起曾經有人教導過我的一些東西。」

“It vaguely reminds me of something I was once taught.”

「究竟是什麼呢，Futi？快說吧，這裡沒有什麼是不相關的！」

“What exactly, Futi? Go on, out with it. Nothing is irrelevant here!”

「我曾被教導說，一切曾存在、現在存在以及可能存在的，實際上都是同一回事。」

“I was taught that everything that was, is, and could ever be is all the same thing.”

「從什麼意義來說？」

“In what sense?”

「它們都是屬於同一等級的存在。」

“They are all things of the same order.”

「Futi，你這說得太複雜了，我完全聽不懂。」

“Futi, now you’re making it sound really complicated. I don’t understand.”

「如果我要用你的方式來解釋，那麼，一切曾存在、現在存在和可能存在的，都好比一部電影——因為它們在某個原始的起點就已經被‘拍攝’下來了。先被記錄下來，而後才逐漸展現或具有展現的潛能。你懂了嗎？」

“If I were to explain it in your terms, then everything that was, is and could be is all a movie because it has all been filmed at some primordial outset. First it is filmed and only then does it take place or have the potential to take place. You see?”

「什麼？你說‘在某個原始的起點被拍攝’？那是誰來拍攝的？」Matilda驚訝地問。

“What do you mean, filmed at some primordial outset? Filmed by whom?” asked Matilda, surprised.

「我不太清楚，我記不全了。我只知道這些事物——‘過去的、現在的和未來可能的’——其實都是同時存在的。」 「同時存在？你到底在說些什麼？」

“I don’t know. I can’t quite remember it all. All I know is that these things, ‘what was, is and could be’ all exist simultaneously.” “Simultaneously how? What on earth are you saying?”

「想像一下：一方面有一個模型，另一方面則是這模型的物質實現——也就是現實。過去的和未來可能的，都只不過是模型；而‘現在’則是那實實在在的物質現實。這些模型及其物質呈現，其實可以是同時並存的。」

“Imagine, on the one hand there is a model, and on the other, the physical realization of the model - reality. What was, and what could be are both models, one of the past and one of the future and that which is, well, that’s physical reality. The models and their physical manifestation can exist simultaneously.”

「哇！我從來沒想過這種問題，」Matilda說，「但我依然聽不懂。」

“Wow! I’ve never considered these kinds of questions before,” said Matilda. “I still don’t get it.”

「你還記得我提到過，我曾與那無形的 Threshold of Time 對話的事嗎？」

“Do you remember my telling you about my conversation with the invisible Threshold of Time?”

「怎麼了？」

“What about it?”

「嗯，Threshold of Time 說，這個世界是一種元現實，一個現實原型，而那些灰色的人根本不是真正的人，而只是人形模型，人的模子。」

“Well, Threshold said that this world is a meta-reality, a reality prototype and that these gray people aren’t really people but mannequins, models of human beings.”

「不管是模型還是不模型，他們實在真得足夠逼真，差點把我活生生給吞了！」

“Models or not models, they were real enough to almost eat me alive!”

「Tili，我確實看見了自己的那個人形模型，而且只有在我進入它之後，我才找回了自己的軀體！」

“Tili, I really saw a mannequin of myself here, and I only got my body back after I had entered it!”

「我快暈了！」Matilda驚叫道，「你就不能直接跟我說明這一切到底意味著什麼嗎？我們該怎麼利用這種似是而非的模型呢？」

“My head’s spinning!” Matilda exclaimed. “Can’t you simply tell me straight what all this means? How can we use this model-not-model?”

「Tili，抱歉，但我只能說，我真的不記得了。」

“Tili, I’m sorry, but again, all I can say is that I just don’t remember.”

「Itfut，祭司，祭司，你們簡直是一團大謎，而我也只是一個大大的誤解！我們該怎麼辦？」

“Itfut, priestess, priestess, you’re just one big mystery, and I am just one big misunderstanding! What are we to do?”

「Matilda，你看見現實了嗎？」Itfut問道，「你是什麼意思？」

“Matilda, do you see reality?” asked Itfut. “What do you mean?”

「那個小女孩在她還是小孩子的時候，就彷彿能洞悉一切——看穿周遭發生事情的本質。在我國，能看見現實（Signs）的人被視為已經開悟。」

“That little girl reasoned when she was still a little girl as if she could see the essence of things, the essence of what was happening around her. In my country, those who can see reality are considered enlightened.”

「那又能給他們帶來什麼呢？」

“And what does that give them?

「那些看見現實的人，便能脫離必然事件的軌跡。」「怎麼做到的？」

“Those who see are free from the inevitable course of events.” “How?”

「嗯，也就是說，環境不再能左右我們。大概就是這樣。」「那普通人呢？」

“Well, circumstances no longer have control over us. Something like that.” “And what about ordinary people?”

「普通人看不見現實，他們只是在現實中生活——就像水族箱裡的魚一樣。」

“Ordinary people can’t see reality. They just live within it.” “Like fish in an aquarium.”

「是啊，就像魚一樣。他們只能按部就班地生存，僅此而已。」

“Yes, like fish. They live as they have to and that’s it“

「太棒了！我開始懂了！」Matilda滿意地說，「或者說，我還未完全明白，但至少隱約感受到那理解的味道。」

“Woot! I’m beginning to get it!” said Matilda pleased with herself. “Or rather, I don’t fully comprehend it yet, but I am getting a sense of understanding.”

「是啊，我此刻正逐漸‘感受到理解’的滋味。」

“Yes, getting ‘a sense of understanding’ is exactly what’s happening to me at the moment.”

「但僅僅感受到是不夠的，我們必須真正理解它。只有當你開始回憶的時候，理解才會隨之而來。」

“But it’s not enough to feel it. We have to be able to understand it. When you start remembering, then we’ll understand.”

「那就幫幫我吧。告訴我，你在這裡究竟看見了什麼？你是如何認識這個現實的？」

“So, help me. Tell me. What have you seen here? How do you see this reality?”

「我確實看見了些東西！當他們‘牽我走向屠宰場’的時候，我清楚記得心中在想：這種事絕對不會發生在我身上……這不可能是我的現實！」

“Yeah, I did see something! When they were ‘leading me to the slaughter’, I clearly remember thinking that this was something that just couldn’t happen to me… that this wasn’t my reality!”

「然後怎樣了？」

“What happened after that?”

「我彷彿感覺自己與這現實分離了，就像掉進了一本書或一部電影之中。」

“I felt as if I existed separately to this reality, as if I had ended up in a book or a movie.”

「之後呢？」

“And then?”

「接著，我下定決心一切都會好起來。雖然我不知道究竟如何，但我內心無比確定——無論如何，一切都終將變得美好。我完全堅定如此。隨後，我看到一道黑線閃電般從天空劃過落到地上，彷彿書頁被猛然翻動。在翻開的下一頁中，一切果真變得美好起來。」

“Then, I decided that everything would be okay. I didn’t know how, but I knew for definite that everything would be fine, period. I was totally certain. And after that, I saw a black line flash down from the sky to the earth, as if the page in a book had turned. And there, on the next page, everything really did turn out okay.”

「你知道嗎，」Itfut說，「我們來試試這塊巨石，看看它能否讓我們‘穿越’現實的頁面。如果你的記憶喚起了過去的一幕，那麼試著想像你的現在，又會產生怎樣的場景呢？」

“You know what,” said Ifut, “let’s experiment with the megalith and see if it can shift us through the pages of reality. If your memories conjured up a picture of the past, what might happen if you imagine your present?”

「我大概只會再得到另一幅影像。不過你說得對，我們應該試試看。」

“All I’ll probably get is another image. But you’re right, we should try it.”

「運用那股從你背後湧起的感覺，而且別只是在腦海中想像那一幕，還要把我們也一起置入其中，就像我們真正在你個人的電影裡一樣。」

“Use that feeling behind your back. And don’t just imagine the scene, imagine us inside it too, as if we were in your own personal movie.”

「那就讓我們緊緊抓住彼此，免得最終各自飛散。我可不想失去你。」

“Let’s hold onto each other then, so we don’t end up flying off in different directions. I don’t want to lose you.”

那位diva與祭司互相攙扶著，默默地站了幾分鐘。Matilda開始喃喃自語，隨後發生了一件事，超出兩人任何預料：那些形象先是以橫向平躺鋪展，然後變成垂直排列，接著整個二維投影向前彎曲，裂成數個零散的碎片懸浮在半空中。每一片碎片都清晰呈現出那對緊緊相擁的剪影輪廓。這整個變化過程伴隨著一陣金屬般的嗡嗡聲，之後便歸於徹底的寂靜。

The diva and the priestess held onto one another and stood in silence for a few moments. Matilda began mumbling something and then, something happened that neither of them could have foreseen. The figures were laid out flat, first in a horizontal position and then vertically, and then the entire two-dimensional projection bent forwards and split into several fragmented segments that hung in mid-air. Each fragment carried the image of the flat silhouette of the couple stood in embrace. The entire transformation was accompanied by a metallic hum after which there was total silence.