破解劇本

Hacking the Script

女神和女祭司停止了歡笑，皺著眉頭盯著華麗搖滾人偶。

The diva and the priestess ceased their merriment and stared at the glamrocks frowning.

「這些無用的華麗搖滾人偶必須因為想吃掉偉大的瑪娜法塔而受到懲罰！」瑪蒂爾達說。

“The good-for-nothing glamrocks must be punished for wanting to eat the great Mana-fata!” said Matilda.

「還有因為想吃掉偉大的瑪娜蒂達！」伊特夫特說。「為此，他們應該受到嚴厲的懲罰！」

“And for wanting to eat the great Mana-tida!” said Itfut. “For this they should be severely punished!”

「而我們，偉大的瑪娜，現在要去開會，決定這個嚴厲的懲罰應該是什麼！」

“And we, the great manas, will now go and hold council and decide what that severe punishment should be!”

「是的！而你們，無用的華麗搖滾人偶，將在這裡等待我們，心驚膽顫！」

“Yes! And you, good-for-nothing glamrocks will wait here for us in fear and trembling!”

朋友們同時轉身，大步走向巨石陣。野蠻人滿懷敬畏地看著她們離開，充滿了崇敬。他們已經度過了最糟糕的報復，這讓他們希望等待的懲罰不會太可怕。

The friends simultaneously turned and strode towards the megalith. The savages watched them leave with looks of devotion, filled with reverence and awe. They had already survived the worst reprisal which gave them hope that their awaited punishment would not be too terrible.

一進入巨石陣，女神就把女祭司拉到她身邊，緊緊擁抱她。

Once inside the megalith, the diva pulled the priestess to her and gave her a tight hug.

「我親愛的芙蒂卡，芙蒂！你無法想像我醒來發現你不見了有多害怕！發生了什麼？」

“My dear Futichka, Futi! You can’t imagine how scared I was when I woke up and found you gone! What happened?”

「蒂莉，我不想吵醒你。我只是看了看街道，那些灰色的野獸突然襲擊我，我甚至有時間害怕。」

“Tili, I didn’t want to wake you. I just looked out onto the street and those gray beasts attacked me so suddenly I even had time to get scared.”

「你是說沒有時間，對嗎？」

“Didn’t have time, you mean?”

「不，我是說我有時間。我有時間害怕。危險來得越快越突然，你就越徹底和積極地感到害怕。你沒有時間清醒過來。」

“No, I mean what I say. I had time to get scared. The quicker and more suddenly that danger befalls you, the more thoroughly and positively you are sacred. You don’t have time to come to your senses.”

「怎麼清醒過來？」

“In what way, come to your senses?”

「在清醒的意義上。當事情出錯時，你必須能夠看到現實以及你在其中的位置。這與在清醒現實中沉睡的習慣相反。記得嗎？」

“In the sense of waking up. When something goes wrong, you have to be able to see reality and yourself within it. It’s the reverse habit to sleeping in waking reality. Remember?”

「哦，是的，那是我們談論電影角色和那些能看到現實的人時。」

“Oh, yes, it was when we were talking about movie characters and those who see reality.”

「我害怕了。我的見證者沒有被激活，我讓步了。」 「讓步？讓步什麼？」瑪蒂爾達驚訝地問。

“I got scared. My Witness was not activated, and I conceded.” “Conceded? With what?” asked Matilda in surprise.

「劇本！」伊特夫特笑著說。「我就是『小紅皇后』，他們要吃掉我。」

“With the script!” laughed Itfut. “That I was the ‘Little Red Queen’ and they were going to eat me.”

「難道你沒有選擇嗎？」

“It’s not as if you had a choice?”

「總是有選擇，是否讓步。如果你讓步，電影就控制了你，你就變成了電影角色。而且，如果你的見證者在沉睡，你總是會讓步，不管發生什麼。」

“There is always a choice, whether to concede or not. If you concede, the movie has you under its control and you are transformed into a movie character. What’s more, if your Witness is sleeping, you always concede, whatever’s happening.”

「我不明白。我怎麼能讓步於被吃掉？」

“I don’t get it. How can I concede to being eaten?”

「你可能會反抗，你可能不喜歡，但那是不同的。讓步意味著接受某事是可能的，作為可能發生的事情。在夢中發生的各種不可能的事情看起來對你來說是真實的，但我們也習慣了在清醒的現實中，只有可能發生的事情才會發生。」

“You might resist, and you might not like it but that’s different. To concede means to accept that something is possible, as something that is likely to happen. When all sorts of unlikely things happen in a dream, it appears genuinely real to you, but we’ve also got used to the idea that in waking reality, only things that are likely to happen can occur.”

「那麼，不讓步意味著什麼？」

“So, what does it mean not to concede?”

「那就是當你明白你所看到的是一個夢。然後你在夢中醒來，可以改變劇本。」

“That’s when you understand that what you’re seeing is a dream. Then you wake up in the dream and can change the script.”

「如果這不是夢呢？我們現在不是在睡覺，對吧？」

“And if it isn’t a dream? We’re not sleeping now, right?”

「這沒有區別。夢是真實的，現實是夢。你可以在兩者中改變劇本。」

“It makes no difference. A dream is real, and reality is a dream. You can change the script in both.”

「如果我不能不讓步呢？如果發生的事情很可能會發生？他們完全可以活吃了你，也吃了我。」

“And if I can’t not concede? If what is happening is more than likely to occur? They could quite easily have eaten you alive and me, too.”

「然而，當你遇到那樣的情況時，你找到了力量讓自己冷靜下來，問自己，『這是我的現實嗎？』然後你說，『不，這不是我的現實。無論發生什麼，我都會沒事的。』」

“And yet, when something like that happened to you, you found the strength to pull yourself together and ask, ‘is this my reality? And you said, ‘no, this isn’t my reality. Everything will be all right with me, whatever happens’.”

「我當時用了我的觸發槓桿。但你做了不同的事情，不是嗎？」 「是的，我破解了劇本。」

“I used my trigger-lever then. But you did something different, didn’t you?” “Yes, I hacked the script.”

「你是怎麼做到的？解釋一下。」

“How do you do that? Explain.”

「如果你的電影已經進展到不可避免的情節，可能已經太遲了，無法使用觸發槓桿。對我來說，這就是發生的事情：我害怕了，我讓步了，等我清醒過來時，已經太遲了，我已經被綁起來並被判刑。在這種情況下，你必須做一些不符合事件邏輯的非凡之舉。

“If your movie has already rolled to the scene of an inevitable scenario, it might be too late to use the trigger-lever. With me, this is what happened: I was scared, I conceded and by the time I came to my senses, it was too late, and I was already tied up and sentenced. In a situation like that, you have to do something extraordinary that does not fit with the logic of events as they are unfolding.

當劇本被打破，只要你不讓主動權溜走，你就可以重新編寫劇本，讓它對你有利。但我能教你什麼呢？你用死頭顱的把戲就是破解劇本的絕佳例子。」

When the script is broken, as long as you don’t let the opportunity to take the initiative pass you by, you can rewrite the script to your own benefit. But what can I teach you? Your trick with the dead head was a brilliant example of hacking the script.”

「我只是憑直覺行事，」瑪蒂爾達說。「我甚至不知道為什麼要這樣做，但至少現在我明白了這個原則。芙蒂，告訴我，親吻華麗搖滾人偶是什麼感覺？是不是很可怕？」

“I just acted intuitively,” said Matilda. “I don’t even know why I did it but at least now I understand the principle. Futi, tell me, what was it like kissing the glamrock? Was it creepy?”

「我只是想像我在吻一個模型人偶，」伊特夫特回答，「畢竟他就是那樣。」

“I just imagined I was kissing a mannequin,” replied Itfut, “which is what he is after all.”

「不完全是！那為什麼他們又活過來了？是夢自己開始旋轉了嗎？」

“Not exactly! And why did they come back to life? Did the dream start spinning all by itself?”

「看起來夢需要重新啟動。」 「像重啟一樣？」

“It looks like the dream needed to be restarted.” “Like a reboot?”

「是的。記得嗎，當我出現時它就停了。我作為一個新的觀察者進入了你的夢。」

“Yes. Remember, it stopped when I appeared here. I entered your dream as a new observer.”

「然後它崩潰了！」

“And it crashed!”

「是的。要重新啟動它，我們只需要一起入睡，然後再醒來。」

“Yes. And to restart it, all we had to do was fall asleep together and then wake up again.”

「為什麼我們之前沒想到這個？」 「我知道！我知道！」

“Why didn’t we think of that before?” “I know! I know!”

她們用黑色圓筒以正常的方式為自己準備早餐，這仍然是她們在這個世界上見過的最神秘和難以理解的物品之一。現在朋友們必須想出下一步要做什麼。女祭司的床已經整齊地鋪好了。

They organized breakfast for themselves in the normal way by using the black cylinder, which remained one of the most mysterious and incomprehensible objects of all they had seen in this world so far. Now the friends had to work out what they were going to do next. The priestess’s bed was already neatly made.

女神也整理好了她的床，穿上她奢華的裝束：深綠色連身衣和粉紅色厚底鞋。幫助瑪蒂爾達戴上同樣奢華的粉紅色蝴蝶結時，伊特夫特咯咯笑著說，「蒂莉，親愛的！蒂莉-蒂莉，親愛的！」

The diva also made her bed and put on her extravagant outfit: the dark-green jumpsuit and pink platform shoes. Helping Matilda with her equally extravagant pink bow, Itfut giggled and said, “Tili, darling! Tili-Tili, da-a-arling!”

「芙蒂，別這樣，你在逗我！你讓我想起了悲傷的回憶。」 「好吧，好吧！」

“Tufti, stop it, you’re teasing me! You’re bringing back sad memories.” “Okay, okay!”

「我們真的永遠不會回到我們的現實嗎？」

“Will we really never return home to our reality?”

「我們會的，蒂莉，我們會的。要麼回到你的現實，要麼回到我的，或者甚至我們各自回到自己的現實。」

“We will, Tili, we will. Either to your reality or to mine, or maybe even each of us to our own.”

「不。我希望我們在一起！」

“No. I want us to be together!”

「那我們就會在一起。所有事情都會如我們所願。」

“So, we’ll be together then. Everything will be as we want it to be.”

「我唯一對你生氣的是你把我一個人留在這裡。你怎麼能這樣？」

“The only thing I’m cross with you about is for leaving me here alone. How could you?”

「蒂莉，你當時在睡覺，而且我只打算出去看一眼。無論如何，最終一切都變得很好。」

“Tili, you were sleeping and anyway, I only intended to take a peep outside for a second. Anyway, everything turned out for the best in the end.”

「但結果可能會不同！可能會變得更糟！答應我你永遠不會拋棄我，否則我活不下去！」

“But it could have turned out differently! It could have turned out for the worst! Promise that you’ll never abandon me, otherwise I won’t survive!”

「我答應。我也不能沒有你。」她們坐下來，開始思考她們的行動計劃。

“I promise. I won’t make it without you either.” They sat down at the table to think through their plan of action.

「我們要做什麼，芙蒂？」瑪蒂爾達問她最喜歡的問題。

“What are we going to do, Futi?” said Matilda asking her favorite question.

「我們需要想辦法控制華麗搖滾人偶，」伊特夫特說，「讓他們進入穩定的狀態。」

“We need to somehow get on top of the glamrocks,” said Itfut, “get them into a stable condition.”

「但我們已經做到了。對他們來說，我們就像女神一樣。」

“But we’ve already done that. To them we’re like goddesses.”

「也許吧，但不完全是。他們隨時可能失控。『瑪娜蒂達！你是我們的瑪娜！』這有什麼意義？如果有機會，他們會吞掉我，而你的命令對他們來說就不再是法律。」

“Maybe but not entirely. They could go out of control at any moment. What’s the point of ‘Mana-ti-i-i-da! You’re our ma-a-a-na!’? They’d wolf me down given half the chance and your command would be no law for them then.”

「是的，誰知道他們腦子裡會冒出什麼。你有什麼建議？」

“Yes, who knows what they might get into their heads. What do you suggest?”

「我們為他們制定一套懲罰制度，」伊特夫特說。

“We’ll make up a system of punishments for them,” said Itfut.

「那行不通。」瑪蒂爾達說。「他們是電影角色。他們被劇本引導。」

“That won’t work.” said Matilda. “They’re movie characters. They’re led by the script.”

「那就用恐嚇制度。」

“A system of intimidation then.”

「恐懼也無法阻止他們。這自聖經時代以來就已經被嘗試和驗證過了。」

“Fear won’t stop them either. That’s all been tried and tested since biblical times.”

「什麼時代？」

“Since what times?”

「啦啦，這不重要。還有其他想法嗎？」

“La-la, it doesn’t matter. Any other ideas?”

「我們可以建立一個嚴格的等級制度。我們是偉大的瑪娜，我們是最重要的，然後在他們中間任命一個高級監督和兩三個助手或領導者。」

“We could establish a rigid hierarchy. We are the great manas, we are the most important, then appoint one senior overseer among them and two or three assistants or leaders.”

「他們會開始編織幕後陰謀，整個等級制度會不斷崩潰。」

“They’ll start weaving backstage intrigue and the whole hierarchy will constantly be falling apart.”

「那我們就建立平等。他們怎麼解決爭端？通過打架和爭論。我們教他們如何通過多數投票來做決定。」

“Then let’s establish equality. How do they resolve disputes? By fighting and arguing. We’ll teach them how to make decisions by majority vote.”

「啊！民主？我們已經嘗試過了。」 「你嘗試過什麼？」

“Ah! Democracy? We’ve already tried that.” “You’ve tried what?”

「芙蒂，試圖在一個獨立的社會中引入外來的東西是一項吃力不討好的工作。社會必須以最自然的方式自我組織。」

“Futi, trying to introduce something alien into an individual society is a thankless task. Society has to organize itself in whatever is most natural to it .”

「蒂莉，你是怎麼獲得如此深刻的社會運作見解的？」

“Tili, where did you acquire such wise insight into how society works?”

「我生活的社會不斷試圖重建自己，但從未重建成功。無論如何，我不想重塑華麗搖滾社會。我只想盡快離開這裡。」

“The society in which I live was constantly trying to rebuild itself but was never rebuilt. Anyway, I have no desire to reshape glamrock society. I just want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

「是啊，我也是。所以，當我們在這裡時，你有什麼建議？」 「我們需要讓他們忙起來。」

“Yeah, me too. So, what would you suggest whilst we are here?” “We need to keep them busy.”

「但用什麼？用什麼？」

“But with what? With what?”

「用他們自己。這是最好的選擇。」 「那我們要怎麼做？」

“With themselves. That’s the best option.” “And how are we going to do that?”

「他們缺乏任何自我認同感。他們像無腦的群體一樣生活。他們甚至沒有名字。我們需要給他們起名字，並灌輸給他們這樣的想法：如果他們願意，他們也可以成為瑪娜，他們可以創造自己的現實。然後他們可以處理自己的生活和社會。」

“They are deprived of any sense of self-identification. They live like a brainless herd. They don’t even have names. We need to give them names and instill in them the idea that they too can be manas if they want to be, that they can create their own reality. And then they can deal with their own lives and society.”

「對！這是一項相當大的任務。你忘了他們的生活是我們的夢，而它之所以繼續展開只是因為我們在這裡觀察它嗎？沒有我們在這裡，現實會再次凍結。」

“Right! That’s a pretty major task. Have you forgotten that their life is our dream, and that it continues to unfold only because we are here observing it? Without us here, reality will freeze again.”

「你確定超現實沒有觀察者就不會活過來或移動嗎？誰能證實這是真的？如果沒有觀察者，那就沒有人能證實。更不用說我們仍然不明白現實與夢有什麼不同。」

“Are you sure that meta-reality does not come to life or move without an observer? Who can confirm that this is true? If there’s no observer, then there’s no-one to confirm it. To say nothing of the fact that we still don’t understand how reality differs from a dream.”

「我放棄了。說到這一點，我無法對任何事情完全確定。」

“I give in. When it comes to that, I can’t be totally certain of anything.”

「你看！你自己說過，夢中的模型人偶是模型人偶，因為他們沒有靈魂或自我意識。至於靈魂，我不能說，但如果我們試著灌輸給他們『你就是你』的想法，也許他們會醒來，能夠自己啟動超現實。」

“You see! You said yourself that dream mannequins were mannequins because they had no soul or self-awareness. As far as the soul goes, I can’t say but if we try to instill in them the idea that ‘you are you’ maybe they will wake up and will be able to launch meta-reality by themselves.”

「瑪蒂爾達，這真是太棒了！」伊特夫特驚呼。「有時候，你真的讓我驚訝！只是，為什麼我們要喚醒他們？」

“Matilda, that’s brilliant!” exclaimed Itfut. “Sometimes, you really astound me! Only, why should we wake them up?”

「嗯，至少讓他們專注於自己的生活，讓我們清靜。但如果我們能讓他們達到一點理智的狀態，我們可以問他們這個地方是什麼，怎麼離開這裡。」

“Well, at the very least so that they could spend time concentrating on their own lives and leave us alone. But also, if we can get them to the reasonable state of a slightest degree, we can ask them what this place is and how to get out of here.”

「我懷疑他們能不能回答，但我同意，讓我們試試看。有什麼想法可以實現這一點嗎？」

“I doubt they’ll be able to answer, but I agree, let’s give it a try. Any ideas on how we can bring this about?”

「你會看到的。我確實有一些娛樂大眾的經驗。讓我們去看看他們現在在做什麼。」

“You’ll see. I do have some experience of entertaining the masses. Let’s go and take a look at what they’re doing right now.”

「是的，走吧，走吧。只是首先，讓我們清醒過來，做好準備。這是一件嚴肅的事情。」

“Yes, let’s go, let’s go. Only first, let’s wake up and prepare ourselves. This is a serious matter.”

「好吧，但別擔心。最糟糕的已經過去了。」

“Okay, but don’t worry. The worst is already behind us.”

「別忘了，自我控制意味著控制你的注意力去向。不要入睡，如果有什麼不對勁，不要讓步。不要沉浸在別人的電影裡！」

“Don’t forget, self-control means controlling where your attention goes. Don’t fall asleep and if anything goes wrong, don’t concede. Don’t get immersed in anyone else’s movie!”

「我現在知道了，芙蒂！好吧，我們已經醒來了，出發吧！」

“I know that now, Futi! Okay, so we’ve woken up, let’s move!”

朋友們從桌子旁站起來，離開了巨石陣。

The friends got up from the table and left the megalith.

破解劇本

Hacking the Script

天后與女祭司頓時停止了歡笑，面露不悅，緊鎖眉頭盯著那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)。

The diva and the priestess ceased their merriment and stared at the glamrocks frowning.

Matilda嚴厲喊道：「那些沒用的光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)，竟敢妄圖吞噬偉大的 Mana-fata，必須受到懲罰！」

“The good-for-nothing glamrocks must be punished for wanting to eat the great Mana-fata!” said Matilda.

Itfut接著說：「還有，想要吞噬偉大的 Mana-tida 的，也應該受到嚴厲懲罰！」

“And for wanting to eat the great Mana-tida!” said Itfut. “For this they should be severely punished!”

「而我們，偉大的 mana，現在就去召開會議，決定究竟該如何對這些罪大惡極的傢伙嚴懲！」

“And we, the great manas, will now go and hold council and decide what that severe punishment should be!”

「是的！你們這些沒用的光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks) 就在這裡，等著我們，惶恐不安地接受懲罰吧！」

“Yes! And you, good-for-nothing glamrocks will wait here for us in fear and trembling!”

朋友們齊齊轉身，堅定地向著巨石走去；那些野蠻人則以虔誠、充滿敬畏的目光注視著他們離開。他們已經熬過了最慘重的懲罰，這讓他們心中燃起希望，認為等待他們的懲處不會太殘酷。

The friends simultaneously turned and strode towards the megalith. The savages watched them leave with looks of devotion, filled with reverence and awe. They had already survived the worst reprisal which gave them hope that their awaited punishment would not be too terrible.

一進入巨石內部，天后便將女祭司拉近，緊緊地擁抱住她。

Once inside the megalith, the diva pulled the priestess to her and gave her a tight hug.

「我親愛的 Futichka, Futi！你無法想像我醒來發現你不見時有多害怕！到底發生了什麼事？」

“My dear Futichka, Futi! You can’t imagine how scared I was when I woke up and found you gone! What happened?”

「Tili，我本不想吵醒你；我只是望向街道，那些灰色野獸猝然襲來，竟讓我甚至有了恐慌的時間。」

“Tili, I didn’t want to wake you. I just looked out onto the street and those gray beasts attacked me so suddenly I even had time to get scared.”

「是說你根本就沒時間嗎？」

“Didn’t have time, you mean?”

「不，我是認真的，我確實有時間感到恐懼。危險降臨得越快、越突然，你就越能徹底、肯定地被神聖化（Unity of heart and mind），你根本沒時間清醒過來。」

“No, I mean what I say. I had time to get scared. The quicker and more suddenly that danger befalls you, the more thoroughly and positively you are sacred. You don’t have time to come to your senses.”

「以什麼方式才能清醒過來？」

“In what way, come to your senses?”

「就是那種醒來的感覺。當事態出錯時，你必須能看清現實以及自己在其中的位置。這與沉睡於覺醒現實中的習慣正相反。記得嗎？」

“In the sense of waking up. When something goes wrong, you have to be able to see reality and yourself within it. It’s the reverse habit to sleeping in waking reality. Remember?”

「哦，是的，就像我們當時談論電影角色和那些能看透現實的人那樣。」

“Oh, yes, it was when we were talking about movie characters and those who see reality.”

「我害怕了。我的 Witness 沒有被喚起，我就屈服了。」「屈服？屈服於什麼？」Matilda驚訝地問道。

“I got scared. My Witness was not activated, and I conceded.” “Conceded? With what?” asked Matilda in surprise.

「屈服於劇本！」Itfut大笑道，「那就是我成了‘小紅皇后’，而他們要把我吃掉。」

“With the script!” laughed Itfut. “That I was the ‘Little Red Queen’ and they were going to eat me.”

「難道你就沒有選擇嗎？」

“It’s not as if you had a choice?”

「其實總有選擇——屈服與否全在你。要是你選擇屈服，劇本便會操縱你，你就會變成一個電影角色。而且，當你的 Witness 處於沉睡狀態時，無論如何發生什麼，你都會屈服。」

“There is always a choice, whether to concede or not. If you concede, the movie has you under its control and you are transformed into a movie character. What’s more, if your Witness is sleeping, you always concede, whatever’s happening.”

「我不明白，怎麼可能會肯屈服於被吃掉呢？」

“I don’t get it. How can I concede to being eaten?”

「你也許可以抗拒，或許你不喜歡那樣，但那是另一回事。屈服意指接受某事是可能發生的，甚至是極可能發生的。當各種不大可能的情景在夢中出現時，你會覺得那真實無比；但我們也習慣於這樣的觀念：在清醒的現實中，只有那些極有可能的事才能發生。」

“You might resist, and you might not like it but that’s different. To concede means to accept that something is possible, as something that is likely to happen. When all sorts of unlikely things happen in a dream, it appears genuinely real to you, but we’ve also got used to the idea that in waking reality, only things that are likely to happen can occur.”

「那麼，不屈服到底意味著什麼？」

“So, what does it mean not to concede?”

「那是當你明白自己所見只是一場夢時。接著你就在夢中醒來，並有能力改寫劇本。」

“That’s when you understand that what you’re seeing is a dream. Then you wake up in the dream and can change the script.”

「如果這根本不是夢呢？我們現在不是清醒著嗎？」

“And if it isn’t a dream? We’re not sleeping now, right?”

「這沒什麼分別。夢是真實的，而現實也是場夢。無論在哪裡，你都可以改變劇本。」

“It makes no difference. A dream is real, and reality is a dream. You can change the script in both.”

「那如果我真的無法避免屈服呢？如果眼前這一切極有可能發生，他們很容易就會活著把你和我都吃掉。」

“And if I can’t not concede? If what is happening is more than likely to occur? They could quite easily have eaten you alive and me, too.”

「然而，當那種情況發生在你身上時，你能鼓起勇氣振作起來問：‘這是我的現實嗎？’而你回答說：‘不，這不是我的現實。不論發生什麼，我都會好起來’。」

“And yet, when something like that happened to you, you found the strength to pull yourself together and ask, ‘is this my reality? And you said, ‘no, this isn’t my reality. Everything will be all right with me, whatever happens’.”

「那時我用了我的觸發桿，但你卻做了不同的事，對嗎？」 「是的，我破解了劇本。」

“I used my trigger-lever then. But you did something different, didn’t you?” “Yes, I hacked the script.”

「你是怎麼做到的？解釋一下。」

“How do you do that? Explain.”

「如果你的電影情節已經進入了一個必然的情境，或許使用觸發桿就太晚了。在我那時，情況是這樣：我感到害怕，於是屈服了；待我回過神來時，已經太遲，我被綁住，仿佛被判了死刑。在那種情況下，你必須做出一些超越當下事件邏輯的非凡舉動。」

“If your movie has already rolled to the scene of an inevitable scenario, it might be too late to use the trigger-lever. With me, this is what happened: I was scared, I conceded and by the time I came to my senses, it was too late, and I was already tied up and sentenced. In a situation like that, you have to do something extraordinary that does not fit with the logic of events as they are unfolding.

「一旦劇本被破解，只要你不錯過把握主動的機會，你就能改寫劇本讓它為你所用。但我能教你的呢？你用那個‘死腦袋’的招數正是破解劇本的絕妙範例。」

When the script is broken, as long as you don’t let the opportunity to take the initiative pass you by, you can rewrite the script to your own benefit. But what can I teach you? Your trick with the dead head was a brilliant example of hacking the script.”

「我只是憑直覺行事，」Matilda說，「我甚至不知道為何要這麼做，但至少現在我理解了這條原理。Futi，告訴我，吻那個光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrock) 感覺如何？是不是讓人毛骨悚然？」

“I just acted intuitively,” said Matilda. “I don’t even know why I did it but at least now I understand the principle. Futi, tell me, what was it like kissing the glamrock? Was it creepy?”

「我只不過想像自己在吻一個模特兒，」Itfut回答道，「畢竟他不過是一個模特兒罷了。」

“I just imagined I was kissing a mannequin,” replied Itfut, “which is what he is after all.”

「不完全是！那他們為何會復活？是夢境自己開始旋轉了嗎？」

“Not exactly! And why did they come back to life? Did the dream start spinning all by itself?”

「看來夢境需要被重啟。」 「就像重開機一樣？」

“It looks like the dream needed to be restarted.” “Like a reboot?”

「正是。記住，當我出現時，夢境便停止了。我作為一個全新的旁觀者進入了你的夢中。」

“Yes. Remember, it stopped when I appeared here. I entered your dream as a new observer.”

「而且它崩潰了！」

“And it crashed!”

「是的。而且要重啟它，我們只需一同入睡，然後再一起醒來。」

“Yes. And to restart it, all we had to do was fall asleep together and then wake up again.”

「我們為什麼之前沒想到這個呢？」 「我知道！我知道！」

“Why didn’t we think of that before?” “I know! I know!”

他們用那根黑色圓柱體以常規方式為自己準備早餐，而那根黑色圓柱體仍然是他們迄今見過的最神秘、最難以理解的物件之一。如今，朋友們必須商議下一步該如何行動，而女祭司的床也已經整齊鋪好。

They organized breakfast for themselves in the normal way by using the black cylinder, which remained one of the most mysterious and incomprehensible objects of all they had seen in this world so far. Now the friends had to work out what they were going to do next. The priestess’s bed was already neatly made.

天后也整理好了她的床，並換上了她那華麗的裝束：暗綠色連身衣和粉紅色厚底鞋。她還幫助Matilda整理那同樣華麗的粉紅色蝴蝶結，Itfut咯咯地笑著說：「Tili, darling! Tili-Tili, da-a-arling!」

The diva also made her bed and put on her extravagant outfit: the dark-green jumpsuit and pink platform shoes. Helping Matilda with her equally extravagant pink bow, Itfut giggled and said, “Tili, darling! Tili-Tili, da-a-arling!”

「Tufti，別鬧了，你在逗我玩呢！你讓我回想起那些悲傷的記憶。」 「好啦，好啦！」

“Tufti, stop it, you’re teasing me! You’re bringing back sad memories.” “Okay, okay!”

「我們真的永遠回不了我們的現實嗎？」

“Will we really never return home to our reality?”

「會的，Tili，會的。或許是回到你的現實或我的現實，甚至每個人都有屬於自己的現實。」

“We will, Tili, we will. Either to your reality or to mine, or maybe even each of us to our own.”

「不。我希望我們能夠在一起！」

“No. I want us to be together!”

「那好，我們就永遠在一起，一切都會如我們所願。」

“So, we’ll be together then. Everything will be as we want it to be.”

「我唯一生你的氣，就是你竟獨自把我留在這裡。你怎麼能那樣做？」

“The only thing I’m cross with you about is for leaving me here alone. How could you?”

「Tili，你當時正在睡覺，何況我也只是打算往外瞥一眼而已。總之，最終一切都發展得最好。」

“Tili, you were sleeping and anyway, I only intended to take a peep outside for a second. Anyway, everything turned out for the best in the end.”

「但事情本來可能會完全不同！可能會變得更糟！答應我你永遠不會拋棄我，不然我就活不下去！」

“But it could have turned out differently! It could have turned out for the worst! Promise that you’ll never abandon me, otherwise I won’t survive!”

「我答應你。沒有你我也活不成。」他們便坐下來，開始討論下一步該怎麼行動。

“I promise. I won’t make it without you either.” They sat down at the table to think through their plan of action.

「Futi，我們接下來該怎麼辦？」Matilda問道，這正是她最喜歡的問題。

“What are we going to do, Futi?” said Matilda asking her favorite question.

「我們必須想辦法控制住那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)，讓它們保持穩定的狀態，」Itfut說道。

“We need to somehow get on top of the glamrocks,” said Itfut, “get them into a stable condition.”

「但我們已經做到了。對他們來說，我們猶如女神般存在。」

“But we’ve already done that. To them we’re like goddesses.”

「也許是如此，但未必完全如此。他們隨時都有可能失控。‘Mana-ti-i-i-da! You’re our ma-a-a-na!’這話又有何意義呢？只要有一點機會，他們早就會把我吞噬，而你的命令對他們就根本沒任何約束力。」

“Maybe but not entirely. They could go out of control at any moment. What’s the point of ‘Mana-ti-i-i-da! You’re our ma-a-a-na!’? They’d wolf me down given half the chance and your command would be no law for them then.”

「是啊，誰知道他們腦子裡會冒出什麼奇怪念頭。你有什麼提議？」

“Yes, who knows what they might get into their heads. What do you suggest?”

「我們來為他們制定一套懲罰制度，」Itfut說。

“We’ll make up a system of punishments for them,” said Itfut.

「那是行不通的，」Matilda說，「他們畢竟只是電影角色，完全受劇本驅使。」

“That won’t work.” said Matilda. “They’re movie characters. They’re led by the script.”

「那就來個威嚇體系吧。」

“A system of intimidation then.”

「恐懼也無法阻止他們。自聖經時代以來，這套方法早已試驗過。」

“Fear won’t stop them either. That’s all been tried and tested since biblical times.”

「自從什麼時候開始的？」

“Since what times?”

「啦啦，這都不重要。還有其他想法嗎？」

“La-la, it doesn’t matter. Any other ideas?”

「我們可以建立一個嚴格的階級制度。畢竟，我們是偉大的 mana，我們代表著最重要性 ；然後從他們中選出一位高級監督，再配以兩三名助手或領袖。」

“We could establish a rigid hierarchy. We are the great manas, we are the most important, then appoint one senior overseer among them and two or three assistants or leaders.”

「但他們很快就會開始在幕後耍小手段，整個階級體系也會不斷崩解。」

“They’ll start weaving backstage intrigue and the whole hierarchy will constantly be falling apart.”

「那麼，我們就建立平等制。他們解決爭端怎麼辦？靠打架爭論。我們就教他們用多數決來作出決策。」

“Then let’s establish equality. How do they resolve disputes? By fighting and arguing. We’ll teach them how to make decisions by majority vote.”

「啊！民主？那我們早就試過了。」「你試過什麼？」

“Ah! Democracy? We’ve already tried that.” “You’ve tried what?”

「Futi，把外來的東西強行引入固有社會是一項不受感激的苦差事。社會必須依其最自然的法則來自行組織。」

“Futi, trying to introduce something alien into an individual society is a thankless task. Society has to organize itself in whatever is most natural to it .”

「Tili，你是從哪裡獲得如此深刻的見解，洞察到社會運作的奧妙？」

“Tili, where did you acquire such wise insight into how society works?”

「我所處的社會不斷試圖自我重建，但始終未能完善。無論如何，我對改造光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks) 所屬的社會毫無興趣，我只想儘快離開這裡。」

“The society in which I live was constantly trying to rebuild itself but was never rebuilt. Anyway, I have no desire to reshape glamrock society. I just want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

「嗯，我也是這麼想。那么，既然我們還在這裡，你建議我們怎麼做？」 「我們必須讓他們保持忙碌。」

“Yeah, me too. So, what would you suggest whilst we are here?” “We need to keep them busy.”

「但用什麼方法呢？用什麼？」

“But with what? With what?”

「用他們自己。這是最理想的選擇。」 「那我們該如何實現呢？」

“With themselves. That’s the best option.” “And how are we going to do that?”

「他們完全缺乏自我認同，活得就像一群沒有腦子的畜群，甚至連名字都沒有。我們應該給他們取名字，並灌輸一個理念：‘如果你願意，你也可以成為 mana’，你們可以創造自己的現實。如此一來，他們便能自己處理自己的生活和社會。」

“They are deprived of any sense of self-identification. They live like a brainless herd. They don’t even have names. We need to give them names and instill in them the idea that they too can be manas if they want to be, that they can create their own reality. And then they can deal with their own lives and society.”

「對！這是個重大的任務。你忘了嗎，他們的生命就像我們的夢，而這一切之所以能持續展開，全因我們在這裡觀察它。要是沒有我們在場，現實將再次陷入僵局。」

“Right! That’s a pretty major task. Have you forgotten that their life is our dream, and that it continues to unfold only because we are here observing it? Without us here, reality will freeze again.”

「你確定那種元現實（meta-reality）不需要觀察者就能運作或活躍起來嗎？有誰能證明這是真的？如果沒有觀察者，就沒有人能確認這一點；更別說我們依然無法弄清現實與夢境間的差異了。」

“Are you sure that meta-reality does not come to life or move without an observer? Who can confirm that this is true? If there’s no observer, then there’s no-one to confirm it. To say nothing of the fact that we still don’t understand how reality differs from a dream.”

「我服了。對這種事，我真是一點也拿不定主意。」

“I give in. When it comes to that, I can’t be totally certain of anything.”

「你看！你自己也說過，那些夢中的模特兒之所以僅僅是模特兒，是因為它們沒有靈魂也不具備自我意識。至於靈魂如何，我說不清，但如果我們嘗試灌輸‘你就是你’的理念，也許他們就會醒悟，進而能夠自行啟動元現實。」

“You see! You said yourself that dream mannequins were mannequins because they had no soul or self-awareness. As far as the soul goes, I can’t say but if we try to instill in them the idea that ‘you are you’ maybe they will wake up and will be able to launch meta-reality by themselves.”

「Matilda，這真是太棒了！」Itfut驚呼道，「有時候，你真讓我大開眼界！只不過，我們為何要讓他們醒來呢？」

“Matilda, that’s brilliant!” exclaimed Itfut. “Sometimes, you really astound me! Only, why should we wake them up?”

「至少是為了讓他們有機會專注於自己的生活，把我們放一邊。而且，如果我們能讓他們稍微恢復理智，就能請教他們這地方究竟是什麼，以及如何離開這裏。」

“Well, at the very least so that they could spend time concentrating on their own lives and leave us alone. But also, if we can get them to the reasonable state of a slightest degree, we can ask them what this place is and how to get out of here.”

「我懷疑他們能否回答，但我同意，試一試吧。你想到什麼辦法了嗎？」

“I doubt they’ll be able to answer, but I agree, let’s give it a try. Any ideas on how we can bring this about?”

「你等著，我可是有不少娛樂群眾的經驗。走吧，咱們去看看他們現在在做些什麼。」

“You’ll see. I do have some experience of entertaining the masses. Let’s go and take a look at what they’re doing right now.”

「對，走吧，走吧。但首先，我們得醒來，整理好自己。這可是件認真的事。」

“Yes, let’s go, let’s go. Only first, let’s wake up and prepare ourselves. This is a serious matter.”

「好吧，但別擔心，最糟糕的日子已經過去了。」

“Okay, but don’t worry. The worst is already behind us.”

「別忘了，自我控制就是要掌控你注意力的方向。千萬不要睡著了；一旦發生什麼差錯，也絕對不要屈服。切記，千萬別陷入別人那部電影（movie）的情節裡！」

“Don’t forget, self-control means controlling where your attention goes. Don’t fall asleep and if anything goes wrong, don’t concede. Don’t get immersed in anyone else’s movie!”

「我現在明白了，Futi！好了，既然我們都醒了，就出發吧！」

“I know that now, Futi! Okay, so we’ve woken up, let’s move!”

朋友們從桌旁起身，離開了那座巨石。

The friends got up from the table and left the megalith.