現實萬花筒

Reality Kaleidoscope

女神、女祭司和華麗搖滾人偶走近鏡子，更準確地說，是分隔清醒現實和這個想像現實的隱形牆。牆的存在唯一的提示是從岩石荒地到草地覆蓋的突然轉變。在鏡子裡，另一邊，標準的畫面如往常一樣播放：海浪拍打著沙灘，棕櫚樹的葉子在風中搖曳。至少在這裡，在超現實的一側，有瑪蒂爾達「創造」的太陽輻射的陽光。所以，兩個太陽對稱地懸掛在藍色的天空中，一個在那邊的天空，一個在這邊的天空。

The diva, the priestess and the glamrocks approached the mirror, or more precisely, the invisible wall that separated waking reality from this imaginary reality. The only hint of the wall’s presence was the abrupt shift from rocky wasteland to grassy cover. In the mirror, on the other side, the standard screen was playing as before: ocean waves rolling onto a sandy beach and palm trees with their leaves swaying in the wind. At least here, on the side of meta-reality, there was sunshine radiating from the sun Matilda had ‘created’. So, two suns hung symmetrically in the blue expanse, a sun in that sky and a sun in this one.

看到眼前展開的畫面，華麗搖滾人偶變得極為激動。

Seeing the picture that opened up before them, the glamrocks became extremely agitated.

「好大！好大！」他們驚訝地喊道。「好大！好大！」顯然他們從未見過這樣的海景。

“Big much! Big much!” they shouted in surprise. “Big much! Big much!” They had evidently never seen the seascape before.

「是的，大水。很多水。」瑪蒂爾達同意。「這是海。所以，這是你們第一次看到它？你們說過，你們以前來過這裡？」

“Yes, big water. Much water.” Matilda agreed. “This is the sea. So, is this the first time you see it? You said, you’d been here before?”

「我們來過，我們來過，」華麗搖滾人偶回答。「但不是這樣的，不是這樣的！」

“We have, we have,” the glamrocks replied. “But it wasn’t like this, it wasn’t like this!”

「那時是什麼樣子？」

“What was it like then?”

「一堵牆！世界的邊緣！天空中的一堵牆！」

“A wall! The edge of the world! A wall in the sky!”

「這很奇怪，」瑪蒂爾達說。

“That’s weird,” said Matilda.

「是的，奇怪得很奇怪，」伊特夫特說。「聽起來他們看到這裡有一堵牆，向各個方向延伸，貫穿整個天空。」

“Yes, it’s strangely-strange,” said Itfut. “It sounds like they saw a wall here that ran in all directions and up through the entire sky.”

「它仍然貫穿整個空間，只是它是透明的。」瑪蒂爾達走近鏡子，觸摸它的隱形表面。

“It’s still running through the entire expanse, it’s just that it’s transparent.” Matilda approached the mirror and touched its invisible surface.

「它消失了。沒有牆！」華麗搖滾人偶自信地說。「我們走過去吧！」

“It’s gone. There’s no wall!” said the glamrocks confidently. “Let’s go over there!”

「不，等等！停下！」瑪蒂爾達對他們喊道。「看鏡子！你能看到自己的倒影嗎？」

“No, wait! Stop!” Matilda shouted at them. “Look in the mirror! Can you see your reflection?”

「蒂莉，看！他們沒有倒影！」伊特夫特驚呼。

“Tili, look! They have no reflection!” exclaimed Itfut.

這是真的。女神和女祭司的倒影雖然模糊，但仍然可見，而華麗搖滾人偶則完全沒有倒影。

It was true. The reflections of the diva and the priestess, although hazy, were still visible, whereas the glamrocks had no reflection whatsoever.

「也許這裡的角色不應該有倒影？」瑪蒂爾達自言自語地說。

“Maybe the characters here aren’t supposed to be reflected?” Matilda said, thinking aloud.

「也許吧，」伊特夫特說。「如果他們是純粹的原型，那麼他們在現實中，在另一邊就沒有實體自我。」

“Maybe,” said Itfut. “If they’re pure prototypes, then they have no physical self in reality, on the other side.”

華麗搖滾人偶迫不及待地想跑向大海。關於「世界的邊緣」的舊有「阿布」痕跡已經消失。

The glamrocks were impatient to run towards the sea. All trace of the former ‘aboo’ in relation to the ‘edge of the world’ had vanished.

「我們想過去那邊！」他們說。「讓我們過去那邊吧！」

“We want to go over there!” they said. “Let’s go over there!”

「我們都想去海邊，」瑪蒂爾達說，「但你們過不去，傻瓜！」 「讓他們試試看。」伊特夫特建議。

“We all want to go to the sea,” said Matilda, “but you can’t get through, silly!” “Let them try.” Itfut suggested.

野蠻人不再關注他們的瑪娜。被壯麗的景色吸引，他們衝向前方，彷彿牆根本不存在。女神和女祭司準備看到這些傢伙用額頭撞上牆，但發生的事情完全出乎意料。

The savages were no longer paying any attention to their manas. Attracted by the stunning scenery, they rushed forward as if the wall simply did not exist. The diva and the priestess prepared themselves to see the lugs thudding their foreheads up against the wall but something else altogether unexpected happened instead.

華麗搖滾人偶一個接一個地走進牆裡，無影無蹤地消失了。在另一邊也沒有他們的蹤跡。片刻後，他們開始從牆裡倒退出來，就像鏡子的倒影一樣。

One after the other, the glamrocks walked into the wall and disappeared without trace. There was no sign of them on the other side either. A moment later, they began exiting the wall walking backwards as if they were a mirror reflection.

只是他們的外貌完全改變了。他們變成了穿著文藝復興時期服裝的男女。女性穿著奢華的長裙，男性穿著緊身褲和絲綢雙排扣外套。

Only their appearance had changed entirely. They had transformed into men and women dressed in Renaissance period costumes. The women were wearing luxurious dresses with full skirts, and the men were in hose and silk doublets.

他們都戴著假髮，女性的高而淺色，男性的深色且捲曲。他們的臉被鍍金的面具遮住，上面裝飾著琺瑯圖案。這場景像是兩位朋友已經在現實的鏡子中看到的戲劇表演，只是現在表演被轉移到鏡子的這一側，女神和女祭司正處於行動的中心。

They were all wearing wigs, the women’s high and fair, the mens’ dark and styled in curls. Their faces were hidden behind gold-plated masks decorated in enamel designs. The scene resembled the theatrical performance which the two friends had already seen in the mirror of reality, only now the performance was transferred to this side of the mirror and the diva and the priestess were bang in the middle of the action.

某處有大鍵琴音樂在演奏。自然的日光被昏暗的燈光取代，岩石地面變成了木製舞台的表面。舞伴們排成一排面對面，開始跳小步舞。男士們優雅地鞠躬，女士們優雅地行屈膝禮，手持打開的扇子。舞伴們彼此分開，然後又重新聚合。接著，手掌相對，他們以緩慢的節奏轉動。所有的一切都和瑪蒂爾達的劇院裡一樣，唯一的區別是服裝古典而莊重，沒有攝影組，女神替身也不在。與此同時，鏡子中的畫面保持不變：海浪繼續將它的冷靜波浪推向岸邊。

Somewhere harpsichord music was playing. The natural light of day was replaced by dim lighting, and the rocky ground had transformed into the surface of a wooden stage. The couples lined up in rows facing each other and began to dance a minuet. The men made graceful bows, and the women bobbed in elegant curtsies holding their fans open. The couples moved away from each other and then came back together again. Next, palm to palm, they turned in a slow rhythm. Everything was just the same as it was in Matilda’s theatre, the only difference being that the costumes were classical and dignified, there was no film crew and the diva-understudy were absent. In the meantime, the image in the mirror remained unchanged: the sea continued to drive its phlegmatic waves into the shore.

女神和女祭司默默地觀看著這一幕，驚訝地互相對視。最後，伊特夫特輕聲說，

The diva and the priestess watched the scene in silence glancing at each other in amazement. Finally, Itfut managed to whisper,

「蒂莉，這是你的另一個把戲嗎？你的夢？」

“Tili, is this another one of your tricks? Your dream?”

「這和我完全無關，」瑪蒂爾達低聲回應。「這是自然而然發生的。」

“This is nothing at all to do with me,” whispered Matilda in response. “It’s happening by itself.”

「那我完全不知道發生了什麼。」

“Then I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.”

「我也不知道。」

“Me neither.”

片刻後，音樂的節奏開始加快，舞者們排成一個圈，越來越快地移動。他們的身體逐漸融化，消失在空氣中，彷彿被放置在某個巨大的旋轉碗中。整個場景扭曲成一個旋風，發出越來越大的轟鳴聲……然後突然平息，變成了綠色霧氣的團塊。在這場變形中，女神和女祭司保持不動，冷靜地觀察著。

A moment later, the rhythm of the music began to quicken, and the dancers arranged themselves in a circle moving faster and faster. Their bodies gradually melted and dissolved into thin air as if they had been placed in some gigantic turning bowl. The whole scene twisted into a whirlwind that gave out a growing rumble... and suddenly it subsided transforming into clubs of green-tinted fog. In the midst of the metamorphosis, the diva and the priestess remained motionless, dispassionate observers.

很快，霧氣消散，顯露出一個新的場景：一個洞穴被火焰微微照亮，穿著獸皮的原始人坐在一起吃飯。他們吃完飯後開始簡單的工作，用獸皮縫製衣物和製作工具。有人在牆上畫有角的動物。這些圖像突然活了過來，開始移動，並奔跑起來。洞穴的圓頂和牆壁展開成為一片開闊的景觀。

Soon, the fog dissipated and revealed a new scene in which there was a cave lit dimly by the flames of a fire and primitive beings dressed in animal skins sitting and eating together. The beings finished their meal and set about simple tasks, sewing from animal skins and making tools. One was drawing horned animals on the wall. The images suddenly came to life, began to move, and broke into a run. The dome and walls of the cave unfurled into an open landscape.

到處都是從地平線到地平線的草原，這裡那裡有野生動物群在吃草。在不遠處的草叢中，人類手持長矛潛伏著。獵人們跳出來，投擲長矛，動物群開始狂奔。幾隻受傷的動物倒下，被剝皮，肉從屍體上切下來。人類把肉帶回洞穴，在火上烤，然後忙著其他家務，而藝術家在洞穴牆上畫狩獵場景。

Everywhere, the steppe stretched from horizon to horizon, and here and there wild herds grazed. In the grasses, not far away, humans lurked with spears. The hunters jumped out, hurled their spears, and the herd broke into a gallop. Several wounded animals fell, were skinned, the meat cut from the carcasses. The humans carried the meat into the cave, fried it on the fire, and went about their other domestic tasks while the artist painted a hunting scene on the cave wall.

這幅圖像活了過來，洞穴再次展開成為開闊草原的圖像。

This image came to life and the cave unfurled once again into an image of the open steppe.

這次，牧羊人穿著粗糙的羊毛衣服，驅趕著羊群在前面遊蕩。

This time, flocks of sheep were being herded by shepherds dressed in coarse woolen clothing, who wandered about driving the animals ahead of them.

附近有用木杆和獸皮搭建的原始住宅。裡面，女人們忙著照顧孩子，有些在做手工，有些在做飯。一個薩滿圍著火跳舞，敲著鼓。一位老人正在獸皮上畫符號，這些符號活了過來，開始移動，獸皮展開成為一片廣闊的草地。

Nearby there stood primitive looking dwellings built from poles and skins. Inside, the women were busy with the children, some making crafts, others cooking. A shaman danced around the fire beating a drum. An old man was drawing symbols on a piece of animal skin and these symbols came to life, began to move, and the piece of hide expanded unfolding into a vast meadow.

穿著亞麻衣服的人們在田裡工作，用鐮刀收割小麥，將莖綁成捆。收穫被裝上牛車，運到水磨坊，製成麵包。空間轉換變化，直到出現一座有柱子和大理石雕像的古老神廟；奴隸們搬運著雙耳瓶，將它們裝上停泊在港口的船隻。一位哲學家在沙地上畫幾何圖形。

The people working in the field dressed in linen garments were reaping wheat with sickles and gathering the stems into sheaves. The harvest was being loaded into wagons pulled by oxen and then driven to a water mill and made into bread. The space shifted and changed until an ancient temple with pillars and marble statues appeared; slaves were carrying amphorae, loading them onto ships moored in a harbor. A philosopher was marking geometric shapes in the sand.

他的圖形升起，擴展成為一座中世紀城市。

His figures rose, grew and expanded into a medieval city.

然後狹窄的街道、石牆和瓦屋頂映入眼簾。一位陶工坐在輪子旁，雕刻陶瓷器皿。一位鐵匠在用錘子和鐵砧工作。商人在市場廣場上出售商品。一群穿著盔甲，手持長矛和旗幟的騎士騎馬進入城堡。大門升起，裡面是一個庭院，女士們穿著奢華的長袍坐在馬車裡。在城堡裡的一個牢房中，一位被玻璃管和燒瓶包圍的煉金術士正在書中寫下什麼。書頁沙沙作響，向上翻開，展現出一幅新的現實畫面。

Then narrow streets, stone walls and tile roofs came into view. A potter was sitting at a wheel, sculpting a ceramic vessel. A blacksmith was working with a hammer and anvil. Traders were selling their wares in the market square. A group of mounted knights dressed in armor and carrying spears and flags rode into a castle. The gates were raised, and inside there was a courtyard in which ladies in luxurious gowns were sitting in a coach. In a cell inside the castle, an alchemist surrounded by glass tubes and flasks was scribbling something down in a book. The pages rustled and surged upwards opening up a new picture of reality.

一名工人站在織布機旁。工廠裡有許多織布機，發出巨大噪音。煙囪高聳在工廠建築上方，冒出煙霧。一列火車沿著軌道疾馳而來，拉著車廂到達車站。女士和紳士下了車廂。港口的碼頭工人爬上梯子，搬運麻袋和板條箱。船隻正在碼頭建造。一艘蒸汽船冒著煙駛出港口。一位學者站在黑板旁，用粉筆寫著什麼。黑板上布滿了令人費解的公式。這些潦草的字跡變得越來越複雜，然後開始彎曲並飛離黑板。場景開始扭曲，變成星光燦爛的宇宙，然後立即回到地球。

A worker was standing at a loom. There were many looms in the workshop, all making a great noise. Chimneys rose above the factory buildings belching out smoke. A locomotive came hurtling along the tracks pulling wagons behind it and arrived at a station. Ladies and gentlemen alighted the carriages. Dockers in a port were climbing up a ladder carrying sacks and crates. Ships were being built in the docks. A steamboat smoked coming out of the harbor. A scholar stood beside a blackboard on which he was writing something in chalk. The board was peppered with mind-bending formulas. The scribblings were becoming all the more complex, and then started to bend and fly off the board. The scene began to twist transforming into a star-studded cosmos before immediately returning to Earth.

大都市在高樓大廈的燈光下閃耀；道路上擠滿了川流不息的車輛，行人埋頭於發光的屏幕中穿行於街道間。公寓和辦公室裡，人們坐在其他屏幕前。工廠車間裡有一條裝配線。穿著白大褂的工人站在控制面板前，到處都是閃爍的燈泡和運動的機械部件。一位科學家坐在電腦屏幕前，操作著複雜的圖表和3D投影。這些投影延伸到建築物外，包裹住整個場景。

The metropolis burned with the lights of high-rise buildings; the roads were crowded with a continuous stream of cars, and passers-by walked through the streets buried in luminous screens. There were apartment buildings and offices in which people sat in front of other screens. There was an assembly conveyor in a factory workshop. Workers in white coats were standing at a control panel and everywhere there were flashing bulbs and moving machinery parts. A scientist sitting at a computer screen was manipulating complex diagrams and 3D projections. The projections extended outside the building and enveloped the entire scene.

大都市隨後變成了一堆巨大的黑色立方體和圓柱體，由隧道走道連接。在圓柱體內，懸掛著同心圓排列的人類胚胎膠囊。立方體裡充滿了相同的單元格，成年人坐在裡面一動不動，目不轉睛地盯著屏幕，穿著金屬制服般的工作服。燈、車輛和機械設備都消失了。到處都是發光的面板和顯示器。偶爾有人站起來，觸摸一個面板，然後一個架子段會出現，拿著一杯。個人迅速喝下內容物，然後坐回屏幕前。到處都是寂靜。唯一的聲音來自安靜的電鈴。

The metropolis then transformed into an accumulation of huge black cubes and cylinders connected by tunnel walkways. Inside the cylinders, capsules containing human embryos hung in concentric circles. The cubes were filled with identical cells, in which adults sat completely still, not looking up from their screens, all in metallic uniform-like overalls. The lamps, cars and machinery were all gone. Everywhere, instead there were glowing panels and monitors. Very occasionally, someone stood up and touched a panel at which a shelf segment would emerge holding a cup. The individual quickly drank its contents and sat back down at the screen. Everywhere silence reigned. The only sound came from a quiet electric buzzer.

突然，電鈴停止了，燈光熄滅了。人們驚慌失措，從一個面板跑到另一個面板，不知道怎麼操作或如何重新啟動一切。完全困惑，他們走到街上，隨著目光所及的方向漫無目的地遊蕩，彼此之間沒有交流。街道逐漸空無一人，立方體和圓柱體的玻璃爆裂破碎。建築物破敗不堪，倒塌消失在沙的覆蓋之下。然後，一切都被草和樹木覆蓋，在一個洞穴裡，原始人坐在火旁，史前藝術家再次站在牆邊忙著畫狩獵場景。

Suddenly, the buzzer stopped, and the lights went out. The people panicked and rushed from panel to panel with no idea how it all worked or how to get anything started again. Completely fazed, they walked outside onto the street and wandered wherever their eyes took them without communicating with one another. The streets gradually emptied, the glass in the cubes and cylinders burst and shattered. The buildings fell into disrepair, collapsed and disappeared under a blanket of sand. Then, everything became overgrown with grass and trees and in a cave, primitive people were sitting at the fire, and again, the prehistoric artist was standing at the wall busy painting a hunting scene.

---

* * *

女神和女祭司在巨石陣附近的廣場醒來。華麗搖滾人偶的人群也在那裡，彼此互望，對周圍的一切完全不敢相信。他們的外貌恢復到以前的樣子。他們再次成為穿著灰色長袍和蠟製面孔的模型人偶。

The diva and the priestess woke up in the square near the megalith. The crowd of the glamrocks were there too, looking at one another and all around in complete disbelief. Their appearance had returned to its former image. They were mannequins once again with the same old gray robes and wax faces.

「芙蒂！那是什麼？我完全震驚了！」

“Futi! What was that? I’m in complete shock!”

「從我們看到的來判斷，我們被展示了文明的歷史，」伊特夫特笑道。

“Judging by what we saw, we were being shown the history of civilization,” laughed Itfut.

「我們的文明？！」

“Our civilization?!”

「我不知道是哪個。也許是你的，是的。看起來像是你的嗎？」 「差不多！真糟糕！那真的是我們的命運嗎？」

“I don’t know which. Maybe yours, yes. Did it look like it could be yours?” “Just about! Sux! Is that really the fate that awaits us?”

「沒有人能知道。未來不是靜態的。未來有無限的潛在版本。」

“No-one can ever know. The future isn’t static. There are infinite potential versions of the future.”

「你說的『不是靜態的』是什麼意思？」

“What do you mean ‘not static’?”

「就是這樣。未來本身並不存在。它隨著每一個現實的滑動而改變，取決於此刻發生的事情。更準確地說，潛在未來的版本在改變。如果它一直在改變，怎麼能說它實際上存在呢？」

“Just that. The future does not exist per se. It is changing in every given moment, with every slide of reality depending on what is happening in this moment. It would be more accurate to say that the version of the potential future was changing. If it is changing all the time, how can anyone say that it actually exists?”

「那麼，我們剛才被展示的是什麼？」瑪蒂爾達問。「要麼是一個潛在的結果，要麼是已經發生在過去文明中的事情，」伊特夫特回答。「地球上有過很多不同的文明，可能還會有更多。」

“So, what was it that we were being shown just now?” asked Matilda. “Either a potential outcome or something that has already happened in a past civilization,” answered Itfut. “There have been lots of different civilizations on the Earth and there will probably be many more to come.”

「哦，芙蒂，這太像我們了！我是說，真的，超級相似！我好害怕！」

“Oh, Futi, this is so like us! I mean really, super-similar! I’m scared!”

「蒂莉，你忘了你在哪裡嗎？你得先回家，才能真正感到害怕。」

“Tili, have you forgotten where you are? You’d have to return home first before you could really be afraid.”

「那和你的文明有什麼相似之處嗎？」

“Was it anything like your civilization?”

「不，我們不發明機械和屏幕。我們走的是不同的道路。」 「是的，我看得出來。我想去你的世界看看。我現在害怕回家了。我曾經以為我們會在戰爭中自我毀滅，但事實證明，這遠不是最糟糕的事情。」

“No, we don’t invent mechanisms and screens. Ours is a different path.” “Yes, I can see that. I want to visit your world. I’m scared of returning home, now. I used to think we would annihilate ourselves in a war, but it turns out that’s far from the worst thing that could happen.”

「蒂莉，事情不一定會像我們剛才看到的那樣發展。沒有人確切知道真正的未來會是什麼樣子。」

“Tili, it’s not a fact that things will unfold as we’ve just been shown. No-one knows exactly what the real future will look like.”

「連鏡子也不知道？」

“Even the mirror?”

「連鏡子也不知道，連鏡子也不知道！正如我所說，我們看到的圖像可能是來自不同過去的圖像。」

“Even the mirror, even the mirror! And as I said, the images we saw could have been images from a different past.”

「芙蒂，我們甚至不知道我們來自哪裡。你是來自未來而我是來自過去，還是反過來？或者等等，如果如你所說，沒有未來，那麼你是來自過去，還是我是？現在我完全糊塗了。」

“Futi, we don’t even know where we are from. Are you from the future and I from the past or is it the other way around? Or wait, if as you say, there is no future, are you from the past, or am I? Now I’m totally confused.”

「蒂莉，你想得太多了。未來和過去都不存在於事實中。存在的只有現在，當前的滑動。你和我來自不同的影片卷，恰好在當前的滑動中重合。你只是認為某些事情發生在具體的過去，因為你的記憶附著在某個影片卷上。對我來說也是一樣。但實際上，我們的影片卷，也就是說，我們的過去和我們可能的未來版本同時存在，並具有相同的潛力。」

“Tili, you’re overthinking it. Neither the future nor the past exists as fact. All that exists is the present, the current slide. You and I arrived here from different film rolls that happened to coincide in the current slide. You only think that such and such happened in a concrete past because your memory is attached to a certain film roll. It’s the same for me. But in actual fact, our film rolls, that is, our past and the versions of our possible futures exist simultaneously and with equal potentiality.”

「所以，你是說過去也有無限的潛在版本？」

“So, you’re saying that there are infinite potential versions of the past, too?”

「當然。如果有許多潛在的未來，那麼過去更是如此。」

“Of course. If there are many potential futures, then this is all the more so of the past.”

「你說的『更是如此』是什麼意思？」

“What do you mean by ’all the more so’?”

「因為未來從過去中產生。未來的範圍由過去的範圍決定。」

“Because the future emerges from the past. The range of the future is defined by the range of the past.”

「但如果我記得某些事情發生過，那它一定是真實的，對吧？例如，你和我在這裡相遇。那不可能沒有發生過吧？肯定不會是我們記得發生過的事情其實沒有發生過吧？」

“But if I can remember that such and such a thing happened, then it must have been real, right? You and I met here for example. That can’t not have taken place? Surely it can’t be that what we remember as having happened did not actually take place?”

「嗯，不是也不是，」伊特夫特嘆息道。

“Well, no and yes,” sighed Itfut.

「芙蒂！」瑪蒂爾達不耐煩地喊道。「解釋一下！」

“Futi!” exclaimed Matilda impatiently. “Explain!”

「不——！我唯一能確定的是，過去和未來是虛擬的。只有現在，當下，是真正物理上發生的。」

“No-o-o! All I can say for certain is that the past and the future are virtual. Only the present, the now, is actually physically happening.”

「但那個現在已經發生並消失在過去。而且它發生了？這必須意味著它是真實的。」

“But that now has already happened and disappeared into the past. And it happened? Which must mean it was real.”

「是，也不是。」

“Yes and no.”

「芙蒂！你快把我逼瘋了！我自己也快瘋了！」

“Futi! You’re driving me crazy! I’m driving myself crazy!”

「蒂莉，蒂莉，冷靜下來。只是因為你不理解某件事，並不意味著你要開始發瘋。我也無法完全理解過去、現在和未來的本質。事實上，沒有人能。最重要的問題實際上是：當前的畫面是什麼？正在發生的現在是什麼？它由什麼構成？它究竟是什麼？」

“Tili, Tili, calm down. Just because you don’t understand something isn’t any reason to start going crazy. I can’t fully comprehend the nature of the past, the present and the future either. In truth, nobody can. The most important question is in fact this: what is the current frame? What is the present that is taking place? What is it made of? What is it really?”

「我以前從未這樣想過。它只是存在，就這樣。我能看到和感受到它，這意味著它存在。而且存在過。」

“I’ve never thought about it like that before. It just exists, that’s all. I can see it and feel it, which means it exists. And existed.”

「你在夢中也能看到和感受到一切，但告訴我這個：你的夢中的事件真的發生了嗎？」

“You can see and feel everything in a dream, too, but tell me this: did the events of your dream really take place?”

瑪蒂爾達愣住了一會兒，驚訝地張著嘴。

Matilda was still for a moment, open-mouthed in surprise as what she had heard.

「但等等，我從未從夢中帶回任何事件的物質證據，但在清醒的現實中，如果我打破一個杯子，碎片都在那裡讓我看到。」

“But hang on, I have never brought any material proof of events back from a dream with me but in waking reality, if I break a cup, the broken pieces are all lying there for me to see.”

「蒂莉，蒂莉！那麼現在你過去的物質證據在哪裡呢，實際上物理上發生過的？」

“Tili, Tili! Where right now is the material proof of your past that actually physically took place?”

瑪蒂爾達再次困惑地張開下巴。

Matilda’s jaw dropped in confusion again.

「芙蒂，你讓我失去了思路。這是我的蝴蝶結，我的衣服，還有我自己！」

“Futi, you’re making me lose my thread. There’s my bow, my clothes, and there’s me!”

「但你在夢中也是物理存在的，在你的意識中，你感受到你的衣服，甚至是你的身體。所以你的夢真的發生了嗎？」

“But you’re physically present in a dream, too, and in your consciousness, you feel your clothes and even your body. So did your dream actually take place or not?”

「嗯，是，也不是……」

“Well, yes and no...”

「明白我的意思了吧！就是這樣，蒂莉，就是這樣！」

“See what I mean! Exactly, Tili, exactly!”

「但我還是不明白。你完全把我搞糊塗了。我不明白你怎麼能說過去存在，同時又說它不存在。」

“But I still don’t get it. You’ve completely confused me. I don’t understand how you can say that the past existed and at the same time, that it didn’t.”

「你對過去的所有記憶都取決於你記憶與你當前影片卷的聯繫，對於所有其他在其中的角色也是如此。過去發生的任何證據只是因為它之前在影片卷上以虛擬的方式存在而在當前的滑動中物質化；但這並不意味著這些證據在過去以物理形式實際物質化，因為每個影片卷都有無限的潛力範圍。」

“All your memories of the past depend on your memory’s bond with your own current film roll and the same goes for all the other people who are characters in it. Any proof of what happened in the past is only materialized in the current slide because it was previously present on a film roll in a virtual sense; but it’s no fact that this evidence was actually materialized in the past in physical form since every film roll has an infinite range of potentials.”

「但我的記憶與過去的一個版本有關，而不是無限多個版本！」

“But my memories relate to one version of the past, not an infinite number of them!”

「你的當前滑動在任何給定時刻只能存在於一個影片卷上。你記得的過去與你現在播放的影片卷有關；但你記得的，或者你認為你記得的，只是過去的一個潛在版本。無論如何，過去的物質證據是這樣的，一切總是趨向於匯聚。」

“Your current slide can only be present in any given moment on one film roll. You remember a past that is connected to the film roll you are playing now; but what you remember, or what you think you remember is just one potential version of the past. Be that as it may, the material evidence of the past is such that everything tends to converge anyway.”

「是的，但它並不總是匯聚，不是嗎，芙蒂！」瑪蒂爾達驚呼。「我曾經讀到過一個超自然現象，其中過去的人出現在我們的時代，沒有人能理解這是怎麼發生的。訪客們無法解釋他們是如何來到這裡的，他們甚至帶著自己歷史時期的物品。整件事都有記錄，但即便如此，少有人相信。他們無法幫助他們，他們的故事很快就被遺忘了。」

“Yes, but it doesn’t always converge, does it Futi!” exclaimed Matilda. “I once read about a paranormal phenomenon, in which people from the past appeared in our time and no one could understand how it had happened. The visitors could not explain how they had arrived here, and they even had belongings with them from their own historical period. The whole thing was documented but even then, few believed it. There was nothing they could do to help them, and their story was soon forgotten.”

「而那些人能記得他們的過去，就像它真的發生過一樣，即使它不是你影片卷過去的一部分？」

“And those people could remember their past, like it really happened even though it wasn’t part of your film roll’s past?”

「好啊！」

“Yes!”

「好吧，你看到了吧！有時候影片卷會混合和交錯。就像我們的那樣。」

“Well, there you are, you see! Sometimes the rolls get mixed up and intersect. Just as ours did.”

「感謝上帝我們相遇了，否則我們會在這裡迷失且孤獨！你說得對，我們不僅不能絕對地說是或不是關於過去，我們也不能確定什麼是虛擬的，什麼是現在真實的。」

“Thank God that we met otherwise we’d have been lost here and all alone! You’re right, not only can we say categorically yes or no about the past, but we can’t be sure what is virtual and what is real now.”

「是的，」伊特夫特說。「一切又回到了物理現實和夢境之間的區別問題上。」

“Yes,” said Itfut. “Once again, it all comes down to the question of where the difference lies between physical reality and a dream.”

「當我們找到答案時，我們就能離開這裡嗎？」

“And when we find the answer, we’ll be able to get out of here?”

「我不知道。也許在那之前我們就能做到。但你看，那邊，華麗搖滾人偶似乎想問我們什麼。」

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll be able to before that. But see, over there, looks like the glamrocks want to ask us something.”

現實萬花筒

Reality Kaleidoscope

天后、女祭司和那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)走近了鏡子，或者更精確地說，是那道將清醒現實和這虛構現實隔開的無形牆。牆存在的唯一跡象，就是從岩石荒地突然過渡至滿是青草的區域。而在鏡子的另一側，標準畫面仍在播放：海浪拍打著沙灘、棕櫚樹的樹葉隨風搖曳。至少在這裡，在元現實（meta-reality）的這一邊，陽光正從Matilda「創造」的太陽中散發出射線。於是，兩個太陽對稱地懸掛在蔚藍的天空中，一顆在那片天空裡，一顆在這裡。

The diva, the priestess and the glamrocks approached the mirror, or more precisely, the invisible wall that separated waking reality from this imaginary reality. The only hint of the wall’s presence was the abrupt shift from rocky wasteland to grassy cover. In the mirror, on the other side, the standard screen was playing as before: ocean waves rolling onto a sandy beach and palm trees with their leaves swaying in the wind. At least here, on the side of meta-reality, there was sunshine radiating from the sun Matilda had ‘created’. So, two suns hung symmetrically in the blue expanse, a sun in that sky and a sun in this one.

當那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)看到眼前展開的畫面時，變得極為激動。

Seeing the picture that opened up before them, the glamrocks became extremely agitated.

「好大啊！好大啊！」他們驚呼著，「好大啊！好大啊！」顯然，他們從未見過這樣的海景。

“Big much! Big much!” they shouted in surprise. “Big much! Big much!” They had evidently never seen the seascape before.

「是的，大海。真的是海水滾滾。」Matilda認同道，「這就是海。所以，你們是第一次見到它嗎？你們不是說過之前來過這裡？」

“Yes, big water. Much water.” Matilda agreed. “This is the sea. So, is this the first time you see it? You said, you’d been here before?”

那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)回答：「我們來過，我們來過，但那時並不是這樣，不是這樣的！」

“We have, we have,” the glamrocks replied. “But it wasn’t like this, it wasn’t like this!”

「那當時是怎樣的？」

“What was it like then?”

「一堵牆！世界的邊緣！天空中有堵牆！」

“A wall! The edge of the world! A wall in the sky!”

「這真奇怪，」Matilda說。

“That’s weird,” said Matilda.

「是啊，真是奇怪得很，」Itfut說，「聽起來他們好像看見了一堵牆，四面八方延伸，直通整個天空。」

“Yes, it’s strangely-strange,” said Itfut. “It sounds like they saw a wall here that ran in all directions and up through the entire sky.”

「它依然橫亙整個廣闊空間，只不過變得透明了。」Matilda走近鏡子，輕觸那無形的表面。

“It’s still running through the entire expanse, it’s just that it’s transparent.” Matilda approached the mirror and touched its invisible surface.

「沒了！牆不見了！」那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)自信地喊道，「快走那邊！」

“It’s gone. There’s no wall!” said the glamrocks confidently. “Let’s go over there!”

「不，等等！住手！」Matilda向他們喊道，「看看鏡子！你們能看到自己的倒影嗎？」

“No, wait! Stop!” Matilda shouted at them. “Look in the mirror! Can you see your reflection?”

「Tili，快看！他們完全沒有倒影！」Itfut驚呼道。

“Tili, look! They have no reflection!” exclaimed Itfut.

的確如此。天后和女祭司的倒影雖然有點模糊，卻依然可見；而那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)卻完全沒有倒影。

It was true. The reflections of the diva and the priestess, although hazy, were still visible, whereas the glamrocks had no reflection whatsoever.

「也許這裡的角色本來就不該有倒影？」Matilda自語道。

“Maybe the characters here aren’t supposed to be reflected?” Matilda said, thinking aloud.

「或許吧，」Itfut說，「如果他們只是純粹的原型，那麼在那邊的現實中，他們就沒有任何物質自我。」

“Maybe,” said Itfut. “If they’re pure prototypes, then they have no physical self in reality, on the other side.”

那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)迫不及待地想朝大海奔去，先前對‘世界邊緣’的那股‘Aboo’恐懼早已消失得無影無蹤。

The glamrocks were impatient to run towards the sea. All trace of the former ‘aboo’ in relation to the ‘edge of the world’ had vanished.

「我們要走那邊！」他們喊道，「快走那邊！」

“We want to go over there!” they said. “Let’s go over there!”

Matilda說：「我們都想去大海，但你們過不去啊，笨蛋！」 「讓他們試試看吧。」Itfut建議道。

“We all want to go to the sea,” said Matilda, “but you can’t get through, silly!” “Let them try.” Itfut suggested.

那些野蠻人不再關注他們的 mana，反而被眼前壯麗的風景吸引，紛紛向前衝去，彷彿那堵牆根本不存在。天后與女祭司本以為會看到他們的額頭撞上牆面，卻發生了完全出乎意料的事。

The savages were no longer paying any attention to their manas. Attracted by the stunning scenery, they rushed forward as if the wall simply did not exist. The diva and the priestess prepared themselves to see the lugs thudding their foreheads up against the wall but something else altogether unexpected happened instead.

那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)紛紛一個接一個走進牆中，頓時消失得無影無蹤；對面也找不到他們的蹤跡。片刻之後，他們又好似鏡中倒影般倒退著走出牆外。

One after the other, the glamrocks walked into the wall and disappeared without trace. There was no sign of them on the other side either. A moment later, they began exiting the wall walking backwards as if they were a mirror reflection.

唯有他們的形象徹底改變了——變成了穿著文藝復興時期服飾的男女。女人們穿著華麗、裙擺飽滿的長裙，而男人則著緊身褲和絲質短外套。

Only their appearance had changed entirely. They had transformed into men and women dressed in Renaissance period costumes. The women were wearing luxurious dresses with full skirts, and the men were in hose and silk doublets.

所有人皆戴著假髮，女子的假髮高挑而光潔，男子則是烏黑捲曲。臉部則隱藏在鍍金面具之後，上面飾有珐琅圖紋。整個場景猶如兩位朋友曾在現實鏡中觀賞過的戲劇表演，不過這次演出移轉到了鏡子的這一側，而天后與女祭司正置身於熱鬧表演的中心。(Note:此處描述與之前劇院場景呼應)

They were all wearing wigs, the women’s high and fair, the mens’ dark and styled in curls. Their faces were hidden behind gold-plated masks decorated in enamel designs. The scene resembled the theatrical performance which the two friends had already seen in the mirror of reality, only now the performance was transferred to this side of the mirror and the diva and the priestess were bang in the middle of the action.

某處正悠揚地傳來大鍵琴樂聲，自然的日光被昏暗燈光取代，岩石地面彷彿變成了木質舞台的表面。舞者們依序成行面對而立，開始了一曲小步舞：男子優雅地鞠躬，女子則手持團扇作出優雅躬身禮。舞伴們先分散再重聚，接著雙手掌心相合，以緩慢節奏旋轉。整個場景與Matilda劇院中所見無異，唯獨服裝顯得更為古典莊重，沒有現場攝影組，而天后替身也缺席。與此同時，鏡中畫面依舊：大海仍以慵懶的波浪推向沙灘。(Note: 「Transurfing」相關背景未翻譯)

Somewhere harpsichord music was playing. The natural light of day was replaced by dim lighting, and the rocky ground had transformed into the surface of a wooden stage. The couples lined up in rows facing each other and began to dance a minuet. The men made graceful bows, and the women bobbed in elegant curtsies holding their fans open. The couples moved away from each other and then came back together again. Next, palm to palm, they turned in a slow rhythm. Everything was just the same as it was in Matilda’s theatre, the only difference being that the costumes were classical and dignified, there was no film crew and the diva-understudy were absent. In the meantime, the image in the mirror remained unchanged: the sea continued to drive its phlegmatic waves into the shore.

天后與女祭司默然注視著這一切，彼此驚異對望。最終，Itfut低聲道，

The diva and the priestess watched the scene in silence glancing at each other in amazement. Finally, Itfut managed to whisper,

「Tili，這又是你使出的花招嗎？是你的夢嗎？」

“Tili, is this another one of your tricks? Your dream?”

Matilda低語回答：「這根本與我無關，一切都是自然而然發生的。」

“This is nothing at all to do with me,” whispered Matilda in response. “It’s happening by itself.”

「那我實在完全不懂究竟發生了什麼。」

“Then I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.”

「我也一樣。」

“Me neither.”

片刻之後，音樂節奏突然加快，舞者們迅速組成一個圓圈，隨著旋轉速度逐漸加快。他們的身體彷彿置於一個巨大的旋轉碗中，逐漸溶解於稀薄的空氣中。整個畫面隨即扭曲成一陣旋風，發出越來越響亮的轟鳴聲……隨後突然平息，轉化為一團團帶有綠色調的霧氣。在這變幻莫測的過程中，天后與女祭司始終靜止不動，冷然觀望著。

A moment later, the rhythm of the music began to quicken, and the dancers arranged themselves in a circle moving faster and faster. Their bodies gradually melted and dissolved into thin air as if they had been placed in some gigantic turning bowl. The whole scene twisted into a whirlwind that gave out a growing rumble... and suddenly it subsided transforming into clubs of green-tinted fog. In the midst of the metamorphosis, the diva and the priestess remained motionless, dispassionate observers.

不久後，霧氣散去，展現出全新的景象：一處洞穴內燈光昏暗、僅依靠火光照明，原始生物披著獸皮圍坐共食。這些生物用餐完畢後便各自從事簡單的勞作，有的縫補獸皮，有的製作工具。其中一人正在牆上描繪帶角動物。忽然，那幅圖像竟栩栩如生，開始運動並奔跑起來；洞頂與牆面隨後展開，變成一片寬闊的風光。

Soon, the fog dissipated and revealed a new scene in which there was a cave lit dimly by the flames of a fire and primitive beings dressed in animal skins sitting and eating together. The beings finished their meal and set about simple tasks, sewing from animal skins and making tools. One was drawing horned animals on the wall. The images suddenly came to life, began to move, and broke into a run. The dome and walls of the cave unfurled into an open landscape.

到處可見草原綿延無際，直達天邊，零星還有野生獸群在放牧。不遠處草叢中，數個人持矛潛伏。獵人突然衝出，投擲矛尖，獸群隨即狂奔逃竄。數隻受傷的動物倒下，被剝皮取肉。這些人將肉運入洞內，在火上翻炒，並忙於其他家務，同時一位藝術家在洞壁上描繪出狩獵場景。

Everywhere, the steppe stretched from horizon to horizon, and here and there wild herds grazed. In the grasses, not far away, humans lurked with spears. The hunters jumped out, hurled their spears, and the herd broke into a gallop. Several wounded animals fell, were skinned, the meat cut from the carcasses. The humans carried the meat into the cave, fried it on the fire, and went about their other domestic tasks while the artist painted a hunting scene on the cave wall.

那幅畫面再度活躍起來，洞穴也隨之展開成為一幅開闊草原的景象。

This image came to life and the cave unfurled once again into an image of the open steppe.

此次，牧羊人穿著粗糙的羊毛衣，引導著成群的羊隻，沿途漫步，催促動物前行。

This time, flocks of sheep were being herded by shepherds dressed in coarse woolen clothing, who wandered about driving the animals ahead of them.

附近矗立著以木樁和獸皮建造的原始房屋。屋內婦女忙於照料孩童，有的編織手工藝品，有的烹調美食。一位薩滿圍著火堆敲鼓起舞，一位老人則在獸皮上繪製符號；這些符號突然活躍起來、開始移動，而那塊獸皮也隨之展開，化作一片廣闊草甸。

Nearby there stood primitive looking dwellings built from poles and skins. Inside, the women were busy with the children, some making crafts, others cooking. A shaman danced around the fire beating a drum. An old man was drawing symbols on a piece of animal skin and these symbols came to life, began to move, and the piece of hide expanded unfolding into a vast meadow.

身著麻布衣服的農民正用鐮刀收割麥穗，將稈子束成捆。收穫的糧食被裝進牛拉馬車，運往水車旁磨成麵包。隨後，景象突然變幻，直到出現一座由柱子和大理石像構成的古老神廟；奴隸們抬著大瓮，將其裝載上停泊於港口的船隻。此時，一位哲人正於砂中刻劃幾何圖形。

The people working in the field dressed in linen garments were reaping wheat with sickles and gathering the stems into sheaves. The harvest was being loaded into wagons pulled by oxen and then driven to a water mill and made into bread. The space shifted and changed until an ancient temple with pillars and marble statues appeared; slaves were carrying amphorae, loading them onto ships moored in a harbor. A philosopher was marking geometric shapes in the sand.

那哲人所繪的圖像逐漸拔地而起，變得宏大寬廣，最終形成了一座中世紀風格的城市。(Note: 此段呈現從原始社會向文明過渡的意象)

His figures rose, grew and expanded into a medieval city.

然後，狹窄的小巷、石牆和瓦屋頂陸續映入眼簾。一個陶工正坐在陶輪旁，用心雕琢著陶器；一位鐵匠手持錘子與鐵砧忙於工作；市集廣場上，商販們熱情叫賣著各種商品；一隊穿著盔甲、揹著長矛與旗幟的騎士馬隊正騎入城堡。城門敞開，城堡內是一個庭院，裡面座落著一輛馬車上的貴婦。城堡內的一個牢房中，一位煉金術士圍繞著各式玻璃管和燒瓶，正忙著在書中記錄下某些內容；那書頁翻動間發出沙沙之聲，瞬間展現出一幅全新現實的圖景。

Then narrow streets, stone walls and tile roofs came into view. A potter was sitting at a wheel, sculpting a ceramic vessel. A blacksmith was working with a hammer and anvil. Traders were selling their wares in the market square. A group of mounted knights dressed in armor and carrying spears and flags rode into a castle. The gates were raised, and inside there was a courtyard in which ladies in luxurious gowns were sitting in a coach. In a cell inside the castle, an alchemist surrounded by glass tubes and flasks was scribbling something down in a book. The pages rustled and surged upwards opening up a new picture of reality.

一名工人站在織布機前，工作坊中多台織布機齊聲運作，喧囂如雷。高聳的煙囪從工廠樓宇間冒出濃煙不斷；一列火車呼嘯著沿著軌道行駛，牽引著貨車，最終抵達車站；紳士淑女們紛紛下車；港口中，碼頭工人攀爬著梯子，提著麻袋和箱子；碼頭上正有船隻在建造，一艘蒸汽船冒著煙霧駛出港口；一位學者站在黑板旁，用粉筆書寫著，黑板上壓滿了令人費解的公式——這些潦草的筆記逐漸變得愈加複雜，隨後開始扭曲、飛離黑板，整個場景旋即轉變成布滿星辰的宇宙，然後又瞬間回到地球上。

A worker was standing at a loom. There were many looms in the workshop, all making a great noise. Chimneys rose above the factory buildings belching out smoke. A locomotive came hurtling along the tracks pulling wagons behind it and arrived at a station. Ladies and gentlemen alighted the carriages. Dockers in a port were climbing up a ladder carrying sacks and crates. Ships were being built in the docks. A steamboat smoked coming out of the harbor. A scholar stood beside a blackboard on which he was writing something in chalk. The board was peppered with mind-bending formulas. The scribblings were becoming all the more complex, and then started to bend and fly off the board. The scene began to twist transforming into a star-studded cosmos before immediately returning to Earth.

那座大都市燈火輝煌，高樓大廈閃爍著光芒；街道上車流不斷，行人穿梭於被發光屏幕包圍的街巷之中；公寓和辦公室裡，人們各自在屏幕前忙碌；工廠車間內，一條自動化的輸送帶正在運作，身著白大褂的工人站在控制面板前，而每處都可見閃爍的燈泡與運動的機械零件；一位科學家坐在電腦前操作著複雜圖表與三維投影，而這些投影延伸到建築外，將整個景象覆蓋籠罩。

The metropolis burned with the lights of high-rise buildings; the roads were crowded with a continuous stream of cars, and passers-by walked through the streets buried in luminous screens. There were apartment buildings and offices in which people sat in front of other screens. There was an assembly conveyor in a factory workshop. Workers in white coats were standing at a control panel and everywhere there were flashing bulbs and moving machinery parts. A scientist sitting at a computer screen was manipulating complex diagrams and 3D projections. The projections extended outside the building and enveloped the entire scene.

接著，大都市景觀轉變為由巨大的黑色立方體與圓柱體堆砌而成，並以隧道式步行通道相連。圓柱體內，懸掛著包含人體胚胎的膠囊，呈同心圓排列；立方體內充滿了千篇一律的細胞，成年人就安靜地坐在其中，目不轉睛地盯著屏幕，身穿如同金屬制服般的一致工作服。路燈、汽車和機械皆不見蹤影，到處只剩下發光的控制板與顯示器。極少時，有人會起身觸碰一塊控制板，隨後伸出一段置物架，架上放著一只杯子；該人迅速喝下杯中液體，再恢復坐姿。四周一片寂靜，僅有低沉的電子蜂鳴器聲在響起。

The metropolis then transformed into an accumulation of huge black cubes and cylinders connected by tunnel walkways. Inside the cylinders, capsules containing human embryos hung in concentric circles. The cubes were filled with identical cells, in which adults sat completely still, not looking up from their screens, all in metallic uniform-like overalls. The lamps, cars and machinery were all gone. Everywhere, instead there were glowing panels and monitors. Very occasionally, someone stood up and touched a panel at which a shelf segment would emerge holding a cup. The individual quickly drank its contents and sat back down at the screen. Everywhere silence reigned. The only sound came from a quiet electric buzzer.

突然間，蜂鳴器停止了，燈光隨之熄滅。人們驚慌失措，匆忙從一塊控制板奔向另一塊，對如何操作及如何重新啟動一切毫無頭緒。徹底迷茫之下，他們走到街上，漫無目的地四處徘徊，彼此間無溝通。街道逐漸空無一人，立方體與圓柱體內的玻璃破裂碎裂，建築物也隨之破敗、坍塌，最終消失於覆蓋著沙層的遼闊荒原中。隨後，一切又被茂密的草木覆蓋；在一個洞穴內，原始人圍坐在火堆旁，而那位史前藝術家又重新站在牆邊，忙著描繪狩獵場景。

Suddenly, the buzzer stopped, and the lights went out. The people panicked and rushed from panel to panel with no idea how it all worked or how to get anything started again. Completely fazed, they walked outside onto the street and wandered wherever their eyes took them without communicating with one another. The streets gradually emptied, the glass in the cubes and cylinders burst and shattered. The buildings fell into disrepair, collapsed and disappeared under a blanket of sand. Then, everything became overgrown with grass and trees and in a cave, primitive people were sitting at the fire, and again, the prehistoric artist was standing at the wall busy painting a hunting scene.

---

* * *

天后與女祭司在巨石旁的廣場醒來，那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)也在那裡，四周環顧，彼此對視，難以置信。他們的形象恢復如初，重又變回那傳統的模特兒——穿著舊式灰袍、面如蠟像。

The diva and the priestess woke up in the square near the megalith. The crowd of the glamrocks were there too, looking at one another and all around in complete disbelief. Their appearance had returned to its former image. They were mannequins once again with the same old gray robes and wax faces.

「Futi！剛才那究竟是什麼？我真是大為震驚！」

“Futi! What was that? I’m in complete shock!”

「從我們所見來看，似乎正展示著文明的歷史呢，」Itfut笑道。

“Judging by what we saw, we were being shown the history of civilization,” laughed Itfut.

「我們的文明？！」

“Our civilization?!”

「我不知道是哪一個，也許是你的，對。看起來可能就是你的吧？」 「差不多吧！真糟糕！這就是命中注定要等著我們的命運嗎？」

“I don’t know which. Maybe yours, yes. Did it look like it could be yours?” “Just about! Sux! Is that really the fate that awaits us?”

「沒有人能真正預知，未來並非靜止不變，而是擁有無限可能的版本。」

“No-one can ever know. The future isn’t static. There are infinite potential versions of the future.”

「你所謂的不靜止是什麼意思？」

“What do you mean ‘not static’?”

「就是這樣。未來本身並不存在，它在每一刻都不斷變化，每一次現實的滑移，都取決於當下所發生的事。如果總是在變，又有誰能說它真實存在呢？」

“Just that. The future does not exist per se. It is changing in every given moment, with every slide of reality depending on what is happening in this moment. It would be more accurate to say that the version of the potential future was changing. If it is changing all the time, how can anyone say that it actually exists?”

「那麼，我們剛才被展示的到底是什麼？」Matilda問道，「要么是一種潛在的結果，要么是過去某個文明曾發生過的事，」Itfut回答，「地球上曾誕生過許多不同的文明，未來可能還會有更多。」

“So, what was it that we were being shown just now?” asked Matilda. “Either a potential outcome or something that has already happened in a past civilization,” answered Itfut. “There have been lots of different civilizations on the Earth and there will probably be many more to come.”

「哦，Futi，這真是太像我們了！我是說，真的，超級相似！我好害怕！」

“Oh, Futi, this is so like us! I mean really, super-similar! I’m scared!”

「Tili，你忘了自己身在何處嗎？你必須先回家，才能真正感受到恐懼。」

“Tili, have you forgotten where you are? You’d have to return home first before you could really be afraid.”

「那跟你的文明有一點像嗎？」

“Was it anything like your civilization?”

「不，我們不發明那種機械裝置和螢幕，我們走的是另一條路。」 「對，我看得出來。我想去參觀你的世界。現在我反而害怕回家了。曾經我以為我們會在戰爭中自取滅亡，但事實上，那遠不是最糟的情況。」

“No, we don’t invent mechanisms and screens. Ours is a different path.” “Yes, I can see that. I want to visit your world. I’m scared of returning home, now. I used to think we would annihilate ourselves in a war, but it turns out that’s far from the worst thing that could happen.”

「Tili，事情並不一定會如我們剛才所見的那樣展開，沒有人能準確預知真正的未來是什麼模樣。」

“Tili, it’s not a fact that things will unfold as we’ve just been shown. No-one knows exactly what the real future will look like.”

「連鏡子裡的也一樣？」

“Even the mirror?”

「連鏡子裡的都一樣，連鏡子裡的都一樣！正如我所說，我們看到的畫面可能是來自另一個不同的過去。」

“Even the mirror, even the mirror! And as I said, the images we saw could have been images from a different past.”

「Futi，我們甚至不知道自己究竟來自哪裡。你是來自未來，我是來自過去，還是反過來？或者，等一下，如果像你說的那樣，根本就沒有未來，那你是來自過去，還是我呢？現在我真的完全糊塗了。」

“Futi, we don’t even know where we are from. Are you from the future and I from the past or is it the other way around? Or wait, if as you say, there is no future, are you from the past, or am I? Now I’m totally confused.”

「Tili，你別想太多。既沒有未來也沒有過去是既定不變的事實，存在的只有當下——當前的 Slide (Slide)。(Note: ‘Slide’ 後加原文) 你和我是從不同的膠卷中抵達這裡，而這些膠卷正好在當前的 Slide 上重合。你以為某件事具體發生於過去，只因你的記憶緊扣在某個膠卷上，我對此也是一樣。但實際上，我們的膠卷，也就是我們的過去及所有可能未來的版本，是同時存在且具備同等潛能的。」

“Tili, you’re overthinking it. Neither the future nor the past exists as fact. All that exists is the present, the current slide. You and I arrived here from different film rolls that happened to coincide in the current slide. You only think that such and such happened in a concrete past because your memory is attached to a certain film roll. It’s the same for me. But in actual fact, our film rolls, that is, our past and the versions of our possible futures exist simultaneously and with equal potentiality.”

「所以，你是說過去也存在無限潛在版本？」

“So, you’re saying that there are infinite potential versions of the past, too?”

「當然。如果未來有無數潛在版本，那麼過去更是如此。」

“Of course. If there are many potential futures, then this is all the more so of the past.”

「你所謂的‘更是如此’到底是什麼意思？」

“What do you mean by ’all the more so’?”

「因為未來是從過去中孕育而來。未來的範圍正是由過去的範圍來定義的。」

“Because the future emerges from the past. The range of the future is defined by the range of the past.”

「但如果我能記得某件事真的發生過，那它就一定是真實的，對吧？譬如說，你和我在這裡相遇，這肯定發生過，難道我們記得的事情就可以從未發生過嗎？」

“But if I can remember that such and such a thing happened, then it must have been real, right? You and I met here for example. That can’t not have taken place? Surely it can’t be that what we remember as having happened did not actually take place?”

「嗯，既不能全然說沒有，也不能全然說有。」 Itfut嘆道。

“Well, no and yes,” sighed Itfut.

「Futi！」 Matilda不耐煩地叫道，「解釋一下！」

“Futi!” exclaimed Matilda impatiently. “Explain!”

「不不不！我唯一可以確定的是，過去與未來均屬虛擬，只有當下，也就是現在，才真正在物理上發生。」

“No-o-o! All I can say for certain is that the past and the future are virtual. Only the present, the now, is actually physically happening.”

「但那個‘現在’已經發生過，並消逝於過去。既然它曾發生，那就意味著它是真實的。」

“But that now has already happened and disappeared into the past. And it happened? Which must mean it was real.”

「有也可以說沒有。」

“Yes and no.”

「Futi！你快把我逼瘋了！我自己也快瘋了！」

“Futi! You’re driving me crazy! I’m driving myself crazy!”

「Tili，Tili，冷靜點。只是因為你不理解某件事，並不足以讓你失去理智。我也無法完全理解過去、現在與未來的本質，事實上，沒有人能夠做到。最重要的問題實際上是：當前的框架究竟是什麼？正在發生的‘現在’是什麼？它由什麼構成？它究竟是真正的什麼？」 (Note: 「現在」這裡指當下正在發生的一切)

“Tili, Tili, calm down. Just because you don’t understand something isn’t any reason to start going crazy. I can’t fully comprehend the nature of the past, the present and the future either. In truth, nobody can. The most important question is in fact this: what is the current frame? What is the present that is taking place? What is it made of? What is it really?”

「我以前從未這樣思考過。它就這樣存在著，僅此而已。我能看見，也能感受到，這意味著它存在，而且曾經真實存在過。」

“I’ve never thought about it like that before. It just exists, that’s all. I can see it and feel it, which means it exists. And existed.”

「你在夢中也能看見和感受到一切，但告訴我，你的夢中那些事件真的發生過嗎？」

“You can see and feel everything in a dream, too, but tell me this: did the events of your dream really take place?”

Matilda頓時愣住了，目瞪口呆，驚訝地聽著這番話。

Matilda was still for a moment, open-mouthed in surprise as what she had heard.

「但等一下，我從未能從夢中帶回任何事件的物質證據；而在清醒的現實中，如果我打破一個杯子，破碎的殘片就會清楚地留在那裡等著我看。」

“But hang on, I have never brought any material proof of events back from a dream with me but in waking reality, if I break a cup, the broken pieces are all lying there for me to see.”

「Tili，Tili！你看看，現在哪裡有實際發生過的過去的物質證據？」

“Tili, Tili! Where right now is the material proof of your past that actually physically took place?”

Matilda再次驚愕得張大了嘴，滿臉困惑。

Matilda’s jaw dropped in confusion again.

「Futi，你讓我完全抓不住線頭。看，那是我的弓、我的衣服，而還有我！」

“Futi, you’re making me lose my thread. There’s my bow, my clothes, and there’s me!”

「但你在夢中同樣擁有肉體存在，在你的意識中，你能感受到你的衣服，甚至你的身體。所以，你的夢到底是真實發生了，還是沒有？」

“But you’re physically present in a dream, too, and in your consciousness, you feel your clothes and even your body. So did your dream actually take place or not?”

「嗯，有也可以說沒有……」

“Well, yes and no...”

「你明白我的意思吧！正是如此，Tili，正是如此！」

“See what I mean! Exactly, Tili, exactly!”

「但我還是不明白，你把我弄得一團糟，我無法理解你怎麼能同時說過去存在，又說過去不存在。」

“But I still don’t get it. You’ve completely confused me. I don’t understand how you can say that the past existed and at the same time, that it didn’t.”

「你所有關於過去的記憶，都依附於你當前膠卷的記憶連結，其它作為角色的人也是如此。任何有關過去真相的證據，只在當前的 Slide (Slide) 中具現，因為那證據曾在某個膠卷上以虛擬方式存在；而且並非一定證明這證據曾在過去以物理形態實現，畢竟每個膠卷都蘊含著無限潛能。」

“All your memories of the past depend on your memory’s bond with your own current film roll and the same goes for all the other people who are characters in it. Any proof of what happened in the past is only materialized in the current slide because it was previously present on a film roll in a virtual sense; but it’s no fact that this evidence was actually materialized in the past in physical form since every film roll has an infinite range of potentials.”

「可是，我的記憶只和一個版本的過去相關，而不是無限個版本！」

“But my memories relate to one version of the past, not an infinite number of them!”

「你當前的 Slide (Slide) 只能在某個固定的膠卷上呈現。你記憶中的過去是與你目前所在的膠卷相連；但你所記得，或者說你以為你記得的，也只是一個潛在過去的版本。不管怎樣，過去的物質證據最終都會趨於彙聚。」

“Your current slide can only be present in any given moment on one film roll. You remember a past that is connected to the film roll you are playing now; but what you remember, or what you think you remember is just one potential version of the past. Be that as it may, the material evidence of the past is such that everything tends to converge anyway.”

「是啊，但它並不總是匯聚，不是嗎，Futi！」 Matilda叫道，「我曾讀過一個靈異現象：過去的人竟出現在我們這個時空中，沒人能解釋他們怎麼會來。那些訪客甚至帶著屬於他們那個歷史時代的隨身物品。整件事都有記錄，但就算如此，仍然少有人相信。他們無法得到任何幫助，他們的故事很快就被遺忘了。」

“Yes, but it doesn’t always converge, does it Futi!” exclaimed Matilda. “I once read about a paranormal phenomenon, in which people from the past appeared in our time and no one could understand how it had happened. The visitors could not explain how they had arrived here, and they even had belongings with them from their own historical period. The whole thing was documented but even then, few believed it. There was nothing they could do to help them, and their story was soon forgotten.”

「而那些人卻能記得他們的過去，就好像那真的發生過，儘管那並不屬於你膠卷上的過去？」

“And those people could remember their past, like it really happened even though it wasn’t part of your film roll’s past?”

「好！」

“Yes!”

「看吧，有時候膠卷會混雜交錯，就像我們的那樣。」

“Well, there you are, you see! Sometimes the rolls get mixed up and intersect. Just as ours did.”

「謝天謝地我們相遇了，不然我們早就會在這裡迷失、孤苦無依！你說得對，我們不僅無法斷定過去究竟是虛擬還是真實，也無法確定那究竟哪個是虛擬、哪個是真實。」

“Thank God that we met otherwise we’d have been lost here and all alone! You’re right, not only can we say categorically yes or no about the past, but we can’t be sure what is virtual and what is real now.”

「是的，」 Itfut說，「歸根究底，問題就在於物理現實和夢境之間的分界究竟在哪裡。」

“Yes,” said Itfut. “Once again, it all comes down to the question of where the difference lies between physical reality and a dream.”

「那麼，當我們找到答案的時候，我們就能走出這個地方？」

“And when we find the answer, we’ll be able to get out of here?”

「我不知道，也許在那之前我們就能離開。但你看，那邊——好像那些光彩耀人的玩物 (glamrocks)想問我們些什麼。」

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll be able to before that. But see, over there, looks like the glamrocks want to ask us something.”