野獸的夢與覺醒

Beast’s Dream and Awakening

野獸翻來覆去很久，被白天的事件壓得喘不過氣，更不用說他意想不到的變化了。厭倦了左右翻身，他決定在走廊上伸展一下腿。有兩個休息室，一個是男士用的，一個是女士用的。他碰到了剛從女士休息室出來的奶牛。

Beast tossed and turned for a long time overwhelmed by the events of the day to say nothing of his unexpected transformation. Tired of turning from side to side, he decided to stretch his legs in the corridor. There were two rest rooms, one for the gents and one for the ladies. He bumped into Cow as she was coming out of the Ladies.

「睡不著嗎？」她問。

“Can’t sleep?” she asked.

「不，我的思緒讓我無法入睡，而我的夢讓我睡不安穩，」野獸回答。

“No, my thoughts stop me from falling asleep and my dreams prevent me from sleeping soundly,” Beast replied.

「有這麼糟嗎？你夢到什麼？」

“As bad as that? What do you dream?”

「我有一個反覆出現的夢。」出於某種原因，野獸決定可以信任奶牛，告訴她他的秘密。「外國女人走向我，有時單獨，有時幾個一起，她們用冷漠和鄙視的眼神看著我。」

“I have a recurring dream.” For some reason, Beast decided that he could trust Cow with his secret. “Foreign women come up to me, sometimes individually, sometimes several at once, and they’re looking at me with coldness and contempt.”

「你說的‘外國’是什麼意思？」

“What do you mean ‘foreign’?

「她們試圖強調她們不是我的女人。」 「你喜歡她們嗎？」

“They’re trying to emphasize that they are not my women.” “Do you fancy them?”

「不，當然不！」

“No, of course not!”

「所以，她們只是走向你，盯著你看？」 「不，然後她們開始說話。」

“So, they just come up to you and stare at you?” “No, then they start talking.”

「她們說什麼？」

“And what do they say?”

野獸開始講述更多他的夢境。

Beast began to recount more of his dream.

「一個女人走向我，說話。‘我不是你的，’她說。

“A woman came up to me and spoke. ’I’m not yours,’ she said.

‘真的嗎？’

’Really?’

‘是的。’

’Yes.’

‘那就走吧，’我說，她就離開了。

’Go away, then,’ I said, and she left.

但她為什麼要來，為什麼要這麼說？

But why did she come and what did she say that for?

另一次，一個不同的女人走向我，雙手叉腰，只是盯著我看。

Another time, a different woman came up to me and put her hands on her hips and just stared at me.

「你在看什麼？」我問。「我不覺得你有吸引力。」

’What are you staring at?’ I asked. ’I don’t find you attractive.’

「你為什麼覺得需要對我說這些？」 「只是因為。」

’Why do you feel the need to say that to me?’ ’Just because.’

「走開。」

’Go away.’

「我會回來看著你，」她說，然後就離開了……

’I’m going to come back and watch you,’ she said and then she left…

然後，一群女人來了，盯著我看，畫著十字，靜靜地看著。

And then, a group of women came and stared at me, crossing themselves and watching silently.

「你們想要什麼？為什麼不說話？你們在看什麼？」我問。

’What do you want? Why aren’t you saying anything? What are you looking at?’ I asked.

「我們不愛你，」她們說。「就這樣？」

’We don’t love you,’ they said. ’That’s it?’

「是的，就這樣。」 「走開。」

’Yes, that’s it.’ ’Go way.’

「我們會回來再說一次，」她們說完就離開了。」

’We’ll come back and say it again,’ they said and with that they left.”

奶牛對野獸的夢感到驚訝，但真心地表示同情。

Cow was surprised by Beast’s dream but listened with genuine sympathy.

「但你覺得這些夢的根本原因是什麼？這一切是怎麼回事？」她問。

“But what’s the underlying reason for the dreams, do you think? What’s it all about?” she asked.

「我在受懲罰，」他回答。「因為什麼？」

“I’m being punished,” he replied. “For what?”

「因為我是一個壞人。」

“For being a bad person.”

「這是胡說！你一點都不壞，恰恰相反。你是個好人！」

“That’s nonsense! You’re not bad at all, quite the opposite. You’re a good person!”

「不，我很壞。沒有人喜歡我，也沒有人會愛我。這是懲罰。」

“No, I’m bad. Nobody likes me and nobody ever loves me. It’s a punishment.”

「這只是你自己的一些愚蠢的情結！每個人都喜歡你，甚至在你變成這樣之前就喜歡你。現在你有了新的外貌，更是如此。你知道有兩個特別的女性對你有興趣，不是嗎？」

“It’s just some foolish complex you’ve got! Everyone likes you and liked you even before you started to look like this. And with your new appearance, even more so. You realize that there are two particular females who have their eye on you, don’t you?”

「什麼女性？」

“What females?”

「對！好像你不知道似的！布倫希爾達女王和普西拉。」

“Right! As if you didn’t know! Queen Brunhilda and Puscilla.”

「我還是不敢相信。」

“I still can’t believe it.”

「你真固執！沒有人在懲罰你，除了你自己。這是你的選擇，而你正在承受它！」

“You’re so stubborn! No-one is punishing you except yourself. It’s your choice and you’re living with it!”

「你為什麼對我這麼苛刻？這已經夠難受的了。」

“Why are you being so hard on me? It’s tough enough as it is.”

「你應該因為有這樣的想法而被打，不僅僅是被責備！我和潛水艇會一起來給你一頓好打，絕對的！

“You deserve to be beaten for having thoughts like that, not just a telling-off! Me and Submarine will get together and give you a really good beating, definitely!

現在，回去睡覺，把那些女人徹底趕走！」

For now, go back to bed, get some sleep and get rid of those women once and for all!”

「我不知道怎麼做。她們總是回來。」

“I don’t know how to. They just keep coming back.”

「下次她們在夢中來找你時，就說『那又怎樣？』」「好吧，我會試試。」

“The next time they come to you in a dream, just say ‘So what?’” “Okay, I’ll try.”

野獸和奶牛回到各自的房間。當野獸入睡時，那些奇怪的女人又回來了，說，

Beast and Cow returned to their separate rooms. When Beast fell asleep, the strange women returned and said,

「我們不覺得你有吸引力。我們不愛你。我們不是你的。」野獸回答，

“We don’t find you attractive. We don’t love you. We aren’t yours.” And Beast replied,

「那又怎樣？」

“So what?”

「我們永遠不會是你的。」 「那又怎樣？」

“We will never be yours.” “So what?”

「你說『那又怎樣』是什麼意思？你不會痛苦嗎？」 「不會。」

“What do you mean, ‘so what’? Won’t you suffer?” “No.”

「那我們現在就走。」

“We’ll go now then.”

「那就走吧。」

“Go then.”

「我們會走，永遠不會回來。我們現在就離開。」 「走吧，離開。」

“We’ll go and we’ll never come back. We’re leaving, right now.” “Go, leave.”

她們離開了，野獸開始感覺好些了。

And they left and Beast began to feel better.

---

* * *

第二天早上，「探險隊」醒來，洗漱完畢，穿好衣服，聚集在餐廳的桌子旁。

The next morning, ‘expedition lid’ woke up, got washed and dressed and gathered at the table in the dining room.

「所以，你的女人又來找你了嗎？」奶牛低聲問。「是的，和往常一樣，」野獸回答。

“So, did your women come to you again?” Cow whispered. “Yes, same as usual,” Beast replied.

「那你說了嗎？」

“So, did you say it?”

「說了。她們很驚訝，然後就離開了。」

“Yes. They were surprised and then they left.”

「看吧，這就是你最後一次見到她們了。」 「希望如此。」

“Well, there you are, you see! That’s the last you’ll see of them.” “I hope so.”

不久，優雅的卡拉米拉如往常一樣端莊而隆重地出現在客廳，說出另一句華麗的話：

Soon, gracious Caramilla appeared in the living room, prim and ceremonious as usual and delivered another ostentatious phrase:

「我想在Villa Maravilla給我們的客人一個從頭到尾的歡迎！！」

“I would like to give to our guests a rostral-to-coudal welcome at Villa Maravilla!!”

「我們也回以最高和最深的問候，優雅的卡拉米拉！」傻瓜回答。

“And we return the greeting, most highly and most profoundly, gracious Caramilla!” Eejit replied.

「早安！」其他人說。

“Good morning!” the others said.

「早晨既不善也不惡。它總是如常發生，」優雅的卡拉米拉說。「親愛的、和藹的客人們，你們睡得好嗎？」

“Morning is neither good nor evil. It just happens as it always does,” said gracious Caramilla. “Did you sleep, my dear, amiable guests?”

「是的，很好，謝謝！」他們回答。

“Yes, well, thank you!” they replied.

「你們不必因為睡得好而謝我。我只是問你們是睡了，還是沒睡？」優雅的卡拉米拉毫不留情地斷然說。「現在，在Villa Maravilla，你們將享用最受追捧潮流啟發的早餐！」說完，她轉身，從手肘抬起雙臂，帶著同樣特有的華麗步伐退場。

“You need not thank me for sleeping well. I simply enquired whether you slept, or you did not sleep?” Gracious Caramilla was unmercifully categorical. “And now, here at Villa Maravilla you will be offered breakfast inspired by the most coveted trends!” With that, she turned, lifted her arms upwards from the elbows and retired with the same characteristic flamboyant gait.

「這裡是sodilla-Maravilla！」

“Here at sodilla-Maravilla!”

「這裡是soddin-Maravillanin！」她剛消失在門後，奶牛和潛水艇就開始嘲笑她。

“Here at soddin-Maravillanin!” As soon as she had disappeared behind the door, Cow and Submarine started laughing at her.

「是的，我們的sodilla-Maravilla！」 「我們的soddinilina-Maravillinina！」

“Yes, our sodilla-Maravilla!” “Our soddinilina-Maravillinina!”

「在嘲笑別人嗎？」傻瓜責備道。「這樣不好，你不覺得嗎？」

“Mocking others, are we?” Eejit reproached. “Not good, don’t you think?”

「親愛的傻瓜，我們不敢嘲笑Villa Maravilla，我們只是想表達我們的好心情，」奶牛模仿傻瓜的說話方式說。

“My dear Eejit, we would not presume to laugh at Villa Maravilla, we simply supposed to express our good humor,” said Cow imitating Eejit’s manner of speaking.

「我明白了，那就這樣吧。」

“I see, well, so be it, then.”

「這裡不錯，不是嗎？」潛水艇說。「是的！」奶牛說。

“It’s good here, isn’t it?” said Submarine. “Yes!” said Cow.

「這裡真是完美得像貓咪一樣！」普西拉加入說。

“It’s purring-perfect!” said Puscilla joining in.

「我們有重要的事情要討論，」布倫希爾達對大家說。「我們的計劃是什麼，陛下？」傻瓜禮貌地問。

“We have serious matters to discuss,” said Brunhilda addressing them all. “What are our plans, Your Majesty?” asked Eejit politely.

「我想，首先，我們應該和女主人談談，看看她知道什麼。」 「這值得嗎？她顯然不太正常，就像這個小鎮上的其他人一樣。」

“I think, for starters, we should talk to the hostess and find out what she knows.” “Is that worth it? She clearly isn’t fully there, like everyone else in this town.”

「對了，這個小鎮叫什麼名字？」潛水艇問。「普西拉，你住在這裡，不是嗎？」

“By the way, what’s the name of this town?” asked Submarine. “Puscilla, you live here, don’t you?”

「Pomponius，」普西拉回答。

“Pomponius,” Puscilla replied.

「哦，這名字也很浮誇，就像它的本質一樣，」傻瓜說。「什麼的本質？」奶牛問。

“Oh-ho, the name is pompous, too, just like its essence,” said Eejit. “Essence of what?” asked Cow.

「事實是這裡的每個人似乎都覺得自己很重要，但實際上，他們都有點瘋瘋癲癲的。」

“The fact that everyone here seems to think they are so important, whereas in essence, they are all slightly loopy.”

「絕對貓咪般的正確！」普西拉同意。「正如我們所確定的。他們沒有自己的個體意識，所以他們不是自己的人。順便問一下，你們來自哪個城鎮？」

“Abso-catty-lutely!” Puscilla agreed. “As we established. They don’t have a sense of their own individual self and so they’re not their own person. What town are you from, by the way?”

這個問題引起了一陣尷尬的沉默。

The question was followed by an awkward pause.

「普西拉，你又來了！」奶牛說。「我們不是說自從我們到這裡以來，我們的記憶就有問題嗎？」

“Puscilla, there you go again!” said Cow. “Didn’t we say that something was wrong with our memory ever since we arrived here?”

「但我記得！」野獸回答。

“I remember, though!” Beast responded.

「什麼？你記得什麼？」其他人興奮地問。「我們不是來自一個城鎮，我們來自一個國度，Zealand的國度。」 「哦，是的！沒錯！」潛水艇說。

“What? What did you remember?” the others asked excitedly. “We’re not from a town, we ‘re from a land, the land of Zealand.” “Oh yes! That’s right!” said Submarine.

「為什麼我自己沒想起來？」女王驚訝地問。「我們確實來自Zealand王國，我們的女王統治的地方。」¹

“Why did not I remember that myself?” asked the queen in surprise. “We really are from the Kingdom of Zealand, where our queen rules.”¹

「是的，我現在記得了，」布倫希爾達說。

“Yes, I remember now,” said Brunhilda.

「我從來沒聽說過這個地方，」普西拉說。

“I’ve never heard of the place,” said Puscilla.

「但怎麼可能呢？我的意思是，我們來自那裡，我們不是虛構的角色！」奶牛再次驚訝地說。「這一切都很奇怪！不過，有什麼好驚訝的。我們經歷的一切都是奇怪和令人驚訝的。」

“But how can that be? I mean, we’re from there and we’re not made up characters!” Cow said, surprised again. “It’s all very strange! Although, what is there to be surprised about. Everything that is happening to us is strange and surprising.”

「看著這裡的角色，我有同樣的感覺，我們在別人的夢裡，」野獸說。「這就是為什麼我們都比平常稍微不那麼有意識，這也解釋了為什麼我們知道自己是誰，但同時又不知道。」

“Looking at the characters here, I have that same feeling that we are inside someone else’s dream,” said Beast. “Which is why we are all slightly less consciously aware than normal, and it explains why we know who we are and at the same time, we don’t.”

「但我們沒有在睡覺！」潛水艇反對。「我確定我們沒有在睡覺！」

“But we’re not asleep!” Submarine objected. “I know for definite that we are not asleep!”

「好吧，我現在什麼都不確定了，」女王總結道。「不管怎樣，和女主人談談是值得的。」

“Well, I’m not sure of anything anymore,” said the queen summing up. “Whatever the case, it’s worth talking to the hostess.”

與此同時，優雅的卡拉米拉正好端著一盤食物到來。「好了，現在我要把你們當早餐吃掉！」她宣布。

Meanwhile, gracious Caramilla arrived just in time with a tray of food. “Right, now I’m going to have you for breakfast!” she declared.

「我們？」客人們驚訝地說。

“Us?” said the guests in surprise.

「是的，因為你們是我早餐的對象。」

“Yes, since you are the objects of my breakfast.”

「但優雅的卡拉米拉，」傻瓜反對道，「我會說我們更像是完全有意識的主體！」

“But gracious Caramilla,” objected Eejit, “I would say that we were more like totally conscious subjects!”

「但就我而言，我是說，對於我準備的早餐而言，你們是對象，」女主人堅持說，並開始擺放盤子。

“But in relationship to mine, I mean, to the breakfast I have prepared, you are objects,” the hostess insisted as she set out the plates.

「我們不會和你爭論，優雅的卡拉米拉，」傻瓜說。「關於對象的主題，我們想問你是否知道覆蓋天空的蓋子的事情？」

“We won’t argue with you, gracious Caramilla,” Eejit said. “On the theme of objects, we were hoping to ask you whether you know anything about the lid that is covering the sky?”

卡拉米拉立刻變得謹慎。

Caramilla was instantly wary.

「你們具體想知道什麼？為什麼這讓你們感興趣？」

“What did you want to know specifically? And why does that interest you?”

「你看，這個蓋子對我們來說是個大問題，我們給自己設定了了解它的任務，比如它從哪裡來，以及如何擺脫它。」

“You see, the lid is a matter of great concern to us, and we have set ourselves the task of finding out about it, where it came from, for example, and how to be rid of it.”

「是這樣嗎，我親愛的？」卡拉米拉停止了胡鬧，變得活躍起來，好像突然醒來了一樣。「哦，你們不知道我等像你們這樣的人等了多久！」

“Is that right, my dears?” Caramilla stopped fooling around and became enlivened as if she had suddenly woken up. “Oh, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for someone like you!”

「為什麼，優雅的卡拉米拉？」

“Why, gracious Caramilla?”

「就叫我卡拉米拉吧，」女主人繼續說，並更加勤奮地為客人服務。「吃吧！吃吧，親愛的！我去拿茶壺，然後告訴你們一切！」

“Just call me Caramilla,” the hostess continued and began serving her guests with even greater diligence. “Eat! Eat, dear ones! I’ll just go and get the teapot and then I’ll tell you everything!”

「Zealand」這個詞有多種地理意義，包括一個假設的大陸。

The term “Zealand” has a number of geographical meanings, including a hypothetical continent.

野獸的夢境與覺醒

Beast’s Dream and Awakening

Beast因一天的種種事件以及那意想不到的轉變而翻來覆去睡不安穩。厭倦了來回翻動，他決定在走廊上舒展一下雙腿。那裡有兩間休息室，一間供男士使用，一間供女士使用。正當他在女士休息室出口處碰上Cow時……

Beast tossed and turned for a long time overwhelmed by the events of the day to say nothing of his unexpected transformation. Tired of turning from side to side, he decided to stretch his legs in the corridor. There were two rest rooms, one for the gents and one for the ladies. He bumped into Cow as she was coming out of the Ladies.

「睡不著嗎？」她問道。

“Can’t sleep?” she asked.

「不，我的思緒讓我無法入睡，而我的夢境又使我不能睡得香甜，」Beast回答說。

“No, my thoughts stop me from falling asleep and my dreams prevent me from sleeping soundly,” Beast replied.

「情況會這麼糟嗎？你夢見什麼呢？」

“As bad as that? What do you dream?”

「我總是夢到同一個情境。」不知何故，Beast決定把這個秘密告訴Cow，「外國女人走到我跟前，有時單獨出現，有時又一群一起，她們帶著冰冷與蔑視的目光看著我。」

“I have a recurring dream.” For some reason, Beast decided that he could trust Cow with his secret. “Foreign women come up to me, sometimes individually, sometimes several at once, and they’re looking at me with coldness and contempt.”

「你所謂的『外國』是什麼意思？」

“What do you mean ‘foreign’?

「她們這麼做就是為了強調，她們並非屬於我的女人。」隨後又問，「你喜歡她們嗎？」

“They’re trying to emphasize that they are not my women.” “Do you fancy them?”

「當然不喜歡！」

“No, of course not!”

「所以，她們只是走到你跟前盯著你看？」「不，她們然後還會開始說話。」

“So, they just come up to you and stare at you?” “No, then they start talking.”

「那她們都說些什麼呢？」

“And what do they say?”

Beast開始敘述更多他夢中的情節。

Beast began to recount more of his dream.

「有個女人走向我，對我說：『我不屬於你。』」

“A woman came up to me and spoke. ’I’m not yours,’ she said.

「真嗎？」

’Really?’

「是的。」

’Yes.’

「那就走開吧，」我說，隨後她便離去了。

’Go away, then,’ I said, and she left.

但她為何前來？又究竟想藉此表達些什麼呢？

But why did she come and what did she say that for?

另一次，一位不同的女人走近我，雙手叉腰，僅僅盯著我看。

Another time, a different woman came up to me and put her hands on her hips and just stared at me.

「你在盯著什麼看？」我問道，「我並不覺得你有魅力。」

’What are you staring at?’ I asked. ’I don’t find you attractive.’

「你為什麼覺得有必要這麼對我說？」 「就那樣罷了。」

’Why do you feel the need to say that to me?’ ’Just because.’

「走開。」

’Go away.’

「我會回來看你的，」她說完便離去了……

’I’m going to come back and watch you,’ she said and then she left…

接著，一群女人走過來，盯著我看，邊作十字手勢，邊默默注視。

And then, a group of women came and stared at me, crossing themselves and watching silently.

「你們想要什麼？怎麼一句話也不說？到底在看什麼？」我問。

’What do you want? Why aren’t you saying anything? What are you looking at?’ I asked.

「我們不愛你，」她們回答，「就這樣？」

’We don’t love you,’ they said. ’That’s it?’

「是的，就這樣。」「走開吧。」

’Yes, that’s it.’ ’Go way.’

「『我們會回來再把話說一遍，』她們說完後便離去了。」

’We’ll come back and say it again,’ they said and with that they left.”

Cow對Beast的夢境感到驚訝，但同時帶著真摯的同情傾聽著他的敘述。

Cow was surprised by Beast’s dream but listened with genuine sympathy.

她問道：「但是你認為這些夢的根本原因是什麼？到底是怎麼一回事？」

“But what’s the underlying reason for the dreams, do you think? What’s it all about?” she asked.

他回答：「我正在受到懲罰。」

“I’m being punished,” he replied. “For what?”

「因為你是個壞人。」

“For being a bad person.”

「這完全是胡說八道！你根本就不是壞人，事實上恰恰相反。你是一個好人！」

“That’s nonsense! You’re not bad at all, quite the opposite. You’re a good person!”

「不，我就是壞的。沒有人喜歡我，也沒有人曾經愛過我。這就是在懲罰我。」

“No, I’m bad. Nobody likes me and nobody ever loves me. It’s a punishment.”

「那只不過是你那愚蠢的自卑情結罷了！大家都喜歡你，而且在你變成現在這副模樣之前就已經喜歡你了。以你現在的新面貌，情況只會更好。你也知道有兩個特定的女性一直在暗中關注你，對吧？」

“It’s just some foolish complex you’ve got! Everyone likes you and liked you even before you started to look like this. And with your new appearance, even more so. You realize that there are two particular females who have their eye on you, don’t you?”

「什麼女性？」

“What females?”

「正是！難道你還不知道嗎？女王Brunhilda和Puscilla啊。」

“Right! As if you didn’t know! Queen Brunhilda and Puscilla.”

「我還是無法相信這一切。」

“I still can’t believe it.”

「你真是固執！沒有人在懲罰你，除了你自己。這是你的選擇，而你正活在這個選擇裡！」

“You’re so stubborn! No-one is punishing you except yourself. It’s your choice and you’re living with it!”

「你為什麼要這麼苛求我？生活已經夠艱難了。」

“Why are you being so hard on me? It’s tough enough as it is.”

「你這種想法應該受到毒打，而不僅僅是挨一頓訓斥！我和Submarine會聯手好好教訓你一頓，絕對不含糊！」

“You deserve to be beaten for having thoughts like that, not just a telling-off! Me and Submarine will get together and give you a really good beating, definitely!

「現在，快回去睡覺，好好休息，把那些女人徹底打發走！」

For now, go back to bed, get some sleep and get rid of those women once and for all!”

「我不知道要怎麼辦，她們就是不斷地回來。」

“I don’t know how to. They just keep coming back.”

「下次當她們在夢中出現時，就直接說『那又如何？』」

“The next time they come to you in a dream, just say ‘So what?’” “Okay, I’ll try.”

Beast和Cow各自回到自己的房間。當Beast入睡後，那些奇異的女人再次出現，對他說：

Beast and Cow returned to their separate rooms. When Beast fell asleep, the strange women returned and said,

「我們不覺得你有吸引力，我們不愛你，我們不屬於你。」隨後Beast回答：

“We don’t find you attractive. We don’t love you. We aren’t yours.” And Beast replied,

「那又如何？」

“So what?”

「我們永遠不會屬於你。」

“We will never be yours.” “So what?”

「你說『那又如何』是什麼意思？你就不覺得會受苦嗎？」

“What do you mean, ‘so what’? Won’t you suffer?” “No.”

「那我們現在就走吧。」

“We’ll go now then.”

「好，走吧。」

“Go then.”

「我們會走，而且永不回來。我們現在就走。」

“We’ll go and we’ll never come back. We’re leaving, right now.” “Go, leave.”

她們離去了，Beast也開始覺得好多了。

And they left and Beast began to feel better.

---

* * *

隔天早上，‘expedition lid’醒來後洗漱更衣，然後聚集到餐廳的桌邊。

The next morning, ‘expedition lid’ woke up, got washed and dressed and gathered at the table in the dining room.

「那你的那些女人又來找你了嗎？」Cow低語道。

“So, did your women come to you again?” Cow whispered. “Yes, same as usual,” Beast replied.

「那你有說出來嗎？」

“So, did you say it?”

「是的。她們感到十分驚奇，然後就離開了。」

“Yes. They were surprised and then they left.”

「看吧，就是這樣！你再也見不到她們了。」

“Well, there you are, you see! That’s the last you’ll see of them.” “I hope so.”

很快，優雅的Caramilla依舊端莊莊重地出現在客廳，並說出了一番浮誇的話語：

Soon, gracious Caramilla appeared in the living room, prim and ceremonious as usual and delivered another ostentatious phrase:

「我願在Villa Maravilla向我們的賓客獻上從頭到尾（rostral-to-coudal）盛大歡迎！！」

“I would like to give to our guests a rostral-to-coudal welcome at Villa Maravilla!!”

「我們以至高、至深的敬意回應您的問候，優雅的Caramilla！」Eejit回道。

“And we return the greeting, most highly and most profoundly, gracious Caramilla!” Eejit replied.

「早安！」其他人齊聲說道。

“Good morning!” the others said.

「早晨既非善也非惡，只是如往常般自然降臨而已，」優雅的Caramilla說，「親愛的、和藹的賓客們，您們睡得如何？」

“Morning is neither good nor evil. It just happens as it always does,” said gracious Caramilla. “Did you sleep, my dear, amiable guests?”

「是的，還好，謝謝您！」他們回答。

“Yes, well, thank you!” they replied.

「您不必因此而感謝我，我只是問您是否睡著了，或者根本沒睡？」優雅的Caramilla毫不留情地斷然道，「而現在，在Villa Maravilla，將為您呈上受最渴望潮流啟發的早餐！」說完，她轉身，從手肘處舉起雙臂，以那獨具風采的浮誇步伐退下。

“You need not thank me for sleeping well. I simply enquired whether you slept, or you did not sleep?” Gracious Caramilla was unmercifully categorical. “And now, here at Villa Maravilla you will be offered breakfast inspired by the most coveted trends!” With that, she turned, lifted her arms upwards from the elbows and retired with the same characteristic flamboyant gait.

「在這裡，sodilla-Maravilla！」

“Here at sodilla-Maravilla!”

「在這裡，soddin-Maravillanin！」話音剛落，她消失在門後，Cow和Submarine便忍不住笑了出來。

“Here at soddin-Maravillanin!” As soon as she had disappeared behind the door, Cow and Submarine started laughing at her.

「是啊，我們的sodilla-Maravilla！」

“Yes, our sodilla-Maravilla!” “Our soddinilina-Maravillinina!”

「你們是拿別人來取笑嗎？」Eejit責備道，「這樣可不好，你們不這麼覺得嗎？」

“Mocking others, are we?” Eejit reproached. “Not good, don’t you think?”

「親愛的Eejit，我們可不敢嘲笑Villa Maravilla，我們只不過想表達一下我們的好心情而已，」Cow模仿Eejit的語氣說道。

“My dear Eejit, we would not presume to laugh at Villa Maravilla, we simply supposed to express our good humor,” said Cow imitating Eejit’s manner of speaking.

「我明白了，那就隨它去吧。」

“I see, well, so be it, then.”

「這裡不錯吧？」Submarine說道。「是啊！」Cow應道。

“It’s good here, isn’t it?” said Submarine. “Yes!” said Cow.

「簡直完美至極！」Puscilla插話道。

“It’s purring-perfect!” said Puscilla joining in.

「我們有重要的事要討論，」Brunhilda面向眾人說，「陛下，我們有什麼計畫？」Eejit禮貌地問道。

“We have serious matters to discuss,” said Brunhilda addressing them all. “What are our plans, Your Majesty?” asked Eejit politely.

「我認為，首先我們應該與女主人談談，弄清楚她知道些什麼。」

“I think, for starters, we should talk to the hostess and find out what she knows.” “Is that worth it? She clearly isn’t fully there, like everyone else in this town.”

「順便問一句，這鎮子叫什麼名字？」Submarine問道，「Puscilla，你不就在這裡住嗎？」

“By the way, what’s the name of this town?” asked Submarine. “Puscilla, you live here, don’t you?”

「Pomponius，」Puscilla回答。

“Pomponius,” Puscilla replied.

「哦呵，這名字聽起來真是自負，就像它本身的本質一樣，」Eejit說道。「本質是什麼？」Cow好奇地問。

“Oh-ho, the name is pompous, too, just like its essence,” said Eejit. “Essence of what?” asked Cow.

「就是這裡的每個人都好像認為自己有著無比的Importance（Note:重要性），但實際上，他們都微微顯得有點瘋癲。」

“The fact that everyone here seems to think they are so important, whereas in essence, they are all slightly loopy.”

「絕對地！」Puscilla附和道，「正如我們之前所說過的。他們沒有自己的個人意識，也就好像沒有真正的獨立人格。話說，你來自哪個鎮子？」

“Abso-catty-lutely!” Puscilla agreed. “As we established. They don’t have a sense of their own individual self and so they’re not their own person. What town are you from, by the way?”

該問題說完後，現場隨即陷入了一陣尷尬的沉默。

The question was followed by an awkward pause.

「Puscilla，你又來這一套了！」Cow喊道，「我們不是早就說過，自從到這裡以來，我們的記憶就出了點問題嗎？」

“Puscilla, there you go again!” said Cow. “Didn’t we say that something was wrong with our memory ever since we arrived here?”

「但我還是記得呢！」Beast回應道。

“I remember, though!” Beast responded.

「什麼？你記得了什麼？」其他人興奮地問道。「我們不是來自一個鎮子，而是來自一個國度——西蘭之地。」

“What? What did you remember?” the others asked excitedly. “We’re not from a town, we ‘re from a land, the land of Zealand.” “Oh yes! That’s right!” said Submarine.

「為何我自己竟然會忘記這一點？」女王驚訝地問道，「我們確實來自西蘭王國，那裡由我們的女王統治。」¹

“Why did not I remember that myself?” asked the queen in surprise. “We really are from the Kingdom of Zealand, where our queen rules.”¹

「是的，我現在記起來了，」Brunhilda說道。

“Yes, I remember now,” said Brunhilda.

「我從來沒聽過這地方呢，」Puscilla說。

“I’ve never heard of the place,” said Puscilla.

「但怎麼可能呢？畢竟，我們正是來自那裡，並且我們不是虛構的角色！」Cow再次驚訝地說，「這一切都太詭異了！雖然說，究竟有什麼好驚訝的呢？發生在我們身上的一切，都充滿了奇異與驚喜。」

“But how can that be? I mean, we’re from there and we’re not made up characters!” Cow said, surprised again. “It’s all very strange! Although, what is there to be surprised about. Everything that is happening to us is strange and surprising.”

Beast說：「看著這裡的這些角色，我總有一種感覺，好像我們正身處於別人的夢境之中，這也就解釋了為什麼我們的意識顯得比平常淡薄——既知道自己是誰，又似乎失去了自我。」

“Looking at the characters here, I have that same feeling that we are inside someone else’s dream,” said Beast. “Which is why we are all slightly less consciously aware than normal, and it explains why we know who we are and at the same time, we don’t.”

「但我們又怎能睡著呢！」Submarine反對道，「我可以肯定地說，我們根本就沒有入睡！」

“But we’re not asleep!” Submarine objected. “I know for definite that we are not asleep!”

女王總結道：「如今我什麼都不敢肯定了。不管怎麼說，與女主人談談還是值得一試。」

“Well, I’m not sure of anything anymore,” said the queen summing up. “Whatever the case, it’s worth talking to the hostess.”

與此同時，優雅的Caramilla端著一盤食物準時趕到，「好了，現在我要把你們作為我的早餐！」她大聲宣告。

Meanwhile, gracious Caramilla arrived just in time with a tray of food. “Right, now I’m going to have you for breakfast!” she declared.

「我們？」賓客們驚訝地問。

“Us?” said the guests in surprise.

「對，因為你們正是我早餐的對象。」Caramilla回答道。

“Yes, since you are the objects of my breakfast.”

Eejit反對道：「但親愛的Caramilla，我倒覺得我們更像是意識完全清醒的主體啊！」

“But gracious Caramilla,” objected Eejit, “I would say that we were more like totally conscious subjects!”

女主人堅持說道：「就我所準備的早餐而言，你們確實僅僅只是對象罷了。」

“But in relationship to mine, I mean, to the breakfast I have prepared, you are objects,” the hostess insisted as she set out the plates.

「我們不會和您爭辯的，優雅的Caramilla，」Eejit說道，「說到‘對象’這個話題，我們正想請問您：您知道那個覆蓋天空的蓋子是怎麼回事嗎？」

“We won’t argue with you, gracious Caramilla,” Eejit said. “On the theme of objects, we were hoping to ask you whether you know anything about the lid that is covering the sky?”

Caramilla立刻警惕起來。

Caramilla was instantly wary.

「你們到底想具體知道什麼？又為何對此如此感興趣？」她追問道。

“What did you want to know specifically? And why does that interest you?”

「你看，這個蓋子對我們來說實在意義重大，我們已決定查明它的來歷，以及該如何除去它，」有人回答。

“You see, the lid is a matter of great concern to us, and we have set ourselves the task of finding out about it, where it came from, for example, and how to be rid of it.”

Caramilla頓時停止嬉鬧，彷彿突然清醒般激動地說：「是這樣嗎，我親愛的？哦，你們根本不知我等候像你們這樣的人有多久了！」

“Is that right, my dears?” Caramilla stopped fooling around and became enlivened as if she had suddenly woken up. “Oh, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for someone like you!”

「為什麼，親愛的Caramilla？」

“Why, gracious Caramilla?”

「就叫我Caramilla就好了，」女主人接著說，並更加勤勉地開始為賓客上菜，「快吃吧！親愛的們！我馬上去拿茶壺，然後把一切告訴你們！」

“Just call me Caramilla,” the hostess continued and began serving her guests with even greater diligence. “Eat! Eat, dear ones! I’ll just go and get the teapot and then I’ll tell you everything!”

「Zealand」這個詞有多重地理意義，其中就包括一個假想大陸的概念。

The term “Zealand” has a number of geographical meanings, including a hypothetical continent.