死頭

The Dead Head

華麗搖滾默默地行走，緊緊圍住Matilda，但仍與她保持一定距離。這是一個奇怪的景象。灰色的身影，蠟一般的臉孔，而其中有一個藍金髮，戴著粉紅色蝴蝶結。這真是一個夢幻般的隊伍，由一個活生生的洋娃娃被人偶包圍。

The glamrocks walked in silence encircling Matilda in a tight crowd but still keeping some distance from her. It was a strange sight. The gray figures with their wax faces and among them a blue blonde wearing a pink bow. It was a truly phantasmagorical procession consisting of a living doll surrounded by mannequins.

你永遠不會說Matilda只是一個芭比娃娃。有些人漂亮，有些人美麗。這是形式和內容之間的差異。

You would never say of Matilda that she was just a barbie doll. Some people are pretty, and others are beautiful. It is the difference between form and content.

Matilda就是那種身上有某種特質的人。

Matilda was one of those people who just have something about them.

但使她與整體畫面區分開來的主要原因不僅僅是她在「黑白電影」背景下的鮮豔輪廓，而是她的生命力。其他一切，包括灰色的身影，都不是死去，而是無生命的，如果可以這麼說的話。另一個世界可能看起來很像這樣——與我們的世界並沒有太大不同——只是因為它在「另一邊」。問題是，另一邊是什麼的另一邊？

But the main thing distinguishing her from the overall picture was not so much her colorful silhouette against the ‘black and white cinema’ background, so much as her life-force. Everything else including the gray figures was not so much dead as lifeless if one could put it that way. The other world probably looked much like this - not that different from our own - it was just different because it was ‘on the other side’. The question is, on the other side of what?

這個問題目前仍未得到解答。瑪蒂爾達此刻並不關心這種現象的物理學。她的腦海中充滿了對接下來會發生什麼的焦慮想法。由於某種命運的巧合，她來到了異國世界，尚不清楚她該如何逃脫。她看不到任何可以寄託希望的東西。她應該對她那陰險的同伴們期待什麼呢？她不敢想像。

That question remains unanswered for now. Matilda was not concerned about the physics of such phenomena right in this moment. Her mind was filled with anxious thoughts about what would happen next. By virtue of some fated coincidence, she had ended up in a foreign world and it was not yet clear how she might escape. She could see nothing on which to pin any hope. What should she expect from her sinister companions? She dared not imagine.

華麗搖滾（The Glamrocks）的臉上表現出堅定的決心，要親自找出可能會讓瑪蒂爾達喪命的事情。雖然華麗搖滾並沒有碰觸瑪蒂爾達，但他們用懷疑的目光看著她。走在前面的一個人轉過身來，伸出舌頭喊道：“合成女僕 (Synthetic Maid)！”，這無疑是出於習慣。但隨後他挨了一巴掌。女僕應該保持不受干擾，直到最終確定她到底是“魔法 (mana)”還是僅僅是一個可食用的女僕。

The glamrocks’ faces expressed grim determination to find out for themselves something that could cost Matilda her life. Although the glamrocks were not touching Matilda, they looked at her with suspicion. One of those walking in front turned around, stuck out his tongue and cried out, “Synthetic maid!”, no doubt out of habit. But then he got a slap. The maid was supposed to be left untouched until it had finally been determined who she really was: ‘mana’ or simply an edible maid.

瑪蒂爾達的情況因為她急於上廁所而變得更加糟糕。‘至少我現在只想解小便’，她想。‘但問題是，該怎麼辦呢？我想知道他們是什麼性別？’她沒有觀察到任何外在的性別標誌。然後她被一個可怕的想法擊中。他們可能不僅會吃掉她，還會隨心所欲地虐待她的身體，誰知道會用多麼可怕的方式。

Matilda’s situation was aggravated by the fact that she was desperate to go to the toilet. ‘At least I only want a number one for now’, she thought. ‘But there’s the thing. How to go about it? What sex are they, I wonder?’ She had not observed any outward indication of gender. And then she was struck by a terrible thought. They might not only eat her but abuse her body to their hearts’ content, who knows in what awful ways.

她匆忙地穿著厚底鞋小跑，腳趾撞到了一塊石頭。這個可憐的女孩願意付出一切只為回到自己的世界。‘我再也不會任性了。’她想。‘我會在所有事情上都聽話。我再也不會摘下我那美妙的蝴蝶結。我會做任何事情，只要把我送回去！’

She trotted along hurriedly in her platform shoes and stubbed her toe against a rock. The poor girl would have given anything to be back in her own world again. ‘I’ll never be capricious again.’ she thought. ‘I’ll be obedient in everything. I’ll never take off my wonderful bow ever again. I’ll do anything, just send me back!’

想起蝴蝶結，她再次感受到背部那種奇怪的感覺。不清楚為什麼，但這似乎給了她力量，並且讓瑪蒂爾達感覺她有能力控制事件。彷彿她可以選擇（Choice）什麼會發生，什麼不會發生。

Remembering the bow, she experienced again that same weird feeling in her back. It was not clear why, but it seemed to give her strength and for some reason caused Matilda to feel that she had the ability to control events. It was as if she could choose what came into being and what did not.

她突然意識到自己與周圍的一切以及發生在她身上的一切是分開的。她是她所處的現實。她自我存在，獨立於現實。瑪蒂爾達突然明白，不是用她的頭腦，而是用她的整個存在，這裡，她進入了一本書，她應該在書頁中徘徊，演繹情節。

She suddenly realized that she was separate from everything that surrounded her and all that was happening to her. She was the reality in which she found herself. She existed of herself, independently just as reality did. Matilda suddenly understood, not with her mind but with all her being, that here, she had ended up in a book and she was supposed to wander through the pages playing out the plot.

這就像一部電影，你在沉浸於虛構現實時觀看。如果你屈服並投入正在發生的事情，你別無選擇，只能扮演分配給你的角色。但如果瑪蒂爾達選擇不這樣做呢？如果她保持分離，電影也與她分離呢？

It was like a movie, which you watch as you immerse yourself in a fictional reality. If you concede and give yourself over to what is happening, you have no other choice than to play the role assigned to you. But what if Matilda chose not to? What if she remained separate and the movie separate from her?

‘這真的是我的現實嗎？’瑪蒂爾達想。‘不，這不是我的現實。有些不對勁。這種事情發生在夢中，但這不是夢。雖然這有什麼區別呢，天哪？無論發生什麼，我都會沒事的。我不知道怎麼做到，但我知道我會沒事的。我沒有其他選擇。還有什麼其他選擇呢？這就是我決定的，結束！’

’Can this really be my reality?’ thought Matilda. ‘No, this is not my reality. Something is wrong. This kind of thing happens in dreams, but this is not a dream. Although what difference does it make, for God’s sake? Everything will be all right with me, whatever happens. I don’t know how, but I know I’ll be ok. I have no other choice. What other option is there? That’s what I’ve decided, period!’

緊接著這個想法，發生了一些事情。令她驚訝的是，瑪蒂爾達注意到一條斜黑條從天空閃現到地面，彷彿某種未知力量翻轉了現實的頁面。灰色的人似乎沒有注意到它，繼續他們同樣陰沉的行進，彷彿什麼也沒發生。然而，瑪蒂爾達突然感覺好多了，並且相信從現在開始一切都會好起來。

Immediately after this thought, something happened. To her surprise, Matilda noticed a slanting black strip flash from the sky down to the ground as if some unknown force had turned the page on reality. The gray ones seemed to pay no attention to it and continued their same grim procession as if nothing had happened. Matilda, however, suddenly felt much better and was confident that from now on everything would be all right.

同時，他們到達了他們一直朝著前進的建築物。這不是一個城鎮或村莊，而是一些相當奇怪的東西。到處都是簡單的立方體房屋，牆壁光滑灰色，由瑪蒂爾達不認識的材料製成。房屋間隔著空的凹槽，具有相同的立方框架。到處都是樓梯，有些通向屋頂，有些通向坑洞，還有些無意義地扭曲消失在無處。立方結構和凹槽的奇異交織，加上眾多樓梯，創造了一個荒誕的場景。

Meanwhile, they reached the buildings they had been heading towards. It was not a town or a village but something quite odd. Everywhere, there were simple, cubic houses with smooth, gray walls made from a material Matilda did not recognize. The houses were interspersed with empty recesses with the same cubic frame. And there were stairways everywhere, some leading up to the rooftops, others down into pits, and still others twisting senselessly and disappearing into nowhere. The fanciful intertwining of cubic structures and niches along with the many stairways created an absurd scene.

通過一條間接路線，從一個樓梯到另一個樓梯，他們走到了一個看似唯一的開放空間，一個廣場，中間矗立著一個建築，這個地方的其他一切都不亞於奇怪。這個建築是一個黑色巨石，周圍圍繞著突出向上的柱子，形成一個肋狀圓頂。

By an indirect route, crossing from one stairway to another, they exited onto what looked to be the only open space, a square, in the middle of which stood a construction, no less strange than anything else in this peculiar place. The construction was a black monolith with an oval perimeter enclosed by protruding columns, which bent gently upwards to form a ribbed dome.

從外觀上看，這就是那個“神聖的hlevjun”，雖然它的陰森外形更讓人聯想到一艘太空船。華麗搖滾不可能自己建造這樣的結構，或者說這個城市的其他部分。

By all appearances, this was the very same ‘sacred hlevjun’ although its sinister form was more reminiscent of a spaceship. The glamrocks could not have built such a structure themselves, or the rest of the city for that matter.

當隊伍接近巨石的那一刻，建築發出了一個驚人的低音號聲，滲透了周圍的空間。聲音一傳到華麗搖滾的耳朵裡，他們就開始慌亂，匆忙進入。瑪蒂爾達懷著好奇和恐懼的混合心情跟隨他們。

In the same moment that the procession approached the megalith, the construction produced a startlingly powerful trumpet sound in a low tone, which permeated the surrounding space. As soon as the sound reached the glamrocks’ ears, they began to fuss and rushed inside. Matilda followed them with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

巨石的內部形式與外部相同。從牆壁向外延伸的黑色柱子平滑地向上升起，形成一個高高的圓頂。綠色的光芒從地板附近的一個凹槽中散發出來。地板是黑色的，光滑如鏡。這個地方空無一物，除了中央的一個元素，看起來像是一個矩形形狀的祭壇或基座，與地板材料相同。一個頭從基座中長出，禿頭且灰色，像華麗搖滾一樣。

The megalith had the same form inside as it did on the outside. The black pillars that extended outwards from the walls rose smoothly upwards into a high dome. A green glow emanated somewhere from a niche near the floor. The floor was black and as smooth as a mirror. The place was empty except for a single element at the center which looked to be a rectangular-shaped altar or plinth made of the same material as the floor. A head was growing up out of the plinth, bald and gray like the glamrocks.

頭部扭曲著面部表情，沒有發出聲音。華麗搖滾圍繞著祭壇，將瑪蒂爾達推入圈內，跪下來，舉起雙手開始祈禱。

The head writhed with grimaces not making a sound. The glamrocks surrounded the altar, shoved Matilda inside the circle, fell to their knees and with raised hands began making invocations.

“Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!”

“Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!”

頭部沒有改變其扭曲的表情，用低沉的低音說話。

Without changing its expression from a grimace, the head spoke in a low bass tone.

“閱讀胡言亂語。你不能讀信。我是魔法 (mana)。我可以。但你不能。Mana-veda, mana-sana, mana-una, mana-mana.

“Read gibberish. You must not read the letter. I am mana. I can. But you can’t. Mana-veda, mana-sana, mana-una, mana-mana.

Mana-oma, ata-mana, mana-okha, mana-dana.”

Mana-oma, ata-mana, mana-okha, mana-dana.”

華麗搖滾順從地低聲重複著頭部說出的咒語。

The glamrocks muttered the mantra obediently repeating the words the head spoke.

“Mana-oga, makha-mana, mana-osha, mana-shana,” 華麗搖滾繼續說（顯然，這是他）。“閱讀胡言亂語。然後你會飽滿。不要做不允許的事情，否則會有崩潰！”

“Mana-oga, makha-mana, mana-osha, mana-shana,” continued the glamorck (obviously, this was him). “Read gibberish.Then you will be full. Don’t do the things that aren’t allowed, otherwise there’ll be a crash!“

野蠻人把頭埋在手中，呻吟著。“Aboo! 這是aboo！”

The savages put their heads in their hands and groaned. “Aboo! It’s aboo!”

“這裡誰是魔法 (mana)？”頭部問。“你需要在這裡親吻誰？”

“Who is mana here?” asked the head. “Who do you need to kiss around here?”

“Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!”他們回答，開始用臉摩擦地板，無情地壓扁他們的鼻子。

“Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!” they responded and began rubbing their faces along the floor, mercilessly squashing their noses.

“讚美我！”華麗搖滾陰森地喊道，伴隨著可怕的扭曲表情，發出單調的低語。“О-a-oo-khоmm, о- a-oo-hоmm。”

“Praise me!” the glamorc shouted ominously, accompanying the words with horrible grimacing and sending out a monotonous murmur. “О-a-oo-khоmm, о- a-oo-hоmm.”

「О-a-oo-khоmm！」華麗搖滾重複道。

“О-a-oo-khоmm!” the glamrocks repeated.

他們跟隨著頭領的帶領繼續低聲吟唱了一會兒，但隨後逐漸安靜下來，將目光轉向圈內的女僕。Matilda完全不知所措地站著，不知道該如何是好。他們顯然期待她做些什麼。是時候採取緊急行動了，正如她正確推測的那樣，這必須是一些非凡的事情，因為在華麗搖滾的面前，她的權威迅速減弱。

They droned on for a while longer following the head’s lead but then gradually became quiet and turned their gaze to the maid inside the circle. Matilda stood completely at a loss not knowing what to do with herself. They clearly expected her to do something. It was time to take urgent action and as she correctly surmised, it had to be something extraordinary as her authority had diminished rapidly in the presence of the glamorc.

她也急需上廁所。Matilda無法理解這是什麼樣的頭，是否活著，如果是的話，為什麼會從巨石中長出來。當她觀察時，頭繼續喃喃自語並做鬼臉。然後Matilda注意到頭部有些機械的東西。它週期性地重複著相同的動作。

She was also desperate for the toilet. Matilda could not understand what kind of head this was, whether it was alive, and if so, why it was growing out of the monolith. As she watched, it continued to mumble and grimace. Then Matilda spotted something mechanical about the head. It was periodically repeating the same movements over and over again in a cycle.

她已經無所畏懼。此刻不做就永遠不做。如果她不在這一秒鐘內掌控局面，她就完了。毫不猶豫地，Matilda爬上祭壇，解開連身衣的拉鍊，蹲下來，直接在說話的頭上解放自己。

She had nothing to lose. It was now or never. If she did not take the situation into her own hands this very second, she was finished. Without further hesitation, Matilda climbed up onto the altar, undid the zipper on her jumpsuit, crouched down and relieved herself right on top of the talking head.

華麗搖滾目瞪口呆地盯著她，臉上出現了無法形容的恐懼，之前毫無表情。他們全程觀看了這場景，沒有發出一點聲音。完成褻瀆後，女主角站起來，冷靜地重新拉上拉鍊。就在那一刻，頭開始發出火花，然後抽搐，隨著逐漸消失的喃喃聲停滯，完全癱瘓在一個可憐的鬼臉中。

The glamrocks stared at her completely dumbfounded, a look of indescribable horror appearing on their faces, formerly devoid of any facial expression. They observed the entire spectacle without making a single sound. Having completed the sacrilege, the diva rose and calmly zipped herself back up again. In that moment, the head began sending out sparks, then it twitched and with a fading mumble stalled, completely paralyzed in a pitiful grimace.

Matilda現在明白了。站在基座上，她得意地看著野蠻人。他們的華麗搖滾被擊敗了。經過短暫的停頓，Matilda問他們已經聽過的神聖問題。

Matilda understood now. Standing on the plinth, she gave the savages a triumphant look. Their glamorc was defeated. After an initial pause, Matilda asked them the sacred question they had already heard before.

「這裡誰是mana？」

“Who is mana here?”

「Mana-tida！Mana-tida！」華麗搖滾喊道。他們的聲音漸漸消失，然後又再次喊道。「你是我們的新mana！」

“Mana-tida! Mana-tida!” the glamrocks cried out. The sound of their voices faded and then again, they cried. “You are our new mana!”

在這一瞬間，華麗搖滾跪倒在地，像之前一樣用臉擦地。Matilda從基座上爬下來，開始下達命令。

In this instant, the glamrocks fell to their knees wiping their faces across the floor as before. Matilda climbed down from the plinth and began to give orders.

「停下！站起來！真的，站起來，我告訴你們！」

“Stop! Get up! Really, get up, I tell you!”

華麗搖滾站起來，圍住她，仍然保持尊敬的距離。女主角終於恢復了自我，問道：「那麼，我們要做什麼？」

The glamrocks rose to their feet and surrounded her still keeping a respectful distance. The diva was finally herself again and asked, “So, what are we going to do?”

「...讀胡言亂語！...讀胡言亂語！」灰色的人群喊道。死頭似乎不再吸引他們。他們敬畏地盯著他們的新mana，準備遵從她可能給予的任何命令。

“...’ead gibb’ish! ...’ead gibb’ish!” the gray ones shouted. The dead head did not seem to interest them anymore. They stared in awe at their new mana ready to follow any order she might give them.

Matilda停下來思考了一會兒。她剛剛逃脫了一個可怕的命運，找到了她以為無望的情況的出路。她一生中從未經歷過這樣的事情，自然也無法想像自己能夠應對這樣的危機。但事件發展得如此迅速，她沒有時間感到驚訝或慶祝。

Matilda stopped and thought for a moment. She had just escaped a terrible fate, finding a way out of what she had assumed to be a hopeless situation. She had never experienced anything like this ever in her life before, and naturally, could never have imagined herself capable of coping with such a crisis. But events were developing so rapidly, she did not have time to be surprised or celebrate.

正如之前一樣，Matilda面臨著許多未解決的問題：那個頭是什麼？這座建築、這個城鎮是什麼？誰建造了這一切，為什麼？她發現自己身處的這個世界是什麼？無論建築師是誰，肯定不是華麗搖滾。從她所見來看，這個頭是一個電力機械裝置，用來束縛這些原始人。現在頭壞了，但供應它的能量來源顯然仍然活躍，因為巨石繼續發出綠光。

As before, Matilda faced a multitude of unresolved questions: what was the head? What was this building, this town? Who built it all and why? What was this world in which she found herself? Whoever the architects were, it definitely was not the glamrocks. Judging from what she had seen, the head was an electrical mechanism that served as a means of shackling these primitive people. Now the head was broken but the source of energy that had fed it was clearly still active as the monolith continued to emit its green glow.

主要的是弄清楚Matilda接下來要做什麼。如果這些人是原始的，無法預測他們可能會想出什麼。因此，她必須用某種類似儀式的東西來佔據他們的心智，否則他們可能會對她不服從。考慮到這些情況，聰明的Matilda（毫無疑問她非常聰明）決定從與灰色的人群建立某種聯繫開始。

The main thing was to work out what on earth Matilda was going to do next. If these people were primitive, there was no telling what they might come up with. That meant she had to occupy their minds with something resembling a ritual, otherwise they might become disobedient to her. Having considered the circumstances, clever Matilda (and she was undoubtedly very clever) decided to start by establishing some kind of bond with the gray ones.

死亡追隨者

The Dead Head

Glamrocks們默默行進，將Matilda緊緊圍在一圈，但仍與她保持著一定距離，景象十分奇異。那些灰面孔的身影中，有一個穿著藍金（blue blonde）、戴著粉紅蝴蝶結的。這是一幅極為夢幻的畫面——一個活生生的玩偶被一群木偶般無生氣的傀儡環繞著。

The glamrocks walked in silence encircling Matilda in a tight crowd but still keeping some distance from her. It was a strange sight. The gray figures with their wax faces and among them a blue blonde wearing a pink bow. It was a truly phantasmagorical procession consisting of a living doll surrounded by mannequins.

你絕不會說Matilda只是一個芭比娃娃。有些人只是漂亮，而有些人則美得驚人。這正是形式與內容之間的區別。

You would never say of Matilda that she was just a barbie doll. Some people are pretty, and others are beautiful. It is the difference between form and content.

Matilda正是屬於那種內在散發獨特光彩的人。

Matilda was one of those people who just have something about them.

然而，區分她與整體畫面的主要，不在於她在那「黑白影院」（black and white cinema）背景下色彩斑斕的輪廓，而在於她的生命力。其他一切，包括那些灰衣人，若用「無生氣」來形容，則遠不如她來得有活力。或許另一個世界看起來就像這樣——與我們的世界其實沒多大區別——只是因為那是「另一邊」（on the other side）。問題在於，究竟另一邊是什麼的另一邊？

But the main thing distinguishing her from the overall picture was not so much her colorful silhouette against the ‘black and white cinema’ background, so much as her life-force. Everything else including the gray figures was not so much dead as lifeless if one could put it that way. The other world probably looked much like this - not that different from our own - it was just different because it was ‘on the other side’. The question is, on the other side of what?

那個問題目前依然懸而未決。此刻，Matilda並不在意這些現象背後的物理理論；她腦中滿是對下一步將會發生什麼的焦慮疑問。由於某種命運的巧合，她竟然流落到這個陌生世界，不知如何逃出困境，眼前毫無一絲可寄望的希望。她該對那些險惡的同伴抱有怎樣的期望？這一切，她甚至不敢去想。

That question remains unanswered for now. Matilda was not concerned about the physics of such phenomena right in this moment. Her mind was filled with anxious thoughts about what would happen next. By virtue of some fated coincidence, she had ended up in a foreign world and it was not yet clear how she might escape. She could see nothing on which to pin any hope. What should she expect from her sinister companions? She dared not imagine.

Glamrocks們臉上露出冷峻決心，似乎誓言要親自查明某些足以奪走Matilda性命的真相。雖然他們並未觸碰Matilda，但那充滿戒心的目光無不透露著懷疑。走在前面的一個人轉身伸出舌頭，喊道：「合成少女！」，大概是出於習慣。但隨後，他卻挨了個耳光。按照規矩，在弄清楚她到底是屬於「mana（Mana）」還只是個可以食用的少女之前，是不許觸碰她的。

The glamrocks’ faces expressed grim determination to find out for themselves something that could cost Matilda her life. Although the glamrocks were not touching Matilda, they looked at her with suspicion. One of those walking in front turned around, stuck out his tongue and cried out, “Synthetic maid!”, no doubt out of habit. But then he got a slap. The maid was supposed to be left untouched until it had finally been determined who she really was: ‘mana’ or simply an edible maid.

Matilda的境遇更趨惡化，因為她急得要上廁所。「至少眼下我只需要解決那個小問題，」她心裡嘀咕道；「但問題來了——究竟該如何辦？他們到底是什麼性別呢？」她並未從外表察覺到任何明顯的性別特徵。隨即，一個駭人的念頭襲來：他們或許不僅會把她吃掉，甚至肆意凌虐她的身體，用各種恐怖的方式任意折磨。

Matilda’s situation was aggravated by the fact that she was desperate to go to the toilet. ‘At least I only want a number one for now’, she thought. ‘But there’s the thing. How to go about it? What sex are they, I wonder?’ She had not observed any outward indication of gender. And then she was struck by a terrible thought. They might not only eat her but abuse her body to their hearts’ content, who knows in what awful ways.

她急促地穿著厚底鞋奔跑著，不慎踢到一塊石頭，痛得直皺眉。這可憐的女孩多希望能夠重返她那熟悉的世界。「我再也不會任性了，」她心想，「以後我會乖乖服從，絕對不會再摘下那迷人的蝴蝶結，凡事都服從，只求把我送回去！」

She trotted along hurriedly in her platform shoes and stubbed her toe against a rock. The poor girl would have given anything to be back in her own world again. ‘I’ll never be capricious again.’ she thought. ‘I’ll be obedient in everything. I’ll never take off my wonderful bow ever again. I’ll do anything, just send me back!’

想起那蝴蝶結，她再次感受到背部傳來的那股奇怪疲憊感。雖然究竟原因不明，但這感覺似乎賦予了她莫名的力量，讓Matilda覺得自己彷彿能掌控一切，就好似能夠決定哪些事物會出現，哪些則不會。

Remembering the bow, she experienced again that same weird feeling in her back. It was not clear why, but it seemed to give her strength and for some reason caused Matilda to feel that she had the ability to control events. It was as if she could choose what came into being and what did not.

突然，她驚覺自己與周遭的一切以及正在發生的事物徹底分離。她彷彿成了她所處現實的本身，獨立存在，就像現實那般自足。Matilda猛然領悟——不是用理智，而是用整個身心感受到——原來她身陷於一本書中，必須在那些頁面中漫步，演繹出一段情節。

She suddenly realized that she was separate from everything that surrounded her and all that was happening to her. She was the reality in which she found herself. She existed of herself, independently just as reality did. Matilda suddenly understood, not with her mind but with all her being, that here, she had ended up in a book and she was supposed to wander through the pages playing out the plot.

這就好比一部電影，你沉浸在虛構的現實中。若你放任自己順著情節流轉，就只能扮演那由他人安排好的角色。但如果Matilda選擇不扮演呢？如果她堅持保持獨立，而那電影卻與她分道揚鑣呢？

It was like a movie, which you watch as you immerse yourself in a fictional reality. If you concede and give yourself over to what is happening, you have no other choice than to play the role assigned to you. But what if Matilda chose not to? What if she remained separate and the movie separate from her?

Matilda心中浮現疑問：「這真的是我的現實嗎？不，這絕非我的現實。一定出現了問題。這種事情或許只會在夢中發生，但這明明不是夢。不過，究竟又有何差別？無論如何，天知道我終將無事；我不知道怎樣，但我知道我會好起來。別無選擇，還有什麼其他辦法？所以，我已經下定決心了！」

’Can this really be my reality?’ thought Matilda. ‘No, this is not my reality. Something is wrong. This kind of thing happens in dreams, but this is not a dream. Although what difference does it make, for God’s sake? Everything will be all right with me, whatever happens. I don’t know how, but I know I’ll be ok. I have no other choice. What other option is there? That’s what I’ve decided, period!’

就在這念頭閃過後，意想不到的事情發生了。讓Matilda驚愕的是，她看見一道斜斜的黑色光帶從天際劃過直至地面，彷彿某種未知力量撥開了現實的頁面。那些灰衣人似乎對此視若無睹，依然以那嚴峻的步伐前進，彷彿什麼都未曾改變。然而，Matilda卻頓感心情大好，內心充滿信心，深信從此一切都將恢復正常。

Immediately after this thought, something happened. To her surprise, Matilda noticed a slanting black strip flash from the sky down to the ground as if some unknown force had turned the page on reality. The gray ones seemed to pay no attention to it and continued their same grim procession as if nothing had happened. Matilda, however, suddenly felt much better and was confident that from now on everything would be all right.

與此同時，他們抵達了那片建築群前。那裡既不是城鎮，也非村落，而是一處極為怪異的所在。處處是用一種Matilda不曾見過的材質砌成的簡單立方體住屋，平滑的灰牆遍布四周。小屋之間零散布置著同樣外形的凹空結構，並且四處可見蜿蜒台階——有的通向屋頂，有的伸入坑洞，更有一些曲折纏綿、無法尋覓終點。這些立方體結構與凹室交織，加上數不清的台階，使整個景象荒誕不經。

Meanwhile, they reached the buildings they had been heading towards. It was not a town or a village but something quite odd. Everywhere, there were simple, cubic houses with smooth, gray walls made from a material Matilda did not recognize. The houses were interspersed with empty recesses with the same cubic frame. And there were stairways everywhere, some leading up to the rooftops, others down into pits, and still others twisting senselessly and disappearing into nowhere. The fanciful intertwining of cubic structures and niches along with the many stairways created an absurd scene.

他們繞行了一段迂迴的路，從一處台階轉至另一處，最終走出了一片唯一看起來比較敞開的空地——一個廣場。廣場中央矗立著一個建築，其奇異程度不亞於這個地方的其他事物。那建築是一座黑色的巨石紀念碑，外圍呈橢圓形，由那些向外凸出的柱子環繞而成，柱子向上微彎，匯聚於一個帶有肋狀紋理的圓頂。

By an indirect route, crossing from one stairway to another, they exited onto what looked to be the only open space, a square, in the middle of which stood a construction, no less strange than anything else in this peculiar place. The construction was a black monolith with an oval perimeter enclosed by protruding columns, which bent gently upwards to form a ribbed dome.

從外觀上看，這正是那個所謂的「Sac’ed hlevjun」，儘管它那險惡的外形更讓人聯想到宇宙飛船。Glamrocks們顯然不可能自己建造出如此壯觀的結構，整個城區亦非他們之能作。

By all appearances, this was the very same ‘sacred hlevjun’ although its sinister form was more reminiscent of a spaceship. The glamrocks could not have built such a structure themselves, or the rest of the city for that matter.

就在大隊接近這塊巨石之際，建築物突然以低沉而強烈的喇叭聲轟鳴，聲波瀰漫開來，充斥整個周遭空間。那聲音剛一傳入灰衣人的耳中，他們便手忙腳亂，急速衝向室內。Matilda則懷著又驚又疑的心情緊隨其後。

In the same moment that the procession approached the megalith, the construction produced a startlingly powerful trumpet sound in a low tone, which permeated the surrounding space. As soon as the sound reached the glamrocks’ ears, they began to fuss and rushed inside. Matilda followed them with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

進入巨石內部後，其結構與外部大致無異。從牆面向外延伸的黑色柱子平滑直上，直抵高聳的圓頂。一道綠光從靠近地板的凹室中散發出來。地面漆黑光滑，如同鏡面一般。整個空間除了中央唯一的一個元素外空無一物，那元素看上去像是一個矩形祭壇或基座，材質與地面相同。從這基座上長出一個頭顱，光禿禿的，呈現出與灰衣人類似的灰白色。

The megalith had the same form inside as it did on the outside. The black pillars that extended outwards from the walls rose smoothly upwards into a high dome. A green glow emanated somewhere from a niche near the floor. The floor was black and as smooth as a mirror. The place was empty except for a single element at the center which looked to be a rectangular-shaped altar or plinth made of the same material as the floor. A head was growing up out of the plinth, bald and gray like the glamrocks.

那顆頭顱無聲地扭動，面部扭曲卻不發一語。Glamrocks們圍繞著祭壇，將Matilda逼入圈中，隨後跪倒在地，雙手高舉開始低聲吟詠，祈求某種神秘的召喚。

The head writhed with grimaces not making a sound. The glamrocks surrounded the altar, shoved Matilda inside the circle, fell to their knees and with raised hands began making invocations.

“Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!”

“Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!”

那顆頭顱仍帶著扭曲的表情，用低沉的低音語氣道：

Without changing its expression from a grimace, the head spoke in a low bass tone.

「念胡言亂語。你們不可念出那個字母。我是 mana。 我能，但你們不能。Mana-veda, mana-sana, mana-una, mana-mana

“Read gibberish. You must not read the letter. I am mana. I can. But you can’t. Mana-veda, mana-sana, mana-una, mana-mana.

Mana-oma, ata-mana, mana-okha, mana-dana。”

Mana-oma, ata-mana, mana-okha, mana-dana.”

Glamrocks們恭順地低聲念著那咒語，一遍又一遍重複著頭顱所說的詞句。

The glamrocks muttered the mantra obediently repeating the words the head spoke.

「Mana-oga, makha-mana, mana-osha, mana-shana，」那位 Glamorc 接著說道（很明顯，就是他），「念胡言亂語。這樣你們就會‘滿足’（Full）起來。千萬別做那些不被允許的事，否則必然會導致崩潰！」

“Mana-oga, makha-mana, mana-osha, mana-shana,” continued the glamorck (obviously, this was him). “Read gibberish.Then you will be full. Don’t do the things that aren’t allowed, otherwise there’ll be a crash!“

那些野蠻人捂著頭，發出呻吟，「Aboo! 這是禁忌！」

The savages put their heads in their hands and groaned. “Aboo! It’s aboo!”

頭顱問道：「這裡的 mana 是誰？在這裡，你們需要親吻誰？」

“Who is mana here?” asked the head. “Who do you need to kiss around here?”

他們回答道：「Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!」 隨後開始沿著地板摩擦自己的臉，毫不留情地壓扁自己的鼻子。

“Glamo’c! Mana-glamo’c!” they responded and began rubbing their faces along the floor, mercilessly squashing their noses.

那位 Glamorc 陰森地大喊：「崇拜我！」並伴隨著可怕的扭曲表情，發出單調低語：「О-a-oo-khоmm, о- a-oo-hоmm.」

“Praise me!” the glamorc shouted ominously, accompanying the words with horrible grimacing and sending out a monotonous murmur. “О-a-oo-khоmm, о- a-oo-hоmm.”

Glamrocks們重複道：“О-a-oo-khоmm!”

“О-a-oo-khоmm!” the glamrocks repeated.

他們依著頭顱的帶領繼續低聲念叨了一會兒，隨後漸漸安靜下來，並把目光轉向圍在圈中的少女。Matilda陷入了茫然，不知該如何自處；他們顯然期待她有所作為。在 Glamorc 面前，她深知自己的權威早已迅速瓦解，因而必須採取非凡舉措立即行動。

They droned on for a while longer following the head’s lead but then gradually became quiet and turned their gaze to the maid inside the circle. Matilda stood completely at a loss not knowing what to do with herself. They clearly expected her to do something. It was time to take urgent action and as she correctly surmised, it had to be something extraordinary as her authority had diminished rapidly in the presence of the glamorc.

此時，她同時急著上廁所。Matilda無法理解那顆頭究竟是何物，是否還有生命；若真活著，為何會從那巨石中長出來。她看著它不斷低語、扭曲著面孔，隨後注意到那頭竟帶有某種機械特徵，週期性地反覆做著同樣的動作。

She was also desperate for the toilet. Matilda could not understand what kind of head this was, whether it was alive, and if so, why it was growing out of the monolith. As she watched, it continued to mumble and grimace. Then Matilda spotted something mechanical about the head. It was periodically repeating the same movements over and over again in a cycle.

她已別無選擇，當下就是關鍵。如果不立刻掌控局面，她就完了。Matilda毫不猶豫地攀上祭壇，解開連身褲上的拉鍊，蹲下並直接在那會說話的頭顱上解手。

She had nothing to lose. It was now or never. If she did not take the situation into her own hands this very second, she was finished. Without further hesitation, Matilda climbed up onto the altar, undid the zipper on her jumpsuit, crouched down and relieved herself right on top of the talking head.

Glamrocks們目瞪口呆地盯著她看，臉上浮現出難以言喻的恐懼表情，而此前他們的面孔一向毫無表情。他們全程默默地觀看著這一切。當這褻瀆行為落下帷幕後，那位女神站起來，平靜地將連身褲拉鍊拉好。就在那一刻，頭顱開始迸發火花，隨後抽搐起來，並在低沉消逝的咕噥聲中停止動作，最終以一個可憐的扭曲表情徹底癱瘓。

The glamrocks stared at her completely dumbfounded, a look of indescribable horror appearing on their faces, formerly devoid of any facial expression. They observed the entire spectacle without making a single sound. Having completed the sacrilege, the diva rose and calmly zipped herself back up again. In that moment, the head began sending out sparks, then it twitched and with a fading mumble stalled, completely paralyzed in a pitiful grimace.

Matilda此刻豁然開朗。她站在那基座上，滿臉勝利地注視著那些野蠻人——他們的Glamorc已被打敗。經過短暫的沉默後，Matilda提出了一個她們早已聽過的神聖問題。

Matilda understood now. Standing on the plinth, she gave the savages a triumphant look. Their glamorc was defeated. After an initial pause, Matilda asked them the sacred question they had already heard before.

「這裡的 mana 是誰？」

“Who is mana here?”

「Mana-tida! Mana-tida!」 Glamrocks們齊聲喊道。隨著他們的呼喊聲逐漸消退，隨即又響起：「你是我們的新 mana！」

“Mana-tida! Mana-tida!” the glamrocks cried out. The sound of their voices faded and then again, they cried. “You are our new mana!”

就在這一瞬間，Glamrocks們如同往常般跪倒在地，用手抹去臉上的灰塵。Matilda從基座上走下，開始發出命令。

In this instant, the glamrocks fell to their knees wiping their faces across the floor as before. Matilda climbed down from the plinth and began to give orders.

「停止！快起來！真的，我告訴你們，快起來！」

“Stop! Get up! Really, get up, I tell you!”

Glamrocks們紛紛站起來，仍保持著一定的敬畏距離圍繞著她。終於恢復了自我的女神問道：「那麼，我們該怎麼辦？」

The glamrocks rose to their feet and surrounded her still keeping a respectful distance. The diva was finally herself again and asked, “So, what are we going to do?”

「……念胡言亂語！……念胡言亂語！」那些灰衣人吶喊著。那顆死頭顱已不再引起他們的興趣，他們滿懷敬畏地注視著他們的新 mana，隨時準備執行她的任何命令。

“...’ead gibb’ish! ...’ead gibb’ish!” the gray ones shouted. The dead head did not seem to interest them anymore. They stared in awe at their new mana ready to follow any order she might give them.

Matilda停下腳步，沉思片刻。她剛剛逃脫了一個可怕的命運，找到了從看似無望的情勢中突圍的出路。這樣的經歷以往從未降臨於她身上，自然也難以想像自己能應對如此危機。但事態發展如此迅速，她顧不上驚訝或慶祝。

Matilda stopped and thought for a moment. She had just escaped a terrible fate, finding a way out of what she had assumed to be a hopeless situation. She had never experienced anything like this ever in her life before, and naturally, could never have imagined herself capable of coping with such a crisis. But events were developing so rapidly, she did not have time to be surprised or celebrate.

與以往相似，Matilda腦中充斥著無數未解之謎：那顆頭究竟是什麼？這建築、這城鎮又意味著什麼？究竟是誰創造了這一切，又為了什麼目的？她所處的這世界是怎樣的？不論幕後設計者是誰，很明顯，絕非Glamrocks。從她所見，那顆頭似乎是一個電氣機制，用來束縛這些原始族群。如今，那顆頭雖已毀損，但供其運作的能量來源，顯然依舊活躍，因那巨石仍持續發出綠光。

As before, Matilda faced a multitude of unresolved questions: what was the head? What was this building, this town? Who built it all and why? What was this world in which she found herself? Whoever the architects were, it definitely was not the glamrocks. Judging from what she had seen, the head was an electrical mechanism that served as a means of shackling these primitive people. Now the head was broken but the source of energy that had fed it was clearly still active as the monolith continued to emit its green glow.

最關鍵的是，Matilda必須弄清楚接下來究竟該做些什麼。如果這些人真是如此原始，誰也無法預料他們會採取什麼行動。這意味著，她必須以某種類似儀式的方式來佔據他們的心智，否則他們可能出現不服從的情況。考慮到當前的情勢，精明的Matilda（她無疑非常聰明）決定先與那些灰衣人建立某種聯繫。

The main thing was to work out what on earth Matilda was going to do next. If these people were primitive, there was no telling what they might come up with. That meant she had to occupy their minds with something resembling a ritual, otherwise they might become disobedient to her. Having considered the circumstances, clever Matilda (and she was undoubtedly very clever) decided to start by establishing some kind of bond with the gray ones.