模特兒城市

Mannequin City

女祭司Itfut驚慌地環顧四周。這些天來，她不容易被任何事情驚嚇，但最近的事件和她周圍的現實簡直令人髮指。當沙漏或不管那是什麼被翻轉並開始再次倒沙時，現實平靜下來。天空變藍，沙子變黃，但天空中仍然沒有太陽。「光是從哪裡來的？」女祭司心想。

Priestess Itfut looked around her frantically. She was not easily surprised by anything these days, but recent events and her surrounding reality were simply outrageous. After the sand timer or whatever it was had been turned over and started pouring sand again, reality had calmed down. The sky turned blue and the sand turned yellow but there was still no sun in the sky. ‘Where is that light coming from?’ thought the priestess.

「我的鞋子飛走了，飛走了，」女祭司自言自語地說。「好吧，好吧，我們就假設我已經為我的恐懼付出了代價。但如果這樣下去，我很快就沒有什麼可以支付的了。」

“My shoes flew away, away” said the priestess, who continued talking to herself. “Okay, okay, we’ll assume I have paid for my fear. But if this goes on for much longer, I’ll soon have nothing left to pay with.”

Itfut只剩下她那華麗的深藍色天鵝絨裙子，上面鑲著鑽石的領子，以及她左手上戴著的水晶戒指。

All Itfut had left was her gorgeous dark-blue, velvet dress with the diamond- studded collar, and the crystal ring that she wore on her left hand.

「你不會從我這裡得到更多的東西，你這個半吊子的現實！就因為你失去了理智，並不意味著我也要這樣。我不再害怕你了。把我的鞋子還給我！你聽到了嗎？」

“You won’t get anything more out of me, you, half-wit reality you! Just because you’ve lost the plot, doesn’t mean that I have to. I’m not afraid of you anymore. Give me back my shoes! You hear?”

與此同時，沙漏傾斜後，景觀出現了一個新細節。在遠處，Matilda開始看出一座城市的輪廓。

Meanwhile, after the tilting of the hourglass, the landscape acquired a new detail. In the distance, Matilda began to make out the contours of a city.

「你看，Itfut，女祭司，你這個女祭司，現在你有地方可去了。所以，我們走吧。我們快點。是時候結束這一切荒唐了。我只希望這不是海市蜃樓。」

“You see, Itfut, priestess, you priestess, now you have somewhere to go. So, let’s go. Let’s get a move on. It is high time we put an end to all this nonsense. I just hope it isn’t a mirage.”

她抖掉裙子上的沙子，朝著她的目標邁步。沙子在她光著的腳下嘎吱作響，像玻璃一樣，儘管觸感柔軟。對女祭司來說，她感覺自己像在棉花上行走。但她更困惑的是一種現象，這種現象同樣奇特。她覺得似乎不是她在向前走，而是景觀在向她迎面而來，而她幾乎沒有把一隻腳放在另一隻腳前。此外，目標以不自然的速度接近。

She shook the sand from her dress and strode in the direction of her goal. The sand creaked beneath her bare feet like glass although it was soft to the touch. To the priestess it felt like she was walking on cotton wool. But she was more puzzled by a phenomenon, no less peculiar. It seemed to her as if, rather than her walking ahead, the landscape was coming forwards to meet her, while she had barely placed one foot in front of the other. Moreover, the goal was approaching with unnatural speed.

「這是什麼把戲？」Matilda憤怒地說。「你想再次震驚或嚇唬我嗎？」她對現實說。「那是不可能的！而且沒有必要害怕不可能的事情。我不怕，我不怕！一點也不，一點也不！明白嗎？」

“What kind of trick is this?” said Matilda indignantly. “Do you want to shock me or frighten me again?” she said, talking to reality. “That’s not possible! And there is no point in being afraid of something that is not possible. I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid! Not at all, at all! Get it?”

與此同時，現實繼續變化，無視女祭司。幾分鐘內，天空變成灰色。沙浪變成了岩石荒地，城市的輪廓在她眼前變得更大。出於某種原因，Itfut感覺不到腳下的石頭。奇怪的是，儘管赤腳行走，它們並沒有打擾她。這很令人驚訝，但她現在已經厭倦了驚訝。

Reality meanwhile continued to change ignoring the priestess. Within a few minutes the sky was gray. The waves of sand turned into a rocky wasteland and the outlines of the city grew larger before her eyes. For some reason Itfut could not feel the stones beneath her feet. Strangely, they did not bother her at all despite walking barefoot. It was surprising but she was tired of being surprised by now.

女祭司進入了這座城市，如果你能稱之為城市的話，這是一個由立方結構和凹槽組成的抽象集合，無論你看向哪裡，都是無盡交錯的樓梯。墓地般的寂靜籠罩著，偶爾被滴落的聲音打斷，彷彿一個無形的巨大水鐘在測量時間的間隔。

The priestess entered the city, if you could call it that, an abstract conglomeration of cubic structures and niches, and wherever you looked, endlessly interweaving flights of stairs. A sepulchral silence reigned, only occasionally interrupted by the sound of falling drops as if an invisible, giant clepsydra was measuring intervals of time.

「多麼可怕的寂靜。這真是可怕的寂靜。」Itfut在結構和形態的迷宮中迷失，重複著。「情況每小時都在惡化。這難道不是一場剛剛開始的噩夢嗎？」

“What awful quiet. It’s just a-a-awful quie-e-t-t.” repeated Itfut, lost in a maze of structures and formations. ‘It gets worse by the hour. Surely this isn’t a nightmare that’s only just beginning?’

「嘿，有人在那裡嗎？！」她喊道，回聲將她的喊聲變成了多重的「有人-有人-有人」。

“Hey, is there anybody there?!” she shouted, and a resonant echo carried her shout into a multiple ‘body-body-body’.

「嘶——」她嘶聲說，轉為低聲耳語。「當可怕的寂靜來臨時，你也必須保持安靜。」

“Ts-s-s,” she hissed, switching to a whisper. “When the awfulness is quiet, you have to quiet, too.”

她小心翼翼地打開其中一座房子的門，往裡面窺視。裡面空無一人。內部只由一張桌子、一把椅子和一張木板床組成。沒有其他東西。Itfut查看的每一座房子裡都是同樣的場景。她一一檢查，但沒有看到一個人影。

She gingerly opened the door to one of the houses and peeped inside. There was no one there. The interior consisted solely of a table, a chair and a bed of boards. Nothing more. The same scene was repeated in each of the houses Itfut looked in. She examined them one by one but there was not a soul to be seen.

Itfut鼓起勇氣爬上一個高樓梯，從那裡可以看到更好的視野。結果發現樓梯並不通向任何地方，只是在幾次轉彎後懸在空中。Itfut沒有費心爬到樓梯的頂端，因為她的頭已經因高度而暈眩。她停在半途，向兩邊環顧。在相同的屋頂之間，她發現了一個黑色的、不祥的結構在附近矗立。

Itfut plucked up the courage to climb a high stairway from where she could get a better view. It turned out that the stairs did not lead anywhere but just hung in midair after several turns. Itfut did not bother climbing right to the top of the stairs because her head was already spinning from the height. She stopped somewhere halfway up and looked about her in both directions. Between identical roofs, she spotted a black, ominous-looking structure towering close by.

女祭司下了樓梯，決定盡可能地向巨石走去，穿越這個奇異的迷宮。她從一座房子走到另一座房子，從一個樓梯走到另一個樓梯，小心翼翼地注意腳下，直到她幾乎撞上了一個灰色的身影。

The priestess went back down the flight of stairs and decided to make for the megalith, as far as that was possible wandering through the bizarre maze. She went from one house to another, from stairway to stairway being mindful of where she placed her feet, until she almost collided with a gray figure.

她驚訝地向後跳，心跳加速。那個身影一動不動，但姿勢顯示它似乎正要邁出下一步。身穿無形的連帽長袍，面孔隱藏，無法確定這個身影是人還是雕像。恢復呼吸後，Itfut走到身影的側面，往它的兜帽下窺視。

She leapt backwards in surprise, her heart beating furiously. The figure stood motionless but in such a posture that suggested it might be just about to take another step. Clothed in a shapeless, hooded robe that hid the face, it was not clear whether the figure was a human being or a statue. Recovering her breath, Itfut walked to the side of the figure and took a peep under its hood.

在陰影中，玻璃般的眼睛燃燒著，凝視著虛無。Itfut覺得眼睛似乎反映出生命的跡象，但臉上的其餘部分卻是死灰色，凝固在冷漠的表情中。「嘿！」Itfut輕聲呼喚。

Glassy eyes burned in the shadows staring into nowhere. Itfut thought as if the eyes reflected signs of life but the rest of the face was a deathly gray, frozen in an indifferent expression. “Hey!” Itfut called quietly.

身影一動不動。女祭司小心地觸摸了用粗糙材料縫製的兜帽。她的手指沿著身影的手臂滑上去，觸摸它的臉頰……就在那一刻，發生了一件不自然的事情。女祭司的手指自由地穿過了臉上的皮膚，彷彿它是個幽靈。

The figure did not move an inch. The priestess warily touched the hood which was sewn from a rough material. She ran her fingers up the figure’s arm and touched its cheeks... At that moment, something unnatural happened. The priestess’ fingers passed freely through the skin on the face as if it were a ghost.

決定驗證她的直覺，Itfut嘗試將手穿過身影的身體，果然，她的手穿了過去。女祭司完全驚訝地後退一步，突然發現自己穿過了身後的樓梯，彷彿它是由空氣構成的。

Deciding to test her hunch, Itfut tried passing her hand through the figure’s body and sure enough, her hand passed right through. The priestess took a step back in complete amazement, and suddenly found herself falling through the staircase behind her as if it were made of air.

驚慌失措的女祭司左右之間之字形地移動，像幽靈一樣穿過牆壁和樓梯。她再也無法分辨這裡什麼是幽靈般的，什麼是無形的，是她自己還是周圍的一切。這太過分了。現實繼續在編織一個不祥的幻覺網，這場遊戲中，女祭司似乎正在輸掉。

Panicking, the priestess zig-zagged from side to side, falling through walls and stairways like a phantom. She could no longer tell what was ghost-like and immaterial here, herself or everything that surrounded her. This was too much. Reality was continuing to weave an ominous web of illusion in a game that the priestess appeared to be losing.

Itfut最終設法稍微冷靜下來，開始探索自己和周圍現實的新特性。

Itfut eventually managed to calm down a little and began to explore new properties in herself and her surrounding reality.

「太美妙了，超級美妙！我死了！不，我瘋了！是死了更好，還是失去理智更好？或者哪個更糟？」

“Wonderful, super-wonderful! I’m dead! No, I’ve gone mad! Which is better, to be dead or to have lost my mind? Or which is worse?”

她沿著牆摸索。牆摸起來堅固光滑，但當她推手向前時，它卻穿了過去，彷彿牆不存在。

She felt along the wall. It was solid and smooth to the touch but as soon as she pushed her hand forward, it passed through as if the wall did not exist.

「現實，我們之中誰是透明的，是你還是我？」

“Reality, which one of us is transparent, you or I?”

但她無法確定答案，幻覺是完整的。或者也許這根本不是幻覺。

But she was not able to determine the answer, the illusion was complete. Or maybe it was not an illusion at all.

在灰色雕像所在的廣場上，Itfut注意到一個裝有小石砌池的泉水。水看起來在流出，但同時又似乎沒有流動。水流懸在空中，像一個凍結的畫面。女祭司走近泉水，觸摸水。摸起來像水，但她無法用手舀起來。

In the square where the gray statue was standing Itfut noticed a spring equipped with a small, stone-laid pool. The water in it seemed to pour forth and, at the same time, it looked as if it were not pouring at all. A jet of water hung frozen mid-air like a freeze frame. The priestess approached the spring and touched the water. It felt like water to the touch, but she could not scoop it up in her hand.

Itfut試圖喝水，但很快意識到這行不通。

Itfut tried to drink it but soon realized that would not work.

然後她看到水流其實並不是靜止的，而是緩慢地流動，幾乎不易察覺。然後女祭司半猜到了什麼。她跑到雕像前，再次檢查。身影現在站在一個稍微不同的位置，一條腿正要邁出下一步。

And then she saw that the jet of water was not actually motionless but flowing slowly, barely noticeably. Then the priestess took a half guess at something. She ran up to the statue and examined it again. The figure was standing in a slightly different position now, with one leg halfway into taking another step forward.

「對了，」女祭司說，開始來回踱步。「這裡的時間有些奇怪。」

“Right” the priestess said and began pacing up and down. “There’s something weird going on with time here.”

彷彿為了證實她的想法，無形的水鐘繼續用偶爾響亮的水滴測量著死亡般的寂靜。

As if to confirm her thoughts, the invisible clepsydra continued to measure the deathly silence with occasional, loud drops.

「多麼安靜，噓，安靜的可怕！」Itfut重複道。「我終於瘋了，還是我仍在失去理智的過程中？」

“What quiet, shush and quiet awfulness!” repeated Itfut. “Have I finally gone mad or am I still in the process of losing my mind?”

Matilda已經忘記了自己在朝哪個方向走，必須再次爬上樓梯以確定方位。黑色建築不遠，但要穿過迷宮到達並不容易。女祭司沿著蜿蜒的街道走，試圖保持方向感。在途中，她遇到了另一個雕像，然後又一個，還有一個。它們全都一樣，只是凍結在各種過渡位置。有些站在半步，有些坐下，有些前傾。

Matilda had already forgotten which direction she was moving in and had to climb up the stairs again to get her bearings. The black building was not far away but getting to it through the maze was not easy. The priestess passed down winding streets trying to keep her sense of direction. Along the way, she came across another statue, then another and another. They are all were identical, just frozen in various transitional positions. Some were standing in half-step, others were sitting down, and others frozen leaning forwards.

「有人能告訴我這裡到底發生了什麼嗎？」Itfut驚呼。「有人嗎！」

“Can somebody tell me what on earth is going on here?” Itfut exclaimed. “Somebody!”

然後她想起在沙漠中，她曾與某個「對話者」交流過。

Then she remembered that in the sandy desert she had engaged with a certain “interlocutor”.

「嘿，門檻，你在那裡嗎？」

“Hey, Threshold, are you there?”

她剛說完這句話，一陣低語從寂靜中升起，像風一樣從一個方向飄到另一個方向。

No sooner had she spoken these words than a whisper rose out of the silence and swished from one direction to the other like wind.

「我在這裡，也在每個地方，這裡和每個地方……」

“I am here and everywhere, here and everywhere...”

「哦，你真的在這裡，」Itfut高興地說，至少有一個活著的出現了。「這次我不會問你是誰和你在哪裡。你能告訴我我在哪裡，這一切是怎麼回事嗎？」

“Oh, you really are here,” said Itfut, delighted that at least someone living had appeared. “I am not going to ask who you are and where you are this time. Can you tell me where I am and what all this is about?”

「超現實，」低語回答，不再四處飄動，而是似乎同時從各個方向傳來。

“Meta-reality,” the whisper replied, no longer darting about but appearing to come from all directions at the same time.

「什麼超現實？」 「一個原型現實。」

“What meta-reality?” “A prototype reality.”

「哦，神啊，你能不能說得更清楚一點？什麼是原型？」

“Oh, the Gods, could you be a bit clearer? What’s a prototype?”

「這是一切開始的地方，一切誕生的地方，一切起源的地方。」

“It’s where everything starts, where everything is born, and where everything originates.”

「這是哪座城市？」

“What city is this?”

「這是一個可能存在的模型。」

“It is a model of what could be.”

「那些凍結在這裡的人是誰？」

“And who are these people frozen here?”

「他們不是人。他們是人偶，是人的模型。」

“They aren’t people. They’re mannequins, models of people.”

「為什麼他們這麼慢？我在這裡做什麼？為什麼我能穿過牆壁？」

“Why are they so slow? And what am I doing here? How come I can pass through walls?”

「問題太多了。我消失了。」 「等等，告訴我怎麼回去。」

“Too many questions. I’m disappearing.” “Wait, wait, just tell me how to get back.”

「你會知道的，知道的，知道的……」低語在寂靜中消失蒸發。

“You’ll find out, find out, find out...” The whisper faded and evaporated in the silence.

顯然門檻不願意進行長時間的對話。Itfut試圖在他後面喊叫，但無濟於事。只有回聲作為回應。她與門檻的對話留下的謎團比答案還多。女祭司除了繼續前進，別無他法。

Evidently Threshold was not inclined to having long conversations. Itfut tried to shout after him but to no avail. An echo was the only response. Her dialogue with Threshold left her with more puzzles than answers. There was nothing the priestess could do except keep moving.

她在迷宮的曲折中徘徊了很久，偶爾撞到「人偶」，直到她終於到達一個小平台。然後她看到了一個讓她脊背發涼的景象。在平台的中央，一個身影懸在空中，穿著和她一樣的深藍色裙子。Itfut注意到，在這個灰色的環境中，他們是唯一的兩個有顏色的。

She wandered for a long time through the convolutions of the labyrinth occasionally bumping into ‘mannequins’ until she finally reached a small platform. And there she saw a spectacle that sent chills down her spine. In the middle of the platform, a figure was hanging in mid-air clothed in a dark-blue dress, the same as her own. Itfut noted the fact that in this gray environment they were the only two in color.

那個身影懸在一個不自然的姿勢：光著的腳向後伸展，手臂向上伸展，頭向後仰，黑色的頭髮像扇子一樣展開。屏住呼吸，女祭司從後面悄悄靠近那個身影，繞到前面，然後看著那個身影的臉……她看到的讓她顫抖。那是她自己。

The figure hung in an unnatural pose: bare feet stretched back and out to the sides, arms reaching upwards, head thrown back, black hair spread out like a fan. Holding her breath, the priestess crept up to the figure from behind, walked around and then looked the figure in the face... She trembled at what she saw. It was she.

Itfut從那個身影旁邊猛地跑開，發出一聲狂野的尖叫。巨大的回聲放大了她的尖叫，重複了很多次。在她的一生中，她從未如此尖叫過，也從未像現在這樣經歷過如此動物般的恐懼，儘管你會認為見到自己的模型不一定比她在這裡目睹的其他事情更可怕。但對女祭司來說，這是一個過於地獄般的景象。

Itfut darted away from the figure letting out a wild cry. The huge echo amplified her cry repeating it many times. Never in her life had she screamed so much or experienced such animal fear as she did right now, although you would think that meeting a mannequin of yourself was no more frightening necessarily than anything else, she had witnessed here. But for the priestess this was a sight all too infernal.

然而，她無法逃離這個場景。她竭盡全力，但她的腿幾乎動不了，彷彿癱瘓了一樣，她被固定在原地。在那一刻，一股未知的力量抓住了她，把她抬到空中，畫出螺旋形的圈，然後猛地把她擠進懸著的身影中。

And still, she could not run away from the scene. She tried with all her might, but her legs barely moved as if paralyzed and she was fixed to the spot. In that moment, an unknown force caught hold of her, lifted her up into the air, drew circles in a spiral, and then squeezed her in a sharp action into the hanging figure.

片刻之後，Itfut的身體，現在與女祭司合而為一，倒在地上。女祭司躺在那裡一動不動了一會兒，但終於醒過來，搖了搖頭，檢查她的身體。一切都在應該在的地方。現在她和她的身體再次合而為一。就在那一瞬間，她的鞋子從上面某個地方掉下來，落在她旁邊。

A moment later, Itfut’s body, now one with the priestess collapsed onto the ground. The priestess lay there motionless for a while but finally came round, shook her head and examined her body. Everything was where it should be. And now she and her body were united again. In that instant, her shoes crashed down beside her from somewhere up above.

「哦，我的鞋子！」女祭司用微弱的聲音呻吟道。

“Oh, my shoes!” the priestess moaned in a weak voice.

她仍然難以恢復意識。Itfut爬向她的鞋子，坐下來，穿上它們，然後站起來，儘管她整個身體感覺異常沉重。似乎她的身體再次獲得了物質形態。

She was still having difficulty coming back to her senses. Itfut crawled towards her shoes, sat down, put them on and stood up, although her entire body felt unusually heavy. It seemed her body had acquired its material form once again.

她走到其中一座建築物前，試圖把手伸進牆裡，但牆是堅硬的，無法穿透。Itfut鬆了一口氣。至少一個問題已經解決了。「感謝神，我又是我了，」Itfut心想，然後大步走向現在在屋頂後面可見的黑色建築。她的高跟鞋在岩石地面上自信而清脆地響著。

She walked up to one of the buildings and tried to put her hand through the wall, but it was hard and would not yield. Itfut gave a sigh of relief. At least one problem had been solved. ‘Thanks to the Gods, I am me again’, thought Itfut and walked with bold strides towards the black construction, which was now visible behind the roofs. Her heels clicked confidently and sharply along the rocky soil.

她終於來到了廣場，中央矗立著那座黑色的巨型紀念碑。

She finally reached the square, in the middle of which stood the monolithic, black monument.

「哇，這是什麼？」女祭司驚訝地喊道，「這不就是至高創造者的神殿嗎？」

“Wow, what’s this?” exclaimed the priestess in surprise, a Temple of the Supreme Creator no less!”

她走近這個建築，眼前出現了一個同樣奇怪的場景。巨石旁邊坐著一個藍色頭髮、藍色臉龐，背後系著粉紅色蝴蝶結的女孩。

She approached the construction, and there an equally strange scene appeared before her. Next to the monolith, a girl with light-blue hair, a blue face and a pink bow at the back was sitting on a stone.

女孩一動不動地坐著，就像那些灰色雕像，雖然她與它們截然不同，不僅在整體形象和色彩上，更在於她的生命氣息。Itfut繞著她走了幾圈，從各個角度觀察她。她可能是活的，也可能不是。她只是坐在那裡一動不動。可能是個人偶，也可能是其他更不神聖的東西。女孩的整體外觀極具異國情調。

The girl sat motionless, just like the gray statues although she was strikingly different to them, not only in her overall image and colorfulness but the presence of life. Itfut walked past her several times looking at her from all sides. She might be alive, or she might not. She just sat there without moving. It could be a mannequin or something else more ungodly. The girl’s entire appearance was highly exotic.

Itfut移到一邊，然後猛地轉回來。她確信自己看到女孩眨眼了，或者只是她的想像。Itfut再次走近，開始仔細端詳女孩的臉。她依然一動不動。然後女祭司假裝要離開，朝建築物的方向走去。

Itfut moved away to one side and then turned back sharply. She was sure she saw the girl blink or maybe she just imagined it. Itfut approached again and began peering carefully into the girl’s face. She remained motionless. Then the priestess pretended to be leaving and set off from the square in the direction of the buildings.

一旦離開女孩的視線，她脫下鞋子，拿在手裡，迅速繞過巨石，從對面接近。

Once out of the girl’s sight, she took off her shoes, carrying them in her hands and quickly ran around the megalith approaching from the opposite side.

小心翼翼地從柱子後面探出頭，她看到女孩站起來，四處張望。Itfut悄悄地從後面靠近她，然後大喊。

Carefully looking out from behind the pillars, she saw that the girl was standing up and looking about her. Itfut quietly sneaked up behind her and shouted.

「嘿！」

“Hey!”

Matilda（當然是她）驚嚇地跳起來，也喊了一聲。

Matilda (it was, of course her) jumped in shock and also gave a shout.

她們互相對視了幾秒鐘，終於，Itfut開口。

For a few moments, they stood looking back at each other in silence. Finally, Itfut spoke.

「你在這裡搞什麼啞劇？」 「沒什麼。只是你真的嚇到我了。」

“What kind of a pantomime have you got going on here?” “Nothing. You just really scared me.”

「你為什麼怕我？」 「你為什麼全身都是紅色？」

“Why would you be afraid of me?” “Why are you all red?”

「你為什麼全身都是藍色？」

“Why are you all blue?”

兩人再次沉默。

Both fell silent again.

「你是誰？」Itfut問。「我是個女主角，」Matilda回答。

“Who are you?” asked Itfut. “I’m a diva,” answered Matilda.

「太好了，奇蹟中的奇蹟，奇妙中的奇妙，」Itfut評論道，語氣中帶著諷刺。

“Great, a miraculous miracle, a marvelous marvel,” Itfut commented, a note of irony in her voice.

「那你是誰？」女主角問。「我是個女祭司。那麼，你叫什麼名字？」 「Matilda，但你可以叫我Tili。」

“And who are you?” asked the diva. “I’m a priestess. So, what’s your name?” “Matilda, but you can call me Tili.”

「真感人。Tili遊戲，Tili遊戲，貓的房子著火了。」

“How touching. Tili-games, Tili-games, the cat’s house went up in flames.”

「你為什麼嘲笑我？」Matilda不滿地問。「可以說你是我遇到的第一個活人，而你卻在取笑我。你不知道我在這裡經歷了什麼！」

“Why are you mocking me?” asked Matilda, offended. “You could say that you’re the first living soul I’ve met, and you’re poking fun at me. You have no idea what I’ve been through here!”

「抱歉，」女祭司回答。「我自己也不太清楚我剛才說了什麼。我有點崩潰。我是Itfut。我在這裡也經歷了很多。」

“Sorry,” replied the priestess. “I hardly know myself what I just said. I’m having a kind of breakdown. I’m Itfut. And I’ve been through a lot here too.”

她們互相看著，彷彿都感受到同樣的情感。然後，不約而同地，她們擁抱在一起，淚流滿面。

They looked at each other as if they were both feeling the same thing. And then, without even asking, they gave each other a hug and burst into tears.

人偶之城

Mannequin City

祭司Itfut瘋狂地四下張望。如今，她已不輕易因任何事物而驚奇，但最近的種種事件與眼前的現實實在離譜。當那個沙漏（或是什麼東西）被倒轉後，沙子再次傾瀉下來，現實便逐漸平靜。天空轉為蔚藍，沙子染上了金黃，但天際依舊沒有陽光。祭司心想：「那道光究竟從何而來？」

Priestess Itfut looked around her frantically. She was not easily surprised by anything these days, but recent events and her surrounding reality were simply outrageous. After the sand timer or whatever it was had been turned over and started pouring sand again, reality had calmed down. The sky turned blue and the sand turned yellow but there was still no sun in the sky. ‘Where is that light coming from?’ thought the priestess.

祭司喃喃自語：「我的鞋子全飛走了，飛得無影無蹤。好吧，好吧，就當我已為恐懼付出了代價；但若這情況再持續下去，很快我就連付錢的資源都將耗盡。」

“My shoes flew away, away” said the priestess, who continued talking to herself. “Okay, okay, we’ll assume I have paid for my fear. But if this goes on for much longer, I’ll soon have nothing left to pay with.”

Itfut剩下的只有那件華麗的深藍色天鵝絨裙，配有鑽石鑲邊的領子，以及戴在左手上的水晶戒指。

All Itfut had left was her gorgeous dark-blue, velvet dress with the diamond- studded collar, and the crystal ring that she wore on her left hand.

「你這個半吊子現實！別再指望從我這裡榨取什麼了！就因你失去了節奏，不代表我也得跟著失控。我再也不怕你了，把我的鞋子還給我！聽見了嗎？」

“You won’t get anything more out of me, you, half-wit reality you! Just because you’ve lost the plot, doesn’t mean that I have to. I’m not afraid of you anymore. Give me back my shoes! You hear?”

同時，當沙漏傾斜後，景觀呈現出一個新細節——遠處，Matilda開始隱約辨識出一座城市的輪廓。

Meanwhile, after the tilting of the hourglass, the landscape acquired a new detail. In the distance, Matilda began to make out the contours of a city.

「你看，Itfut，祭司啊，你這位祭司，現在你有地方可去。來，我們走吧，動起來吧。早該把這胡鬧給結束了，我只希望這不是一場海市蜃樓。」

“You see, Itfut, priestess, you priestess, now you have somewhere to go. So, let’s go. Let’s get a move on. It is high time we put an end to all this nonsense. I just hope it isn’t a mirage.”

她拂去裙子上的沙粒，大步朝著目標走去。儘管沙子摸上去柔軟，但在她赤裸的腳下卻發出如玻璃般的嘎吱聲；對祭司而言，彷彿踩在棉絮上。然而，更令她困惑的是另一個現象：她感覺不到自己在前行，反倒好像景色正向她湧來，而那目標也以不自然的速度逼近。

She shook the sand from her dress and strode in the direction of her goal. The sand creaked beneath her bare feet like glass although it was soft to the touch. To the priestess it felt like she was walking on cotton wool. But she was more puzzled by a phenomenon, no less peculiar. It seemed to her as if, rather than her walking ahead, the landscape was coming forwards to meet her, while she had barely placed one foot in front of the other. Moreover, the goal was approaching with unnatural speed.

「這是怎麼回事？」Matilda憤怒地叫道，「你們是想震驚我，還是再嚇我一跳？」她對著現實喊道，「這根本不可能！對於不可能的事物，何必害怕？我一點也不怕，一點也不怕！明白了嗎？」

“What kind of trick is this?” said Matilda indignantly. “Do you want to shock me or frighten me again?” she said, talking to reality. “That’s not possible! And there is no point in being afraid of something that is not possible. I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid! Not at all, at all! Get it?”

與此同時，現實忽視了這位祭司，依然不斷變化。幾分鐘內，天空變成了灰色；沙浪轉化為一片岩石荒原，而那城市的輪廓在她眼前逐漸擴大。奇怪的是，Itfut竟感覺不到腳下的石塊——儘管赤足行走，卻絲毫無感。這確實令人吃驚，但她已厭倦了不斷被驚艷。

Reality meanwhile continued to change ignoring the priestess. Within a few minutes the sky was gray. The waves of sand turned into a rocky wasteland and the outlines of the city grew larger before her eyes. For some reason Itfut could not feel the stones beneath her feet. Strangely, they did not bother her at all despite walking barefoot. It was surprising but she was tired of being surprised by now.

那位祭司走進了一座城市——如果可以這麼稱呼——一個由立方體結構與凹室組成的抽象集合，無論向哪方望去，都是無盡交織的樓梯。死寂籠罩著這裡，只有偶爾傳來落滴聲，彷彿一座無形的巨型沙漏正在測量時光流逝。

The priestess entered the city, if you could call it that, an abstract conglomeration of cubic structures and niches, and wherever you looked, endlessly interweaving flights of stairs. A sepulchral silence reigned, only occasionally interrupted by the sound of falling drops as if an invisible, giant clepsydra was measuring intervals of time.

「多麼詭異的寂靜——實在太、太寂靜了……」Itfut在這錯綜複雜的結構中反覆呢喃，心想：‘情況一分一秒在惡化，這難道不是剛開始的噩夢嗎？’

“What awful quiet. It’s just a-a-awful quie-e-t-t.” repeated Itfut, lost in a maze of structures and formations. ‘It gets worse by the hour. Surely this isn’t a nightmare that’s only just beginning?’

「喂，有人在那裡嗎？！」她大喊，響亮回聲彷彿傳遞出無數個「身體」的迴響。

“Hey, is there anybody there?!” she shouted, and a resonant echo carried her shout into a multiple ‘body-body-body’.

「嘶——」她低聲嘶語，隨後轉為耳語道：「當那恐怖的寂靜降臨，你也必須靜下來。」

“Ts-s-s,” she hissed, switching to a whisper. “When the awfulness is quiet, you have to quiet, too.”

她蹣跚地推開其中一間房子的門，偷看裡面，卻見空無一人。室內僅有一張桌子、一把椅子和一張木板床，就僅此而已。Itfut走訪過的每間房皆如此，她一一檢視，卻不見一絲人影。

She gingerly opened the door to one of the houses and peeped inside. There was no one there. The interior consisted solely of a table, a chair and a bed of boards. Nothing more. The same scene was repeated in each of the houses Itfut looked in. She examined them one by one but there was not a soul to be seen.

Itfut鼓起勇氣爬上一段高樓梯，期望獲得更佳視野；結果發現，那樓梯轉了幾圈後竟懸空不通。她沒有繼續爬上頂端，因高度使她頭暈目眩。停在半途，她向左右眺望，在一排排相同的屋頂間，發現附近矗立著一座黑色、陰森的建築。

Itfut plucked up the courage to climb a high stairway from where she could get a better view. It turned out that the stairs did not lead anywhere but just hung in midair after several turns. Itfut did not bother climbing right to the top of the stairs because her head was already spinning from the height. She stopped somewhere halfway up and looked about her in both directions. Between identical roofs, she spotted a black, ominous-looking structure towering close by.

祭司隨後下了樓梯，決定在這奇異迷宮中，朝著那座巨石前進。她從一棟房子走到另一棟，穿過一段又一段的樓梯，小心翼翼地踏步，直到差點與一個灰色身影撞上。

The priestess went back down the flight of stairs and decided to make for the megalith, as far as that was possible wandering through the bizarre maze. She went from one house to another, from stairway to stairway being mindful of where she placed her feet, until she almost collided with a gray figure.

她驚嚇之下猛地向後跳，心跳急促。那身影一動不動，卻擺出似乎正要邁出下一步的姿態。它身穿一件無定形的連帽長袍，遮面不露，無法辨識究竟是人還是雕塑。恢復了一點神智，Itfut走到身影旁，偷偷掀開帽子窺看。

She leapt backwards in surprise, her heart beating furiously. The figure stood motionless but in such a posture that suggested it might be just about to take another step. Clothed in a shapeless, hooded robe that hid the face, it was not clear whether the figure was a human being or a statue. Recovering her breath, Itfut walked to the side of the figure and took a peep under its hood.

一雙如玻璃般的眼睛在陰影中閃爍，空洞地注視著虛無。Itfut彷彿看到眼中流露出生命的跡象，但其餘面龐卻呈現死灰色，神情冷漠。「嘿！」Itfut輕聲喊道。

Glassy eyes burned in the shadows staring into nowhere. Itfut thought as if the eyes reflected signs of life but the rest of the face was a deathly gray, frozen in an indifferent expression. “Hey!” Itfut called quietly.

那身影一動不動。祭司警覺地觸摸著那用粗糙材質縫成的帽子，手指順著它的手臂滑上，觸碰到臉頰……就在那刻，發生了不尋常的事——她的指尖竟無阻地穿透了那張臉的皮膚，宛如碰觸到一個幽靈。

The figure did not move an inch. The priestess warily touched the hood which was sewn from a rough material. She ran her fingers up the figure’s arm and touched its cheeks... At that moment, something unnatural happened. The priestess’ fingers passed freely through the skin on the face as if it were a ghost.

為了驗證自己的直覺，Itfut試著伸手穿過那身影的軀體，果然，她的手竟然輕易地穿了過去。這位祭司驚愕地後退一步，隨即發現自己彷彿墜入了後方由空氣構成的樓梯中。

Deciding to test her hunch, Itfut tried passing her hand through the figure’s body and sure enough, her hand passed right through. The priestess took a step back in complete amazement, and suddenly found herself falling through the staircase behind her as if it were made of air.

祭司驚慌失措地左右穿梭，像幽靈般穿越牆壁與樓梯。她已分不清究竟是自己虛無不實，還是周遭的一切都變得飄渺無形。這實在太過離奇，現實正不斷編織出一張不祥的幻象之網，而這場遊戲似乎正讓她節節敗退。

Panicking, the priestess zig-zagged from side to side, falling through walls and stairways like a phantom. She could no longer tell what was ghost-like and immaterial here, herself or everything that surrounded her. This was too much. Reality was continuing to weave an ominous web of illusion in a game that the priestess appeared to be losing.

最終，Itfut勉強平復了些許心情，開始探索自己以及周遭現實中的新特性。

Itfut eventually managed to calm down a little and began to explore new properties in herself and her surrounding reality.

「極妙，真是超妙！我完了吧！不，我瘋了！究竟哪個更好，是死去，還是失去理智？又或者，哪個更糟？」

“Wonderful, super-wonderful! I’m dead! No, I’ve gone mad! Which is better, to be dead or to have lost my mind? Or which is worse?”

她順著牆面輕輕摸索。牆面堅固光滑，但當她試圖向前推手時，手竟穿透過去，彷彿牆根本並不存在。

She felt along the wall. It was solid and smooth to the touch but as soon as she pushed her hand forward, it passed through as if the wall did not exist.

「現實，到底是你變得透明，還是我變得透明？」

“Reality, which one of us is transparent, you or I?”

但她無法分辨答案，因為幻象已徹底覆蓋一切，或許這根本就不是幻象。

But she was not able to determine the answer, the illusion was complete. Or maybe it was not an illusion at all.

在那座灰色雕像所處的廣場上，Itfut注意到一處泉眼，旁邊有一個由石頭鋪成的小池。池中的水似乎不斷傾瀉，同時又像是靜止不動；一股水柱懸浮在空中，彷彿定格在某個瞬間。祭司走近泉眼觸摸那水面，感覺冰涼如水，但她卻怎麼也無法把水舀在手中。

In the square where the gray statue was standing Itfut noticed a spring equipped with a small, stone-laid pool. The water in it seemed to pour forth and, at the same time, it looked as if it were not pouring at all. A jet of water hung frozen mid-air like a freeze frame. The priestess approached the spring and touched the water. It felt like water to the touch, but she could not scoop it up in her hand.

Itfut試著喝了一口，但很快便意識到那方法行不通。

Itfut tried to drink it but soon realized that would not work.

接著她發現，那水柱其實並非完全靜止，而是以極微慢的速度緩緩流動，幾乎難以察覺。祭司隱約感受到一些微妙變化，於是她迅速跑向那座雕像，再次細看。此時，那身影似乎處於略有不同的位置，一條腿正半步前跨，彷彿即將再次踏出。

And then she saw that the jet of water was not actually motionless but flowing slowly, barely noticeably. Then the priestess took a half guess at something. She ran up to the statue and examined it again. The figure was standing in a slightly different position now, with one leg halfway into taking another step forward.

「對了。」祭司說著，開始來回踱步，「這裡的時間似乎出了些怪異狀況。」

“Right” the priestess said and began pacing up and down. “There’s something weird going on with time here.”

彷彿為了印證她的想法，那無形的水鐘持續地以偶爾響亮的水滴聲，分割這死寂的空間。

As if to confirm her thoughts, the invisible clepsydra continued to measure the deathly silence with occasional, loud drops.

「多麼詭異又壓抑的寂靜啊！」Itfut低聲重複著，「我是不是終於瘋了？還是我正處在失去理智的邊緣？」

“What quiet, shush and quiet awfulness!” repeated Itfut. “Have I finally gone mad or am I still in the process of losing my mind?”

Matilda早已忘記自己正朝哪個方向前進，不得不再次爬上樓梯以找回方向。那座黑色建築離此並不遙遠，但在這迷宮般的道路中，要走到那裡卻並非易事。祭司穿過曲折蜿蜒的小巷，努力維持著方向感。一路上，她陸續遇見一尊雕像，接著又是一尊、再一尊——每一尊都完全相同，只是被定格在不同的過渡姿態中：有的僅彷彿踏出半步，有的坐著，有的則前傾得像快要跨步。

Matilda had already forgotten which direction she was moving in and had to climb up the stairs again to get her bearings. The black building was not far away but getting to it through the maze was not easy. The priestess passed down winding streets trying to keep her sense of direction. Along the way, she came across another statue, then another and another. They are all were identical, just frozen in various transitional positions. Some were standing in half-step, others were sitting down, and others frozen leaning forwards.

「能不能有人告訴我，這究竟到底在發生什麼事？」Itfut大聲喊道，「有人在嗎？！」

“Can somebody tell me what on earth is going on here?” Itfut exclaimed. “Somebody!”

然後她突然想起，在那片沙漠中她曾與一位「對談者」交談過。

Then she remembered that in the sandy desert she had engaged with a certain “interlocutor”.

「嘿，Threshold，你在那裡嗎？」

“Hey, Threshold, are you there?”

她話音未落，一陣低語便打破了沈默，如風般從一邊迅速飄向另一邊。

No sooner had she spoken these words than a whisper rose out of the silence and swished from one direction to the other like wind.

「我在這裡，也無所不在，這裡，到處皆是……」

“I am here and everywhere, here and everywhere...”

「哦，你真的是在這裡呢，」Itfut滿心歡喜地說，因為至少還有生者出現。「這次我不打算追問你究竟是誰，也不在乎你身在何處。能告訴我我現在身處何地，以及這一切究竟意味著什麼嗎？」

“Oh, you really are here,” said Itfut, delighted that at least someone living had appeared. “I am not going to ask who you are and where you are this time. Can you tell me where I am and what all this is about?”

「元現實 (Meta-reality)，」低語回答道，聲音不再四處飄移，而似乎同時從四面八方傳來。

“Meta-reality,” the whisper replied, no longer darting about but appearing to come from all directions at the same time.

「什麼是元現實？」 「一個原型現實。」

“What meta-reality?” “A prototype reality.”

「哦，眾神啊，能不能說得再清楚點？什麼叫做原型？」

“Oh, the Gods, could you be a bit clearer? What’s a prototype?”

「那是萬物的起點，是一切誕生的地方，也是所有根源所在。」

“It’s where everything starts, where everything is born, and where everything originates.”

「這是哪座城市？」

“What city is this?”

「這是一個可能性的模型。」

“It is a model of what could be.”

「那這裡那些凝固著的人是誰？」

“And who are these people frozen here?”

「他們不是人，是模特兒，就像人的模型一樣。」

“They aren’t people. They’re mannequins, models of people.”

「他們怎麼動得這麼慢？而我又在這裡做什麼？為什麼我能穿牆而過？」

“Why are they so slow? And what am I doing here? How come I can pass through walls?”

「問題太多了，我快要消失了。」 「等等，等等，快告訴我怎麼回去。」

“Too many questions. I’m disappearing.” “Wait, wait, just tell me how to get back.”

「你會知道的，知道的，知道的……」那低語在沉默中漸漸消散、蒸發。

“You’ll find out, find out, find out...” The whisper faded and evaporated in the silence.

顯然Threshold並不愛進行冗長的對話。Itfut試圖大聲呼喊追上他，卻無濟於事，只有回音回應。這段與Threshold的對話讓她疑團重重，問題遠比答案多；祭司別無選擇，只能繼續前行。

Evidently Threshold was not inclined to having long conversations. Itfut tried to shout after him but to no avail. An echo was the only response. Her dialogue with Threshold left her with more puzzles than answers. There was nothing the priestess could do except keep moving.

她在錯綜複雜的迷宮中徬徨許久，時而撞上幾尊「模特兒」(mannequins)，直到最終來到了一個小平台。就在那裡，她目睹了一幕令她脊背發涼的景象：平台中央懸浮著一個身影，穿著一襲與她相同的深藍色長裙。Itfut注意到，在這灰暗的環境中，他們竟是唯一仍保有色彩的存在。

She wandered for a long time through the convolutions of the labyrinth occasionally bumping into ‘mannequins’ until she finally reached a small platform. And there she saw a spectacle that sent chills down her spine. In the middle of the platform, a figure was hanging in mid-air clothed in a dark-blue dress, the same as her own. Itfut noted the fact that in this gray environment they were the only two in color.

那身影以一個極不自然的姿態懸浮著：赤裸的雙足向後展開、向側伸展，雙臂高舉，頭仰得直直的，烏黑的髮絲如扇般散佈。祭司屏息而近，從後方悄然靠近，再繞到正前方對視……她看著眼前的景象，驚恐地發現，眼前竟是她自己。

The figure hung in an unnatural pose: bare feet stretched back and out to the sides, arms reaching upwards, head thrown back, black hair spread out like a fan. Holding her breath, the priestess crept up to the figure from behind, walked around and then looked the figure in the face... She trembled at what she saw. It was she.

Itfut驚慌失措地衝開那身影，大聲發出瘋狂的呼喊。巨大的回音反覆放大她的喊聲。她此刻從未如此尖叫，也從未感受過如此原始而猛烈的恐懼；雖然你或許會認為見到自己的模特兒不會比其他事物更可怕，但對祭司而言，這一幕無疑猶如地獄般骯髒而可怖。

Itfut darted away from the figure letting out a wild cry. The huge echo amplified her cry repeating it many times. Never in her life had she screamed so much or experienced such animal fear as she did right now, although you would think that meeting a mannequin of yourself was no more frightening necessarily than anything else, she had witnessed here. But for the priestess this was a sight all too infernal.

然而，她卻無法逃離這令人窒息的場景。她用盡全力試圖奔跑，但雙腿仿佛癱瘓般，紮根於原地。就在那一刻，一股未知的力量抓住了她，將她提起，旋轉著劃出螺旋的弧線，然後猛然將她壓向那懸浮的身影。

And still, she could not run away from the scene. She tried with all her might, but her legs barely moved as if paralyzed and she was fixed to the spot. In that moment, an unknown force caught hold of her, lifted her up into the air, drew circles in a spiral, and then squeezed her in a sharp action into the hanging figure.

不一會兒，Itfut與祭司的身體融為一體，一同重摔在地。祭司靜臥數息後終於回神，搖搖頭檢視自己的軀殼——一切都回到應有的位置，而她和自己的身體也再度合一。就在那瞬間，她的鞋子竟從上方某處猛然墜落，砰然落在她身旁。

A moment later, Itfut’s body, now one with the priestess collapsed onto the ground. The priestess lay there motionless for a while but finally came round, shook her head and examined her body. Everything was where it should be. And now she and her body were united again. In that instant, her shoes crashed down beside her from somewhere up above.

「哦，我的鞋子！」祭司虛弱地呻吟道。

“Oh, my shoes!” the priestess moaned in a weak voice.

她仍難以恢復清醒。Itfut爬向自己的鞋子，坐下穿上，然後艱難地站起來，儘管全身感到異常沉重。看來，她的身軀再次獲得了其物質實相。

She was still having difficulty coming back to her senses. Itfut crawled towards her shoes, sat down, put them on and stood up, although her entire body felt unusually heavy. It seemed her body had acquired its material form once again.

她走到一棟建築前，試圖伸手穿過牆壁，卻發現牆堅固冰冷，毫不退讓。Itfut鬆了口氣——至少有一個問題已解決。『感謝眾神，我又回到了原來的我，』它在心中默念，隨後昂首大步走向從屋頂後方隱約可見的黑色建築，她的高跟鞋在岩石砂土上發出自信而清脆的點擊聲。

She walked up to one of the buildings and tried to put her hand through the wall, but it was hard and would not yield. Itfut gave a sigh of relief. At least one problem had been solved. ‘Thanks to the Gods, I am me again’, thought Itfut and walked with bold strides towards the black construction, which was now visible behind the roofs. Her heels clicked confidently and sharply along the rocky soil.

她終於走進了廣場，而廣場中央矗立著一座龐大、黑色的紀念碑。

She finally reached the square, in the middle of which stood the monolithic, black monument.

「哇，這是什麼？」祭司驚奇地叫道，「竟然是一座至高創造者的神殿！」

“Wow, what’s this?” exclaimed the priestess in surprise, a Temple of the Supreme Creator no less!”

她走近那建築，眼前又出現了一幕奇異的景象：在那獨石旁，一位留著淺藍色頭髮、藍色面龐、背後繫著粉紅色蝴蝶結的少女正靜坐於石上。

She approached the construction, and there an equally strange scene appeared before her. Next to the monolith, a girl with light-blue hair, a blue face and a pink bow at the back was sitting on a stone.

少女靜止不動，如同那些灰色雕像，但她卻截然不同——不僅整體形象與豔麗色彩明顯不同，其生命氣息也格外充盈。Itfut多次從各個角度打量她，試圖辨認少女是真實存在還是虛幻的幻影；她坐在那裡，絲毫不動，好似一尊模特兒，或許還有著更不可名狀的異狀感。少女全身散發出濃厚的異國風情。

The girl sat motionless, just like the gray statues although she was strikingly different to them, not only in her overall image and colorfulness but the presence of life. Itfut walked past her several times looking at her from all sides. She might be alive, or she might not. She just sat there without moving. It could be a mannequin or something else more ungodly. The girl’s entire appearance was highly exotic.

Itfut先移到一旁，然後驟然轉身回望。她肯定地看見，那少女似乎眨了一下眼，或者只是她的錯覺。Itfut再次靠近，小心翼翼地端詳著少女的臉，但少女仍是一動不動。隨後，祭司佯作欲離，轉而朝著那些建築的方向離開了廣場。

Itfut moved away to one side and then turned back sharply. She was sure she saw the girl blink or maybe she just imagined it. Itfut approached again and began peering carefully into the girl’s face. She remained motionless. Then the priestess pretended to be leaving and set off from the square in the direction of the buildings.

一旦離開那少女的視線，她便脫下鞋子，抱著鞋子迅速繞過從對面逼近的巨石。

Once out of the girl’s sight, she took off her shoes, carrying them in her hands and quickly ran around the megalith approaching from the opposite side.

她小心地站在柱子後偷望，發現那少女已經站起來並四處環顧。Itfut悄然靠近在她背後並大聲喊道。

Carefully looking out from behind the pillars, she saw that the girl was standing up and looking about her. Itfut quietly sneaked up behind her and shouted.

“嘿！”

“Hey!”

Matilda（當然，就是她）嚇了一跳，也跟著喊了一聲。

Matilda (it was, of course her) jumped in shock and also gave a shout.

有幾秒鐘，他們默默地互相注視著。最終，Itfut打破沉默開口道。

For a few moments, they stood looking back at each other in silence. Finally, Itfut spoke.

「你這到底在上演什麼默劇？」 「沒什麼啦，你真把我嚇壞了。」

“What kind of a pantomime have you got going on here?” “Nothing. You just really scared me.”

「你為何會怕我？」 「你怎麼全紅了？」

“Why would you be afraid of me?” “Why are you all red?”

「你怎麼全藍了？」

“Why are you all blue?”

兩人再次陷入沉默。

Both fell silent again.

Itfut問：“你是誰？” “我是diva，”Matilda回答道。

“Who are you?” asked Itfut. “I’m a diva,” answered Matilda.

「太棒了，真是神蹟奇蹟，驚人異彩，」Itfut帶著一絲諷刺地評論。

“Great, a miraculous miracle, a marvelous marvel,” Itfut commented, a note of irony in her voice.

「那你是誰？」diva質問，「我是位祭司。那你叫什麼名字？」 「Matilda，但你可以叫我Tili。」

“And who are you?” asked the diva. “I’m a priestess. So, what’s your name?” “Matilda, but you can call me Tili.”

“多感人啊。Tili-games, Tili-games, 貓屋都燒起來了。”

“How touching. Tili-games, Tili-games, the cat’s house went up in flames.”

「你為何嘲弄我？」Matilda滿腹惱火地問，「你可以說你是我遇到的第一個活生靈魂，可你卻取笑我。你根本不知道我在這裡經歷了什麼！」

“Why are you mocking me?” asked Matilda, offended. “You could say that you’re the first living soul I’ve met, and you’re poking fun at me. You have no idea what I’ve been through here!”

「抱歉，」祭司答道，「我自己也幾乎不知道自己剛才說了什麼。我真的快崩潰了。我就是Itfut，而且我在這裡也歷經了許多。」

“Sorry,” replied the priestess. “I hardly know myself what I just said. I’m having a kind of breakdown. I’m Itfut. And I’ve been through a lot here too.”

他們相互凝視，彷彿彼此感受到同樣的情緒。隨後，彼此不需多言便給予擁抱，並淚如雨下。

They looked at each other as if they were both feeling the same thing. And then, without even asking, they gave each other a hug and burst into tears.