經典科幻文學:《生命 宇宙及一切》第4章(1)

Chapter 4
Something blue, he said.
Shape? said Ford.
Arthur looked again.
It is shaped, he hissed at Ford, with his brow savagely furrowing, like a policeman.
They remained crouched there for a few moments, frowning deeply. The blue thing shaped like a policeman tapped them both on the shoulders.
Come on, you two, the shape said, let’s be having you.
These words had an electrifying effect on Arthur. He leapt to his feet like an author hearing the phone ring and shot a series of startled glanced at the panorama around him which had suddenly settled down into something of quite terrifying ordinariness.
Where did you get this from? he yelled at the policeman shape.
What did you say? said the startled shape.
This is Lord’s Cricket Ground, isn’t it? snapped Arthur. Where did you find it, how did you get it here? I think, he added, clasping his hand to his brow, that I had better calm down. He squatted down abruptly in front of Ford.
It is a policeman, he said, What do we do?
Ford shrugged.
What do you want to do? he said.
I want you, said Arthur, to tell me that I have been dreaming for the last five years.
Ford shrugged again, and obliged.
You’ve been dreaming for the last five years, he said.
Arthur got to his feet.
It’s all right, officer, he said. I’ve been dreaming for the last five years. Ask him, he added, pointing at Ford, he was in it.
Having said this, he sauntered off towards the edge of the pitch, brushing down his dressing gown. He then noticed his dressing gown and stopped. He stared at it. He flung himself at the policeman.
So where did I get these clothes from? he howled.
He collapsed and lay twitching on the grass.
Ford shook his head.
He’s had a bad two million years, he said to the policeman, and together they heaved Arthur on to the sofa and carried him off the pitch and were only briefly hampered by the sudden disappearance of the sofa on the way.
Reaction to all this from the crowd were many and various. Most of them couldn’t cope with watching it, and listened to it on the radio instead.
Well, this is an interesting incident, Brian, said one radio commentator to another. I don’t think there have been any mysterious materializations on the pitch since, oh since, well I don’t think there have been any have there? that I recall?
Edgbaston, 1932?
Ah, now what happened then…
Well, Peter, I think it was Canter facing Willcox coming up to bowl from the pavilion end when a spectator suddenly ran straight across the pitch.
There was a pause while the first commentator considered this.
Ye… e… s… he said, yes, there’s nothing actually very mysterious about that, is there? He didn’t actually materialize, did he? Just ran on.
No, that’s true, but he did claim to have seen something materialize on the pitch.
Ah, did he?

第四章
“藍色的什麼東西。”他說。
“形狀呢？”福特說，
阿瑟又看了看。
“形狀啊，”阿瑟嘶嘶地對福特說，眉毛皺成一團，“像個警察。”
他們久久地蜷在那兒，緊鎖眉頭。那個形狀像警察的藍色東西敲了敲他們的肩頭。
“過來，你們兩位。”那個影子說，“我得帶走你們。”
這些話對阿瑟產生了電擊一般的效果。他跳了起來，就像一個作家聽見電話鈴響似的，他警覺地查看四周，才發現身邊突然有如此多的正常事物。
“你們從哪弄到它的？”阿瑟衝着這個警察狀生物大喊。
“你說什麼？”警察狀生物驚訝地說。
“這是羅德板球場，不是嗎？”阿瑟喊道，“你們怎麼找到的，你們怎麼弄來的？我想……”他用手捏住自己的眉毛，接着道：“我最好冷靜下來……”他一屁股蹲在福特面前。
“這是個警察，”他說，“我們怎麼辦？”
福特聳聳肩。
“你想怎麼辦？”他說。
“我想由你來，”阿瑟說，“告訴我，我過去五年都在做夢。”他說。
福特又聳了聳肩，決定幫這個小忙。
“你過去五年都在做夢。”他說。
阿瑟站了起來。
“沒事，長官，”他說，“我過去五年都在做夢，你可以問他，”他指指福特，補充道，“他也在夢裏。”
說完着些之後，他悠閒地朝着球道邊界走去，解下睡袍。他看見自己的睡袍，停下了腳步，他死死地盯着它。他又狂奔回警察這裏。
“那我是從哪兒穿到這個衣服的？”他嚎叫道。
他一頭栽倒在地，在草坪上抽搐。
福特搖搖頭。
“他度過了很痛苦的兩百萬年。”他對警察說。兩人一起把阿瑟拖到沙發上，擡出了球道。途中他倆被沙發的突然消失小小地嚇了一跳。
人羣對這一切的反應，是複雜而多樣的。他們中的大多數不知道如何來看待這一切，所以就改成聽廣播電臺了。
“那麼，這真是個有意思的事故，布萊恩。”一位電臺解說員對另一位說，“我一直以爲球道上不會有什麼神祕事物憑空出現，自從，哦，自從……嗯，我從來都不這麼認……有嗎？我記得是？”
“埃德格巴斯騰國際板球賽？1932年？”
“啊，那麼當時發生的是……？”
“嗯，彼得，我想當時是坎特對陣威科克斯，威科克斯正從休息室出來，這時一位觀衆突然徑直穿過了球道。”
第一位解說員沉默了一會，還在反應中。
“呃……是……的。”他說，“是的，其實這也沒什麼神祕的，不是麼？他並不是變出來的，對吧？只是跑上去而已。”
“對……確實也是，但他宣稱看到球道上出現一些東西。”
“啊，是嗎？”