C24b 伊 ê 心交予彼个少年家

2. I ê sim kau hō͘ hit-ê siàu-liân-ke

Tī chhia-khò͘, góa kè-sio̍k tha̍k. Iáu chin chē. Góa phi̍h-phi̍h-chhoah tha̍k tio̍h ē-bīn chit-tōaⁿ biô-siá:

»… i iōng chhiú-kut lám Julia. Hit-sî Julia kiò i chhiú pak-khui. I sûi án-ne chò, bīn chhiò-chhiò.«

Koh-lâi bô kóng, pak-khui chhiú liáu-āu, hit lâng án-chóaⁿ kā chhú-lí. Ū khó-lêng kā chhāi tī piah-piⁿ. Mā ū khó-lêng kā tàn hiat-tiāu. Góa bô koan-sim che. Chóng--sī, ì-sù sī án-ne, che góa chin chheng-chhó.

Chiah-ê oa̍h-bu̍t-á lóng ē-tàng sûi-ì thiah-khui in sin-thé ê bó͘ chi̍t pō͘-hūn. Ba̍k-chiu, chhiú-kut, téng-téng. Ba̍k-chiu m̄-bián nih tō chò ē-kàu. Góa ê seng-bu̍t-ha̍k ê tì-sek tī chia iōng ē tio̍h. Chin bêng-hián, in sī kán-tan ê seng-bu̍t, sī chi̍t-chióng chho͘-kî tan-sè-pau ê seng-bu̍t, iáu bōe chìn-hòa kàu hái-chheⁿ ê thêng-tō͘. Lí chai, hái-chheⁿ mā ē-sái án-ne chò.

Góa kè-sio̍k tha̍k lo̍h. Tha̍k-tio̍h ē-bīn chit-tōaⁿ chin-pháiⁿ siong-sìn ê tāi-chì, chok-chiá teh biô-siá ê sî, chiâⁿ léng-chēng, chi̍t tiám-á to bô choah-tio̍h:

»… tī tiān-iáⁿ-īⁿ gōa-kháu, goán thiah-khui. Chi̍t pō͘-hūn ji̍p-khì, iáu chi̍t pō͘-hūn khì kapi-thiaⁿ chia̍h-pn̄g.«

Che bêng-bêng sī jī-hun-lia̍t: tùi-pòaⁿ hun-chò nn̄g-ê. Khó-lêng ē-bīn hit pòaⁿ lóng khì kapi-thiaⁿ, in-ūi khah hn̄g, téng-koân hit pòaⁿ khì khòaⁿ tiān-iáⁿ. Góa kè-sio̍k tha̍k, chhiú khū-khū-chùn. Góa tú-tio̍h tōa koài-sū lah. Tha̍k-tio̍h ē-bīn chit tōaⁿ, góa sim-sîn kiông boeh hūn-khì:

»… Góa khióng-kiaⁿ, he bô m̄-tio̍h. Khó-liân ê Bibney iū-koh bô-thâu-bô-náu ah.«

Koh lo̍h iáu ū:

»… jî-chhiáⁿ Bob kóng, i chin-chiàⁿ bô-táⁿ.«

Bibney kap lēng-gōa chi̍t-ê lâng tī hia se̍h. Hit ê lâng mā chin koài-kî. Tùi i ê biô-siá sī án-ne:

»… oân-oân-choân-choân bô thâu-náu.«

*

Ē-bīn chit-tōaⁿ ê tāi-chì chin bêng-khak. Julia, hit-ê góa jīn-ûi sī chèng-siông ê lâng, piáu-hiān-chhut i kap pa̍t-lâng kāng-khoán, mā sī gōa-lâi ê seng-bu̍t:

»… Julia chèng-chèng-keng-keng kā i ê sim kau hō͘ hit-ê siàu-liân-ke.«

Chheh bô siá, hit-ê sim-koaⁿ chòe-āu khǹg tī tó-ūi, che góa mā bô chhù-bī. Chin bêng-hián, Julia kap chheh-nih kî-thaⁿ ê lâng kāng-khoán, hôe-ho̍k i chèng-siông ê seng-oa̍h hong-sek. Bô sim, bô chhiú, bô náu, bô pak-lāi, su-iàu ê sî, ē-sái thiah-chò nn̄g-ê. It-chhè lóng chū-chū-jiân-jiân.

»... sòa-lo̍h Julia kā chhiú kau hō͘ i.«

Góa tòng bē-tiâu ah. Hit-kho͘ lô͘-môa ū Julia ê chhiú, iáu ū i ê sim. Góa m̄-káⁿ siūⁿ, chit-sî i the̍h chiah-ê boeh chhòng siáⁿ.

»… i lia̍h Julia ê chhiú-kut.«

I bô nāi-sim koh tán, khai-sí chú-tōng thiah-khui Julia. Góa khì kah bīn hoán-âng, tōa-la̍t ha̍p-chheh, khiā-khí-lâi. M̄-koh iáu sī ē kì-tit chi̍t-tōaⁿ chi̍t-khai-sí ín góa chù-ì ê kái-phòa ê biô-siá:

»… Julia ê ba̍k-chiu chi̍t-lō͘ tòe hit-ê cha-po͘ kiâⁿ-kòe chháu-po͘.«

Góa ùi chhia-khò͘ kín-kín tńg-kàu chhù-lāi, bē-su sī ū kúi teh jiok. Goán bó͘ chham gín-á tī chàu-kha teh sńg Tōa Hù-ong. Góa chham chi̍t-kha, sńg kah chiâⁿ hoaⁿ-hí, chhiò-hai-hai.

Góa tha̍k-ê í-keng siuⁿ chhiau-kòe ah, bô ài koh siūⁿ he. Sûi-chāi in lah. Hō͘ in chhim-ji̍p Tē-kiû lah. Góa chiah bô boeh chhap che. 

Góa choân-jiân bô chhù-bī ah lah.

(Soah)

--

2. 伊 ê 心交予彼个少年家

Tī 車庫, 我繼續讀. 猶真 chē. 我 phi̍h-phi̍h-chhoah 讀著下面這段描寫:

»… 伊用手骨攬 Julia. 彼時 Julia 叫伊手剝開. 伊隨 án-ne 做, 面笑笑.«

Koh 來無講, 剝開手了後, 彼人按怎 kā 處理. 有可能 kā chhāi tī 壁邊. Mā 有可能 kā 擲 hiat 掉. 我無關心這. 總是, 意思是 án-ne, 這我真清楚.

Chiah-ê 活物仔攏會當隨意拆開怹身體 ê 某一部份. 目睭, 手⻣, 等等. 目睭毋免 nih 就做會到. 我 ê 生物學 ê 智識 tī 遮用會著. 真明顯, 怹是簡單 ê 生物, 是一種初期單細胞 ê 生物, 猶未進化到海星 ê 程度. 你知, 海星 mā 會使 án-ne 做.

我繼續讀落. 讀著下面這段真歹相信 ê 代誌, 作者 teh 描寫 ê 時, chiâⁿ 冷靜, 一點仔都無 chhoah 著:

»… tī 電影院外口, 阮拆開. 一部份入去, 猶一部份去咖啡廳食飯.«

這明明是二分裂: 對半分做兩个. 可能下面彼半攏去咖啡廳, 因為較遠, 頂懸彼半去看電影. 我繼續讀, 手 khū-khū 顫. 我 tú 著大怪事 lah. 讀著下面這段, 我心神強欲昏去:

»… 我恐驚, 彼無毋著. 可憐 ê Bibney 又 koh 無頭無腦 ah.«

Koh 落猶有:

»… 而且 Bob 講, 伊真正無膽.«

Bibney kap 另外一个人 tī 遐 se̍h. 彼个人 mā 真怪奇. 對伊 ê 描寫是 án-ne:

»… 完完全全無頭腦.«

*

下面這段 ê 代誌真明確. Julia, 彼个我認為是正常 ê 人, 表現出伊 kap 別人仝款, mā 是外來 ê 生物:

»… Julia 正正經經 kā 伊 ê 心交予彼个少年家.«

冊無寫, 彼个心肝最後囥 tī 佗位, 這我 mā 無趣味. 真明顯, Julia kap 冊 nih 其他 ê 人仝款, 回復伊正常 ê 生活方式. 無心, 無手, 無腦, 無腹內, 需要 ê 時, ē-sái 拆做兩个. 一切 lóng 自自然然.

»... 紲落 Julia kā 手交予伊.«

我擋未牢 ah. 彼箍鱸鰻有 Julia ê 手, 猶有伊 ê 心. 我毋敢想, 這時伊提 chiah-ê 欲創啥.

»… 伊掠 Julia ê 手骨.«

伊無耐心 koh 等, 開始主動拆開 Julia. 我氣 kah 面反紅, 大力合冊, khiā 起來. 毋過猶是會記得一段一開始引我注意 ê 解剖 ê 描寫:

»… Julia ê 目睭一路 tòe 彼个查埔行過草埔.«

我 ùi 車庫緊緊轉到厝內, 袂輸是有鬼 teh 逐. 阮某參囡仔 tī 灶腳 teh 耍大富翁. 我參一腳, 耍 kah chiâⁿ 歡喜, 笑 hai-hai.

我讀 ê 已經 siuⁿ 超過 ah, 無愛 koh 想彼. 隨在怹 lah. 予怹侵入地球 lah. 我才無欲 chhap 這.

我全然無趣味 ah lah.

(煞)

--

2.

In the garage, I continued reading. There was more. Trembling, I read the next revealing passage:

»...he put his arm around Julia. Presently she asked him if he would remove his arm. He immediately did so, with a smile.«

It's not said what was done with the arm after the fellow had removed it. Maybe it was left standing upright in the corner. Maybe it was thrown away. I don't care. In any case, the full meaning was there, staring me right in the face.

Here was a race of creatures capable of removing portions of their anatomy at will. Eyes, arms--and maybe more. Without batting an eyelash. My knowledge of biology came in handy, at this point. Obviously they were simple beings, uni-cellular, some sort of primitive single-celled things. Beings no more developed than starfish. Starfish can do the same thing, you know.

I read on. And came to this incredible revelation, tossed off coolly by the author without the faintest tremor:

»...outside the movie theater we split up. Part of us went inside, part over to the cafe for dinner.«

Binary fission, obviously. Splitting in half and forming two entities. Probably each lower half went to the cafe, it being farther, and the upper halves to the movies. I read on, hands shaking. I had really stumbled onto something here. My mind reeled as I made out this passage:

»...I'm afraid there's no doubt about it. Poor Bibney has lost his head again.«

Which was followed by:

»...and Bob says he has utterly no guts.«

Yet Bibney got around as well as the next person. The next person, however, was just as strange. He was soon described as:

»...totally lacking in brains.«

*

There was no doubt of the thing in the next passage. Julia, whom I had thought to be the one normal person, reveals herself as also being an alien life form, similar to the rest:

»...quite deliberately, Julia had given her heart to the young man.«

It didn't relate what the final disposition of the organ was, but I didn't really care. It was evident Julia had gone right on living in her usual manner, like all the others in the book. Without heart, arms, eyes, brains, viscera, dividing up in two when the occasion demanded. Without a qualm.

»...thereupon she gave him her hand.«

I sickened. The rascal now had her hand, as well as her heart. I shudder to think what he's done with them, by this time.

»...he took her arm.«

Not content to wait, he had to start dismantling her on his own. Flushing crimson, I slammed the book shut and leaped to my feet. But not in time to escape one last reference to those carefree bits of anatomy whose travels had originally thrown me on the track:

»...her eyes followed him all the way down the road and across the meadow.«

I rushed from the garage and back inside the warm house, as if the accursed things were following me. My wife and children were playing Monopoly in the kitchen. I joined them and played with frantic fervor, brow feverish, teeth chattering.

I had had enough of the thing. I want to hear no more about it. Let them come on. Let them invade Earth. I don't want to get mixed up in it.

I have absolutely no stomach for it.

--

//