It seemed to me, said Wonko the sane, that any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a set of detailed instructions for use in a packet of toothpicks, was no longer a civilization in which I could live and stay sane. He gazed out at the Pacific again, as if daring it to rave and gibber at him, but it lay there calmly and played with the sandpipers. And in case it crossed your mind to wonder, as I can see how it possibly might, I am completely sane. Which is why I call myself Wonko the Sane, just to reassure people on this point. Wonko is what my mother called me when I was a kid and clumsy and knocked things over, and sane is what I am, and how, he added, with one of his smiles that made you feel, Oh. Well that’s all right then. I intend to remain. Shall we go on to the beach and see what we have to talk about? They went out on to the beach, which was where he started talking about angels with golden beards and green wings and Dr. Scholl sandals. About the dolphins… said Fenchurch gently, hopefully. I can show you the sandals, said Wonko the Sane. I wonder, do you know… Would you like me to show you, said Wonko the Sane, the sandals? I have them. I’ll get them. They are made by the Dr. Scholl company, and the angels say that they particularly suit the terrain they have to work in. They say they run a concession stand by the message. When I say I don’t know what that means they say no, you don’t, and laugh. Well, I’ll get them anyway. As he walked back towards the inside, or the outside depending on how you looked at it, Arthur and Fenchurch looked at each other in a wondering and slightly desperate sort of way, then each shrugged and idly drew figures in the sand. How are the feet today? said Arthur quietly. OK. It doesn’t feel so odd in the sand. Or in the water. The water touches them perfectly. I just think this isn’t our world. She shrugged. What do you think he meant, she said, by the message? I don’t know, said Arthur, though the memory of a man called Prak who laughed at him continuously kept nagging at him. When Wonko returned he was carrying something that stunned Arthur. Not the sandals, they were perfectly ordinary woodenbottomed sandals. I just thought you’d like to see, he said, what angels wear on their feet. Just out of curiosity. I’m not trying to prove anything, by the way. I’m a scientist and I know what constitutes proof. But the reason I call myself by my childhood name is to remind myself that a scientist must also be absolutely like a child. If he sees a thing, he must say that he sees it, whether it was what he thought he was going to see or not. See first, think later, then test. But always see first. Otherwise you will only see what you were expecting. Most scientists forget that. I’ll show you something to demonstrate that later. So, the other reason I call myself Wonko the Sane is so that people will think I am a fool. That allows me to say what I see when I see it. You can’t possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you’re a fool. Anyway, I also thought you might like to see this. This was the thing that Arthur had been stunned to see him carrying, for it was a wonderful silver-grey glass fish bowl, seemingly identical to the one in Arthur’s bedroom. Arthur had been trying for some thirty seconds now, without success, to say, “Where did you get that?” sharply, and with a gasp in his voice. Finally his time had come, but he missed it by a millisecond. Where did you get that? said Fenchurch, sharply and with a gasp in her voice. Arthur glanced at Fenchurch sharply and with a gasp in his voice said: What? Have you seen one of these before? Yes, she said, I’ve got one. Or at least I did have. Russell nicked it to put his golfballs in. I don’t know where it came from, just that I was angry with Russell for nicking it. Why, have you got one? Yes, it was… “在我看来，”独醒客说，“任何一种文明如果到目前已经成了无头苍蝇，以至于需要在一包牙签上写上这么详细的使用说明的话，那它就不是我能够在其中生存并且保持清醒的文明。” 他又向外盯着太平洋，似乎在挑衅它来和他大吵一架，但是它仍然平静地躺在那儿逗弄着矶鹞。 “也许你会怀疑我是不是真的清醒，我觉得你很可能会怀疑的。我自称独醒客的原因，就是要向人们强调这一点。我小时候很笨拙，总是撞翻东西，我妈那时候叫我‘磕客’，‘醒’是我的实际状态，以及对为什么会是这个状态的解释。”他补充说，带着那种微笑，让你觉得：“哦，没什么大不了的。” “我很乐意呆在这里。是不是该去海滩上看看我们要谈的东西了？” 他们出去到了海滩上，就是他开始谈论长着金色胡子和绿色翅膀，穿着爽健牌拖鞋的天使的地方。 “关于那些海豚……”芬切琪温和地，充满希望地说。 “我可以给你们看看那些爽健鞋。”独醒客说。 “我想，你知不知道……” “你们想让我拿给你们看，”独醒客说，“那些鞋子吗？我有。我弄到了。爽健公司生产的，天使们说特别适合他们工作的环境。他们说通过这个信息他们可以得到站立的特许。当我说我不懂他们说的是什么意思的时候，他们说对，你不懂，然后就笑。呃，反正我弄到鞋了。” 他又走进里面去，或者走出外面去，看你怎么说了。阿瑟和芬切琪迷惑而又有点失望地对视了一下，耸耸肩，随手在沙里面乱划。 “脚今天怎么样？”阿瑟悄悄问。 “就那样。在沙里面感觉没什么特殊的，水里面也是。水可以很好地碰到脚。我就是觉得这不是我们的世界。” 她耸耸肩。 “你觉得他说，”她问，“‘通过这个消息’，是什么意思？” “不知道。”阿瑟说，不过一个名叫噗啦克的人嘲笑过他的记忆不断地骚扰着他。 独醒客回来的时候，他拿的东西把阿瑟吓傻了。不是鞋子，鞋子是非常正常的木底拖鞋。 “我觉得你们会想看看，”他说，“天使们脚上穿什么。好奇而已。对了，我不是要证明什么。我是个科学家，我知道什么东西才能构成证据。不过我用我小时候的外号称呼自己的原因就是要提醒自己，一个科学家也必须要像个孩子。他看见一个东西，就必须说他看见了，不管这是不是他想看见的。先看，后想，然后检验。永远是先看。否则你就只能看见你想看见的。大部分科学家忘了这一点。待会我会给你们看一些东西来说明这个。所以这就是我叫自己独醒客的另一个原因，而人们会认为我是个傻瓜。这样我就可以在看见什么东西的时候把它说出来。如果你担心别人认为你是个傻瓜，那你就不可能成为一个科学家。管他呢，我只是觉得你可能想看看这个。” 这个就是阿瑟看见他拿过来的时候吓傻的那个东西，它是一个漂亮的银灰色玻璃鱼缸，看起来与阿瑟卧室里的那个一模一样。 阿瑟花了三十秒时间，努力地试图用尖锐的声音喘着气说：“你从哪儿弄来的？”但是没有成功。 最后他终于控制住自己，但是已经错过了时机，晚了一毫秒。 “你从哪儿弄来的？”芬切琪用尖锐的声音喘着气说。 阿瑟瞥了芬切琪一眼，用尖锐的声音喘着气说： “什么？你以前见过一个这种东西？” “是的。”她说，“我有一个。或者至少以前有一个。拉塞尔摸去装他的高尔夫球了。我不知道它是哪儿来的，拉塞尔把它拿走了我很生气。怎么，你也有一个？” “是啊，那是……”
