经典科幻文学:《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
“蓝色的什么东西。”他说。
“形状呢？”福特说，
阿瑟又看了看。
“形状啊，”阿瑟嘶嘶地对福特说，眉毛皱成一团，“像个警察。”
他们久久地蜷在那儿，紧锁眉头。那个形状像警察的蓝色东西敲了敲他们的肩头。
“过来，你们两位。”那个影子说，“我得带走你们。”
这些话对阿瑟产生了电击一般的效果。他跳了起来，就像一个作家听见电话铃响似的，他警觉地查看四周，才发现身边突然有如此多的正常事物。
“你们从哪弄到它的？”阿瑟冲着这个警察状生物大喊。
“你说什么？”警察状生物惊讶地说。
“这是罗德板球场，不是吗？”阿瑟喊道，“你们怎么找到的，你们怎么弄来的？我想……”他用手捏住自己的眉毛，接着道：“我最好冷静下来……”他一屁股蹲在福特面前。
“这是个警察，”他说，“我们怎么办？”
福特耸耸肩。
“你想怎么办？”他说。
“我想由你来，”阿瑟说，“告诉我，我过去五年都在做梦。”他说。
福特又耸了耸肩，决定帮这个小忙。
“你过去五年都在做梦。”他说。
阿瑟站了起来。
“没事，长官，”他说，“我过去五年都在做梦，你可以问他，”他指指福特，补充道，“他也在梦里。”
说完着些之后，他悠闲地朝着球道边界走去，解下睡袍。他看见自己的睡袍，停下了脚步，他死死地盯着它。他又狂奔回警察这里。
“那我是从哪儿穿到这个衣服的？”他嚎叫道。
他一头栽倒在地，在草坪上抽搐。
福特摇摇头。
“他度过了很痛苦的两百万年。”他对警察说。两人一起把阿瑟拖到沙发上，抬出了球道。途中他俩被沙发的突然消失小小地吓了一跳。
人群对这一切的反应，是复杂而多样的。他们中的大多数不知道如何来看待这一切，所以就改成听广播电台了。
“那么，这真是个有意思的事故，布莱恩。”一位电台解说员对另一位说，“我一直以为球道上不会有什么神秘事物凭空出现，自从，哦，自从……嗯，我从来都不这么认……有吗？我记得是？”
“埃德格巴斯腾国际板球赛？1932年？”
“啊，那么当时发生的是……？”
“嗯，彼得，我想当时是坎特对阵威科克斯，威科克斯正从休息室出来，这时一位观众突然径直穿过了球道。”
第一位解说员沉默了一会，还在反应中。
“呃……是……的。”他说，“是的，其实这也没什么神秘的，不是么？他并不是变出来的，对吧？只是跑上去而已。”
“对……确实也是，但他宣称看到球道上出现一些东西。”
“啊，是吗？”