经典科幻文学:《生命 宇宙及一切》第2章5
A lot of them didn’t make it through the winter three years ago, he said, and the few who remained in the spring said they needed a holiday and set off on a raft. History says that they must have survived…
Huh, said Ford, well well. He stuck his hands on his hips and looked round again at the empty world. Suddenly, there was about Ford a sense of energy and purpose.
We’re going, he said excitedly, and shivered with energy.
Where? How? said Arthur.
I don’t know, said Ford, but I just feel that the time is right. Things are going to happen. We’re on our way.
He lowered his voice to a whisper.
I have detected, he said, disturbances in the wash.
He gazed keenly into the distance and looked as if he would quite like the wind to blow his hair back dramatically at that point, but the wind was busy fooling around with some leaves a little way off.
Arthur asked him to repeat what he had just said because he hadn’t quite taken his meaning. Ford repeated it.
The wash? said Arthur.
The space-time wash, said Ford, and as the wind blew briefly past at that moment, he bared his teeth into it.
Arthur nodded, and then cleared his throat.
Are we talking about, he asked cautiously, some sort of Vogon laundromat, or what are we talking about?
Eddies, said Ford, in the space-time continuum.
Ah, nodded Arthur, is he? Is he? He pushed his hands into the pocket of his dressing gown and looked knowledgeably into the distance.
What? said Ford.
Er, who, said Arthur, is Eddy, then, exactly?
Ford looked angrily at him.
“他们中很多人没挨过三年前的冬天，”他说，“剩下少数撑到春天的，说他们需要休假，就坐上木筏子离开了。根据历史他们应该活下来了……”
“呵，”福特说，“好吧好吧。”他把手放在嘴边，再次环视这个空荡荡的世界。突然之间，福特感觉到一种活力，一种目标感。
“我们走，”他很兴奋地说，带着充满活力的战栗，
“去哪儿？怎么去？”阿瑟问。
“我不知道，”福特说，“我就是觉得时机到了。会有事情发生的。我们已经在路上了。”
他压低声音，如同耳语一般：
“我已经发现了，水流里的波澜。”
他凝视远方，目光炯炯有神，似乎希望能起一阵风，好把他的头发吹得戏剧化地向后飞舞。可惜，风正忙着跟不远处几片叶子胡闹呢。
阿瑟请他再重复一下刚才的话，他没听懂。福特又重复了一遍。
“水流？”阿瑟说。
“时间与空间的流动。”福特说。这时来了一小缕风，他便露出牙齿迎接风儿。
阿瑟点点头，又清了清嗓子。
“我们说的是不是，”阿瑟谨慎地问，“一些沃贡人自助洗衣店，或者别的什么？”
“漩子，”福特说，“就是在时空连续体里的那种，”
“啊。”阿瑟点头道，“他呀。是他？”他把手插进睡袍的衣袋里，显得很懂似的。
“什么？”福特说。
“呃，漩子，”阿瑟说，“又是谁？确切地说？”
福特恼火地看着他。
