涛
Thao
不知睡了多久，我突然彻底醒了过来——头脑清晰，感觉灵敏。可是天啊，现在应该几点了？利娜正睡在我旁边，双手握拳，不过她睡觉一直那样……
I awoke suddenly, not knowing how long I had slept. I was completely awake - fresh and alert - but good God, what time could it be? Lina was sleeping beside me, her fists closed, but then Lina always sleeps...
我一点也不想再睡了，并且现在大概已是早晨五点了。我起床，在走向厨房时看了一下表，才 00:30！在这个点醒来对我来说真是太难得了。
I had no desire at all to go back to sleep and besides, it was possibly already five in the morning. I got up, made my way to the kitchen and checked the clock. Only 12.30am! It was unusual for me to wake up at such an hour.
我脱下睡衣，穿上裤子和衬衫，为什么？我不知道。我也没法解释为什么我会走向书桌，找了张纸和圆珠笔后开始看着自己的手写字，就像它有了自己的头脑似的。
I took off my pyjamas and dressed in trousers and a shirt, why, I had no idea.Neither can I explain why I went to my desk, took a sheet of paper and a biro and watched myself write, as if my hand had a mind of its own.
“亲爱的，我将离开大约十天，完全不必担心。”
‘My dear, I’ll be away for about ten days. Absolutely no need to worry.’
将纸条留在电话旁，我出门来到阳台，绕过阳台上保留着昨晚对局的桌子——棋盘上的白色国王静止在被将死的位置——悄悄地打开了那扇通往花园的门。
Leaving the note by the telephone, I headed through the door and on to the verandah. I avoided the table on which last night’s chess game remained, with the white King still in checkmate, and silently opened the door leading on to the garden.
夜空看起来充满了一种奇异的亮光，但它显然和星光无关。我觉得月亮可能快要升起来了，便开始本能地去想今晚的月相——我生活在澳大利亚的东北部，这儿的夜晚一般是很明朗的。
The night seemed to be suffused with a strange brightness, which had nothing to do with the stars. Instinctively, I tried to recall what phase the moon was currently in, thinking that perhaps it was about to rise. Here, in the north-east of Australia where I live, the nights are generally quite clear.
我下楼走向露兜树。一般在夜里的这个时候，我们都可以听到一场真正的“音乐会”，青蛙和蟋蟀的叫声会充满整个夜晚。但让我纳闷的是，现在，院中一片沉寂。
I descended the outside stairs and headed towards the pandanus. Usually, at this time of night, we would have a veritable concert from the frogs and crickets whose chirring sounds fill the night. Now however, there was a heavy silence and I wondered why.
没走几步……突然，藤树的颜色就变了；房屋的墙壁、露兜树——一切都沐浴在了一片蓝色的光辉中。脚下的草坪在像波浪一样起伏，露兜树下的地面也是如此；藤树的形状被打乱了，而墙壁则像一张在风中飘荡的纸。
I had only walked a few steps when, quite suddenly, the colour of the philodendrons changed. The wall of the house too, and the pandanus - all were bathed in a kind of bluish light. The lawn seemed to undulate beneath my feet and the ground beneath the pandanus waved also. The philodendrons distorted and the wall of the house resembled a sheet floating in the wind.
在我开始觉得有些不对劲，并想要返回房间的时候——就在那一刻——我发觉自己非常轻地升了起来：起初是缓慢地，飞过藤树后就加快了速度。只见脚下的房子变得越来越小……
Beginning to believe that I was not well, I decided to return to the house when, at that precise moment, I felt myself lifted quite gently from the ground. I rose, slowly at first, above the philodendrons, and then quicker, until I saw the house becoming smaller and smaller below me.
“怎么了？”我极困惑地喊了起来。
‘What is happening?’ I exclaimed in utter bewilderment.
“一切正常，米歇。”
‘All is well now, Michel.’
至此，我认为我是在做梦——一个相当高大的人站在我面前看着我，他身穿宇航服，戴着完全透明的头盔，友善地微笑着。
By then, I believed I was dreaming. Before me, a human being of impressive size, dressed in a one-piece suit and wearing a completely transparent helmet on ‘her’ head, was looking at me - friendly and smiling.
“不，你没有做梦。”她说道，解答了我头脑中的困惑。
‘No, you are not dreaming,’ she said, answering the question in my mind.
“是做梦！”我回应道“因为在梦里总是这样——最终你会发现自己掉到了床下，头上碰起个包！”她微笑着。“并且，”我继续说道，“你在对我讲法语，我的母语。可我们是在澳大利亚，你知道，现在我是说英语的！”
‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘but it always happens this way in a dream and in the end you find you’ve fallen out of bed and have a lump on your forehead!’ She smiled. ‘Further’, I continued, ‘you are speaking to me in French, my native tongue, and yet we are in Australia. I do speak English, you know!’
“我知道的。”
‘So do I’.
“这肯定是个梦——那些荒唐的梦之一。还有，就算这不是个梦，你在我家上面做什么？”
‘It has to be a dream - one of those stupid dreams, moreover. If not though, what are you doing on my property?’
“我们不在你家上面，而是在它的上方。”
‘We are not on your property, but above it.’
“啊！这是个梦，我会掐一下自己，你看我是对的吧。”说着我就这么做了，“哎呦！”
‘Ah! It is a nightmare. You see I was right. I’ll pinch myself!’ I accompanied the words with the action. Ouch!
她又微笑起来。“现在你满意了吧，米歇？”
She smiled again. ‘Now are you satisfied, Michel?’
“可如果这不是个梦，我现在为什么会坐在这块石头上面？那边那些穿着上个世纪时装的人是谁？”
‘But if it’s not a dream, why am I here sitting on this rock? Who are those people over there, dressed in the fashion of the last century?’
在乳白的光线下，我开始看清那些在交谈、以及在稍远处走动的人们。
I was beginning to distinguish, in a milky light, people talking and at a slight distance, others moving around.
“还有你，你是谁？你的身材怎么不正常？”
‘And you, who are you? Why aren’t you normal sized?’
“我的身材是正常的，米歇。在我的星球上，我们都是这样。此外，一切都很好，我亲爱的朋友；我希望你不介意我这么称呼你，如果我们还不是好朋友，我确定我们很快会是的。”
‘I am a normal size, Michel. On my planet we are all this size. But everything in good time, my dear friend. I hope you don’t mind me calling you that? If we aren’t good friends already, I am sure that we will be soon.’
她站在我面前，微笑的面庞显露出智慧，全身都散发出神圣的气息。我不可能见过可以比她更让我安心的人。
She stood there in front of me, intelligence reflected in her smiling face and goodness emanating from her entire being. It would not be possible to meet anyone with whom I could feel more at ease.
“当然，你怎么叫我都行。你怎么称呼？”
‘Of course, you may call me what you wish. And what is your name?’
“我的名字叫涛。不过我首先想让你彻底明白的是，这不是一个梦。的确，这是件很不寻常的事，因为某些原因——这会在之后给你解释的，你被选出来参与一场地球人很少有参与过的旅行——特别是在最近一段时期。
‘My name is Thao, but first, I would like you to know, once and for all, that this is not a dream. Indeed, it is something quite different. For certain reasons which will be explained to you later, you have been chosen to undertake a journey which very few Earthlings have made - particularly in recent times.
我们，我和你现在正处在一个平行于地球世界的世界。为了让你，以及我和我的同伴们都进来，我们用了一个‘气锁’。
‘We are, you and I, at this moment, in a universe which is parallel to that of Earth. In order to admit you, as well as ourselves, we have made use of an ‘airlock’.
对你来说，时间在这一刻静止了，你能在这里待二十到五十地球年，然后在返回时就像未曾离开一样，你的物质身体将完全不变。”
At this instant, time has stopped for you, and you could remain here twenty or fifty of your Earthly years and then return as if you hadn’t left. Your physical body would remain absolutely unchanged.’
“可是这些人在干什么？”
‘But what are these people doing?’
“他们的存在也是可以理解的，而且，你稍后就会了解，这里的死亡率极低，他们仅会由于意外或自杀而死亡。时间是静止的。这里的一些男人、女人以及动物的年龄达到了30000、50000地球年或甚至更久。”
‘They exist as well as can be expected and, as you will learn later, the population density is very low. Death only occurs by suicide or accident. Time is suspended. There are men and women, as well as some animals who are 30 000, 50 000 or even many more Earth years old.’
“那他们为什么会在这里？他们是怎么到这儿的？他们在哪出生的？”
‘But why are they here and how did they come to be here? Where were they born?’
“在地球上……他们到这里全是因为意外。”
‘On Earth. . . they are all here by accident.’
“因为意外？你指的什么？”
‘By accident? What do you mean?’
“很简单，你听说过百慕大三角吗？”我点点头。“嗯，很简单，在那里，以及其他一些不太出名的地方，这个平行世界和你们的世界混在了一起，使二者之间出现了一个天然扭曲。
‘It’s very simple. You have heard of the Bermuda Triangle?’ I nodded. ‘Well, quite simply, in this spot and in others less well known, this parallel universe becomes confused with your universe so that there exists between them a natural warp.
离这个扭曲很近的人、动物、乃至物体都会被完全吸入。比如，一支船队可以因为这个原因在几秒内消失。有时候，某个人或某些人会在几小时、几天或几年后返回你们的世界，但更多的是，他们再也回不去了。
‘People, animals or even objects finding themselves in the immediate vicinity of a warp are literally sucked into it. Thus, you can have, for example, an entire fleet of boats disappear in several seconds. Sometimes a person, or persons, can pass back into your universe after several hours, several days or several years. More often, however, they never return.
当一个人真的返回并向人们提起他的经历时，绝大多数人都不会相信他——如果他坚持自己的说法，人们会认为他‘疯了’。大多数情况下，在意识到自己在同类眼中的形象后，他便会绝口不提这种经历了。有时，返回的人会失忆，并且即使他恢复了一些记忆，那也不是关于平行世界的，因而也不能揭示什么真相了。”
‘When a man does return and relates his experience, the vast majority of people don’t believe him - and if he persists, he is assumed ‘crazy’. Most of the time, such a person recounts nothing at all, realising how he will appear in the eyes of his peers. Sometimes too, he returns amnesic, and if he recovers some memory, it is not of what happened in the parallel universe, and therefore sheds no light on the subject.
“在北美，”涛继续道，“曾有一个进入平行世界的典型例子：一个年轻人在去离家数百米远的水井打水时彻底失踪了。大约一小时后，他的家人和朋友们开始去找他。这本该是件很简单的事，因为刚下了一场约20厘米厚的雪，他们只需要跟着那个年轻人所留下的脚印走就行了。然而，就在田野中央——脚印消失了。
‘There was,’ Thao continued, ‘a typical case of this passage into a parallel universe in North America, where a young man literally vanished while going to fetch water from a well which was situated several hundred metres from his house. About an hour later, family and friends set out in search of him and, as there had been a fresh snowfall of about 20 centimetres, it should have been quite simple - they had only to follow the footprints left by the young man. But, right in the middle of the field - the footprints stopped.
四周既无树木，也没有什么可供他跳上去的岩石——没有任何奇怪或异常，只是脚印消失了。有人认为他是被一艘宇宙飞船带走了，但事实并非如此——等下你会明白的。这个可怜人其实是被吸进了另一个世界。”
‘There were no trees around, no rocks on to which he could have jumped - nothing strange or unusual - the footprints just stopped. Some people believed that he had been taken by a spacecraft, but that could not have been, as you will see later. This poor man had quite simply been sucked into the parallel universe.’
“我想起来了，”我说，“我是听说过这么回事，但你是怎么知道这一切的呢？”
‘I remember’, I said, ‘I did hear of that particular case, but how do you know all about it?’
“你会在以后知道我是如何知道的。”她神秘地说道。
‘You will find out later how I know,’ she replied enigmatically.
我们的交谈被一群突然出现的人给打断了，他们太过奇特，以至于我又开始怀疑这一切到底是不是个梦——大约十二个男人，还有一个看起来像女人的人，从一堆离我们一百多米远的石头后面出现了。更奇特的是，那些人就像从记载着史前信息的书中走出来的一样：他们迈着像大猩猩的步子，手中挥动着现代人无法从地上拿起的巨棒。这些可怕的生物径直冲我们而来，像野兽似的咆哮着。我转身要逃，可我的同伴告诉我没什么好怕的，我只需站在原处。只见她将手放到腰间的扣子上，转身面朝来者。
We were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a group of people so bizarre that again, I wondered if this was all a dream. About a dozen men, accompanied by what seemed to be a woman, emerged from behind a pile of rocks a hundred metres from where we were. The sight was even stranger, since these human beings appeared to have stepped out of the pages of prehistoric records. With the gait of gorillas, they brandished enormous clubs which modern man would not have been able to lift from the ground. These hideous creatures were coming straight for us, howling like wild beasts. I made a move to retreat, but my companion told me there was nothing to fear and that I should stay still. She put her hand on the buckle of her belt and turned so that she faced them.
我听到一连串轻微的咔嗒声，随后五个看起来最强壮的男人便倒地不动了；剩余的人全都齐齐地止住脚步，开始呻吟起来。他们拜倒在我们面前。
I heard a series of small clicks and five of the strongest looking men fell to the ground, motionless. The rest of the group stopped cleanly and began moaning. They prostrated themselves before us.
我又看了一眼涛，她像个雕像一样站着，神色凝重。她的眼睛正在盯着那些人，就像她在试图催眠他们一样。后来我得知，她那是在用心灵感应向对面的那个女人下达命令。突然，那个女人站了起来，并开始用一种喉音朝其余人下达命令——在我看来应是如此。之后，那些人搬起尸体，背着它们朝之前提过的那堆石头退去了。
I looked again at Thao. She stood like a statue, her face set. Her eyes were fixed on those people as though she was trying to hypnotise them. I later learned that she was giving orders by telepathy to the female of the group. Suddenly, this woman got up and began, it seemed to me, to issue orders in a guttural voice to the others. They then helped remove the bodies, carrying them on their backs to the pile of rocks mentioned earlier. I looked again at Thao. She stood like a statue, her face set. Her eyes were fixed on those people as though she was trying to hypnotise them. I later learned that she was giving orders by telepathy to the female of the group. Suddenly, this woman got up and began, it seemed to me, to issue orders in a guttural voice to the others. They then helped remove the bodies, carrying them on their backs to the pile of rocks mentioned earlier.
“他们在干什么？”我问道。
‘What are they doing?’ I asked.
“他们将用石头埋葬死者。”
‘They will cover their dead with stones.’
“你杀死了他们？”
‘Did you kill them?’
“我不得不这么做。”
‘I had to.’
“你说什么？我们真的有危险吗？”
‘What do you mean? Were we really in danger?’
“这是当然的了，那是一群在这里待了一万或一万五千年的人——谁知道呢？我们没时间研究那个，况且，那并不重要。但是这很好地体现了我刚刚给你讲过的事情——这些人在某个时间进入了这个世界，他们就会永远地生活在那个时间里。”
‘Of course we were. These are people who have been here for ten or fifteen thousand years - who knows? We don’t have time to establish that and besides, it is of no importance. Nevertheless, it illustrates well what I was explaining to you a few moments ago. These people passed into this universe at a certain time, and they have lived in that time ever since.’
“太可怕了！”
‘It’s frightful!’
“我同意，但这是自然法则的一部分，因而也是宇宙法则的一部分。此外，他们是危险的，因为他们的行为更像野兽而非人类。正如他们不能与这个平行世界中的绝大多数生物对话一样，我们和他们之间的对话也是不可能的。一方面，他们不能交流；另一方面，他们不比任何人都更明白他们怎么了。我们刚才真的有危险，而且，如果真要说的话，我刚才是帮了他们一个忙——我解脱了他们。”
‘I agree. However it is part of natural, and therefore universal, law. Fur-thermore, they are dangerous because they behave more like wild beasts than human beings. Dialogue would not have been possible between them and us, just as it is not possible between them and most of the others living in this parallel universe. For one thing, they are unable to communicate; and for another, they, less than anyone, understand what has happened to them. We were in real danger and, if I do say so, I have done them a favour just now, of liberating them.’
“解脱？”
‘Liberating?’
“别显得那么震惊，米歇。你很清楚我说的是什么意思。
‘Don’t look so shocked, Michel. You know quite well what I mean by that.
他们从肉体中解脱出来，现在可以像所有生命一样，依自然过程继续他们的轮回。”
They are liberated from their physical bodies and are now able to continue their cycle, like every living being, according to the normal process.’
“那么如果我没理解错的话，这个世界就是一个诅咒——一种地狱或炼狱？”
‘So if I understand correctly, this parallel universe is a curse - a kind of hell or purgatory?’
“我还没意识到你是个宗教徒！”
‘I didn’t realise you were religious!’
“我这么比喻只是为了向你表明我在努力理解你的话。”我回答道，同时纳闷她怎么知道我是不是宗教徒。
‘I just make this comparison to show you that I am trying to understand,’ Ireplied, wondering how she could know whether or not I was religious.
“我知道，米歇，我只是开个玩笑罢了。你说它是一种炼狱也没错，不过当然了，它是很意外的存在。实际上，这是自然界的几个意外之一：白化病是意外；四叶苜宿也可以被当做一个意外；你的阑尾也只是个意外。你们的医生仍然想知道它在人体中能有什么用，答案是——没什么用。通常，在现在的自然界中，一切事物都有着明确的存在原因——这就是为什么我将阑尾也列在自然界的‘意外’之中了。
‘I know, Michel, I was only teasing. You were right in explaining it as a kind of purgatory but, of course, this is quite accidental. In fact, this is one of several accidents of nature. An albino is an accident, and a four-leafed clover can also be considered as an accident. Your appendix is just as much an accident. Your doctors still wonder what use it could possibly have in your body. The answer - no use whatsoever. Now usually, in nature, everything has a precise reason for existing - that’s why I list the appendix among the natural ‘accidents’.
生活在这个世界的人无论在肉体还是精神上都不会有痛感。举例来讲，如果我打你，你不会感到痛，但如果这打击足够强，尽管你还是没有痛感，你依然会被打死。这也许会让你难以理解，但它就是这么回事。这里的这些人一点也不知道我现在给你讲的这些，好在他们会尝试自杀——但就是在这里，自杀也不是解脱的办法。”
‘People living in this universe suffer neither physically or morally. For example, if I hit you, you would feel no pain, but if the blows were strong enough,although without pain, you could still die from them. This might be difficult to comprehend, but it is so. Those existing here know nothing of what I have just explained to you, and it is fortunate because they would be tempted to commitsuicide - which, even here, is not a solution.’
“他们吃什么？”
‘What do they eat?’
“他们既不吃、也不喝，因为他们感觉不到渴和饿。记住，时间在这里是不动的——那些尸体甚至都不会腐烂。”
‘They don’t eat, nor do they drink, because they don’t feel the need to. Here, remember, time has stopped - those dead won’t even rot.’
“太糟糕了！总而言之，一个人对他们所能做出的最大帮助就是将他们杀死了！”
‘But that’s terrible! In all, the greatest service that one can render these people would be to kill them!’
“你把握了一个要点，那是两种有效的方法之一。”
‘You raise an important point there. Effectively it would be one of two solutions.’
“另一种是什么？”
‘What is the other?’
“将他们送回他们来的地方——但这将导致巨大的问题。因为我们能利用空间扭曲，我们可以将很多人送回你的世界，由此解放他们。但我确定，你可以意识到这将会给这里的绝大多数人制造出巨大的问题。正如我说过的，这些人已经在这里待了成千上万年，如果他们发现自己回到了那个他们已离开那么久的世界，会发生什么呢？”
‘To send them back where they came from - but that would pose great problems. Because we are able to make use of the warp, we could return many of them to your universe, and thus liberate them, but I’m sure you are aware of the enormous problems that would create for the majority of these people. Here, as I have already said, you have people, who have been here for thousands of years. What would happen if they found themselves back in the universe they left so long ago?’
“他们可能会疯掉，总之，没太大意义。”她微笑着肯定了我的话。
‘They might go insane. In all, there is nothing to do.’ She smiled gently at my affirmation.
“米歇，你的确是我们要找的人，但我需注意别太早下结论——你还有很多东西要看呢。”
‘You are certainly the man of action we require, Michel, but beware of jumping to conclusions - you have much more to see.’
她将手搭在我肩上，在这么做时不得不将身子微弯。虽然我当时并不知道她身高二米九——对一个人类来说可以算是异常高了。
She put her hand on my shoulder, having to incline forward slightly to do so. Although I didn’t know it at the time, Thao measured 290 centimetres,exceptionally tall for a human being.
“我亲自确定我们选择你是正确的——你有一个开放的头脑，但我现在还不能为你讲明所有的事情，原因有两个。”
‘I see with my own eyes that we made the right choice in selecting you - you have an astute mind, but I cannot explain everything to you now, for two reasons.’
“请讲。”
‘Namely?’
“首先，现在解释还为时尚早。就是说在这之前，你必须先在某些领域获得更多的指导。”
‘First, it is still too soon for such an explanation. By this, I mean that you must be instructed further on certain points before proceeding beyond.’
“我明白——那第二个呢？”
‘I understand - and second?’
“第二个原因是他们还在等我们，我们得走了。”
‘The second reason is that they are waiting for us. We must leave.’
她轻轻一碰使我转了个身，随着她的视线望去，我吃惊地睁大了眼睛——在离我们约100米的地方，有一个发着蓝色光辉的巨球，我在后来得知它直径70米。它的光并不固定，而是在微微闪亮，就像一个人从远处看夏日阳光下的沙漠时所能见到的热雾一样。
With a light touch, she turned me around. I followed her gaze and stared wide-eyed with surprise. About 100 metres from us was an enormous sphere, from which emanated a bluish Aura. I later learned that it measured 70 metres in diameter. The light was not steady, but shimmered, resembling a heat haze when one looks from a distance at sand heated by the summer sun.
那球在离地约十米处‘闪烁’着；它没有窗，没有门梯，也没有门，表面光滑得像个蛋壳。
This enormous sphere ‘shimmered’ about ten metres from the ground. With no windows, no openings, no ladder, it appeared as smooth as the shell of an egg.
涛示意我跟着她，于是我们就开始朝那机器走去。那一刻我记忆犹新——在我们走向巨球的那一小段时间里，我激动得无法控制自己的想法，一系列图像不断闪过我的脑海，就像在“快进”的电影一样。我看到自己在向家人讲述这次奇遇，还又一次看到我曾在报纸上读过的那些有关UFO的文章。
Thao signalled for me to follow her and we set out towards the machine. I remember that moment very well. During the short time we took in approaching the sphere, I was so excited that I lost control of my thoughts. A constant stream of images flashed through my mind, resembling a film in the ‘fast-forward’ mode. I saw myself relating this adventure to my family, and I saw again newspaper articles I had read on the subject of UFOs.
记得我想起自己挚爱的家人时，一种悲伤的情绪通透全身；我看到我被抓住了——就像在一个陷阱中，并且我突然想到或许我再也见不到他们了……
I remember a feeling of sadness sweep over me when I thought of my family whom I loved so much; I saw myself caught, as though in a trap, and it occurred to me that I might never see them again...
“你完全没必要害怕，米歇。”涛说道。“相信我，你很快会再与家人团聚，而且身体也是健康的。”
‘You have absolutely nothing to fear, Michel,’ said Thao. ‘Trust me. You will be reunited with your family very soon, and in good health.’
我相信我的嘴因吃惊而张得老大，这逗得涛发出一种极好听的笑声，那笑声在我们地球人中很罕见。这是她第二次读我的想法，第一次我还以为可能是个巧合，但这次却可以确定了。
I believe my mouth fell open in surprise, triggering in Thao a melodious laugh, such as is rarely heard among us Earthlings. That was the second time she had read my thoughts; the first time I thought might have been a coincidence, but this time there could be no doubt.
当我们离那球很近时，涛让我和她保持约一米的距离，面对面地站着。
When we arrived in close proximity to the sphere, Thao placed me in a position opposite her and about a metre’s distance away.
“不要找任何借口碰我，米歇，无论发生了什么。任何借口——你明白吗？”
‘Do not touch me under any pretext, Michel, whatever happens. Under any pretext - do you understand?’
我着实被这正式的命令吓了一跳，但还是点点头。
I was quite taken aback by this formal order, but I nodded.
她将一只手放在一个“系在”她左胸高度的“大奖章”上——我之前曾注意过它；另一只手握着一个从腰带上取下来的，像大圆珠笔的东西。
She placed her hand on a type of ‘medallion’ I had noticed earlier ‘attached’ at the height of her left breast, and with the other hand, she held what resembled a large biro which she unclasped from her belt.
她将“圆珠笔”朝我们头顶巨球的方向指去，我觉得自己看见它发出了一束绿光，但并不能太确定。之后，她将“圆珠笔”指向我，另一只手仍放在“大奖章”上，于是我们就一齐升向那巨球的外壳——很轻易地。就在我确定我们要和它相撞时，一部分球壁缩了进去——就像一个巨大的活塞缩进气筒——出现了一个高约三米的椭圆形入口。
She pointed the ‘biro’ above our heads and in the direction of the sphere. I thought I saw a green beam of light flash from it but I couldn’t be sure. She then pointed the ‘biro’ at me, her other hand still on the ‘medallion’ and quite simply, we rose, simultaneously, towards the wall of the machine. Just when I was sure we were going to collide with it, a portion of the hull retracted like an enormous piston in the core of a cylinder, revealing an opening, oval in shape, of about three metres in height.
当我和涛在飞船内的一个着陆平台站好后，她就把手从“大奖章”上放下，并将“圆珠笔”扣回腰带，那娴熟的动作表明她经常这么做。
We regained our feet, Thao and I, on a type of landing inside the craft. She let go of her ‘medallion’ and with a dexterity that suggested she had done it often, she refastened her ‘biro’.
“来，现在我们可以互相碰触了。”她说道。
‘Come. We can touch each other now,’ she said.
她将手搭在我肩上，领我向一个小蓝灯走去；那灯的光线太强了，使我只能将眼睛半闭，我还从未在地球上见过类似的蓝色。当我们几乎就在这灯下的时候，它所在的那面墙就“让我们通过了”——这是我唯一想得出的描述方法，因为按照我老师领我前进的方式，我可以发誓我头上会出现一个大包的，但我们穿过了墙——就像幽灵一样！我脸上的震惊使涛开怀大笑，这让我感觉好多了，我记得那笑声——就像一阵清风一样，让我每次感到不自在时都能平静下来。
Taking me by the shoulder, she guided me towards a small blue light, so intense that I had almost to half close my eyes. I had never seen a colour like it on Earth. When we were almost below the light, the wall on which it was located ‘let us pass’. That is the only way to describe it. From the way in which my mentor was leading me, I could have sworn I was going to have a handsome lump on my forehead, but we passed through the walls - like ghosts! Thao laughed heartily at the shocked expression on my face. That did me good. I remember that laugh - like a refreshing breeze and reassuring at a time when I was not feeling at ease.
我以前常和朋友们讨论“飞碟”，而且相信它们确实存在于现实中——但当你真的面对现实时，你头脑中的问题会多得像要爆炸似的。当然，我的内心是高兴的，从涛对我的态度来看，我觉得我没必要担心，可她并不是独自一人，我想知道其他人会怎样。尽管这场奇遇很吸引我，但我还是怀疑我能否再见到家人。他们似乎已经离我很远了，而就在几分钟前，我还在自家的花园里。
I had often spoken with friends of ‘flying saucers’ and was persuaded that they did, in fact, exist - but when you are actually faced with the reality, so many questions cloud your brain that you think it will burst. Of course, deep down I was delighted. From Thao’s manner towards me, I sensed that I had nothing to fear. However, she was not alone: I wondered what the others were going to be like. In spite of my fascination with this adventure, I still doubted if I would see my family again. Already, they seemed so far away, when only several minutes earlier I was in my own garden.
现在，我们正在一个隧道样走廊的平面上“滑行”，它的尽头是一个小房间，其墙壁是极亮的黄色，那亮度使我不得不闭住双眼。房间的墙壁形成了一个拱顶——我们就和处在一个倒扣的碗中一样。
We were now ‘gliding’ at ground level along a tunnel-shaped corridor that led to a small room, the walls of which were of a yellow so intense that I had to close my eyes. The walls formed a vault - exactly as if we were inside an upturned bowl.
涛给我戴上了一个由透明材料制成的头盔，我睁开一只眼，发现它能使我受得了那光了。
Thao covered my head with a helmet made from a transparent material and I found, by opening one eye, that this enabled me to tolerate the light.
“你觉得怎么样？”她问道。
‘How do you feel?’ she asked.
“好多了，谢谢你，但那光——你怎么能受得了它？”
‘Better, thank you, but that light - how can you stand it?’
“它不是一种光，它只是这个房间里墙壁目前的颜色。”
It is not a light. It is just the present colour of the walls in this room.’
“为什么是‘目前’？你带我来是为了重新给它刷漆吗？”我开玩笑道。
‘Why ‘present’? Have you brought me here to repaint them?’ I joked.
“没有油漆，米歇，那只是振动。你还以为是在你的地球世界，可其实并不是。你现在是在我们的一艘超远程宇宙飞船中，它能以数倍于光速的速度飞行。我们要出发了，你能不能躺在这个铺位上……？”
‘There is no paint. There are only vibrations, Michel. You still believe that you are in your Earthly universe, when you are not. You are now in one of our super long-range spacecraft, capable of travelling at several times the speed of light. We will be leaving soon, if you will lie down on this bunk..?’
房间中央有两个盒子——看起来更像两个没盖的棺材。我躺进其中一个，涛躺进另一个；我听到她在用一种很悦耳的声音说话，虽然我听不懂。我想将身子抬起一点，却不能——我被一种不知是什么的无形力量固定了。黄色逐渐从墙上消失，取而代之的是亮度不减的蓝色。这“油漆活”又干了一次……
There, in the centre of the room were two boxes - rather like coffins without lids. I stretched out in one of them and Thao in the other. I heard her speak in a language unfamiliar to me, but very harmonious. I wanted to lift myself up a little but couldn’t, being held by an unknown and invisible force. The yellow colour progressively disappeared from the walls, to be replaced by a blue that was certainly no less intense. The ‘paintwork’ had been redone...
房间的三分之一忽然变暗了，我注意到许多小灯在像星星一样闪烁。
One third of the room suddenly became dark and I noticed minute lights sparkling like stars.
黑暗中，涛的声音十分清晰，“这些是星星，米歇。我们已经离开了地球的平行世界；也将离你的地球越来越远，好带你去参观我们的星球了。我们知道你会对这次旅行十分好奇，但为了你着想，出发将十分缓慢。
Thao’s voice was clear in the darkness. ‘These are stars, Michel. We have left Earth’s parallel universe and will be leaving your planet further and further behind, to take you to visit ours. We know you are going to be greatly interested in the journey, but also in our departure that will be quite slow, for your benefit.
我们可以看着眼前的屏幕。”
‘We can watch on the screen you see in front of you.’
“地球在哪儿？”
‘Where is Earth?’
“我们还看不到它，因为我们还在它正上方约一万米处……”
‘We still can’t see it, being almost directly above it, at approximately 10 000 metres altitude...’
突然，我听到了说话声，听起来像是涛刚才说过的那种语言。在涛做了简短的回复后，那声音又用法语——地道的法语（尽管那音调更多是悦耳而非正式）——欢迎我登上飞船。这很像地球上航空公司的“欢迎乘坐本公司航班。”我记得自己当时觉得那很有趣——虽然知道我正处在不寻常的环境中。
Suddenly, a voice could be heard, speaking what seemed to be the same language Thao had used moments earlier. Thao answered briefly and then the voice spoke to me in French - excellent French (although the tone was more melodic than is typical) welcoming me aboard. It was very much the ‘welcome aboard’ of our airline companies, and I recall being quite amused by that - in spite of the unique situation in which I found myself.
同时，我感到一丝非常轻的空气流动，然后就凉爽了起来，就像开了空调一样。景色开始飞速地变化：屏幕上出现了一个只能是太阳的天体。最初，它好像贴着地球、或准确说是南美洲的边上（这是我稍后发现的）——又一次，我开始怀疑自己在做梦了——逐渐地，美洲变得越来越小；澳大利亚还看不见，因为阳光还没照到那里。现在可以辨出地球的轮廓了，我们似乎在绕着地球朝北极上空的一个地方飞。在那儿，我们改变了方向，以一种不可思议的速度离开了地球。
At the same instant, I felt a very light movement of the air and it became cool, as though air-conditioned. Things began to happen quickly. On the screen, appeared what could only have been the sun. At first, it seemed to touch the edge of the Earth or, more precisely, South America, as I later learned. Again, I wondered if I could be dreaming. Second by second America was shrinking. Australia couldn’t be seen, as the sun’s rays had not yet reached it. Now the contours of the planet could be distinguished, and we seemed to move around the globe, to a position above the North Pole. There, we changed direction,drawing away from Earth at an incredible speed.
我们那可怜的地球变得像个篮球，然后是台球，直至从屏幕上消失——或几乎是如此，取代它的是那充满了宇宙空间的幽蓝色。我将头转向涛的方向，希望她能给我更多讲解。
Our poor Earth became a basketball, then a billiard ball until it finally disappeared - or almost - from the screen. Instead, my vision was filled with the sombre blue of space. I turned my head in Thao’s direction hoping for further explanation.
“你喜欢这样吗？”
‘Did you like that?’
“好极了，但太快了——能以这么高的速度飞行吗？”
‘It was wonderful, but so fast - is it possible to travel at such a high speed?’
“这不算什么，我亲爱的朋友，我们‘起飞’得非常轻柔，只有从现在起我们才是全速飞行。”
‘That was nothing, my dear friend. We ‘took off’ very gently. Only now are we travelling at full speed.’
“有多快？”我打断她的话。
‘How fast?’ I interrupted.
“比光速快数倍。”
‘Several times the speed of light.’
“比光速？那是多少倍？太不可思议了！光障怎么办？”
‘Of light? But how many times? It’s incredible! What about the light barrier?’
“我明白这对你来说显得难以置信，就算你们的专家也不会信——然而，这是事实。”
‘I can well understand that it appears incredible to you. Not even your experts would believe it - it is, however, the truth.’
“你说比光速快数倍，那是几倍？”
‘You say several times the speed of light, but how may times?’
“米歇，在这趟旅程中，许多事情将会特地展示给你——许多事情，但也有一些细节是不能让你知道的，我们飞船的准确速度就是一例。很抱歉，因为我也理解当你的好奇心不能被全部满足时的失落感，但你以后将会看见并学到非常多的新奇事物。所以，当我们不让你知道某些事情时，请你不要太介意。”
‘Michel, during this journey many things will be intentionally revealed to you - many things, but there will also be details to which you will not have access. The precise speed of our spacecraft is one such detail. I’m sorry, for I know it will disappoint you not to have your great curiosity for all things satisfied, but there will be so many new and interesting things for you to see and learn, that you must not mind too much when information is withheld from you.’
她的态度表明这件事到此为止，我也就没有再坚持，觉得再问就有些无礼了。
Her manner indicated that the matter was closed and I didn’t insist further, sensing that to do so would have been rude.
“看。”她对我说。屏幕上出现了一个迅速变大的彩色点。
‘Look’ she said to me. On the screen a coloured dot had appeared and was growing rapidly.
“那是什么？”
‘What is it?’
“土星。”
‘Saturn.’
如果我的描述不像他/她所希望的那么详细，请读者一定原谅我。但必须要说一下的是，当时我还没有完全恢复所有的感觉，在这么短的时间里看到这么多新奇的事物，我实在是有些“晕”了。
The reader must forgive me if the descriptions I give are not as detailed as he/she might wish, but it must be understood that I had not yet recovered all my senses. I had seen so much in so short a time, and was somewhat ‘disoriented.’
随着我们的接近，这著名的土星在屏幕上迅速变大。它的颜色实在是太美了——我在地球上所见过的任何事物都不能与之相比。它有着黄色、红色、绿色、蓝色和橙色——每种颜色中都有着无数的细小差异，它们在那里融合、分离、增强、变淡——形成了那著名的土星光环。
As we approached, the famous Saturn grew rapidly larger on the screen. Its colours were wonderful - incomparable to anything I had ever seen on Earth. There were yellows, reds, greens, blues, oranges - within each colour, an infinite range of nuances mingled, separated, grew stronger then weaker, creating the famous rings and confined within them...
这绝妙的奇观在屏幕上占的面积越来越大。
It was an amazing spectacle, which filled more and more of our screen.
意识到我不再受那力场束缚后，我就想摘下我的面具以便去更好地看那色彩，可涛示意我别动。
Realising I was no longer restrained by the force field, I wanted to remove my mask so as to see the colours better, but Thao signalled that I should do nothing.
“它的卫星在哪儿？”我问道。
‘Where are the satellites?’ I asked.
“你可以在屏幕右边看见两个，它们几乎挨在了一起。”
‘You can see two, almost side by side towards the right of the screen.’
“我们离它多远？”
‘How far away are we?’
“大约6000000公里，或者更多，驾驶室那边自然知道准确数据，但要我给你一个更准确的估算，我得知道我们的‘摄像机’是否正处于全变焦状态。”
‘We must be approximately 6 000 000 kilometres or perhaps more. They know exactly on the flight deck of course, but to give you a more precise estimate, I’d have to know whether our ‘camera’ is on full zoom or not.’
突然，土星从屏幕左侧消失了，眼前又一次布满了宇宙空间的“颜色”。
Saturn suddenly disappeared from the left side of the screen, which filled again with the ‘colour’ of space.
我觉得就是在那时，我感到了一种前所未有的得意——因为突然想到自己正在经历一场非同寻常的旅行。为什么会是我？我以前从未对此有所求，也从未想过（谁敢呢？）要去经历这么一场奇遇的可能。
I believe it was at that moment I felt exalted, as I never had before. It hit me that I was in the process of living an extraordinary adventure - and why? I had asked for nothing and had never contemplated the possibility (who would have dared?) of experiencing such an adventure.
涛站了起来，“你现在也可以这么做了，米歇。”我依言照办，于是我俩再次一同站在了房间中央。直到那时，我才注意到她已经不戴头盔了。
Thao got up. ‘You can do the same now, Michel.’ I obeyed and we found ourselves again, side by side in the centre of the cabin. It was only then, I noticed Thao no longer wore her helmet.
“能不能为我讲一下，”我问道，“为什么刚才咱俩在一块时，你一直带着一个头盔而我不用，结果现在我戴着一个时你却不戴了？”
‘Can you explain to me,’ I asked, ‘why just now, you were still wearing a helmet while I was able to accompany you without one, and yet now I have one while you don’t?’
“这很简单，我们星球的细菌种类与地球上的不同；就我们而言，地球就像一个真正的细菌培养基。所以，为了与你接触，我必须采取这项基本防护。对我来说，你本人也曾是危险的，不过现在已经不是了。”
‘It is very simple. We come from a planet bacteriologically different from Earth, which, for us, is a veritable culture medium. Thus, in order to contact you, I was obliged to take this basic precaution. You, yourself, were a danger to me but you are no longer.’
“我没明白你在说什么。”
‘I don’t follow you.’
“当你进入这个房间时，墙壁的颜色对你来说太强了，所以我给了你你现在戴的这个头盔——它是专为你设计的。实际上，我们能预测到你的反应。
‘When you entered this cabin, the colour was too intense for you and I gave you the helmet you are now wearing, which was specially designed for you. Indeed, we were able to anticipate your reaction.
在墙壁颜色由黄变蓝的这段很短的时间里，你身上百分之八十的有害细菌都被杀灭了。之后你可能会感到空气变凉，像开了空调一样；那是另一种形式的消毒，它是通过……我们称其为放射吧，虽然这并不是准确的术语——它没法被翻译成任何一种地球语言。这样，我就被百分之百地消毒了，但你身上仍有足以对我们造成极大危害的细菌。现在，我要给你吃两粒药，这样在三个小时之后，你就可以认为你和我们一样‘纯洁’了。”她一面说着，一面从她铺位旁拿出一个小盒子，从里面取出药丸和一个装有某种液体的试管（我想那试管里装的是水），并把它们递给我。我抬起头盔下端把它们都服了下去，之后……哎呀！每件事都发生得非常快，而且全都变得非常奇怪。
‘During the very short time the cabin was yellow and then blue, eighty per cent of the dangerous bacteria in you was destroyed. Then perhaps you felt a coolnessin the air, similar to when an air conditioner is working; this was another form of disinfection by...let’s call it radiation, although that is not the correct word - it cannot be translated into any Earth language. In this way, I have been disinfected one hundred percent, but you still have enough bacteria to harm us considerably. I am going to give you these two pills, and in three hours you will be able to consider yourself as ‘pure’ as one of us.’ As she spoke, she took a little box from beside her bunk, removed the pills and held them out to me, along with a test tube containing a liquid that I supposed to be water. I swallowed them both, lifting the base of my helmet to do so. Next ... well, everything happened very quickly and it was all very strange.
涛把我抱到铺位上，拿下我的头盔。这是我从离我身体二到三米远的地方看到的！我能想象出这本书里的某些事情对没有思想准备的读者来说会是匪夷所思的，但我的确是在不远处看着我的身体，而且我能够仅凭意念就在房间里移动。
Thao took me in her arms, put me on the bunk and removed my mask. I saw that happen from two or three metres from my body! I imagine that certain things in this book will seem incomprehensible to the unwarned reader, but I saw my body from a distance and I was able to move about in the room just by thought.
涛说道：“米歇，我知道你能看见我并听到我说的话，但我不能看见你，因此我没法在讲话时看着你。你的灵体已经离开了你的身体，不用担心，这并不会有危险。我知道这对你来说是第一次，有些人还会为此不安……
Thao spoke. ‘Michel, I know that you see me and hear me, but I am not able to see you myself, therefore I cannot look at you when I speak to you. Your Astral being has left your body. There is no danger in this - you needn’t worry. I know that this is the first time this has happened to you, and there are people who panic...
在那两粒特殊的药物中，一粒是为了清除你体内所有对我们有害的细菌，另一粒是使你的灵体离开你身体——这将持续三小时，也就是给你消毒的时间。这样，你就可以参观我们的飞船而不必冒着感染我们的风险，也不会浪费时间。”
‘I have given you a special drug in order to cleanse your body of all bacteria that is dangerous to us. I have also given you another drug that has caused your Astral being to leave your body - this will last three hours, the time it will take to purify you. In this way, you will be able to visit our spacecraft, without danger of contamination to us and without wasting time.’
奇怪的是，我觉得这很自然。我跟着她，这样实在是妙极了：每当她穿过一个房间来到下一个房间的镶板门前时，镶板都会自动滑开；我和她保持一段距离，每次，如果那门在我经过之前就关闭了——我就径直穿过它。
As strange as it seems, I found this quite natural - and I followed her. It was fascinating. She arrived in front of a panel that slid open to let us pass into one chamber after another. I was following at some distance and each time, if the panel had already closed by the time I reached it - I quite simply passed through it.
最后，我们来到一间直径约20米的圆形房间，那里至少有十二名“宇航员”——全是尺寸和涛差不多的女性。涛向其中四人走去，她们正坐在一圈看起来很舒适的大扶手椅上。当她在一张空椅子上坐下后，那四个人都转头看向她，脸上带着询问的表情。她好像乐意让她们等一会儿似的，最终，她开口了。
Finally, we reached a circular room, about 20 metres in diameter, in which there were at least a dozen ‘astronauts’ - all women and all about Thao’s size. Thao approached a group of four who were seated in enormous, comfortable-looking armchairs, arranged in a circle. When she sat down in a vacant seat, the four heads turned towards her questioningly. She almost seemed to take delight in making them wait: finally she spoke.
我又一次听到了那种令我陶醉的语言——发音对我来说非常新颖，而且音调是那样的悦耳动听，让人感觉她们是在唱歌。她们看起来都对涛的报告极感兴趣，我想她们是在讨论我，我猜对了——我是她们这次任务的主要目的。
I was again charmed to hear that language - the assonance was quite new to me, and the intonations so harmonious one would have thought they were singing. They all seemed to be greatly interested in Thao’s report. I supposed they were speaking of me, believing correctly that I was the main purpose of their mission.
当涛停止发言，她们就开始了一连串的发问，又有两个宇航员也加入进来，讨论气氛越来越热烈。
When Thao stopped, the questions streamed forth, and two other astronauts joined the group. The discussion swelled and developed a tone of increased excitement.
因为她们说的我一句也听不懂，而且在进来时就看到有三个人坐在一个显示着三维图像的屏幕前——那图像多少有些鲜活的颜色，于是我靠近那里，发现这个房间一定是飞船的控制室。我的隐身使得参观更为有趣：每个人都能做着自己的工作，不会因我的存在受到干扰或是分散注意力。
Not understanding a word of what was being said, and having noticed on entering three people positioned in front of screens displaying 3-dimensionalimages, more or less vividly coloured, I approached to discover that this must certainly be the control room of the spacecraft. Being invisible made it even much more interesting since each person was performing her duties without being disturbed, or even distracted, by my presence.
在一个比其余屏幕都大的屏幕上，我可以看到许多小点——有大有小，有明有暗，而且都在持续地朝着恒定的方向移动，有些向屏幕左侧，有些向右侧。
On a screen bigger than the rest, I was able to discern dots - some larger than others and some brighter, which moved steadily and without interruption in their prescribed directions, several towards the left of the screen and others towards the right.
当它们在屏幕上变得越来越大，速度也就变得越来越快，并最终从屏幕上消失。它们的颜色往往非常明亮，并且极为美丽，从淡淡的色泽到极亮的黄色都有，就像我们的阳光一样。
Their speed increased as they grew on the screen and finally exited from it. Their colours were often brilliant and extraordinarily beautiful, ranging from subtle tones to a blinding yellow, like the light from our sun.
很快，我就意识到它们都是我们正在路过的行星和恒星，它们穿过屏幕的无声过程深深吸引住了我。不知看了多久……突然，一个奇怪的声音响彻船舱——这声音柔和而迫切；同时，许多灯也开始闪了起来。
I soon realised that these were the planets and suns among which we were navigating, and I was absolutely fascinated by their silent progression across the screen. I can’t say how long I had been watching them, when suddenly a strange sound filled the cabin - a sound which was soft and at the same time, insistent, and which was accompanied by many flashing lights.
宇航员们的反应很迅速，那些在与涛谈话的人都立刻坐到各自的控制台前。她们的椅子好像是专人专用的，每个人都在全神贯注地盯着眼前的屏幕。
The effect was immediate. The astronauts that had been talking with Thao now approached the control post and each took a seat that seemed to be personally assigned to her. Everyone’s eyes were fixed attentively on the screens.
在这些大屏幕的中央，我开始看清一个不好形容的巨大物体，硬要说的话，它是一个圆形的蓝灰色的物体，只见它静止在每个屏幕的中央。
Right in the middle of these large monitors, I began to distinguish an enormous mass that is difficult to describe. Let me say only that it was round in form and blue-grey in colour. It remained immobile in the centre of each screen.
房间里一片安静，众人的注意力都集中在三名正控制着一些长方形仪器的宇航员身上，那些仪器有些像我们的电脑。
In the room, all was silent. The general attention was focused on three astronauts in command of oblong-shaped pieces of equipment resembling in some ways, our computers.
突然，在一块我以为是墙的巨大区域上，我震惊地看到了一幅纽约的图像——不！那是悉尼，我对自己说道，但那桥却不一样……那是座桥吗？
Suddenly, covering a huge area of what I believed was a wall of the cabin I was stupefied to see an image of New York - no! That’s Sydney, I said to myself, and yet the bridge is different...was it even a bridge?
我惊讶得立马去问刚好站在我身边的涛，然而我却忘记了——我不再在我的物理身体中，没人能听到我说话。我能听到涛和其他人对那图像的评论，但由于不懂她们的语言，我还是什么都不明白。不过我确定的是，涛并没有欺骗我，就是说我们确实是离开地球了。我的老师曾告诉我我们是以数倍于光速的速度飞行……而且我看见我们经过了土星，还有之后那些我认为是行星和恒星的天体——我们真的返回了吗？为什么？
My surprise was such I had to ask Thao, at whose side I was standing. I had forgotten however, that I was no longer in my physical body and no one could hear me. I was able to hear Thao and others commenting on what they were seeingbut, not understanding their language, it didn’t get me far. I was convinced though, that Thao had not lied to me and therefore we had well and truly left Earth behind. My mentor had explained we were travelling at several times the speed of light...and I had seen Saturn pass by and later, what I took to be planets and suns - so had we come back, and why?
涛大声讲起了法语，使所有人都将头转向她的方向。
Thao spoke aloud and in French, which caused all heads to turn in her direction.
“米歇，我们现在停在了阿瑞姆X3星的上空，它差不多比地球大两倍，而且它就像你可以在屏幕上看到的，很像你的地球。
‘Michel, we are stationed above the planet Arèmo X3 which is almost twice the size of planet Earth, and as you can see on the screen, quite similar to your world.
我现在无法给你详细讲解我们目前的任务，因为我也得参与操作，但我会在之后给你讲的。为使你不至有太多困惑，我可以告诉你我们的任务是关于核辐射的——就是你在地球上所知道的那种。”
‘I can’t explain at any length our current mission as I am required to participate in the operation, but I will do so later. To put you on the right track, I will tell you that our mission concerns atomic radiation such as you know on Earth’.
所有人看起来都在全神贯注着：每个人都明确知道自己该在什么时候做什么事。飞船静止着，巨大的屏幕上显示出一个城市中心的图像。读者应该了解的是，这个大屏幕其实和一个巨大的电视屏幕差不多，只是上面的图像太真实了——就像我们正在从一栋高楼的窗户里向外看似的。
Everyone seemed preoccupied: each knew exactly what to do and when to do it. We were stationary. The large panel projected an image of the centre of a town. The reader should understand that this large panel was in fact, no more than an immense television screen, projecting an image in relief so real, we could have been looking out the window of a tall building.
我的注意力被吸引到另一个稍小的屏幕上，它由我的两名“女主人”监视着。我可以在这个屏幕上看到我们的宇宙飞船，它和我在平行世界时见过的一样。在我看着的时候，我惊讶地发现一个小球正在从飞船的中部稍下方射出，就像母鸡下蛋一样。一出来，它就向着下方的星球加速飞去；在它从屏幕上消失后，另一个小球也以同样的方式出现了，之后是第三个。我注意到这些小球都分别被不同组的宇航员用面前的屏幕监视着。
My attention turned to another smaller screen being monitored by two of my‘hostesses’. On this panel I could see our spacecraft, as I had already seen it in our parallel universe. As I watched, I was surprised to see, slightly below the middle of our vessel, a small sphere ejected, like an egg from a hen. Once outside, this sphere accelerated rapidly towards the planet below. As itdisappeared from view, another sphere emerged in the same manner, and then a third. I noticed each sphere was being monitored on separate screens by different groups of astronauts. The descent of the spheres could now be easily followed on the large panel.
现在，这些小球的下降可以直接在大屏幕上看到了，它们与飞船之间迅速增加的距离本该使它们很快就看不见，但它们一直显示在屏幕上，我由此推断这摄像机一定有极强的变焦能力。确实，它的变焦能力太强了，以至于之前那两个小球分别从屏幕的右边和左边消失了。我们现在只能清楚地看见中间这个小球下降到地面的过程，它停在了一个巨大广场的中央，广场的周围有许多公寓建筑。只见它悬浮在那里，就像被吊在了离地几米远的地方。另两个小球也被以同样的方式监视着，其中一个在一条穿过城市的河流的上方，另一个悬浮在城边一座小山的上空。
The distance should have made them invisible in quite a short time but theyremained in sight and I deduced that the camera had to have an extraordinarily powerful ‘zoom’. Indeed, the effect of the zoom was so strong that the first sphere disappeared from the right of the panel and the second from the left. We could now only see the middle one and followed its descent to the ground quite clearly. It stopped in the centre of an immense square, situated among apartment buildings. There it hovered, as though suspended several metres from theground. The other spheres were monitored in the same detail. One was above a river that flowed through the town, and the other hovered above a hill, near the city.
出乎意料的是，屏幕上出现了一幅新图像——现在我可以清楚地看到那些公寓的大门，或更准确的说是门廊，因为在那些本来应该是门的地方现在是一些裂口。
Unexpectedly, the panel projected a new image. I could now distinctly see the doors of the apartment buildings, or rather, the doorways, for where doors should have been, were gaping openings.
我还清晰地记得，直到那时，我都还没有意识到这座城是多么的古怪……
I remember clearly that, until then, I had not realised how odd this town was...
没有动的东西…
Nothing had moved...
涛
Thao
不知睡了多久，我突然彻底醒了过来——头脑清晰，感觉灵敏。可是天啊，现在应该几点了？利娜正睡在我旁边，双手握拳，不过她睡觉一直那样……
I awoke suddenly, not knowing how long I had slept. I was completely awake - fresh and alert - but good God, what time could it be? Lina was sleeping beside me, her fists closed, but then Lina always sleeps...
我一点也不想再睡了，并且现在大概已是早晨五点了。我起床，在走向厨房时看了一下表，才 00:30！在这个点醒来对我来说真是太难得了。
I had no desire at all to go back to sleep and besides, it was possibly already five in the morning. I got up, made my way to the kitchen and checked the clock. Only 12.30am! It was unusual for me to wake up at such an hour.
我脱下睡衣，穿上裤子和衬衫，为什么？我不知道。我也没法解释为什么我会走向书桌，找了张纸和圆珠笔后开始看着自己的手写字，就像它有了自己的头脑似的。
I took off my pyjamas and dressed in trousers and a shirt, why, I had no idea.Neither can I explain why I went to my desk, took a sheet of paper and a biro and watched myself write, as if my hand had a mind of its own.
“亲爱的，我将离开大约十天，完全不必担心。”
‘My dear, I’ll be away for about ten days. Absolutely no need to worry.’
将纸条留在电话旁，我出门来到阳台，绕过阳台上保留着昨晚对局的桌子——棋盘上的白色国王静止在被将死的位置——悄悄地打开了那扇通往花园的门。
Leaving the note by the telephone, I headed through the door and on to the verandah. I avoided the table on which last night’s chess game remained, with the white King still in checkmate, and silently opened the door leading on to the garden.
夜空看起来充满了一种奇异的亮光，但它显然和星光无关。我觉得月亮可能快要升起来了，便开始本能地去想今晚的月相——我生活在澳大利亚的东北部，这儿的夜晚一般是很明朗的。
The night seemed to be suffused with a strange brightness, which had nothing to do with the stars. Instinctively, I tried to recall what phase the moon was currently in, thinking that perhaps it was about to rise. Here, in the north-east of Australia where I live, the nights are generally quite clear.
我下楼走向露兜树。一般在夜里的这个时候，我们都可以听到一场真正的“音乐会”，青蛙和蟋蟀的叫声会充满整个夜晚。但让我纳闷的是，现在，院中一片沉寂。
I descended the outside stairs and headed towards the pandanus. Usually, at this time of night, we would have a veritable concert from the frogs and crickets whose chirring sounds fill the night. Now however, there was a heavy silence and I wondered why.
没走几步……突然，藤树的颜色就变了；房屋的墙壁、露兜树——一切都沐浴在了一片蓝色的光辉中。脚下的草坪在像波浪一样起伏，露兜树下的地面也是如此；藤树的形状被打乱了，而墙壁则像一张在风中飘荡的纸。
I had only walked a few steps when, quite suddenly, the colour of the philodendrons changed. The wall of the house too, and the pandanus - all were bathed in a kind of bluish light. The lawn seemed to undulate beneath my feet and the ground beneath the pandanus waved also. The philodendrons distorted and the wall of the house resembled a sheet floating in the wind.
在我开始觉得有些不对劲，并想要返回房间的时候——就在那一刻——我发觉自己非常轻地升了起来：起初是缓慢地，飞过藤树后就加快了速度。只见脚下的房子变得越来越小……
Beginning to believe that I was not well, I decided to return to the house when, at that precise moment, I felt myself lifted quite gently from the ground. I rose, slowly at first, above the philodendrons, and then quicker, until I saw the house becoming smaller and smaller below me.
“怎么了？”我极困惑地喊了起来。
‘What is happening?’ I exclaimed in utter bewilderment.
“一切正常，米歇。”
‘All is well now, Michel.’
至此，我认为我是在做梦——一个相当高大的人站在我面前看着我，他身穿宇航服，戴着完全透明的头盔，友善地微笑着。
By then, I believed I was dreaming. Before me, a human being of impressive size, dressed in a one-piece suit and wearing a completely transparent helmet on ‘her’ head, was looking at me - friendly and smiling.
“不，你没有做梦。”她说道，解答了我头脑中的困惑。
‘No, you are not dreaming,’ she said, answering the question in my mind.
“是做梦！”我回应道“因为在梦里总是这样——最终你会发现自己掉到了床下，头上碰起个包！”她微笑着。“并且，”我继续说道，“你在对我讲法语，我的母语。可我们是在澳大利亚，你知道，现在我是说英语的！”
‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘but it always happens this way in a dream and in the end you find you’ve fallen out of bed and have a lump on your forehead!’ She smiled. ‘Further’, I continued, ‘you are speaking to me in French, my native tongue, and yet we are in Australia. I do speak English, you know!’
“我知道的。”
‘So do I’.
“这肯定是个梦——那些荒唐的梦之一。还有，就算这不是个梦，你在我家上面做什么？”
‘It has to be a dream - one of those stupid dreams, moreover. If not though, what are you doing on my property?’
“我们不在你家上面，而是在它的上方。”
‘We are not on your property, but above it.’
“啊！这是个梦，我会掐一下自己，你看我是对的吧。”说着我就这么做了，“哎呦！”
‘Ah! It is a nightmare. You see I was right. I’ll pinch myself!’ I accompanied the words with the action. Ouch!
她又微笑起来。“现在你满意了吧，米歇？”
She smiled again. ‘Now are you satisfied, Michel?’
“可如果这不是个梦，我现在为什么会坐在这块石头上面？那边那些穿着上个世纪时装的人是谁？”
‘But if it’s not a dream, why am I here sitting on this rock? Who are those people over there, dressed in the fashion of the last century?’
在乳白的光线下，我开始看清那些在交谈、以及在稍远处走动的人们。
I was beginning to distinguish, in a milky light, people talking and at a slight distance, others moving around.
“还有你，你是谁？你的身材怎么不正常？”
‘And you, who are you? Why aren’t you normal sized?’
“我的身材是正常的，米歇。在我的星球上，我们都是这样。此外，一切都很好，我亲爱的朋友；我希望你不介意我这么称呼你，如果我们还不是好朋友，我确定我们很快会是的。”
‘I am a normal size, Michel. On my planet we are all this size. But everything in good time, my dear friend. I hope you don’t mind me calling you that? If we aren’t good friends already, I am sure that we will be soon.’
她站在我面前，微笑的面庞显露出智慧，全身都散发出神圣的气息。我不可能见过可以比她更让我安心的人。
She stood there in front of me, intelligence reflected in her smiling face and goodness emanating from her entire being. It would not be possible to meet anyone with whom I could feel more at ease.
“当然，你怎么叫我都行。你怎么称呼？”
‘Of course, you may call me what you wish. And what is your name?’
“我的名字叫涛。不过我首先想让你彻底明白的是，这不是一个梦。的确，这是件很不寻常的事，因为某些原因——这会在之后给你解释的，你被选出来参与一场地球人很少有参与过的旅行——特别是在最近一段时期。
‘My name is Thao, but first, I would like you to know, once and for all, that this is not a dream. Indeed, it is something quite different. For certain reasons which will be explained to you later, you have been chosen to undertake a journey which very few Earthlings have made - particularly in recent times.
我们，我和你现在正处在一个平行于地球世界的世界。为了让你，以及我和我的同伴们都进来，我们用了一个‘气锁’。
‘We are, you and I, at this moment, in a universe which is parallel to that of Earth. In order to admit you, as well as ourselves, we have made use of an ‘airlock’.
对你来说，时间在这一刻静止了，你能在这里待二十到五十地球年，然后在返回时就像未曾离开一样，你的物质身体将完全不变。”
At this instant, time has stopped for you, and you could remain here twenty or fifty of your Earthly years and then return as if you hadn’t left. Your physical body would remain absolutely unchanged.’
“可是这些人在干什么？”
‘But what are these people doing?’
“他们的存在也是可以理解的，而且，你稍后就会了解，这里的死亡率极低，他们仅会由于意外或自杀而死亡。时间是静止的。这里的一些男人、女人以及动物的年龄达到了30000、50000地球年或甚至更久。”
‘They exist as well as can be expected and, as you will learn later, the population density is very low. Death only occurs by suicide or accident. Time is suspended. There are men and women, as well as some animals who are 30 000, 50 000 or even many more Earth years old.’
“那他们为什么会在这里？他们是怎么到这儿的？他们在哪出生的？”
‘But why are they here and how did they come to be here? Where were they born?’
“在地球上……他们到这里全是因为意外。”
‘On Earth. . . they are all here by accident.’
“因为意外？你指的什么？”
‘By accident? What do you mean?’
“很简单，你听说过百慕大三角吗？”我点点头。“嗯，很简单，在那里，以及其他一些不太出名的地方，这个平行世界和你们的世界混在了一起，使二者之间出现了一个天然扭曲。
‘It’s very simple. You have heard of the Bermuda Triangle?’ I nodded. ‘Well, quite simply, in this spot and in others less well known, this parallel universe becomes confused with your universe so that there exists between them a natural warp.
离这个扭曲很近的人、动物、乃至物体都会被完全吸入。比如，一支船队可以因为这个原因在几秒内消失。有时候，某个人或某些人会在几小时、几天或几年后返回你们的世界，但更多的是，他们再也回不去了。
‘People, animals or even objects finding themselves in the immediate vicinity of a warp are literally sucked into it. Thus, you can have, for example, an entire fleet of boats disappear in several seconds. Sometimes a person, or persons, can pass back into your universe after several hours, several days or several years. More often, however, they never return.
当一个人真的返回并向人们提起他的经历时，绝大多数人都不会相信他——如果他坚持自己的说法，人们会认为他‘疯了’。大多数情况下，在意识到自己在同类眼中的形象后，他便会绝口不提这种经历了。有时，返回的人会失忆，并且即使他恢复了一些记忆，那也不是关于平行世界的，因而也不能揭示什么真相了。”
‘When a man does return and relates his experience, the vast majority of people don’t believe him - and if he persists, he is assumed ‘crazy’. Most of the time, such a person recounts nothing at all, realising how he will appear in the eyes of his peers. Sometimes too, he returns amnesic, and if he recovers some memory, it is not of what happened in the parallel universe, and therefore sheds no light on the subject.
“在北美，”涛继续道，“曾有一个进入平行世界的典型例子：一个年轻人在去离家数百米远的水井打水时彻底失踪了。大约一小时后，他的家人和朋友们开始去找他。这本该是件很简单的事，因为刚下了一场约20厘米厚的雪，他们只需要跟着那个年轻人所留下的脚印走就行了。然而，就在田野中央——脚印消失了。
‘There was,’ Thao continued, ‘a typical case of this passage into a parallel universe in North America, where a young man literally vanished while going to fetch water from a well which was situated several hundred metres from his house. About an hour later, family and friends set out in search of him and, as there had been a fresh snowfall of about 20 centimetres, it should have been quite simple - they had only to follow the footprints left by the young man. But, right in the middle of the field - the footprints stopped.
四周既无树木，也没有什么可供他跳上去的岩石——没有任何奇怪或异常，只是脚印消失了。有人认为他是被一艘宇宙飞船带走了，但事实并非如此——等下你会明白的。这个可怜人其实是被吸进了另一个世界。”
‘There were no trees around, no rocks on to which he could have jumped - nothing strange or unusual - the footprints just stopped. Some people believed that he had been taken by a spacecraft, but that could not have been, as you will see later. This poor man had quite simply been sucked into the parallel universe.’
“我想起来了，”我说，“我是听说过这么回事，但你是怎么知道这一切的呢？”
‘I remember’, I said, ‘I did hear of that particular case, but how do you know all about it?’
“你会在以后知道我是如何知道的。”她神秘地说道。
‘You will find out later how I know,’ she replied enigmatically.
我们的交谈被一群突然出现的人给打断了，他们太过奇特，以至于我又开始怀疑这一切到底是不是个梦——大约十二个男人，还有一个看起来像女人的人，从一堆离我们一百多米远的石头后面出现了。更奇特的是，那些人就像从记载着史前信息的书中走出来的一样：他们迈着像大猩猩的步子，手中挥动着现代人无法从地上拿起的巨棒。这些可怕的生物径直冲我们而来，像野兽似的咆哮着。我转身要逃，可我的同伴告诉我没什么好怕的，我只需站在原处。只见她将手放到腰间的扣子上，转身面朝来者。
We were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a group of people so bizarre that again, I wondered if this was all a dream. About a dozen men, accompanied by what seemed to be a woman, emerged from behind a pile of rocks a hundred metres from where we were. The sight was even stranger, since these human beings appeared to have stepped out of the pages of prehistoric records. With the gait of gorillas, they brandished enormous clubs which modern man would not have been able to lift from the ground. These hideous creatures were coming straight for us, howling like wild beasts. I made a move to retreat, but my companion told me there was nothing to fear and that I should stay still. She put her hand on the buckle of her belt and turned so that she faced them.
我听到一连串轻微的咔嗒声，随后五个看起来最强壮的男人便倒地不动了；剩余的人全都齐齐地止住脚步，开始呻吟起来。他们拜倒在我们面前。
I heard a series of small clicks and five of the strongest looking men fell to the ground, motionless. The rest of the group stopped cleanly and began moaning. They prostrated themselves before us.
我又看了一眼涛，她像个雕像一样站着，神色凝重。她的眼睛正在盯着那些人，就像她在试图催眠他们一样。后来我得知，她那是在用心灵感应向对面的那个女人下达命令。突然，那个女人站了起来，并开始用一种喉音朝其余人下达命令——在我看来应是如此。之后，那些人搬起尸体，背着它们朝之前提过的那堆石头退去了。
I looked again at Thao. She stood like a statue, her face set. Her eyes were fixed on those people as though she was trying to hypnotise them. I later learned that she was giving orders by telepathy to the female of the group. Suddenly, this woman got up and began, it seemed to me, to issue orders in a guttural voice to the others. They then helped remove the bodies, carrying them on their backs to the pile of rocks mentioned earlier. I looked again at Thao. She stood like a statue, her face set. Her eyes were fixed on those people as though she was trying to hypnotise them. I later learned that she was giving orders by telepathy to the female of the group. Suddenly, this woman got up and began, it seemed to me, to issue orders in a guttural voice to the others. They then helped remove the bodies, carrying them on their backs to the pile of rocks mentioned earlier.
“他们在干什么？”我问道。
‘What are they doing?’ I asked.
“他们将用石头埋葬死者。”
‘They will cover their dead with stones.’
“你杀死了他们？”
‘Did you kill them?’
“我不得不这么做。”
‘I had to.’
“你说什么？我们真的有危险吗？”
‘What do you mean? Were we really in danger?’
“这是当然的了，那是一群在这里待了一万或一万五千年的人——谁知道呢？我们没时间研究那个，况且，那并不重要。但是这很好地体现了我刚刚给你讲过的事情——这些人在某个时间进入了这个世界，他们就会永远地生活在那个时间里。”
‘Of course we were. These are people who have been here for ten or fifteen thousand years - who knows? We don’t have time to establish that and besides, it is of no importance. Nevertheless, it illustrates well what I was explaining to you a few moments ago. These people passed into this universe at a certain time, and they have lived in that time ever since.’
“太可怕了！”
‘It’s frightful!’
“我同意，但这是自然法则的一部分，因而也是宇宙法则的一部分。此外，他们是危险的，因为他们的行为更像野兽而非人类。正如他们不能与这个平行世界中的绝大多数生物对话一样，我们和他们之间的对话也是不可能的。一方面，他们不能交流；另一方面，他们不比任何人都更明白他们怎么了。我们刚才真的有危险，而且，如果真要说的话，我刚才是帮了他们一个忙——我解脱了他们。”
‘I agree. However it is part of natural, and therefore universal, law. Fur-thermore, they are dangerous because they behave more like wild beasts than human beings. Dialogue would not have been possible between them and us, just as it is not possible between them and most of the others living in this parallel universe. For one thing, they are unable to communicate; and for another, they, less than anyone, understand what has happened to them. We were in real danger and, if I do say so, I have done them a favour just now, of liberating them.’
“解脱？”
‘Liberating?’
“别显得那么震惊，米歇。你很清楚我说的是什么意思。
‘Don’t look so shocked, Michel. You know quite well what I mean by that.
他们从肉体中解脱出来，现在可以像所有生命一样，依自然过程继续他们的轮回。”
They are liberated from their physical bodies and are now able to continue their cycle, like every living being, according to the normal process.’
“那么如果我没理解错的话，这个世界就是一个诅咒——一种地狱或炼狱？”
‘So if I understand correctly, this parallel universe is a curse - a kind of hell or purgatory?’
“我还没意识到你是个宗教徒！”
‘I didn’t realise you were religious!’
“我这么比喻只是为了向你表明我在努力理解你的话。”我回答道，同时纳闷她怎么知道我是不是宗教徒。
‘I just make this comparison to show you that I am trying to understand,’ Ireplied, wondering how she could know whether or not I was religious.
“我知道，米歇，我只是开个玩笑罢了。你说它是一种炼狱也没错，不过当然了，它是很意外的存在。实际上，这是自然界的几个意外之一：白化病是意外；四叶苜宿也可以被当做一个意外；你的阑尾也只是个意外。你们的医生仍然想知道它在人体中能有什么用，答案是——没什么用。通常，在现在的自然界中，一切事物都有着明确的存在原因——这就是为什么我将阑尾也列在自然界的‘意外’之中了。
‘I know, Michel, I was only teasing. You were right in explaining it as a kind of purgatory but, of course, this is quite accidental. In fact, this is one of several accidents of nature. An albino is an accident, and a four-leafed clover can also be considered as an accident. Your appendix is just as much an accident. Your doctors still wonder what use it could possibly have in your body. The answer - no use whatsoever. Now usually, in nature, everything has a precise reason for existing - that’s why I list the appendix among the natural ‘accidents’.
生活在这个世界的人无论在肉体还是精神上都不会有痛感。举例来讲，如果我打你，你不会感到痛，但如果这打击足够强，尽管你还是没有痛感，你依然会被打死。这也许会让你难以理解，但它就是这么回事。这里的这些人一点也不知道我现在给你讲的这些，好在他们会尝试自杀——但就是在这里，自杀也不是解脱的办法。”
‘People living in this universe suffer neither physically or morally. For example, if I hit you, you would feel no pain, but if the blows were strong enough,although without pain, you could still die from them. This might be difficult to comprehend, but it is so. Those existing here know nothing of what I have just explained to you, and it is fortunate because they would be tempted to commitsuicide - which, even here, is not a solution.’
“他们吃什么？”
‘What do they eat?’
“他们既不吃、也不喝，因为他们感觉不到渴和饿。记住，时间在这里是不动的——那些尸体甚至都不会腐烂。”
‘They don’t eat, nor do they drink, because they don’t feel the need to. Here, remember, time has stopped - those dead won’t even rot.’
“太糟糕了！总而言之，一个人对他们所能做出的最大帮助就是将他们杀死了！”
‘But that’s terrible! In all, the greatest service that one can render these people would be to kill them!’
“你把握了一个要点，那是两种有效的方法之一。”
‘You raise an important point there. Effectively it would be one of two solutions.’
“另一种是什么？”
‘What is the other?’
“将他们送回他们来的地方——但这将导致巨大的问题。因为我们能利用空间扭曲，我们可以将很多人送回你的世界，由此解放他们。但我确定，你可以意识到这将会给这里的绝大多数人制造出巨大的问题。正如我说过的，这些人已经在这里待了成千上万年，如果他们发现自己回到了那个他们已离开那么久的世界，会发生什么呢？”
‘To send them back where they came from - but that would pose great problems. Because we are able to make use of the warp, we could return many of them to your universe, and thus liberate them, but I’m sure you are aware of the enormous problems that would create for the majority of these people. Here, as I have already said, you have people, who have been here for thousands of years. What would happen if they found themselves back in the universe they left so long ago?’
“他们可能会疯掉，总之，没太大意义。”她微笑着肯定了我的话。
‘They might go insane. In all, there is nothing to do.’ She smiled gently at my affirmation.
“米歇，你的确是我们要找的人，但我需注意别太早下结论——你还有很多东西要看呢。”
‘You are certainly the man of action we require, Michel, but beware of jumping to conclusions - you have much more to see.’
她将手搭在我肩上，在这么做时不得不将身子微弯。虽然我当时并不知道她身高二米九——对一个人类来说可以算是异常高了。
She put her hand on my shoulder, having to incline forward slightly to do so. Although I didn’t know it at the time, Thao measured 290 centimetres,exceptionally tall for a human being.
“我亲自确定我们选择你是正确的——你有一个开放的头脑，但我现在还不能为你讲明所有的事情，原因有两个。”
‘I see with my own eyes that we made the right choice in selecting you - you have an astute mind, but I cannot explain everything to you now, for two reasons.’
“请讲。”
‘Namely?’
“首先，现在解释还为时尚早。就是说在这之前，你必须先在某些领域获得更多的指导。”
‘First, it is still too soon for such an explanation. By this, I mean that you must be instructed further on certain points before proceeding beyond.’
“我明白——那第二个呢？”
‘I understand - and second?’
‘The second reason is that they are waiting for us. We must leave.’
她轻轻一碰使我转了个身，随着她的视线望去，我吃惊地睁大了眼睛——在离我们约100米的地方，有一个发着蓝色光辉的巨球，我在后来得知它直径70米。它的光并不固定，而是在微微闪亮，就像一个人从远处看夏日阳光下的沙漠时所能见到的热雾一样。
With a light touch, she turned me around. I followed her gaze and stared wide-eyed with surprise. About 100 metres from us was an enormous sphere, from which emanated a bluish Aura. I later learned that it measured 70 metres in diameter. The light was not steady, but shimmered, resembling a heat haze when one looks from a distance at sand heated by the summer sun.
那球在离地约十米处‘闪烁’着；它没有窗，没有门梯，也没有门，表面光滑得像个蛋壳。
This enormous sphere ‘shimmered’ about ten metres from the ground. With no windows, no openings, no ladder, it appeared as smooth as the shell of an egg.
涛示意我跟着她，于是我们就开始朝那机器走去。那一刻我记忆犹新——在我们走向巨球的那一小段时间里，我激动得无法控制自己的想法，一系列图像不断闪过我的脑海，就像在“快进”的电影一样。我看到自己在向家人讲述这次奇遇，还又一次看到我曾在报纸上读过的那些有关UFO的文章。
Thao signalled for me to follow her and we set out towards the machine. I remember that moment very well. During the short time we took in approaching the sphere, I was so excited that I lost control of my thoughts. A constant stream of images flashed through my mind, resembling a film in the ‘fast-forward’ mode. I saw myself relating this adventure to my family, and I saw again newspaper articles I had read on the subject of UFOs.
记得我想起自己挚爱的家人时，一种悲伤的情绪通透全身；我看到我被抓住了——就像在一个陷阱中，并且我突然想到或许我再也见不到他们了……
I remember a feeling of sadness sweep over me when I thought of my family whom I loved so much; I saw myself caught, as though in a trap, and it occurred to me that I might never see them again...
“你完全没必要害怕，米歇。”涛说道。“相信我，你很快会再与家人团聚，而且身体也是健康的。”
‘You have absolutely nothing to fear, Michel,’ said Thao. ‘Trust me. You will be reunited with your family very soon, and in good health.’
我相信我的嘴因吃惊而张得老大，这逗得涛发出一种极好听的笑声，那笑声在我们地球人中很罕见。这是她第二次读我的想法，第一次我还以为可能是个巧合，但这次却可以确定了。
I believe my mouth fell open in surprise, triggering in Thao a melodious laugh, such as is rarely heard among us Earthlings. That was the second time she had read my thoughts; the first time I thought might have been a coincidence, but this time there could be no doubt.
当我们离那球很近时，涛让我和她保持约一米的距离，面对面地站着。
When we arrived in close proximity to the sphere, Thao placed me in a position opposite her and about a metre’s distance away.
“不要找任何借口碰我，米歇，无论发生了什么。任何借口——你明白吗？”
‘Do not touch me under any pretext, Michel, whatever happens. Under any pretext - do you understand?’
我着实被这正式的命令吓了一跳，但还是点点头。
I was quite taken aback by this formal order, but I nodded.
她将一只手放在一个“系在”她左胸高度的“大奖章”上——我之前曾注意过它；另一只手握着一个从腰带上取下来的，像大圆珠笔的东西。
She placed her hand on a type of ‘medallion’ I had noticed earlier ‘attached’ at the height of her left breast, and with the other hand, she held what resembled a large biro which she unclasped from her belt.
她将“圆珠笔”朝我们头顶巨球的方向指去，我觉得自己看见它发出了一束绿光，但并不能太确定。之后，她将“圆珠笔”指向我，另一只手仍放在“大奖章”上，于是我们就一齐升向那巨球的外壳——很轻易地。就在我确定我们要和它相撞时，一部分球壁缩了进去——就像一个巨大的活塞缩进气筒——出现了一个高约三米的椭圆形入口。
She pointed the ‘biro’ above our heads and in the direction of the sphere. I thought I saw a green beam of light flash from it but I couldn’t be sure. She then pointed the ‘biro’ at me, her other hand still on the ‘medallion’ and quite simply, we rose, simultaneously, towards the wall of the machine. Just when I was sure we were going to collide with it, a portion of the hull retracted like an enormous piston in the core of a cylinder, revealing an opening, oval in shape, of about three metres in height.
当我和涛在飞船内的一个着陆平台站好后，她就把手从“大奖章”上放下，并将“圆珠笔”扣回腰带，那娴熟的动作表明她经常这么做。
We regained our feet, Thao and I, on a type of landing inside the craft. She let go of her ‘medallion’ and with a dexterity that suggested she had done it often, she refastened her ‘biro’.
“来，现在我们可以互相碰触了。”她说道。
‘Come. We can touch each other now,’ she said.
她将手搭在我肩上，领我向一个小蓝灯走去；那灯的光线太强了，使我只能将眼睛半闭，我还从未在地球上见过类似的蓝色。当我们几乎就在这灯下的时候，它所在的那面墙就“让我们通过了”——这是我唯一想得出的描述方法，因为按照我老师领我前进的方式，我可以发誓我头上会出现一个大包的，但我们穿过了墙——就像幽灵一样！我脸上的震惊使涛开怀大笑，这让我感觉好多了，我记得那笑声——就像一阵清风一样，让我每次感到不自在时都能平静下来。
Taking me by the shoulder, she guided me towards a small blue light, so intense that I had almost to half close my eyes. I had never seen a colour like it on Earth. When we were almost below the light, the wall on which it was located ‘let us pass’. That is the only way to describe it. From the way in which my mentor was leading me, I could have sworn I was going to have a handsome lump on my forehead, but we passed through the walls - like ghosts! Thao laughed heartily at the shocked expression on my face. That did me good. I remember that laugh - like a refreshing breeze and reassuring at a time when I was not feeling at ease.
我以前常和朋友们讨论“飞碟”，而且相信它们确实存在于现实中——但当你真的面对现实时，你头脑中的问题会多得像要爆炸似的。当然，我的内心是高兴的，从涛对我的态度来看，我觉得我没必要担心，可她并不是独自一人，我想知道其他人会怎样。尽管这场奇遇很吸引我，但我还是怀疑我能否再见到家人。他们似乎已经离我很远了，而就在几分钟前，我还在自家的花园里。
I had often spoken with friends of ‘flying saucers’ and was persuaded that they did, in fact, exist - but when you are actually faced with the reality, so many questions cloud your brain that you think it will burst. Of course, deep down I was delighted. From Thao’s manner towards me, I sensed that I had nothing to fear. However, she was not alone: I wondered what the others were going to be like. In spite of my fascination with this adventure, I still doubted if I would see my family again. Already, they seemed so far away, when only several minutes earlier I was in my own garden.
现在，我们正在一个隧道样走廊的平面上“滑行”，它的尽头是一个小房间，其墙壁是极亮的黄色，那亮度使我不得不闭住双眼。房间的墙壁形成了一个拱顶——我们就和处在一个倒扣的碗中一样。
We were now ‘gliding’ at ground level along a tunnel-shaped corridor that led to a small room, the walls of which were of a yellow so intense that I had to close my eyes. The walls formed a vault - exactly as if we were inside an upturned bowl.
涛给我戴上了一个由透明材料制成的头盔，我睁开一只眼，发现它能使我受得了那光了。
Thao covered my head with a helmet made from a transparent material and I found, by opening one eye, that this enabled me to tolerate the light.
“你觉得怎么样？”她问道。
‘How do you feel?’ she asked.
“好多了，谢谢你，但那光——你怎么能受得了它？”
‘Better, thank you, but that light - how can you stand it?’
“它不是一种光，它只是这个房间里墙壁目前的颜色。”
It is not a light. It is just the present colour of the walls in this room.’
“为什么是‘目前’？你带我来是为了重新给它刷漆吗？”我开玩笑道。
‘Why ‘present’? Have you brought me here to repaint them?’ I joked.
“没有油漆，米歇，那只是振动。你还以为是在你的地球世界，可其实并不是。你现在是在我们的一艘超远程宇宙飞船中，它能以数倍于光速的速度飞行。我们要出发了，你能不能躺在这个铺位上……？”
‘There is no paint. There are only vibrations, Michel. You still believe that you are in your Earthly universe, when you are not. You are now in one of our super long-range spacecraft, capable of travelling at several times the speed of light. We will be leaving soon, if you will lie down on this bunk..?’
房间中央有两个盒子——看起来更像两个没盖的棺材。我躺进其中一个，涛躺进另一个；我听到她在用一种很悦耳的声音说话，虽然我听不懂。我想将身子抬起一点，却不能——我被一种不知是什么的无形力量固定了。黄色逐渐从墙上消失，取而代之的是亮度不减的蓝色。这“油漆活”又干了一次……
There, in the centre of the room were two boxes - rather like coffins without lids. I stretched out in one of them and Thao in the other. I heard her speak in a language unfamiliar to me, but very harmonious. I wanted to lift myself up a little but couldn’t, being held by an unknown and invisible force. The yellow colour progressively disappeared from the walls, to be replaced by a blue that was certainly no less intense. The ‘paintwork’ had been redone...
房间的三分之一忽然变暗了，我注意到许多小灯在像星星一样闪烁。
One third of the room suddenly became dark and I noticed minute lights sparkling like stars.
黑暗中，涛的声音十分清晰，“这些是星星，米歇。我们已经离开了地球的平行世界；也将离你的地球越来越远，好带你去参观我们的星球了。我们知道你会对这次旅行十分好奇，但为了你着想，出发将十分缓慢。
Thao’s voice was clear in the darkness. ‘These are stars, Michel. We have left Earth’s parallel universe and will be leaving your planet further and further behind, to take you to visit ours. We know you are going to be greatly interested in the journey, but also in our departure that will be quite slow, for your benefit.
我们可以看着眼前的屏幕。”
‘We can watch on the screen you see in front of you.’
“地球在哪儿？”
‘Where is Earth?’
“我们还看不到它，因为我们还在它正上方约一万米处……”
‘We still can’t see it, being almost directly above it, at approximately 10 000 metres altitude...’
突然，我听到了说话声，听起来像是涛刚才说过的那种语言。在涛做了简短的回复后，那声音又用法语——地道的法语（尽管那音调更多是悦耳而非正式）——欢迎我登上飞船。这很像地球上航空公司的“欢迎乘坐本公司航班。”我记得自己当时觉得那很有趣——虽然知道我正处在不寻常的环境中。
Suddenly, a voice could be heard, speaking what seemed to be the same language Thao had used moments earlier. Thao answered briefly and then the voice spoke to me in French - excellent French (although the tone was more melodic than is typical) welcoming me aboard. It was very much the ‘welcome aboard’ of our airline companies, and I recall being quite amused by that - in spite of the unique situation in which I found myself.
同时，我感到一丝非常轻的空气流动，然后就凉爽了起来，就像开了空调一样。景色开始飞速地变化：屏幕上出现了一个只能是太阳的天体。最初，它好像贴着地球、或准确说是南美洲的边上（这是我稍后发现的）——又一次，我开始怀疑自己在做梦了——逐渐地，美洲变得越来越小；澳大利亚还看不见，因为阳光还没照到那里。现在可以辨出地球的轮廓了，我们似乎在绕着地球朝北极上空的一个地方飞。在那儿，我们改变了方向，以一种不可思议的速度离开了地球。
At the same instant, I felt a very light movement of the air and it became cool, as though air-conditioned. Things began to happen quickly. On the screen, appeared what could only have been the sun. At first, it seemed to touch the edge of the Earth or, more precisely, South America, as I later learned. Again, I wondered if I could be dreaming. Second by second America was shrinking. Australia couldn’t be seen, as the sun’s rays had not yet reached it. Now the contours of the planet could be distinguished, and we seemed to move around the globe, to a position above the North Pole. There, we changed direction,drawing away from Earth at an incredible speed.
我们那可怜的地球变得像个篮球，然后是台球，直至从屏幕上消失——或几乎是如此，取代它的是那充满了宇宙空间的幽蓝色。我将头转向涛的方向，希望她能给我更多讲解。
Our poor Earth became a basketball, then a billiard ball until it finally disappeared - or almost - from the screen. Instead, my vision was filled with the sombre blue of space. I turned my head in Thao’s direction hoping for further explanation.
“你喜欢这样吗？”
‘Did you like that?’
“好极了，但太快了——能以这么高的速度飞行吗？”‘It was wonderful, but so fast - is it possible to travel at such a high speed?’
“这不算什么，我亲爱的朋友，我们‘起飞’得非常轻柔，只有从现在起我们才是全速飞行。”
‘That was nothing, my dear friend. We ‘took off’ very gently. Only now are we travelling at full speed.’
“有多快？”我打断她的话。
‘How fast?’ I interrupted.
“比光速快数倍。”
‘Several times the speed of light.’
“比光速？那是多少倍？太不可思议了！光障怎么办？”
‘Of light? But how many times? It’s incredible! What about the light barrier?’
“我明白这对你来说显得难以置信，就算你们的专家也不会信——然而，这是事实。”
‘I can well understand that it appears incredible to you. Not even your experts would believe it - it is, however, the truth.’
“你说比光速快数倍，那是几倍？”
‘You say several times the speed of light, but how may times?’
“米歇，在这趟旅程中，许多事情将会特地展示给你——许多事情，但也有一些细节是不能让你知道的，我们飞船的准确速度就是一例。很抱歉，因为我也理解当你的好奇心不能被全部满足时的失落感，但你以后将会看见并学到非常多的新奇事物。所以，当我们不让你知道某些事情时，请你不要太介意。”
‘Michel, during this journey many things will be intentionally revealed to you - many things, but there will also be details to which you will not have access. The precise speed of our spacecraft is one such detail. I’m sorry, for I know it will disappoint you not to have your great curiosity for all things satisfied, but there will be so many new and interesting things for you to see and learn, that you must not mind too much when information is withheld from you.’
她的态度表明这件事到此为止，我也就没有再坚持，觉得再问就有些无礼了。
Her manner indicated that the matter was closed and I didn’t insist further, sensing that to do so would have been rude.
“看。”她对我说。屏幕上出现了一个迅速变大的彩色点。
‘Look’ she said to me. On the screen a coloured dot had appeared and was growing rapidly.
“那是什么？”
‘What is it?’
“土星。”
‘Saturn.’
如果我的描述不像他/她所希望的那么详细，请读者一定原谅我。但必须要说一下的是，当时我还没有完全恢复所有的感觉，在这么短的时间里看到这么多新奇的事物，我实在是有些“晕”了。
The reader must forgive me if the descriptions I give are not as detailed as he/she might wish, but it must be understood that I had not yet recovered all my senses. I had seen so much in so short a time, and was somewhat ‘disoriented.’
随着我们的接近，这著名的土星在屏幕上迅速变大。它的颜色实在是太美了——我在地球上所见过的任何事物都不能与之相比。它有着黄色、红色、绿色、蓝色和橙色——每种颜色中都有着无数的细小差异，它们在那里融合、分离、增强、变淡——形成了那著名的土星光环。
As we approached, the famous Saturn grew rapidly larger on the screen. Its colours were wonderful - incomparable to anything I had ever seen on Earth. There were yellows, reds, greens, blues, oranges - within each colour, an infinite range of nuances mingled, separated, grew stronger then weaker, creating the famous rings and confined within them...
这绝妙的奇观在屏幕上占的面积越来越大。
It was an amazing spectacle, which filled more and more of our screen.
意识到我不再受那力场束缚后，我就想摘下我的面具以便去更好地看那色彩，可涛示意我别动。
Realising I was no longer restrained by the force field, I wanted to remove my mask so as to see the colours better, but Thao signalled that I should do nothing.
“它的卫星在哪儿？”我问道。
‘Where are the satellites?’ I asked.
“你可以在屏幕右边看见两个，它们几乎挨在了一起。”
‘You can see two, almost side by side towards the right of the screen.’
“我们离它多远？”
‘How far away are we?’
“大约6000000公里，或者更多，驾驶室那边自然知道准确数据，但要我给你一个更准确的估算，我得知道我们的‘摄像机’是否正处于全变焦状态。”
‘We must be approximately 6 000 000 kilometres or perhaps more. They know exactly on the flight deck of course, but to give you a more precise estimate, I’d have to know whether our ‘camera’ is on full zoom or not.’
突然，土星从屏幕左侧消失了，眼前又一次布满了宇宙空间的“颜色”。
Saturn suddenly disappeared from the left side of the screen, which filled again with the ‘colour’ of space.
我觉得就是在那时，我感到了一种前所未有的得意——因为突然想到自己正在经历一场非同寻常的旅行。为什么会是我？我以前从未对此有所求，也从未想过（谁敢呢？）要去经历这么一场奇遇的可能。
I believe it was at that moment I felt exalted, as I never had before. It hit me that I was in the process of living an extraordinary adventure - and why? I had asked for nothing and had never contemplated the possibility (who would have dared?) of experiencing such an adventure.
涛站了起来，“你现在也可以这么做了，米歇。”我依言照办，于是我俩再次一同站在了房间中央。直到那时，我才注意到她已经不戴头盔了。
Thao got up. ‘You can do the same now, Michel.’ I obeyed and we found ourselves again, side by side in the centre of the cabin. It was only then, I noticed Thao no longer wore her helmet.
“能不能为我讲一下，”我问道，“为什么刚才咱俩在一块时，你一直带着一个头盔而我不用，结果现在我戴着一个时你却不戴了？”
‘Can you explain to me,’ I asked, ‘why just now, you were still wearing a helmet while I was able to accompany you without one, and yet now I have one while you don’t?’
“这很简单，我们星球的细菌种类与地球上的不同；就我们而言，地球就像一个真正的细菌培养基。所以，为了与你接触，我必须采取这项基本防护。对我来说，你本人也曾是危险的，不过现在已经不是了。”
‘It is very simple. We come from a planet bacteriologically different from Earth, which, for us, is a veritable culture medium. Thus, in order to contact you, I was obliged to take this basic precaution. You, yourself, were a danger to me but you are no longer.’
“我没明白你在说什么。”
‘I don’t follow you.’
“当你进入这个房间时，墙壁的颜色对你来说太强了，所以我给了你你现在戴的这个头盔——它是专为你设计的。实际上，我们能预测到你的反应。
‘When you entered this cabin, the colour was too intense for you and I gave you the helmet you are now wearing, which was specially designed for you. Indeed, we were able to anticipate your reaction.
在墙壁颜色由黄变蓝的这段很短的时间里，你身上百分之八十的有害细菌都被杀灭了。之后你可能会感到空气变凉，像开了空调一样；那是另一种形式的消毒，它是通过……我们称其为放射吧，虽然这并不是准确的术语——它没法被翻译成任何一种地球语言。这样，我就被百分之百地消毒了，但你身上仍有足以对我们造成极大危害的细菌。现在，我要给你吃两粒药，这样在三个小时之后，你就可以认为你和我们一样‘纯洁’了。”她一面说着，一面从她铺位旁拿出一个小盒子，从里面取出药丸和一个装有某种液体的试管（我想那试管里装的是水），并把它们递给我。我抬起头盔下端把它们都服了下去，之后……哎呀！每件事都发生得非常快，而且全都变得非常奇怪。
‘During the very short time the cabin was yellow and then blue, eighty per cent of the dangerous bacteria in you was destroyed. Then perhaps you felt a coolnessin the air, similar to when an air conditioner is working; this was another form of disinfection by...let’s call it radiation, although that is not the correct word - it cannot be translated into any Earth language. In this way, I have been disinfected one hundred percent, but you still have enough bacteria to harm us considerably. I am going to give you these two pills, and in three hours you will be able to consider yourself as ‘pure’ as one of us.’ As she spoke, she took a little box from beside her bunk, removed the pills and held them out to me, along with a test tube containing a liquid that I supposed to be water. I swallowed them both, lifting the base of my helmet to do so. Next ... well, everything happened very quickly and it was all very strange.
涛把我抱到铺位上，拿下我的头盔。这是我从离我身体二到三米远的地方看到的！我能想象出这本书里的某些事情对没有思想准备的读者来说会是匪夷所思的，但我的确是在不远处看着我的身体，而且我能够仅凭意念就在房间里移动。
Thao took me in her arms, put me on the bunk and removed my mask. I saw that happen from two or three metres from my body! I imagine that certain things in this book will seem incomprehensible to the unwarned reader, but I saw my body from a distance and I was able to move about in the room just by thought.
涛说道：“米歇，我知道你能看见我并听到我说的话，但我不能看见你，因此我没法在讲话时看着你。你的灵体已经离开了你的身体，不用担心，这并不会有危险。我知道这对你来说是第一次，有些人还会为此不安……
Thao spoke. ‘Michel, I know that you see me and hear me, but I am not able to see you myself, therefore I cannot look at you when I speak to you. Your Astral being has left your body. There is no danger in this - you needn’t worry. I know that this is the first time this has happened to you, and there are people who panic...
在那两粒特殊的药物中，一粒是为了清除你体内所有对我们有害的细菌，另一粒是使你的灵体离开你身体——这将持续三小时，也就是给你消毒的时间。这样，你就可以参观我们的飞船而不必冒着感染我们的风险，也不会浪费时间。”
‘I have given you a special drug in order to cleanse your body of all bacteria that is dangerous to us. I have also given you another drug that has caused your Astral being to leave your body - this will last three hours, the time it will take to purify you. In this way, you will be able to visit our spacecraft, without danger of contamination to us and without wasting time.’
奇怪的是，我觉得这很自然。我跟着她，这样实在是妙极了：每当她穿过一个房间来到下一个房间的镶板门前时，镶板都会自动滑开；我和她保持一段距离，每次，如果那门在我经过之前就关闭了——我就径直穿过它。
As strange as it seems, I found this quite natural - and I followed her. It was fascinating. She arrived in front of a panel that slid open to let us pass into one chamber after another. I was following at some distance and each time, if the panel had already closed by the time I reached it - I quite simply passed through it.
最后，我们来到一间直径约20米的圆形房间，那里至少有十二名“宇航员”——全是尺寸和涛差不多的女性。涛向其中四人走去，她们正坐在一圈看起来很舒适的大扶手椅上。当她在一张空椅子上坐下后，那四个人都转头看向她，脸上带着询问的表情。她好像乐意让她们等一会儿似的，最终，她开口了。
Finally, we reached a circular room, about 20 metres in diameter, in which there were at least a dozen ‘astronauts’ - all women and all about Thao’s size. Thao approached a group of four who were seated in enormous, comfortable-looking armchairs, arranged in a circle. When she sat down in a vacant seat, the four heads turned towards her questioningly. She almost seemed to take delight in making them wait: finally she spoke.
我又一次听到了那种令我陶醉的语言——发音对我来说非常新颖，而且音调是那样的悦耳动听，让人感觉她们是在唱歌。她们看起来都对涛的报告极感兴趣，我想她们是在讨论我，我猜对了——我是她们这次任务的主要目的。
I was again charmed to hear that language - the assonance was quite new to me, and the intonations so harmonious one would have thought they were singing. They all seemed to be greatly interested in Thao’s report. I supposed they were speaking of me, believing correctly that I was the main purpose of their mission.
当涛停止发言，她们就开始了一连串的发问，又有两个宇航员也加入进来，讨论气氛越来越热烈。
When Thao stopped, the questions streamed forth, and two other astronauts joined the group. The discussion swelled and developed a tone of increased excitement.
因为她们说的我一句也听不懂，而且在进来时就看到有三个人坐在一个显示着三维图像的屏幕前——那图像多少有些鲜活的颜色，于是我靠近那里，发现这个房间一定是飞船的控制室。我的隐身使得参观更为有趣：每个人都能做着自己的工作，不会因我的存在受到干扰或是分散注意力。
Not understanding a word of what was being said, and having noticed on entering three people positioned in front of screens displaying 3-dimensionalimages, more or less vividly coloured, I approached to discover that this must certainly be the control room of the spacecraft. Being invisible made it even much more interesting since each person was performing her duties without being disturbed, or even distracted, by my presence.
在一个比其余屏幕都大的屏幕上，我可以看到许多小点——有大有小，有明有暗，而且都在持续地朝着恒定的方向移动，有些向屏幕左侧，有些向右侧。
On a screen bigger than the rest, I was able to discern dots - some larger than others and some brighter, which moved steadily and without interruption in their prescribed directions, several towards the left of the screen and others towards the right.
当它们在屏幕上变得越来越大，速度也就变得越来越快，并最终从屏幕上消失。它们的颜色往往非常明亮，并且极为美丽，从淡淡的色泽到极亮的黄色都有，就像我们的阳光一样。
Their speed increased as they grew on the screen and finally exited from it. Their colours were often brilliant and extraordinarily beautiful, ranging from subtle tones to a blinding yellow, like the light from our sun.
很快，我就意识到它们都是我们正在路过的行星和恒星，它们穿过屏幕的无声过程深深吸引住了我。不知看了多久……突然，一个奇怪的声音响彻船舱——这声音柔和而迫切；同时，许多灯也开始闪了起来。
I soon realised that these were the planets and suns among which we were navigating, and I was absolutely fascinated by their silent progression across the screen. I can’t say how long I had been watching them, when suddenly a strange sound filled the cabin - a sound which was soft and at the same time, insistent, and which was accompanied by many flashing lights.
宇航员们的反应很迅速，那些在与涛谈话的人都立刻坐到各自的控制台前。她们的椅子好像是专人专用的，每个人都在全神贯注地盯着眼前的屏幕。
The effect was immediate. The astronauts that had been talking with Thao now approached the control post and each took a seat that seemed to be personally assigned to her. Everyone’s eyes were fixed attentively on the screens.
在这些大屏幕的中央，我开始看清一个不好形容的巨大物体，硬要说的话，它是一个圆形的蓝灰色的物体，只见它静止在每个屏幕的中央。
Right in the middle of these large monitors, I began to distinguish an enormous mass that is difficult to describe. Let me say only that it was round in form and blue-grey in colour. It remained immobile in the centre of each screen.
房间里一片安静，众人的注意力都集中在三名正控制着一些长方形仪器的宇航员身上，那些仪器有些像我们的电脑。
In the room, all was silent. The general attention was focused on three astronauts in command of oblong-shaped pieces of equipment resembling in some ways, our computers.
突然，在一块我以为是墙的巨大区域上，我震惊地看到了一幅纽约的图像——不！那是悉尼，我对自己说道，但那桥却不一样……那是座桥吗？
Suddenly, covering a huge area of what I believed was a wall of the cabin I was stupefied to see an image of New York - no! That’s Sydney, I said to myself, and yet the bridge is different...was it even a bridge?
我惊讶得立马去问刚好站在我身边的涛，然而我却忘记了——我不再在我的物理身体中，没人能听到我说话。我能听到涛和其他人对那图像的评论，但由于不懂她们的语言，我还是什么都不明白。不过我确定的是，涛并没有欺骗我，就是说我们确实是离开地球了。我的老师曾告诉我我们是以数倍于光速的速度飞行……而且我看见我们经过了土星，还有之后那些我认为是行星和恒星的天体——我们真的返回了吗？为什么？
My surprise was such I had to ask Thao, at whose side I was standing. I had forgotten however, that I was no longer in my physical body and no one could hear me. I was able to hear Thao and others commenting on what they were seeingbut, not understanding their language, it didn’t get me far. I was convinced though, that Thao had not lied to me and therefore we had well and truly left Earth behind. My mentor had explained we were travelling at several times the speed of light...and I had seen Saturn pass by and later, what I took to be planets and suns - so had we come back, and why?
涛大声讲起了法语，使所有人都将头转向她的方向。
Thao spoke aloud and in French, which caused all heads to turn in her direction.
“米歇，我们现在停在了阿瑞姆X3星的上空，它差不多比地球大两倍，而且它就像你可以在屏幕上看到的，很像你的地球。
‘Michel, we are stationed above the planet Arèmo X3 which is almost twice the size of planet Earth, and as you can see on the screen, quite similar to your world.
我现在无法给你详细讲解我们目前的任务，因为我也得参与操作，但我会在之后给你讲的。为使你不至有太多困惑，我可以告诉你我们的任务是关于核辐射的——就是你在地球上所知道的那种。”
‘I can’t explain at any length our current mission as I am required to participate in the operation, but I will do so later. To put you on the right track, I will tell you that our mission concerns atomic radiation such as you know on Earth’.
所有人看起来都在全神贯注着：每个人都明确知道自己该在什么时候做什么事。飞船静止着，巨大的屏幕上显示出一个城市中心的图像。读者应该了解的是，这个大屏幕其实和一个巨大的电视屏幕差不多，只是上面的图像太真实了——就像我们正在从一栋高楼的窗户里向外看似的。
Everyone seemed preoccupied: each knew exactly what to do and when to do it. We were stationary. The large panel projected an image of the centre of a town. The reader should understand that this large panel was in fact, no more than an immense television screen, projecting an image in relief so real, we could have been looking out the window of a tall building.
我的注意力被吸引到另一个稍小的屏幕上，它由我的两名“女主人”监视着。我可以在这个屏幕上看到我们的宇宙飞船，它和我在平行世界时见过的一样。在我看着的时候，我惊讶地发现一个小球正在从飞船的中部稍下方射出，就像母鸡下蛋一样。一出来，它就向着下方的星球加速飞去；在它从屏幕上消失后，另一个小球也以同样的方式出现了，之后是第三个。我注意到这些小球都分别被不同组的宇航员用面前的屏幕监视着。
My attention turned to another smaller screen being monitored by two of my‘hostesses’. On this panel I could see our spacecraft, as I had already seen it in our parallel universe. As I watched, I was surprised to see, slightly below the middle of our vessel, a small sphere ejected, like an egg from a hen. Once outside, this sphere accelerated rapidly towards the planet below. As itdisappeared from view, another sphere emerged in the same manner, and then a third. I noticed each sphere was being monitored on separate screens by different groups of astronauts. The descent of the spheres could now be easily followed on the large panel.
现在，这些小球的下降可以直接在大屏幕上看到了，它们与飞船之间迅速增加的距离本该使它们很快就看不见，但它们一直显示在屏幕上，我由此推断这摄像机一定有极强的变焦能力。确实，它的变焦能力太强了，以至于之前那两个小球分别从屏幕的右边和左边消失了。我们现在只能清楚地看见中间这个小球下降到地面的过程，它停在了一个巨大广场的中央，广场的周围有许多公寓建筑。只见它悬浮在那里，就像被吊在了离地几米远的地方。另两个小球也被以同样的方式监视着，其中一个在一条穿过城市的河流的上方，另一个悬浮在城边一座小山的上空。
The distance should have made them invisible in quite a short time but theyremained in sight and I deduced that the camera had to have an extraordinarily powerful ‘zoom’. Indeed, the effect of the zoom was so strong that the first sphere disappeared from the right of the panel and the second from the left. We could now only see the middle one and followed its descent to the ground quite clearly. It stopped in the centre of an immense square, situated among apartment buildings. There it hovered, as though suspended several metres from theground. The other spheres were monitored in the same detail. One was above a river that flowed through the town, and the other hovered above a hill, near the city.
出乎意料的是，屏幕上出现了一幅新图像——现在我可以清楚地看到那些公寓的大门，或更准确的说是门廊，因为在那些本来应该是门的地方现在是一些裂口。
Unexpectedly, the panel projected a new image. I could now distinctly see the doors of the apartment buildings, or rather, the doorways, for where doors should have been, were gaping openings.
我还清晰地记得，直到那时，我都还没有意识到这座城是多么的古怪……
I remember clearly that, until then, I had not realised how odd this town was...
没有动的东西…
Nothing had moved……
