幻象師

文/劉宇昆　譯/戴一　繪/馬豆子

幻象師

文/劉宇昆譯/戴一繪/馬豆子

I test the heft of the small leather purse: light， much lighter than my hope.

"This is all the gold dust left in Four Willows，" Elder Anselm says. "We've already hired a party of knights， a trio①trio 英 ［'tri???］ 美 ［'trio］ n. 三重唱；三件一套；三個一組of wizards，even a band of monks. None could rid us of the grendel. Please， you're our last hope."

And the cheapest， I add silently.

But beggars can't be choosers. King Rémy，a Puritan， has banned shadow plays and shuttered the theatres. I and my apprentice②apprentice 英 ［?'prent?s］ 美 ［?'pr?nt?s］ n. 學徒；生手 vt. 使……當學徒 vi. 當學徒élise watched our savings dwindle③dwindle 英 ［'dw?nd（?）l］ 美 ［'dw?ndl］ vi. 減少；變小 vt. 使縮小，使減少until I had no choice but to swallow my pride and turn to bounty-hunting.

It's difficult enough to kill monsters， doubly so when you're only an illusionist.

"Tell me everything about the grendel，" I say. "An illusionist does his best work when he knows his audience."

The grendel is as tall as three men stacked④stack 英 ［st?k］ 美 ［st?k］ n. 堆；堆疊 vt. 使堆疊；把……堆積起來 vi. 堆積，堆疊foot to shoulder.

We're trudging through the dark woods. I turn over Anselm's words in my mind，preparing for the task ahead.

"Master， how can we defeat the monster with illusions？" élise asks， fear and doubt making her beautiful voice， the voice that can imitate the roar of a lion as well as the song of a nightingale⑤nightingale 英 ［'na?t??，ɡe?l］ 美 ［'na?tn，ɡel］ n. 夜鶯， tremble. "I've only ever learned to make sounds that delight."

It's the issue of the Devil， conceived in horror and sorrow. Its head is misshapen，its spine crooked， its teeth as foul as rusty⑥rusty 英 ［'r?st?］ 美 ［'r?sti］ adj. 生銹的，腐蝕的；鐵銹色的，銹色的；遲鈍的daggers， its three arms all of differing lengths. It comes at night to snatch our children， and it leaves behind nightmares.

"Swords and fiery magic missiles are not the only things that can kill，" I tell her. "Men and monsters also die when the darkest fears in their hearts are made real."

She nods， her jaw taut. At thirteen， no longer a child， she can tell when my words are meant to comfort her and my heart isn't in them.

I point to the side of the path， where a cottage suddenly appears. The window glows warmly， and against the fogged up pane you can see the silhouettes of a couple cooingover their baby. We stand still to gaze， silent before the perfect sight.

I am， after all， the world's greatest illusionist.

"Thank you， Master，" she says after a while. I wave my hand and the cottage disappears.

"Hold onto your dreams， which never die，" I tell her. "Now let's move on."

Years ago， the piercing cries of a baby pulled me out of an ale⑦ale 英 ［e?l］ 美 ［el］ n. 麥芽酒-haze in a warm tavern. Following that powerful voice， I found élise wrapped in a blanket abandoned on the steps of a church. I knew then that she was special， had a gift.

I'm glad that I can still impress her， even if I'm no longer omnipotent⑧omnipotent 英 ［?m'n?p?t（?）nt］ 美 ［ɑm'n?p?t?nt］ adj. 無所不能的；全能的；有無限權力的in her eyes. Someday， she may exceed my skill， but today she is still just my student.

God will forgive me for my vanity. It's all I have left.

我掂量了一下小錢袋，比我預想的要輕得多。

“這是四柳會剩下的所有金粉了。”埃爾德?安塞姆說，“我們已經雇用了一群騎士，三個術士，還有一隊僧侶。他們都不能讓我們擺脫格倫德爾。求求您了，您是我們最后的希望。”

而且是最便宜的，我心里嘀咕。

但是誰叫我缺錢呢。國王雷米是個清教徒，下令禁止了影子戲，關閉了劇院。我和我的學徒愛麗絲眼瞅著米缸見底，我別無選擇只能放下清高來做賞金獵人。

殺死怪獸是件困難的事，當你僅僅是個幻象師時更是難上加難。

“告訴我一切有關格倫德爾的事。”我說，“知己知彼百戰不殆。”

格倫德爾有三個無頭人那么高。

我們在黑暗森林里跋涉尋找，我心里在思考著安塞姆告訴我的事，考慮著這項任務怎么完成。

“師父，我們用幻象怎么打敗怪獸？”愛麗絲問道，她那迷人的聲音帶著一絲害怕和迷惑，誰會知道這聲音既能模仿獅子的怒吼也能模仿夜鶯的悲歌呢。“我只學過用聲音表演逗樂啊。”

格倫德爾是讓人感到邪惡害怕的撒旦之子，畸形的頭顱，佝僂的脊椎，牙齒好像生銹的匕首，三條胳膊還不是一樣長短。它深夜出沒，擄走孩童，給人留下無盡的夢魘。

“劍和火焰球并不是制勝法寶。”我告訴她，“怪獸和人類一樣，內心深處充滿了恐懼時會不戰自潰。”

她點點頭，下巴繃得很緊。她才13歲，不過是個孩子，卻可以分辨我言語中哪些是真正能帶給她安全感的，哪些是心不在焉的。

我指向小道一側，那兒突然出現了一幢農舍。窗子反射的陽光很柔和，透過朦朧的窗子可以看到一對夫婦正在逗他們牙牙學語的孩子。我們就這樣在這幅溫馨的場景前一動不動地安靜看著。

不管怎么說，我可是世界上最偉大的幻象師呢。

“謝謝你，師父。”過了一會兒她說。我揮揮手，農舍消失了。

“牢牢記住你永不破滅的夢想，”我告訴她，“現在是實現它的時候了。”

數年之前，我在溫暖的酒吧里喝著麥芽酒，一個嬰兒的哭叫聲使得我出去一探究竟，循著哭聲，我在教堂臺階上找到了包裹在毯子里的棄嬰——愛麗絲。我很快就知道她很特殊，天賦異常。

我很高興她仍將我銘記在心，盡管在她眼里我已經不再是萬能的了。終有一天她的技術可能會超過我，但是今天她仍只是我的學生。

上帝也會原諒我的虛榮吧，那是我唯一剩下的東西了。

The Illusionist