經典科幻文學:《 再見 多謝你們的魚》第4章2
At the bottom of it was a number which looked like one of those serial numbers you find on the underside of stereo sets which always takes so long to copy on to the registration form. He had, after all, been in the bar all day, he had been drinking a lot of stuff with bubbles in it, and he had bought an awful lot of rounds for all the pimps, thugs and record executives who suddenly couldn’t remember who he was.
He cleared his throat rather quietly and patted his pockets. There was, as he knew, nothing in them. He rested his left hand lightly but firmly on the half-opened flap of his satchel. The disembodied hand renewed its pressure on his right shoulder.
You see, said the barman, and his face seemed to wobble evilly in front of Ford’s, I have a reputation to think of. You see that, don’t you?
This is it, thought Ford. There was nothing else for it. He had obeyed the rules, he had made a bona fide attempt to pay his bill, it had been rejected. He was now in danger of his life.
Well, he said quietly, if it’s your reputation…
With a sudden flash of speed he opened his satchel and slapped down on the bar top his copy of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the official card which said that he was a field researcher for the Guide and absolutely not allowed to do what he was now doing.
Want a write-up?
The barman’s face stopped in mid-wobble. The bird’s talons stopped in mid-furrow. The hand slowly released its grip.
That, said the barman in a barely audible whisper, from between dry lips, will do nicely, sir.
在賬單底部是一串數字，那串數字就好像你在立體聲音響底部經常能看到的需要花好一陣子才能抄到登記表上的序列號。他至少，在酒吧裏待了一整天，喝掉了不少冒着泡沫的東西，並且爲那些馬上就把他忘掉的所有皮條客、強盜和唱片公司主管請了一輪酒。
他悄悄地清了一下嗓子，然後拍了一下他的兜。那裏，就他所知，什麼都沒有。他把左手又輕又穩地擱在半開的揹包上。而那隻飄忽的手重新調整了一下施加在福特右肩膀上的壓力。
“你明白吧，”吧主說道，那張臉陰險地在福特面前晃着，“我得考慮信譽。你明白的，是吧？”
就這樣了，福特想。沒轍了。他照規矩來了，他誠心誠意地想要付賬，但最後被拒絕了。他現在小命不保了。
“呃，”他小聲地說，“如果是您的信譽嘛......”
在電光石火間，福特把包打開，將自己的《銀河系漫遊指南》和官方證件甩在吧檯上，那張證顯示他是銀河系漫遊指南的職業調查員，並且完全不能做任何他不願做的事。
“想要我增補點什麼？”
吧主的臉晃到一半，停了。鳥爪劃到一半，也停了。飄忽的手逐漸鬆了下來。
“這個嘛，”吧主從乾燥的嘴脣間擠出難以聽清的耳語，“一定會妥善處理的，尊敬的先生。”
