經典科幻文學:《生命 宇宙及一切》尾章5
Now, I am the first to appreciate a joke, said Arthur and then had to wait for the others to stop laughing.
I am the first… he stopped again. This time he stopped and listened to the silence. There actually was silence this time, and it had come very suddenly.
Prak was quiet. For days they had lived with constant manical laughter ringing round the ship, only occasionally relieved by short periods of light giggling and sleep. Arthur’s very soul was clenched with paranoia.
This was not the silence of sleep. A buzzer sounded. A glance at a board told them that the buzzer had been sounded by Prak.
He’s not well, said Trillian quietly. The constant laughing is completely wrecking his body.
Arthur’s lips twitched but he said nothing.
We’d better go and see him, said Trillian.
Trillian came out of the cabin wearing her serious face.
He wants you to go in, she said to Arthur, who was wearing his glum and tight-lipped one. He thrust his hands deep into his dressing-gown pockets and tried to think of something to say which wouldn’t sound petty. It seemed terribly unfair, but he couldn’t.
Please, said Trillian.
He shrugged and went in, taking his glum and tight-lipped face with him, despite the reaction this always provoked from Prak.
He looked down at his tormentor, who was lying quietly on the bed, ashen and wasted. His breathing was very shallow. Ford and Zaphod were standing by the bed looking awkward.
You wanted to ask me something, said Prak in a thin voice and coughed slightly.
Just the cough made Arthur stiffen, but it passed and subsided.
How do you know that? he asked.
Prak shrugged weakly.
‘Cos it’s true, he said simply.
Arthur took the point.
“好吧我知道你們在笑什麼……”阿瑟說完這句話後，不得不等其他人都笑完了再繼續。
“我是頭一個，”他又停了下來。這次停下是因爲安靜。此時此刻，真的安靜了，非常突然的安靜。
普啦刻沒了響動。過去幾天來，他們一直生活在不時爆發的、瘋子般的笑聲之中，偶爾演變爲睡夢中輕輕的笑聲，那時他們才能稍稍放鬆一下。阿瑟覺得自己快得妄想症了。
這時的安靜卻不像在睡覺。一陣蜂鳴聲響起，他們朝控制檯看去，原來是普啦刻按響了蜂鳴器。
“他不好了。”崔莉安低聲道，“過度的大笑徹底毀了他的身體。”
阿瑟嘴脣抽搐了兩下，什麼也沒說。
“我們最好去看看他。”崔莉安說。
崔莉安從船艙走出來，表情嚴峻。
“他想讓你進去。”她對阿瑟說。阿瑟正一臉鬱悶，嘴巴緊抿。他雙手插在睡袍口袋裏，努力想說點表示大度的話，儘管不太公平，但他還是說不出口。
“拜託了。”崔莉安說。
他聳了聳肩，進去了。還是一臉的鬱悶，嘴巴緊抿，這些都正是因爲普啦刻。
他低頭看看這個專門煩自己的傢伙。這個人靜靜地躺在牀上，蒼白、衰弱。他的呼吸很微弱。福特和贊福德站在旁邊有點尷尬。
“你想問我點問題。”普啦刻氣若游絲，輕輕地咳着。
阿瑟一聽那咳嗽，臉色就變了。不過，他還是試着平靜下來。
“你怎麼知道的？”他問。
普啦刻無力地聳了下肩。
“因爲真相如此。”他明確地說道。
阿瑟承認了。
