《魔法師的外甥》第72期:這個故事的結束及其他故事的開始(1)

Chapter 15 The End of This Story and the Beginning of all the Others

"You need no rings when I am with you," said the voice of Aslan. The children blinked and looked about them. They were once more in the Wood between the Worlds; Uncle Andrew lay on the grass, still asleep; Aslan stood beside them.

"Come," said Aslan; "it is time that you went back. But there are two things to see to first; a warning, and a command. Look here, children."

They looked and saw a little hollow in the grass, with a grassy bottom, warm and dry.

"When you were last here," said Aslan, "that hollow was a pool, and when you jumped into it you came to the world where a dying sun shone over the ruins of Charn. There is no pool now. That world is ended, as if it had never been. Let the race of Adam and Eve take warning."

"Yes, Aslan," said both the children. But Polly added, "But we're not quite as bad as that world, are we, Aslan?"

"Not yet, Daughter of Eve," he said. "Not yet. But you are growing more like it. It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations in your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware. That is the warning. Now for the command. As soon as you can, take from this Uncle of yours his magic rings and bury them so that no one can use them again."

Both the children were looking up into the Lion's face as he spoke these words. And all at once (they never knew exactly how it happened) the face seemed to be a sea of tossing gold in which they were floating, and such a sweetness and power rolled about them and over them and entered them that they felt they had never really been happy or wise or good, or even alive and awake, before. And the memory of that moment stayed with them always, so that as long as they both lived, if ever they were sad or afraid or angry, the thought of all that golden goodness, and the feeling that it was still there, quite close, just round some corner or just behind some door, would come back and make them sure, deep down inside, that all was well. Next minute all three of them (Uncle Andrew now awake) came tumbling into the noise, heat, and hot smells of London.

They were on the pavement outside the Ketterleys' front door, and except that the Witch, the Horse, and the Cabby were gone, everything was exactly as they had left it. There was the lamp-post, with one arm missing; there was the wreck of the hansom cab; and there was the crowd. Everyone was still talking and people were kneeling beside the damaged policeman, saying things like, "He's coming round" or "How do you feel now, old chap?" or "The Ambulance will be here in a jiffy."

"Great Scott!" thought Digory, "I believe the whole adventure's taken no time at all."

Most people were wildly looking round for Jadis and the horse. No one took any notice of the children for no one had seen them go or noticed them coming back. As for Uncle Andrew, what between the state of his clothes and the honey on his face, he could not have been recognized by anyone. Fortunately the front door of the house was-open and the housemaid was standing in the doorway staring at the fun (what a day that girl was having!) so the children had no difficulty in bustling Uncle Andrew indoors before anyone asked any questions.

He raced up the stirs before them and at first they were very afraid he was heading for his attic and meant to hide his remaining magic rings. But they needn't have bothered. What he was thinking about was the bottle in his wardrobe, and he disappeared at once into his bedroom and locked the door. When he came out again (which was not for a long time) he was in his dressinggown and made straight for the bathroom.

第15章 這個故事的結束及其他故事的開始

“有我在，你們不需要戒指。”阿斯蘭說。孩子們眨眨眼，左顧右盼，一下子又到了各個世界之間的樹林。安德魯舅舅躺在草地上，仍然睡着。阿斯蘭站在他們旁邊。

“來，”阿斯蘭說，“你們該回去了。但要注意兩件事，一個是警告，一個是命令。看這兒，孩子們。”

他們看見草中有個小坑，坑底長滿溫暖而乾燥的草。

“你們上次來的時候，”阿斯蘭說，“這兒還是一個水潭。你們跳進去後，就到了恰恩，一輪垂死的太陽照在廢墟上的那個世界。現在，水潭沒有了，那個世界也消失了，似乎從來沒有存在過。讓亞當和夏娃的種族視之爲警告吧。”

“是的，阿斯蘭。”兩個孩子一起說。但波莉又補充了一句，“可我們的世界總還沒有恰恩那麼糟糕吧，阿斯蘭？”

“還沒有，夏娃的女兒，”它說，“還沒有。但你們正在朝那個方向發展。說不定你們種族中某一個壞人會發現像滅絕咒那樣邪惡的魔咒，並用它來毀滅所有的生命。快了，很快，在你們變成老頭子老太婆之前，你們世界中的大國將被獨裁者統治，他們跟簡蒂絲女王一樣，不把幸福、公正和仁慈當回事。讓你們的世界當心吧。這就是那個警告。現在說命令。儘快地拿到你們這位舅舅的戒指，把它們埋到地下去，使得沒有人再能用它們。”

當獅子說這番話時，兩個孩子都拾起頭，凝視着它。頃刻間(他們一點兒也不知道是怎麼發生的)，那張臉變成了一片起伏不定的金色海洋，他們漂浮在海中，一種力和甜蜜的感覺纏繞着他們，淹沒了他們並滲透到他們體內，使他們意識到，自己以前從來沒有過真正的幸福、智慧和美好，甚至沒有活過、醒過。那一瞬間的記憶一直伴隨着他們，在他們的有生之年，只要心中感到悲哀、害怕或者憤怒，就會想起那一刻金色的良辰，那種感覺依然存在，很近，就在某個拐彎處或者某一扇門後，就會重新回來，使他們由衷地相信，生活是美好的。不一會兒，三個人(安德魯舅舅也醒了)就跌跌撞撞地回到了倫敦的喧囂、炎熱和刺鼻氣味中。

他們走在凱特利家前門外的人行道上，除了女巫、馬和馬車伕消失了以外，一切依然如舊。燈柱還在，缺了一根橫杆。馬車的殘骸和人羣都在。大夥兒都在議論，有人跪在被打傷的警察身邊，說着“他醒過來了”、“你現在覺得怎麼樣，老弟？”或者“救護車馬上就到”之類的話。

“天哪！”迪格雷想，“我相信整個這次歷險根本沒費什麼時間。”

大多數人還在着急地四下尋找簡蒂絲和那匹馬，誰也沒有注意孩子們，因爲誰也沒有看見他們離去，也就不會注意到他們回來。至於安德魯舅舅，他那身衣服和臉上的蜂蜜使他不可能被人認出來。真巧，前門開着，女傭正站在門廊裏看熱鬧。(那姑娘多麼開心！)所以，孩子們在任何人提出任何問題之前就催着安德魯舅舅進了門。

他搶在他們前頭衝上了樓，起先，他們還怕他一頭扎進閣樓，把剩下的魔法戒指藏起來。但他們的擔心是多餘的。他想的是櫃子裏的酒瓶；他馬上進了臥室，鎖上了門。當他再出來時(時間不長)，已經換上了晨衣，徑直向浴室走去。