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故事五則 王克難

故事1-女巫頭髮

島嶼見底的海水轉過海岬一片藍綠清澈,,下面漂流著細長女巫頭髮似的海草.一群興奮的背著氧氣筒，穿潛水衣的人一個個沒入水中, 大堆的氣泡在他們身後消失。

陽光暖和地照著岸上白石灰巖的峭壁 .  好一·個美麗的假日。

不久兩輛警車、一輛救護車突然無聲地出現，大概不想驚動附近的遊客。 

一個眼睛緊閉，臉色比石灰巖還白的年輕人, 裹纏在女巫頭髮海草中，被拖上岸。

他一手抓住潛水衣胸口, 嘴裏痛苦地喃喃著. 急救人員沒人能聽懂他的外國話.

終於他同來的一群人上了岸, 震驚之下，當中有一個女的會講英文.

她說他們是來談生意的，在國內就聽說了這有名的潛水灣。 在擔架上躺著的

是他們的經理, 他一直在說假如他有什麼不測，請跟他太太說他很抱歉。

急救人員繼續搶救著, 他漸漸失去了知覺，一個氧氣罩遮住了他灰白的臉。

一個救護人員領著他躺在上面的擔架，兩個救護員和那個女翻譯走在擔架兩旁，快速走向救护车，

警车与救护车快速離去，留下一長串女巫頭髮的海草和仍在震驚中他的同伴們在沙灘上

Witches' Hair

The aquamarine water turned crystal dark green around the cove.  Seaweeds floated underneath like witches' manes.

People with fins and oxygen tanks on their backs submerged one by one in the water, bubbles disappearing after them. The sun shined on the white limestone cliff. It was a beautiful holiday.

Two police cars and an ambulance appeared silently

A young man tangled in seaweeds was dragged out of the water. His face white and eyes closed. He was clutching his heart and strange sounds came from his mouth, but no one could understand his foreign tongue.

Finally, people he came to dive with surfaced. A woman in his group spoke English. She explained that they were on a business trip and had heard about the beautiful cove in their country. The young man was their manager and he was gasping to say that he was sorry to his wife if anything happened to him.

The frantic rescuing movements continued by the paramedics. An oxygen mask was put on his face white as the limestone cliff as he gradually lost his consciousness.

He was put on a stretcher and carried to the ambulance. His co-workers still in shock as the female worker climbed into the ambulance.

The ambulance sped away leaving a trail of seaweeds like witch’s hair on the sand.

故事2-遊戲公司

遊戲公司，會做生意，一個遊戲，大小人物上千，

有主角，也有配角。 有天使，有更多魔鬼，來挑戰玩遊戲的人。

魔鬼們， 性情複雜， 比天使複雜多，引人入勝，從來不千篇一律，個個是遊戲主角。

玩遊戲的人哪 一下就被吸引住，不可自拔，到處追蹤魔鬼，

想想看 一般電影， 無懸疑， 千篇一律的，如何能， 賣座叫好？

遊戲呢 同等道理 我等對自己的魔鬼已上癮，不追蹤他不過癮。

Story 2-Game Company

Game companies know their business. One game's profit is outrageous. A popular game's players are in the millions.

There are hundreds of characters in a game, protagonists and minor characters.  There are angels and devils to challenge game players.

Devils' personalities are complicated, much more complicated than Angels'.  They attract the players better than best-selling novels.

Devils are always protagonists, fallen angels you might say.

Each devil has his or her own niche. They vary from each other and once hooked you'll never be able                                                

to get rid of them. The movie nowadays, with the usual suspense, the same characters. Who will go and watch them?

The devils come out (arranged by the game company) usually in a place where young people like to hang out and wait for you to go and get them on your cellphone.

Look at the crowd just gathered in front of …. People of all kinds. yellow hair, brown hair, black hair, rainbow-colored hair.

Mom with young kids, dad with young kids, couples with their own kids, with neighbors' kids,

grandparents with their teenage grandkids....

They all rushed out of their cars, running, risking of being hit in the parking lot, in the street to go after the devil.

Gamemania! Devilmania!

I'm going after the devil right now. If I get him, I'll get three thousand bonus point for....I'm running. Watch out. Buddy. The car was behind you. 

Watch, the devil is appearing on my iPhone. He's there. He's here....

故事3-單身人

一群單身 男子漢們，個個自稱 業餘攝影師，

趁耶誕節 前夕晚上，年年來到， 海港外灣， 去看夜景。

去看夜景是藉口，只因為平常不見面，此時聚會，

來共度今宵 難得也 帶著觀景窗 加上收音盤。

百年以前，港灣水深，海盜船隻，聖誕時節，突然消失，

下落從來沒人知。

每年耶誕節前夜，港灣裡，會聽見怪音， 非人非鳥。

研究多年，沒有結果，實驗室道，一個怪現象。

2017年，聖誕前夜，老朋友們，幾人擠在，港灣木屋。

霧中突然傳來了，模糊的，一陣啾啾聲，非人非鳥.

一陣接一陣，真來了，陣陣啾啾聲。

同樣的霧，同樣時間，同樣聲音，非人非鳥，

又來了，來了，來了！ 真蹊蹺！ 蹊蹺又蹊蹺！ 蹊蹺蹊蹺！

Story 3- Singles

There was a group of single men. They called themselves amateur photographers. They were busy with their regular jobs. On Christmas Eve, they hung out in the harbor where the river went out to sea.

It was said a hundred years ago, when the harbor hadn't been ruined by sandy beach, It was deep.

Pirates liked to sail in and dump their wares on the local merchants.

One Christmas Eve, a whole pirate ship was sunk and could not be found under or above the water ever

since.

Only on Christmas Eve, no any other night. It was said that people could hear around midnight, a strange sound in a special part of the harbor. A sound that had been recorded, not human, not bird, not animal. It was said it was the ghost ship was trying to send out a signal to people who were still interested in it.

2017 Christmas Eve. The singles gathered in a little hut in the harbor. Camera in hand, recording device set up. Midnight. The fog came in from the ocean.

A sound was heard. First not clear. It kept on coming. The needle on the recording device jumped.

The sound, the eerie sound, appeared as a sound graph picture. …....

The sun came up. The singles were tired. They had got what they want. So long, guys, next year, same time, same place...Keep well!

故事4-小狗

聖誕前一天，一頓大午餐，實在需要消化，走山上小路，

前面道上兩人。 顯然女兒母親，手上拿手機，一前一後跑 樣子很焦急。

走近聽，要趕路，下山去，母親拉著小狗，追前面女兒。

「現在兩點三十，今天山下公車，最後一班三點！ 媽媽！ 我來抱小狗，我們快下山，不然來不及！」

「今天是假日，早上八點鐘，我到主人家中，沒停一分鐘，

她家有兩層樓，一切已收拾夠，窗門都關妥，現在趕下山，我真走不動！ 」

「趕不上最後一班公車，就要等弟弟來接，等到五點半，

家中還要我們，準備團圓大餐！ 」

母女繼續趕，小狗跟在後，山頂在眼前！

山下公路上，車輛並不多，聖誕佳節前日，乘客也不多。

一輛長途公車，停留車站旁邊，一兩分鐘後，它就開走了，一下消失了！

母女倆，沒辦法，敗興地，繼續往下地走，拖著腳步走。

小狗跟在後面。 它主人旅行去，捨不得送它去狗旅館住，它單獨在家，實在是可怕。

「等到太陽落山，落地窗外夕陽，紅得更恐怖，野狼一知道，家中人出門，

就會不停嚎叫，令人心驚肉跳，萬一窗子沒關緊，它躦進屋裡來，我小命就沒了。

如今好運氣，跟母女回去，一頓團圓大餐，應該少不了。

火腿骨頭可啃，火雞大腿可嘗。 還有被人憐，夜裡安穩地，卷在火爐旁，

冷風裡，再過兩個半鐘頭，就有人來接，就等等又何妨， 等等又何妨」。

小路上，母女拖著腳步，互相怨，小狗不停搖尾巴！ 三人一齊下山， 朝空的長途汽車站走去。

Story 4-A Little Dog

It was the day before Christmas. I had a huge lunch and must walk it off. I took a walk on a trial in the hill where the multi-million-dollar homes had encroached.

Two women were walking ahead of me, a daughter and a mother perhaps.

Each had a cellphone in hand, walking briskly and then started a slow run, the daughter ahead and the mother dragging her feet and a little white dog on leash.

I walked faster and narrowed the distance and heard their conversation.

“It's two-thirty. Ma, the last bus is three o'clock. If we miss it, we'll have to wait for my brother to pick us up at 5:30 when he gets off from work.

We have to catch the bus and get home to cook! Everyone is coming for dinner before the midnight

mass.... Let me hold the dog. Let's run for the bus, Ma....”

“I got up before six to come here to clean.

A two-story-seven-bedroom house. I straightened all the rooms and checked all the doors and windows to be sure they were closed tight. I'm exhausted.”

On top of the hill, one could see down on the highway, by the bus stop, a bus!

It must be the three o'clock one.

Too late. The bus stayed several minutes and took off!

The daughter gave the dog back to her mother.  They dragged their feet walking downhill.

The dog's Christmas Story

My owner left for Las Vegas. They were cheap and wouldn't board me at the Veterinarian's.

I'll be home alone for the Christmas weekend. Unspeakable!

When the sun goes down, the western sky turns blood red. The coyotes know there is no one home. They will start howling and try to pry at the windows. God forbid if they get in.

That will be the end of me. No more Sherie for you!

God bless Maria! She decided to take me home with her. Tonight I can expect a ham bone or a piece of fried chicken and curl up near the fire place. Everyone will make a fuss over me like they did before. What happiness! Waiting two and half hours for Jose to pick us up is nothing. I am happy!

Maria and her daughter kept complaining to each other, dragging their feet. They had a long way to go downhill to the empty bus station to wait for Jose. Little Sherie was waggling her tail all the way.

故事5-羊雜-羅拔彭絲愛餐

羅拔彭斯一首羊雜詩，讓羊雜變成了蘇格蘭國菜， 他那首羊雜詩變成了國詩，每年一定節日，有羊雜詩大會。 全國慶祝，念他的羊雜詩， 吃羊雜餐。

我欣賞彭斯，在蘇格蘭特地去吃了一頓道地的羊雜餐，大口大口去吞那辛辣羊雜，吃得一口不剩，想充分享受當年彭斯的戀羊雜情懷。 也的確感到蘇格蘭天寒地凍需要那高卡路里，高脂肪口味，那是我第一次也是到如今唯一一次吃羊雜。

人生若只如初吃！ 那是一篇文章能寫完的。

Story 5-Robert Burns' Haggis.

Robert Burns' poem Ode to Haggis made the dish the national of Scotland. The poem is as known as the national anthem of Scotland.

 For that I went for a dinner of Haggis in Scotland. I ate the whole portion looking at the Burns' Ode to Haggis on the Menu in Scottish with the English translation.

I wasn't that found of Haggis. I was eating the feeling of love Burns had toward Haggis and the feelings of the Scottish people toward their national dish.

That was the first time and the last time I ate Haggis until now. But my feeling for Burns' poetry has transcended Haggis as well as for its people.