STARMAN
时空异客
A big red car drives on a long, long road. In the car is a farmer, Bill. He is hot and tired. He wants to go home and have a bath.
一辆红色的大汽车行驶在一条漫长漫长的公路上。车里坐着一位名叫比尔的农夫。他又热又累，想回家洗个澡。
Bill listens to the radio in his car and he sings. Bill likes singing. Sometimes people like Bill’s singing – but not very often.
比尔在车里听着收音机唱歌。他喜欢唱歌。有时人们也喜欢听比尔唱——但这种情况并不多见。
The song he is singing is called Hot, hot, hot.
他正在唱的这首歌叫《热，热，热》。
There is a sign on the side of the road. Bill reads it: Goondiwindi, 72 kilometres. Dirranbandi 136 kilometres. Bill must drive for a long time. His home is about a hundred kilometres away.
路边有一块路牌。比尔看到上面写着：贡迪温迪，72公里；迪兰班迪，136公里。比尔还得开很长时间的车，他的家大约在100公里外。
He rubs his eyes. The sun is very hot and the road is long. Bill does not want to go to sleep so he sings some more. A kangaroo hears him and jumps away. Bill laughs, then rubs his eyes again.
他揉了揉眼睛。烈日当空，路途漫漫。比尔不想打瞌睡，于是又唱了起来。一只袋鼠听到歌声跳走了。比尔笑了笑，然后又揉了揉眼睛。
Just then Bill sees something. Suddenly he is not tired and he is not laughing. The hair on his head stands up. There is something on the road.
就在这时，比尔看到了什么东西。突然间他不累了，也不笑了，头发都竖了起来。路上有个东西。
He stops the car and gets out. The thing is a long way in front of Bill. He cannot see what it is – but he does not like it.
他停下车走了出来。那东西离比尔还有很长一段距离。他看不清是什么——但他感觉不太对劲。
Bill gets back in his car and drives slowly. The thing is moving – it is alive.
比尔回到车里，缓慢地向前开去。那东西在动——它是活的。
‘What the…’ Bill says quietly. ‘It’s a man! What’s a man doing here?’
“这到底……”比尔低声说道，“是个男人！这人在这儿干什么？”
He thinks, ‘There must be something wrong.’
他心想：“肯定出什么事了。”
Bill stops his car ten metres from the man and looks out.
比尔在离那人十米远的地方停下车，向外张望。
‘Hello,’ says Bill. ‘Are you OK? Are you looking for something?’
“喂，”比尔喊道，“你没事吧？你在找什么东西吗？”
The man does not move or speak. He is looking at the sky and smiling unhappily. Bill looks up too. He can see nothing.
那人一动不动，也不说话。他望着天空，脸上带着凄然的微笑。比尔也抬头看了看，却什么也没看见。
There is a gun in Bill’s car. He looks at it. ‘I must be careful,’ he thinks.
比尔的车里有一把枪。他看了一眼枪，心想：“我得小心点。”
Bill drives five more metres. He can see that the man is about forty years old. He is wearing a good suit – but it is old.
比尔又往前开了五米。他看清那人大约四十岁，穿着一身好西装——但款式很旧。
‘Hey! Are you OK?’ Bill asks again. ‘Can I help you?’
“嘿！你还好吗？”比尔再次问道，“需要帮忙吗？”
The man moves his head slowly to look at Bill. He says nothing then begins to walk. Bill watches him for a minute. He thinks, ‘I must do something.’
那人慢慢转过头来看了比尔一眼。他一言不发，然后开始往前走。比尔注视了他一会儿，心想：“我必须做点什么。”
‘Where are you going?’ shouts Bill. ‘There’s nothing on that road. Do you have any water? The sun’s very hot. Can you hear me?’
“你要去哪儿？”比尔大喊道，“那条路上什么都没有。你有水吗？太阳这么毒。你能听见我说话吗？”
Bill does not know what to do. He cannot leave the man here. ‘What is wrong with him?’ he thinks. ‘Is he ill?’
比尔不知该如何是好，他不能把这个人丢在这里。“他怎么了？”他想，“是生病了吗？”
A lizard runs across the road. A big bird flies near the man. It looks down, hungrily. Near the road are some bones – a dead kangaroo.
一只蜥蜴跑过公路。一只大鸟在那人附近盘旋，饥饿地俯视着。路边有一些骨头——是一只死袋鼠的残骸。
Bill is afraid – but he cannot drive away and leave the man.
比尔感到害怕——但他不能就这样开车离开，把那人抛下。
The man looks very tired so Bill drives two more metres. ‘Do you want to die out here?’ There is no answer. ‘Get in! I’m taking you home,’ says Bill.
那人看起来疲惫不堪，于是比尔又往前开了两米。“你想死在这儿吗？”没有回答。“上车吧！我送你回家，”比尔说。
He opens the car door and gets out. He moves very slowly and talks very quietly. ‘It’s okay. You can come with me. Get in the car and sit down. I have some water in the car.’
他打开车门下了车，动作极其缓慢，说话也非常轻柔。“没事的，你可以跟我走。上车坐下吧，车里有水。”
Bill helps the man and he gets into the car. He is very dirty and tired. Bill gives him a drink. The man is thirsty and drinks a lot of water. ‘Stop!’ says Bill. ‘Don’t drink all the water. A little now, then more later.’
比尔搀扶着那人上了车。那人浑身脏兮兮的，筋疲力尽。比尔递给他水喝。那人渴极了，大口大口地喝着。“停下！”比尔说，“别把水全喝光了。现在少喝点，待会儿再喝。”
The car drives fast on the long, straight road. The two men sit and say nothing.
汽车在笔直漫长的公路上疾驰。两个男人坐着，谁也没有说话。
Bill listens to the news on the radio. There is rain in Adelaide. A man in Sydney is 125 years old today. A kangaroo is learning to talk. And a very white light is in the sky near Wolalonga.
比尔听着收音机里的新闻。阿德莱德下雨了；悉尼有位老人今天125岁了；一只袋鼠正在学说话；而在沃拉隆加上空出现了一道极白的光。
Bill likes the news. Next to him, the man sleeps.
比尔喜欢听新闻。在他身旁，那人睡着了。
Bill looks at him. The man wears an expensive suit and nice shoes. Why is he out here in the sun, without a hat?
比尔看着他。这人穿着昂贵的西装和漂亮的鞋子，为什么没戴帽子就跑到这烈日之下来了呢？
They drive for an hour before they get to Bill’s house.
他们开了一个小时才到达比尔的家。
Bill leaves the man asleep in the car. He goes into the house and tells his wife, Emily, about the man. Emily always knows what to do. ‘We must find out who he is then phone his home,’ she says. ‘Let’s look in his pockets. Perhaps there is something with his name on it.’
比尔让那人在车里继续睡，自己进屋把这件事告诉了妻子艾米丽。艾米丽总是很有主意。“我们得弄清楚他是谁，然后给他家里打电话，”她说，“翻翻他的口袋吧，也许有写着名字的东西。”
Bill and Emily go to the car. They find a wallet in the man’s pocket. There is a name – John Phillips – and a telephone number. There is also some money.
比尔和艾米丽来到车旁，在那人口袋里找到了一个钱包。里面有个名字——约翰·菲利普斯——还有一个电话号码，以及一些钱。
‘This money is twenty-five years old!’ says Bill to Emily. ‘Why has he got old money?’
“这些钱都是25年前的旧币！”比尔对艾米丽说，“他怎么会有这么旧的钱？”
‘John Phillips,’ says Emily to the man. ‘You’re very interesting.’ John suddenly opens his eyes and looks at her, smiling.
“约翰·菲利普斯，”艾米丽对着那人说道，“你真有意思。”约翰突然睁开眼睛看着她，微微一笑。
‘Can you walk?’ Emily asks John. He gets up slowly. ‘You’re ill. Let’s put you into a bed.’ Carefully, they help John out of the car.
“你能走路吗？”艾米丽问约翰。他慢慢地站起身来。“你病了，我们扶你上床休息吧。”他们小心翼翼地把约翰扶下车。
Bill’s dog sees John and is afraid. He runs away and sits under a tree. Bill and Emily help John upstairs and onto a bed. Ten minutes later he is sleeping again.
比尔的狗看到约翰后吓得跑开了，躲在一棵树下。比尔和艾米丽把约翰扶上楼安置在床上。十分钟后，他又睡着了。
In the kitchen, Emily says: ‘I don’t understand this… It’s not right. He’s different… It’s… Oh, I don’t know…’
在厨房里，艾米丽说：“我搞不懂这一切……不对劲。他很特别……这……唉，我不知道该怎么说……”
‘I don’t want him in our house. I am afraid of him,’ says Bill.
“我不想让他待在咱们家里，我怕他，”比尔说。
‘I know. I’m afraid, too. Let’s call the Flying Doctor,’ says Emily. ‘Then we must talk to his family.’
“我知道，我也害怕。我们给飞行医生打个电话吧，”艾米丽说，“然后还得联系他的家人。”
Bill picks up the telephone and calls the doctor. He tells the doctor about John Phillips. ‘I think he’s ill. He’s very tired and doesn’t talk. He doesn’t know who he is. Can you come quickly?’
比尔拿起电话打给医生，向他讲述了约翰·菲利普斯的情况。“我觉得他病了。他非常疲惫，不说话，也不知道自己是谁。您能快点来吗？”
The doctor lives about two hundred kilometres away. He must fly a plane to visit Bill. ‘I’m coming now,’ he says. ‘Look out for me in half an hour.’
医生住在大约200公里外，必须开飞机才能赶到比尔这里。“我现在就出发，”他说，“半小时后留意我的飞机。”
Bill puts down the phone. ‘Okay. Let me talk to his wife,’ says Emily. She takes the phone and calls the number. Somebody answers and Emily talks for a long time.
比尔放下电话。“好吧，让我跟他妻子谈谈，”艾米丽说着接过电话拨了过去。有人接听，艾米丽说了很久。
Bill hears her say: ‘But he is here… No, it is John Phillips. We have his wallet – his name is in it… Hello! Hello! Are you there?… Oh. What? When?… I don’t understand… Okay. Thank you. Goodbye.’ When she stops talking, her face is white.
比尔听到她说：“可他确实在这里……不，就是约翰·菲利普斯。我们有他的钱包，里面有他的名字……喂！喂！你还在吗？……哦，什么？什么时候？……我不明白……好的，谢谢，再见。”挂断电话时，她的脸色煞白。
She looks at Bill and says: ‘This is all wrong. “John Phillips is missing,” his wife says.’
她看着比尔说：“这完全不对劲。他妻子说‘约翰·菲利普斯已经失踪了’。”
‘For how long?’ says Bill.
“失踪多久了？”比尔问。
‘Thirty years,’ says Emily. ‘His wife has a new husband now. They have three children!’
“三十年，”艾米丽答道，“他妻子现在已经改嫁了，还有了三个孩子！”
The Flying Doctor is late. After an hour he arrives in his plane.
飞行医生迟到了。一个小时后，他才驾机抵达。
‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘This is a new plane – but sometimes it doesn’t go very well. I must take it to a mechanic. But it doesn’t matter now. I’m here.’
“抱歉，”他说，“这是架新飞机，但有时性能不太稳定，我得找个机械师修一下。不过现在没关系了，我到了。”
Bill tells him everything. The doctor asks a lot of questions, then goes to see the man. John Phillips is looking at the plane through the window.
比尔把事情原委告诉了他。医生问了许多问题，然后去看那人。约翰·菲利普斯正透过窗户注视着飞机。
‘Hello, John,’ says the doctor. ‘I’m a doctor and I need to ask you some questions. Can you remember your name? Can you remember where you live?’ John does not answer.
“你好，约翰，”医生说，“我是医生，需要问你几个问题。你还记得自己的名字吗？还记得住在哪里吗？”约翰没有回答。
The doctor talks to Bill and Emily. He says: ‘John hasn’t got any broken bones… but I’m not happy about him. I want to take him to hospital.’
医生对比尔和艾米丽说：“约翰没有骨折……但他的状况让我很担心，我想带他去医院。”
They put John in the plane next to the doctor. ‘Phone us,’ says Emily when the doctor gets in the plane. ‘Phone us from the hospital.’ Soon the doctor and John Phillips are high in the sky.
他们把约翰安置在飞机上医生的旁边。“到了医院给我们来个电话，”医生登机时艾米丽嘱咐道。很快，医生和约翰·菲利普斯便飞上了高空。
Suddenly John speaks for the first time. He talks slowly: ‘I don’t want to be here. I want to be with my friends. They are looking for me.’
突然，约翰第一次开口说话了。他缓缓说道：“我不想待在这里。我想和我的朋友们在一起，他们正在找我。”
John stands up in the plane.
约翰在飞机上站了起来。
‘Wait, you can’t do that,’ says the doctor. ‘Sit down!’
“等等，你不能这样，”医生说，“快坐下！”
John opens the door and says to the doctor: ‘You can come too. Do you want to?’
约翰打开舱门，对医生说：“你也可以一起来，愿意吗？”
‘What?’ shouts the doctor.
“什么？”医生惊呼道。
John looks into the doctor’s eyes. The doctor cannot move. He cannot look away. It is cold in the plane but the doctor is hot. John’s eyes are looking straight through him.
约翰直视着医生的眼睛。医生动弹不得，也无法移开视线。机舱里明明很冷，医生却觉得燥热难耐。约翰的目光仿佛穿透了他的身体。
‘Come with me. It’s a good place. It’s better than here.’
“跟我走吧。那是个好地方，比这里好多了。”
‘How can I?’ says the doctor quietly. Then John jumps.
“我怎么能去呢？”医生轻声喃喃道。随即，约翰纵身跃出机舱。
The doctor looks out of the window. John is falling – down, down, down. But the doctor can see a smile on his face.
医生望向窗外。约翰正在坠落——不断地下坠、下坠、再下坠。但医生能看到他脸上挂着笑容。
‘He isn’t going to die,’ thinks the doctor. ‘He knows that.’
“他不会死的，”医生心想，“他自己心里清楚。”
There are small trees below the plane. Cars drive on a long road. Kangaroos jump all around. John is very small now and he is falling fast.
飞机下方是小树丛。汽车在长长的公路上行驶，袋鼠在四周跳跃。约翰的身影变得很小，下坠的速度极快。
John is twenty metres above the trees. A kangaroo looks up, but John is not falling any more. A beam of light stops him and takes him away. Up, up, up.
当约翰距离树梢还有二十米时，一只袋鼠抬起头来，却发现他不再下坠了。一束光托住了他，将他带走。向上，向上，直冲云霄。
The doctor closes his eyes. The light is very, very white. When he opens his eyes the light is not there. John is not there. The doctor sees something in the sky. Then there is nothing.
医生闭上了眼睛。那道光极其耀眼洁白。当他再次睁开眼时，光芒消失了，约翰也不见了。医生似乎在空中看到了什么，随即一切归于虚无。
He is very unhappy – more unhappy than ever. ‘I want to go too!’ he says.
他感到无比悲伤——前所未有的失落。“我也想去啊！”他叹息道。
Roy Cole is a mechanic and he works in an airport. Today he is happy. The sun is nice and warm. Tomorrow is Saturday, and this weekend Roy is buying a new car. He is excited.
罗伊·科尔是一名机场机械师。今天他心情很好，阳光温暖宜人。明天就是星期六了，这个周末他打算买辆新车，心里满是期待。
He is eating a sandwich when he hears the plane. He looks up and sees it in the sky. The plane is coming to the airport. It gets very near. In the plane, Roy can see a man.
他正吃着三明治，忽然听到了飞机的声音。他抬头望去，只见一架飞机从天而降，正向机场驶来，越靠越近。罗伊能看到机舱里有个人。
‘Who is this?’ thinks Roy. ‘I don’t know this plane.’ He puts his sandwich in his pocket.
“这是谁？”罗伊心想，“我不认识这架飞机。”他把三明治塞进口袋。
The plane stops at the airport and a man gets out. Roy begins to walk across to him.
飞机在机场停稳，一个男人走了出来。罗伊朝他走去。
The man stands still and looks at the sky. There is a small smile on his face. His suit is dirty and he looks tired.
那人静静地站着仰望天空，脸上带着一丝淡淡的微笑。他的西装脏兮兮的，看起来很疲惫。
‘Oh dear!’ thinks Roy. ‘What’s the matter with him?’
“哎呀！”罗伊心想，“他这是怎么了？”
Roy likes to talk to people. He smiles, then talks to the man. ‘Perhaps I can help him,’ he thinks.
罗伊喜欢和人打交道。他微笑着跟那人搭话，心想：“也许我能帮帮他。”
‘Hi, I’m Roy. Who are you?’ Roy puts his hand out but the man does not move. Roy puts his hand in his pocket and looks at the plane.
“嗨，我是罗伊。你是谁？”罗伊伸出手想握手，但那人纹丝不动。罗伊只好把手插回口袋，转而打量起那架飞机。
Roy says to the man, ‘Wow! What a wonderful plane. It’s more than thirty years old. It’s an old Flying Doctor’s plane, isn’t it?’
罗伊对那人说：“哇！多棒的飞机啊。这得有三十多年历史了吧？这是一架老式的飞行医生专机，对不对？”
Suddenly the man looks at Roy and says: ‘Flying Doctor. Yes, that’s right. I’m a Flying Doctor.’
那人突然看向罗伊，说道：“飞行医生。没错，你说对了。我就是一名飞行医生。”
‘A Flying Doctor? Of course you are,’ says Roy with a smile. ‘Where do you live? Where do you want to go?’
“飞行医生？原来如此，”罗伊笑着说，“你住在哪里？想去哪儿？”
The doctor begins to get into the plane again. Then he stops and looks into Roy’s eyes. Roy hears him say: ‘I live a long way away now. I must go back. Do you want to come with me?’
医生正准备重新登上飞机，忽然停下来，深深地凝视着罗伊的眼睛。罗伊听到他说：“我现在住得很远很远，必须回去了。你想跟我一起走吗？”
Suddenly Roy feels hot. The doctor’s eyes are looking straight through him. ‘How can I?’ says Roy.
突然间，罗伊感到一阵燥热。医生的目光仿佛穿透了他的灵魂。“我怎么能去呢？”罗伊问道。
‘I can help you. Get in my plane,’ says the doctor.
“我可以帮你。上我的飞机吧，”医生说。
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