經典科幻文學:《基本上無害 Mostly Harmless》第22章2

First, the context. This was a desert world. The dusty earth was packed hard and had neatly bruised every last bit of Arthur that hadn’t already been bruised by the festivities of the previous night. Some way ahead of them were great cliffs that looked like sandstone, eroded by the wind and what little rain presumably fell in those parts into wild and fantastic shapes, which matched the fantastic shapes of the giant cacti that sprouted here and there from the arid, orange landscape.

首先，大背景。這是個沙漠的世界，灰塵撲撲的地表被踩得特別結實，乾淨利索地解決了阿瑟身上任何一寸仍然完好的皮膚，也就是那些還沒被昨晚的節目弄傷的部分。前方不遠處有些很大的高巖，看起來像是砂岩，被風和想來總會下的那麼一點點雨水侵蝕成曠野怪誕的形狀，剛好同貧瘠的橙色地面上的那些巨型仙人掌相配——他們時不時冒出一棵來，形狀也是同樣的放蕩不羈。

For a moment Arthur dared to hope they had unexpectedly arrived in Arizona or New Mexico or maybe South Dakota, but there was plenty of evidence that this was not the case.

有一瞬間，阿瑟竟然膽敢希望自己來到了亞利桑那，或者新墨西哥，又或者南達科他，但這顯然只是他一廂情願。

The Perfectly Normal Beasts, for a start, still thundering, still pounding. They swept up in their tens of thousands from the far horizon, disappeared completely for about half a mile, then swept off, thundering and pounding to the distant horizon opposite.

首先，絕對正常獸扔在轟隆隆砰砰砰。它們好幾萬頭一起消失在遠端的地平線，完全不見蹤影，然後又轟隆隆砰砰砰地席捲過來，出現在對面的地平線上。

Then there were the spaceships parked in front of the Bar & Grill. Ah. The Domain of the King Bar & Grill. Bit of an anti-climax, thought Arthur to himself.

此外，還有停在快餐店門口的那些飛船。王的領地餐廳。阿瑟暗想，對於如此驚心動魄的開頭來說，這個結局實在太平淡了。

In fact only one of the spaceships was parked in front of the Domain of the King Bar & Grill. The other three were in a parking lot by the side of the Bar and Grill. It was the one in front that caught the eye, though. Wonderful looking thing. Wild fins all over it, far, far too much chrome all over the fins and most of the actual bodywork painted in a shocking pink. It crouched there like an immense brooding insect and looked as if it was at any moment about to jump on something about a mile away. The Domain of the King Bar & Grill was slap bang in the middle of where the Perfectly Normal Beasts would be charging if they didn’t take a minor transdimensional diversion on the way. It stood on its own, undisturbed. An ordinary Bar & Grill. A truckstop diner. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Quiet. The Domain of the King.

事實上，王的領地餐廳跟前只有一艘飛船，其他三艘都待在餐廳旁邊的停車場。不過吸引眼球的正是停在前邊的那艘。那模樣真是棒極了。全身都是瘋狂的安定翼，安定翼上鍍了太多太多的鉻，機身則基本上搞成了一種駭人聽聞的粉紅色。它像只悶悶不樂的昆蟲似的縮在地上，看起來彷彿隨時準備撲向一英里外的什麼東西。王的領地餐廳正好在絕對正常獸的衝刺路線上——假如中途它們沒有稍稍轉一個跨位面的彎。它獨自屹立，沒人打擾。一個普普通通的餐廳。一個路邊的小館子。在荒蕪中給自己找了個地方，安安靜靜。王的領地。

‘Gonna buy that spaceship,’ said Ford quietly.

“我要買下那艘飛船。”福特平靜的說。

‘Buy it?’ said Arthur. ‘That’s not like you. I thought you usually pinched them.’

“買？”阿瑟道，“這可不像你。我以爲你一般都是用偷的。”