經典科幻文學:《 再見 多謝你們的魚》第40章2

So much time, it groaned, oh so much time. And pain as well, so much of that, and so much time to suffer it in too. One or the other on its own I could probably manage. It’s the two together that really get me down. Oh hello, you again.

Marvin? said Arthur sharply, crouching down beside it. Is that you?

You were always one, groaned the aged husk of the robot, for the super-intelligent question, weren’t you?

What is it? whispered Fenchurch in alarm, crouching behind Arthur, and grasPing on to his arm.

He’s sort of an old friend, said Arthur. I…

Friend! croaked the robot pathetically. The word died away in a kind of crackle and flakes of rust fell out of its mouth. You’ll have to excuse me while I try and remember what the word means. My memory banks are not what they were you know, and any word which falls into disuse for a few zillion years has to get shifted down into auxiliary memory back-up. Ah, here it comes.

The robot’s battered head snapped up a bit as if in thought.

Hmm, he said, what a curious concept.

He thought a little longer.

No, he said at last, don’t think I ever came across one of those. Sorry, can’t help you there.

He scraped a knee along pathetically in the dust, an then tried to twist himself up on his misshapen elbows.

Is there any last service you would like me to perform for you perhaps? he asked in a kind of hollow rattle. A piece of paper that perhaps you would like me to pick up for you? Or maybe you would like me, he continued, to open a door?

His head scratched round in its rusty neck bearings and seemed to scan the distant horizon.

Don’t seem to be any doors around at present, he said, but I’m sure that if we waited long enough, someone would build one. And then, he said slowly twisting his head around to see Arthur again, I could open it for you. I’m quite used to waiting you know.

Arthur, hissed Fenchurch in his ear sharply, you never told me of this. What have you done to this poor creature?

Nothing, insisted Arthur sadly, he’s always like this…

Ha! snapped Marvin. Ha! he repeated. What do you know of always? You say “always” to me, who, because of the silly little errands your organic lifeforms keep on sending me through time on, am now thirty-seven times older than the Universe itself? Pick your words with a little more care, he coughed, and tact.

He rasped his way through a coughing fit and resumed.

“這麼長時間，”它呻吟着，“這麼長時間。還有痛苦，也這麼多，而且還是這麼長時間的這麼多痛苦。如果只是其中一種我還應該能應付得了。兩個一起來我就真沒辦法了。哦你好，又是你啊。”

“馬文？”阿瑟尖聲叫道，他在它身邊蹲下來，“是你嗎？”

“你永遠是這樣，”機器人陳舊的外殼呻吟着，“問一些超級聰明的問題，是不是？”

“這是什麼？”芬切琪在阿瑟背後蹲下來，抓住了他的胳膊，警惕地問。

“算是個老朋友，”阿瑟說，“我……”

“朋友！”機器人悲慘地咕噥。這個詞在一陣劈啪聲中消散了，幾片鏽斑從它嘴裏落下來，“請你原諒我要努力回憶這個詞是什麼意思。我的記憶庫不像以前了，你知道。所有幾萬億年沒用過的詞都被放到輔助存儲備份裏面去了。啊，找到了。”

機器人砸扁了的頭向上合了一下，似乎在思考。

“唔，”他說，“真是個奇怪的概念。”

他又想了一會。

“不對，”他最後說，“我想我沒遇到過一個這樣的。對不起，我幫不了你。”

他在塵土裏悲慘地滑動着一隻膝蓋，然後努力要在自己扭曲的手肘上撐起來。

“有沒有什麼最後的服務你可能會希望我做的？”他用一種空洞的咔咔聲問，“要我給你撿張紙？或者要我，”他接着說，“打開一扇門？”

他那生鏽的脖子支撐着的頭吱吱轉動這，看起來在掃描遠處的天際。

“看起來這會兒周圍沒有門，”他說，“不過我肯定如果我們等的時間夠長的話，會有人修一個起來的。然後，”他慢慢扭過頭來看着阿瑟，“我就可以給你開門了。我非常習慣等待了，你知道。”

“阿瑟，”芬切琪在他耳邊嚴厲地小聲說，“你從來沒跟我說過這個。你對這個可憐的東西幹了些什麼？”

“什麼都沒幹，”阿瑟悲傷地聲明，“他永遠這個樣子……”

“哈！”馬文厲聲說，“哈！”他重複了一遍，“你知道永遠？你對我，這個由於你這種生命組織一直派我穿越時間去完成那些愚蠢的小任務，現在已經比宇宙自己都古老三十七倍的機器人，說‘永遠’？多注意一點收回你的用詞吧，”他咳嗽着，“用點腦子。”

他咳嗽着向前劃拉，又接着說。