Short Story—Men are Driven to a Light(高三短篇小說—人愛追光)-兒歌薈萃-萬維博客-萬維讀者網（電腦版）

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		Short Story—Men are Driven to a Light(高三短篇小說—人愛追光)	2020-08-04 12:51:33

2019-11-09

【Aiden in English】

Men are driven to a Light. It glistens.

A man cannot hold the Light. He who does have the Light will be consumed by it. It burns from the inside out.

A stranger claims to have held the Light. He is a stranger in a strange land, and his claims are even stranger. Strangeness scares people, but not having the Light scares people more.

The stranger claims to be enlightened. He says he has touched the Light with his own mortal hands. He walks with a limp and an old wooden cane. He is blind.

“Why should we believe you?” people ask. “Even the strongest man, the bravest soul, the smartest minds cannot achieve the Light.”

He does not answer and asks for shelter.

No one believes him. No one follows him. He sleeps under a tree for the night.

The following day, the stranger is gone. He leaves without a sound, leaving only a trail of footsteps and his cane.

The villagers approach the cane, which faintly glows in the morning haze before vanishing in a bright flash.

The witnesses are stunned.

The village men scramble in the direction of the footsteps. They are shallow, uneven steps for a disabled person. Suddenly, the steps sharply turn into a thicket of trees, dramatically increasing their pace. Surprised, the villagers desperately rampage through the forest, clearing patches of grass in search of tracks, but to no avail. One by one, each searcher drops to the ground in despair and tiredness, and eventually, all return to the village.

A year passes, and the search for the older man has ended. The village is peaceful, but the desire for Light remains. Hardly anyone has the will to search for it anymore.

A young man with ambitious dreams ventures into the forest. He was present when the cane disappeared, and his eyes still shone with the same glow. He has not given up on his search.

He approaches the forest. Once trampled and smothered, the thicket has regrown. The young man fearlessly plunges into the branches alone, and the shadows enclose him.

The vines and branches scrape his arms, and the air grows thin. The young man struggles to breathe, but he pushes onwards.

The ground trembles and quakes. Tree roots twist and churn, rolling under the young man’s feet. He persists forward.

A flood of bats storms into the young man’s body. They scratch and bite, tearing at flesh. He battles through.

The young man bursts into a clearing. The trees dispersed as if allergic to something in the clearing. It is a man. A disabled person, the same cripple from a year ago. His eyes, blind to Light, curiously scan over the young man.

He laughs. “Oh, finally. A man worthy of the Light.”

The young man, gasping, replied, “Oh yes, the Light. I am here for the Light. Please grant me its grace.”

The older man gazes into the forest. The shadows darken. “You know, I’m not blind.”

“I know.”

The older man smiles. “I used to be, many, many years ago.”

“But the Light granted you sight, correct?”

“Yes, and I am grateful.” He takes to breathe. “But by then, I had already grown accustomed to being in the dark. I had no use for sight.”

The older man gingerly touches the young man’s heart. “Oh, what a strong heart. Oh, the wonders it can achieve.”

He smiles.

“The Light is not a reward that can be sought after. Nor does it hold the purpose of gold or wealth. It can only be given.” The older man sighs. “Those who seek the Light all their lives eventually lose themselves in darkness.”

To this, the young man grows outraged. He weeps.

The older man sadly smiles. He raises his hand, and a bright flash of Light consumes him, blinding the young man.

The older man, like his cane, disappears.

The young man has lost his sight.

【紅霞譯】

人愛追光，因為光璀璨生輝。

人抓不住光，即使捕捉到的光芒也將轉瞬即逝，消耗殆盡。

陌生人聲稱抓住了光。他初來乍到，說話不着邊際。陌生固然可怕，但沒有光更讓人恐懼無度。

陌生人宣告憬然有悟。他親手觸摸過光，儘管腿瘸跛行，拄着一根舊的木拐，是個盲人。

“我們為啥相信你？”人們質疑：“即使最強壯的力士、最勇敢的靈魂、最睿智的思維都無法獲取光芒。”

他沒作答，僅要求有立身之地。

沒人理睬他，沒人跟隨他，他只好在樹下過夜。