日本科幻文学 经典科幻文学:《宇宙尽头的餐馆》第17章7

经典科幻文学:《宇宙尽头的餐馆》第17章7  

“It’s marvellous though
” he rattled on
“to see so many of you here tonight no isn’t it though? Yes
absolutely marvellous. Because I know that so many of you e here time and time again
which I think is really wonderful
to e and watch this final end of everything
and then return home to your own eras… and raise families
strive for new and better societies
fight terrible wars for what you know to be right… it really gives one hope for the future of all lifekind. Except of course
” he waved at the blitzing turmoil above and around them
“that we know it hasn’t got one…”
Arthur turned to Ford he hadn’t quite got this place worked out in his mind.
“Look
surely
” he said
“if the Universe is about to end… don’t we go with it?”
Ford gave him a three-Pan-Galactic-Gargle-Blaster look
in other words a rather unsteady one.
“No
” he said
“look
” he said
“as soon as you e into this dive you get held in this sort of amazing force-shielded temporal warp thing. I think.”
“Oh
” said Arthur. He turned his attention back to a bowl of soup he’d managed to get from the waiter to replace his steak.
“Look
” said Ford
“I’ll show you.”
He grabbed at a napkin off the table and fumbled hopelessly with it.
“Look
” he said again
“imagine this napkin
right
as the temporal Universe
right? And this spoon as a transductional mode in the matter curve…”
It took him a while to say this last part
and Arthur hated to interrupt him.
“That’s the spoon I was eating with
” he said.
“Alright
” said Ford
“imagine this spoon…” he found a small wooden spoon on a tray of relishes
“this spoon…” but found it rather tricky to pick up
“no
better still this fork…”
“Hey would you let go of my fork?” snapped Zaphod.
“Alright
” said Ford
“alright
alright. Why don’t we say… why don’t we say that this wine glass is the temporal Universe…”
“What
the one you’ve just knocked on the floor?”
“Did I do that?”
“Yes.”
“Alright
” said Ford
“fet that. I mean… I mean
look
do you know do you know how the Universe actually began for a kick off?”
“Probably not
” said Arthur
who wished he’d never embarked on any of this.
“Alright
” said Ford
“imagine this. Right. You get this bath. Right. A large round bath. And it’s made of ebony.”
“Where from?” said Arthur
“Harrods was destroyed by the Vogons.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“So you keep saying.”
“Listen.”
“Alright.”