会缝补的陌生人 The Stranger Who Sews

作者：Michael Luo

残阳斜照，树影斑驳，一个年轻姑娘站在那里，宽大的黑色蝴蝶结，银白光泽的蓝色卷发，金光闪闪的配饰，一身优雅精致的连衣裙。她双手中握着一把半虚半实的巨大剪刀。她来到这片西方的大陆已经数周——甚至可能已有数月。这片土地在天边勾勒出广袤的地平线，是她所见过最大的一片，不过格温心里只想着一件事：

Under the setting sun, hidden behind a dense thicket, a young lady stands with large black bows in her silvery blue hair, complimented by golden ornaments and an elegantly tailored dress. Her hands grip a pair of giant spectral scissors. It has been weeks—months, maybe—since she first arrived on the western continent. The land here paints a vast horizon, the biggest she has ever seen, but Gwen has one thing on her mind:

黑雾。

The Black Mist.

她从岛上一路追来，只要一有机会，就要阻止它的侵袭。不远处有一座石砌的小房子，炊烟袅袅。模糊的窗里亮起了烛光。一扇木门打开，跑出两个小男孩，一人手里抓着一个玩偶。他们在农场上相互追逐，一边嬉笑一边大声喊着口令。这一刻，他们不再是孩童，他们的玩具也不再是拼接缝合的布块。他们是御驾亲征的国王，而手中的玩具则是骁勇善战的士兵，在保卫王国，抗击邪恶。

She has tracked it here all the way from the Isles, stopping it wherever she could. Not far off in the distance sits a small cobblestone farmhouse. A chimney puffs out smoke. Foggy windows begin to glow with the reflection of candlelight. A wooden door swings open and two boys run out, each holding a doll. They chase one another across the farm, laughing and shouting words of battle. In this moment, they are no longer children and their toys no longer cloth and string. They are kings and their toys are brave warriors, fighting evil to defend their kingdoms.

格温轻叹了一口气。她想起了主人的家，和眼前这个家并没有太多不同。她想起曾经无忧无虑的游戏时光。那时她只是个玩偶，那时她的主人满怀平安喜乐。

Gwen sighs. She thinks of her maker’s home, not too different from the one before her now. She remembers how it felt to play without a worry in the world. Back when she was a toy doll herself, back when her maker was happy and safe...

最开始的征兆一定是痛楚。格温捂住了胸口，然后她便看见东边的树林里，它出来了：发黑的雾气伸出细弱的触须，卷曲着、重叠着，组成看似熟悉的形状。刺耳的尖叫声挤压出无数只邪爪，渴求着生命。两个男孩扔下玩偶掉头就跑。

The pain always hits first. Gwen clutches her chest, and then she sees it. From the woods to the east, it comes: thin tendrils of blackened mist, coiling over each other to form almost familiar shapes. Their contorted hands claw for life under the weight of piercing screams. The boys drop their toys and run.

格温不忍再听那些——不是黑雾中的凄厉，她已经听过太多次了——是孩子们。他们是无辜的。他们本该拥有的是快乐的童年。

Gwen cannot bear to hear their cries. Not those of the Black Mist—that she has heard many times—but of the children. They are innocent. They deserve joy.

她从密林中一跃而出。巨大的剪刀举过头顶，闭合的剪刃拖出一道白色的幽光。连衣裙随她旋转摇摆，剪刀画出圆弧向下劈砍，许多毫无防备的黑雾怨灵被一击灭散。

She leaps out of the thicket. Her scissors swing high above her head, white wisps flowing from their closed blades. As her dress twirls, she slashes in a downward arc, ripping a slew of unsuspecting Black Mist wraiths asunder.

“哈！”格温大喝一声，“你们来得太慢了。怕我了对不对？”

“Ha!” Gwen shouts. “Took you quite long enough. Scared of me, are you?”

怨灵纷纷看向格温，尖牙利齿中吐出窸窣的怪叫。

The wraiths turn their attention to Gwen and screech through jagged maws.

格温看向那两个惊呆的孩子，他们蹲伏在一棵横倒的树干后面。她用轻柔的声音说，“别担心。我不会让它们得逞的。”

Gwen looks to the stunned children, crouched behind a fallen tree. Her voice softens. “Don’t worry. I won’t let them hurt you.”

怨灵聚集起来。空中回荡着阴沉的喊叫声。方才还清澈的天空中，凭空凝结出了乌黑、破败的云雾，笼罩了格温。两个男孩紧紧搂在一起。

The wraiths swarm. Somber cries fill the air. Dark, ruinous clouds materialize out of the once gentle sky, surrounding Gwen. The boys huddle close.

格温张开了剪刀。只在一次吐息间，怨灵仿佛静止了。格温抓住机会，向前猛冲。她的剪刀速度太快，肉眼无从分辨。一缕缕暗影出现又消散，被格温的魔法剪刃彻底破除。一，二，三秒过后，只有一小团黑雾的仆从依然残留。

Gwen opens her scissors. For a breath, the wraiths stand still. Gwen seizes her chance and dashes forward. She cuts too fast for the naked eye. Tufts of darkness appear and fade, sheared out of existence by Gwen’s magical blades. One, two, three seconds later, and only a small handful of the Black Mist’s servants remain.

格温喘了口气，一只手扶着膝盖，另一只手把剪刀竖插进泥土里。她的连衣裙上有几根脱开的丝线在风中飘舞。她目光扫过那棵横倒的树干。两对惊恐的眼睛正向这边偷看。她回过头看向那些怨灵。“我不会让他们失望的。”她对自己说，“我曾许下诺言，我不会让任何人失望。”

Gwen catches her breath, one hand on her knee, the other holding her scissors nose-down in the dirt. Ripped threads of her dress sway in the wind. Her eyes scan for the collapsed tree. Two pairs of frightened eyes peek out. She turns her attention back to the wraiths. “I won’t let them down,” she says to herself. “I promised I wouldn’t let anyone down.”

她从衣兜里抽出几根针，向上扔到空中。再转身飞旋，一手重重拍在地上。那些细针如同听到了命令，纷纷落在格温身边，组成了一个圆。她闭上双眼轻声说，“愿我的雾霭圣洁。”

She plucks a few needles out of her pocket and throws them upward. With a spin, she smacks a hand down on the ground. The needles, as if on command, fall into place and form a circle around Gwen. She closes her eyes and whispers, “Hallowed be my mist.”

一丝丝白色的迷雾，闪烁着微光，从一根根细针中流淌而出。一个男孩捂住了自己的双眼。另一个则继续看着。这股迷雾不一样。它让人感觉静谧、温暖，甚至是……安全？雾霭的丝线缠绕盘旋，整洁地流淌汇聚，编织成缝纫女工的杰作。很快，格温周身裹在了一团庇护她的浓雾中。

Threads of mist, white with glints of light, flow from each needle. One boy covers his eyes. The other looks on. This mist is different. It feels quiet, warm, safe even? Its threads swirl and blend neatly, the work of a master seamstress. Soon, Gwen is shrouded by a protective fog.

一个怨灵，不知是冒失还是绝望，冲进了这个神秘的领域。其他怨灵在附近聚集，想要跟上。在浓雾之内，格温绕着敌人跳起圆舞。她躲开了每道抓扒，每次横扫，银铃般的笑声穿插在剪刀的闭合铮铮之间。

A single wraith, brave or desperate, dives into this mysterious domain. The others corral nearby, eager to follow. Inside, Gwen dances circles around her foe. She dodges every claw, every swipe, chuckling between the clangs of her scissors.

又一个怨灵进去了。又一声轻笑回响起来。

Another wraith enters. Another chuckle echoes.

浓雾的外面，两个男孩惊讶地看着。她是谁？是何方神圣？

From the outside, both boys watch in awe. Who is she? What is she?

在他们看来，似乎轻而易举，但格温知道，这些怨灵不眠不休。她需要结束这场战斗。她咬紧牙关，挥舞巨剪，将一个怨灵一刀两断，随后将武器放到一旁。她抽出最后几根针，倾注全部的魔法，把针簇射向前方。细针疾射出迷雾，穿过那些怨灵的胸膛。

To them, it appears easy, but Gwen knows these wraiths are relentless. She needs to end this. Gritting her teeth, she swings her scissors, slicing another wraith in two before setting her weapon aside. She draws her last needles and, channeling all the magic she can muster, shoots them forward. They fly from the shroud into the hollow chests of the wraiths.

格温并没有笑，而是发出了一声胜利的呐喊。怨灵全都溃散消失，只剩下一根根细针插在泥土中。

Gwen does not chuckle. She lets out a triumphant yell as the wraiths burst and vanish, leaving only needles on the dirt.

一阵凉爽的清风拂过格温亮晶晶的蝴蝶结，所有的迷雾都散去了。她抓起剪刀，拾起针，长呼出一口气。她的目光看回那棵横倒的树，两个男孩现在坐在了树干上。

A cool breeze tickles Gwen’s glistening brow as all the mist fades. She grabs her scissors and needles, and exhales. Her eyes turn back to the fallen tree where the children now sit.

格温走过去。“你们没事吧？”

Gwen approaches them. “Are you alright?”

一张沾着草叶的小脸抬起来，摇了摇头。“你太厉害了！”另一个男孩大呼道。他把手里破了口子的玩偶扔到地上，扔到另一个玩偶的身边。“我们可就不行了。”他放低了声音喃喃自语，“我们一点用都没有。”

A grass-stained face looks at her and nods. “You’re amazing!” the other boy exclaims. He drops his torn doll to the ground where another already lies. “Not like us,” he mutters under his breath. “We can’t do nothin’.”

格温轻轻蹙眉。她感受到了他们的痛苦。他们弱小无助，完全有权利感到悲伤和愤怒，但她却无法把视线从那两个坏掉的玩偶身上挪开，她觉得心中不免一痛。

Gwen frowns. She senses their pain. They were helpless, and they have every right to be sad and angry, yet she can’t help but see the broken dolls and feel hurt herself.

“你是——”其中一个男孩开口要问。“你会留下来陪我们吗？”另一个男孩脱口而出。

“Who are—” one boy begins. “Will you stay with us?” the other blurts out.

格温想了一瞬，这时，一个衣衫褴褛的妇人喘着粗气冲出来，一把抱住两个孩子。

Gwen wonders for a second before a bedraggled woman, short of breath, rushes out and embraces the children.

“我的小宝贝！你们没事太好了。”她脸上止不住地淌下眼泪。

“My darlings! I’m so glad you’re safe,” she says, tears flowing down her face.

“抱歉，女士，”格温礼貌地说，“你是谁？”

“Excuse me, miss,” Gwen says politely. “Who are you?”

“噢，请原谅，”那个妇人答道，“我真是失礼了。”她擦干眼睛，这才好好看清格温，随后她犹豫了。

“Oh, you’ll have to forgive me,” the woman replies. “Where are my manners?” She wipes her eyes, sees Gwen in full for the first time, and hesitates.

“她是我们的妈妈啦！”一个孩子说。妇人点点头亲吻她的儿子。

“She’s our mom, duh!” a child says. The woman nods and kisses her son.

“谢谢你，”妇人对格温说道，声音止不住颤抖，“说实话，我不知道那些是什么东西，也不知道你是谁……但你救了我的孩子，这就足够了。”她向格温伸出双手，张开手掌——表示谢意的姿势。

“Thank you,” the woman says to Gwen, her voice quavering. “I don't know what those things were, or who you are, for that matter... but you saved my boys, and that’s enough for me.” Her hands reach toward Gwen, palms open—a sign of gratitude.

格温看着这位母亲的双手，手指上的茧子和指甲上的裂痕十分明显。她看到她的围裙，前兜里装着一根快要用完的线轴，丝线一直延伸到石砌小屋里。格温又看了一眼地上那两个破损的玩偶，随后对母子三人露出微笑。她看到妈妈张开了双臂，紧紧抱住两个孩子，她听到了欢笑。幸福和宽慰的甜美音调让格温想起了一种力量，它将战胜孩子们的痛苦。

Gwen looks at the mother’s hands, the calluses on her fingers and the nicks in her nails. She sees her apron, its front pocket holding a near-empty spool with thread trailing toward the cobblestone house. Gwen eyes the broken dolls again and smiles knowingly. Watching the mother’s arms wrapped around her children, she hears laughter. Its sweet tones of happiness and relief remind Gwen of something stronger than the children’s pain.

爱。

Love.

不仅是纯洁、朴实的爱，更是由牺牲奉献而生的爱。格温轻瞥了一眼遥远的天边，想起了她的主人。她放下剪刀，拾起了孩子们的玩偶，放在那位母亲的手中。

And not just a pure, innocent kind, but one born out of sacrifice. Gwen steals a glance at the distant horizon, remembering her maker. She lays her scissors down and picks up the children’s dolls, setting them in their mother’s hands.

“哦，我给他们做的破玩具。”妇人说。

“Oh, these silly toys I made for them,” the woman says.

“别这么说，我曾经也是一个破玩具，和它们一样。”格温说，“但魔法让我活了起来。”

“Why, I was once a silly toy, just like these,” Gwen says. “But I was brought to life by magic.”

“魔法！什么魔法？”一个男孩问。

“Magic! What magic?” a boy asks.

“嗯，我也不太清楚，”格温把心里想的直接说了出来，“但拥有这魔法的人，正是制作我的人，而她所做出的的牺牲，来自一个很特殊的地方。一个充满喜悦与仁爱的地方。”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure,” Gwen thinks aloud, “but the person who had that magic was my maker, you see, and the sacrifices she made came from a very special place. A joyful, loving place.”

格温对那个妇人说，“你们的母亲可能知道。”

Gwen turns to the woman. “Your mother might know.”

妇人和孩子们看着格温，疑惑不解。

The woman and her children stare at Gwen, confused.

“抱歉，”格温对他们说道，她知道黑雾依然还在远方翻涌。“我必须得走了。”她一手抓起剪刀，另一只手捏出两股线。这是两根珍贵的心弦，它们飘浮在空中，随后分别在两个玩偶的布料上找到了家，把裂口缝合了起来。

“I’m sorry,” Gwen says to them, knowing the Black Mist is still out there. “I must get going.” She grabs her scissors with one hand and flicks out two threads with the other. They float in the air, two precious heartstrings, before finding homes in the dolls’ torn fabric, sewing their rips together.

“哇哦！”一个男孩说着，高高举起修复如初的玩具。另一个男孩对着自己的玩偶模仿起格温指尖的动作，希望它也能活起来。“要是我也有魔法就好了。”他大大的眼睛里装满了憧憬。

“Wow!” one boy says, lifting his mended toy up high. His brother imitates Gwen’s flicking motion at his own doll, hoping it’ll somehow animate on its own. “I wish I had magic,” he says, eyes wide.

格温看着那位母亲，她深深的爱意正透过紧紧的拥抱满溢而出。他看到男孩们的快乐，听到玩偶给他们带来的欢笑。

Gwen looks at the mother, whose love is reflected in how tight she holds her children, and sees the brothers’ joy, listening to their renewed laughter as they play with their dolls.

“你已经有了。”格温悄声说完，转身离开了这家人。

“You do,” Gwen whispers before turning to leave the family behind.