微小説一則
Bilingual version
1/22/2017
Macro fiction in English
1/22/2017
Full text follows Chinese version
夢境之離奇繽紛，常讓人感覺不可思議。以下敍述之短篇即為十多年前日記中記載的一則故事，根據夢醒時刻的恍惚印象急書而得。只因所記荒誕不經，頗有唐傳奇之風，因題之為小說。
不知何時得到一物，狀如一僧盤膝而坐。街坊中有攤眅，告知並示範如下：取一束乾草，中腰以絲帶紥穩，上頭套個椰子殼做的頭廬、取筆點劃眉眼鼻口，嘩！一個慈眉善目的僧人就現身眼前。
這位師父法相莊嚴面帶笑容，我竟日和他對望習以為常。一日，忽見他嘴角一動，以為自己眼花，凝神再瞧，他不僅僅笑了，還説起話來，一問一答，有問有答，神靈無比。
恭請師父移駕隣近教堂舉辦表演活動。成群街坊擠入小小的教堂，紛紛上前發問，一概有問皆答人人滿意，衆人靜候這位神僧施展神功。你道他表演那樣神功？
他將衆人嗑過的瓜子殼收取置盤中，徐徐向盤中吹口氣，所有碎殻就立時變回尚未嗑過的瓜子，完好如初！只是神僧或許只發出六、七成功力，最底層的瓜殼有些尚未轉形，仍舊是破殼。神僧抓出一把碎屑用力一吹，又是成形的上好瓜子！
你瞧，這不是挺有趣的神怪故事嗎？對了，我還沒説完呢！表演即將完畢，衆人漸次離去，我跑回家告訴丈夫，拉著他去觀賞奇技。回到教堂時人已散去，趕緊追出門找尋。忽而見到前面一條街上，緩步走著一位形貌相仿的僧人，急步向前追趕，卻怎麼也追不上他。這位神僧就此消失地表，你說奇怪不奇怪？
Grace
註： 原文記載日期為: 7/24/2003
January 22, 2017:
Dreams are often bizarre and colorful, leaving one feeling bewildered. The following short story is a tale recorded in my diary more than ten years ago, hastily written down based on the hazy impressions of waking from a dream. Because the account is absurd and has a style reminiscent of Tang Dynasty legends, it is categorized as fiction.
I don't know when I obtained an object, shaped like a monk sitting cross-legged. There was a stall in the neighborhood, and I was told and demonstrated as follows: Take a bundle of dry grass, tie it securely in the middle with a ribbon, put a coconut shell as a headdress on top, take a pen and draw eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth, and wow! A kind-faced monk appeared before me.
This master had a solemn appearance and a smiling face, and I became accustomed to looking at him every day. One day, I suddenly saw the corner of his mouth move. I thought I was seeing things, but when I looked closely, he not only smiled, but also began to speak, asking and answering questions, with unparalleled divine power.
I respectfully invited the master to move to the nearby church to hold a performance. A crowd of neighbors crowded into the small church, eagerly asking questions. He answered every question to everyone's satisfaction, and the crowd waited patiently for the monk to perform his divine powers. Can you imagine what kind of magic he performed?
He collected the shells of the sunflower seeds that everyone had cracked and placed them in a dish. He then slowly blew on the dish, and all the broken shells instantly transformed back into unopened sunflower seeds, perfectly intact! However, the monk probably only used six or seven tenths of his power; some of the shells at the bottom remained unopened. The monk grabbed a handful of the broken shells and blew on them forcefully, and they became perfectly formed sunflower seeds again!
Isn't that a fascinating supernatural tale? Oh, right, I haven't finished yet! As the performance was about to end, the crowd gradually left. I ran home to tell my husband, and dragged him to see the amazing feat. When we returned to the church, the crowd had already dispersed, so I quickly went outside to look for him. Suddenly, I saw a monk who looked similar walking slowly down a street ahead. I hurried after him, but I couldn't catch up. This revered monk simply vanished from the earth. Isn't that strange?
Grace
note: The original text states the date as （7/24/2003.)
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