Chapter 15 Part IV AD 4000000000

We're heading inland from Padang, and that's about as far as I know.We were going uphill, and the road was sometimes smooth and gentle, and sometimes bumpy and bumpy.Later, the car finally stopped in front of a concrete building.Although it looks like a warehouse in the dark, under the light of the tungsten bulb, I can see a red crescent pattern painted on the wall, so this must be some kind of clinic.The driver was not happy when he found out that he was driving us to such a place.This is more proof that I am sick, not drunk.However, Diane slipped more bills into his hand and sent him away.Even if he couldn't be happy, at least his anger disappeared.

I couldn't even stand, leaning on Diane, and she was holding my whole weight.The night air was very humid, and we stood on the empty road, the moonlight pouring down through the scattered clouds.Looking around, except for the clinic in front of me and the gas station across the road, there are no other buildings nearby, only patches of woods and empty flat land.Those flat lands were presumably farmlands once upon a time.There was no one around, and suddenly, the screen door of the clinic creaked open, and a short, fat woman hurried towards us.She was wearing a long skirt and a little white cap on her head.

Ebdiane, welcome welcome!There was an uncontainable excitement in the woman's tone, but she spoke softly, as if she was afraid that others would hear even if there was no one around at the moment. Ibina.Diane answered her with respect. This must be Park Taylor.Dupre, the one I mentioned to you. Is he too serious to speak? No one can understand what he is saying now. Come on, let's find a way to lift him inside. Diane was on my left, and the woman named Ibina grabbed my right shoulder.She was no longer young, but she was very strong.A head of thinning gray hair poked out from under the hat, and he smelled like cinnamon.From the way she kept wrinkling her nose, I must smell bad.

After we entered the clinic, we passed a waiting room, decorated with white rattan and some cheap metal chairs, empty and deserted.We then entered a fairly modern-looking exam room, and Diane laid me down on a padded examining table.Ina said: Well, let's see how to make him more comfortable.As soon as I relaxed my mind, I passed out unconsciously. ☆ In a daze, I heard calls for prayer from a mosque in the distance, and smelled the aroma of brewed coffee, and woke up unconsciously. I found myself sleeping on a small mattress, completely naked.It was a small room with concrete walls on three sides. There was a window through which the faint light of the morning sun was the only light in the room.On the other side of the room is a whole curtain, which seems to be made of bamboo, and outside is a corridor.Through the bamboo curtain, I heard some voices in the corridor, as if someone was busy filling things out of cups, bowls and plates.

The clothes I wore last night have been laundered and folded next to the mattress.I could feel my fever go away and I had just enough strength to get dressed.I have now experienced the feeling of happiness and health between two fevers, like an oasis in the desert. I kept one foot on the ground for balance, and the other foot was aimed at the trouser leg and was about to go in. At this time, Ibuina saw it through the bamboo curtain.She said: You seem to be getting better and can stand up now. As soon as I said that, I fell back on the mattress with only half of my clothes on.Ina came in, carrying a bowl of rice, a spoon, and a tin cup with white enamel.She walked up to me, knelt down, and looked at the wooden tray in her hand, as if to mean: Shall I eat a little?

I find that I want to eat.This is the first time I feel hungry in so many days.This should be a good sign.My trouser waist was baggy, and my ribs in the front of my chest looked like a row of washboards, which was unbearable.I said: thank you. do you remember?As she spoke, she handed me the bowl.Someone introduced us last night.I'm sorry, but this room is really shabby. It probably feels like being locked in a prison. It's not comfortable at all. She is about fifty or sixty years old, her round face is full of wrinkles, and her facial features seem to be crowded on a yellow-skinned moon.Coupled with the black robe on his body and the white hat on his head, the whole person looks a bit like a scary apple ghost doll.If there were Mennonites living in West Sumatra, it would probably look like Ibuina.

Her accent sounded like a cadenced Indonesian accent, but her English enunciation was very clear.I said: You speak English very well.For a while, I just wanted to get this compliment. Thank you.I studied at the University of Cambridge in England. Do you want to learn English? I study medicine. Although the white rice has no taste, it is quite delicious.I ate up the meal with an exaggerated movement. Do you want another bowl later? OK, thank you. In the Minangkabau dialect, Ibrahimovic is a respectful title for women. (Pak for men.) So Ina is a Minangkabau doctor, and we are in the highlands of Sumatra, and probably near Mount Mepila.I know very little about the Minangkabau tribe that Ina belongs to. I only saw it in a Sumatra travel guide on the way from Singapore by plane.There are about 5 million Minangkabau people in the towns and villages on the highlands of Sumatra.Many of the best restaurants in Patong City are owned by Minangkabau people.The Minangkabau people are best known for their matrilineal society, their business sense, and their culture, which is a fusion of Islamic and Yadat law traditions.

But even knowing that, I still don't understand why I'm in this room, why I'm in a Dr. Minangkabau clinic. I asked her: Is Diane still asleep?i don't quite understand I'm afraid she's not there.Ibudian took the bus back to Patong City, but you'll be fine here. I just hope she's okay. Of course, it would be safer for her to stay here and try not to go to the city.But there is no way, if she doesn't go to the city, neither of you can escape from Indonesia. How did you meet Diane? Ina grinned.That was pure coincidence, or should I say good luck.The person she was talking to about business happened to be my ex-husband, Jara, who was in the import-export business, and a few others.Now it seems more and more obvious that Xin Lie Huo Mo Xi and those people have been watching her very closely.I am also a resident in a public hospital in Padang, and I see a doctor there a few days a month.I was really happy when Jara introduced Diane to me, even though he was just looking for a place for his future clients to hide for a while.I was so excited that I was able to meet Parker Jason in person.Lawton's sister!

At that moment, the horror in my heart is indescribable.You know Jason too? I just know him as a person, and I'm not as lucky as you.I've never had the privilege of seeing him in person, speaking to him.Oh, by the way, in the first few years when the time warp appeared, as soon as there was any mention of Jason in the media.I won't let any news about Lawton go.God, you are his personal physician!And you're in the back room of my clinic right now! I just feel like Diane shouldn't be telling you this.In fact, what I thought was that she shouldn't even mention it.The only way to protect ourselves is to remain anonymous, but now, our identities have been leaked.

Ibina looked a little deflated.She said: Of course, it would be better not to mention her brother's name.However, here in Padang, there are so many foreigners with questionable identities that it is difficult to book a place on a boat.There is a saying: You can buy a dozen for a dime.Those foreigners with problematic status and physical problems are even more troublesome.Diane must have noticed that Jara and I adore Jason.Lawton, I thought, she must have been desperate before she mentioned his name, as if she was praying for the blessing of the gods.However, I didn't quite trust her at the time, so I went online to search for photos.I think the biggest problem of celebrities must be being photographed all day long.Closer to home, it was a family photo of the Lawton family, taken a long time ago in the early days of the time spin, but I recognized her at a glance, that is to say, what she said was true!So, she said she had a friend who was sick, and it was true.You are the doctor, Jason.Lawton's doctor, and you have another patient, the more famous one

Yes. The little wrinkled black man. Yes. It is only after taking his medicine that you will feel uncomfortable. Taking his medicine also hopes to become a better person. Diane had changed, so she said.I'm curious, is there really another adulthood after human beings have passed adulthood?how do you feel Honestly, not as good as I expected. However, your treatment is not over yet. That's right, the session isn't over yet. That said, you should get some rest.Need me to bring you something? I have some notebooks and some files Is it a big bundle, with another suitcase?I'll bring it to you.Besides being a doctor, are you also a writer? Just a cameo for a while, I need to get some thoughts down. When you get better, can you tell me your thoughts? it should be OK.That's my pleasure. She stood up.What I'm particularly curious about is the wrinkled little black man, the one from Mars. ☆ For the next few days, my sleep schedule was messed up.When I wake up, I always don't know how the time passes. Sometimes I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, and sometimes it turns into the morning unexpectedly.I can already tell if it’s morning from little things like hearing the call to prayer, the noise of traffic outside, or Ibuina bringing me rice and curry eggs.When I regularly sponged me in the shower, we chatted, but what we talked about was like sand slipping through a sieve, and it was always washed away from my memory and forgotten in an instant.I could tell by her expression that I would occasionally repeat the same thing, or forget what she had just said.And so, from light to dark, from day to night.Then one day, I woke up and suddenly saw Diane and Yina kneeling beside the mattress, both of them looking a little worried. Ibina said: He woke up.Excuse me, let me leave for a while, let the two of you have a good chat. Then, it was just Diane next to me. She wore a white robe, blue billowing trousers, and a white turban tied around her jet-black hair.This outfit could easily be mistaken for a secular Indonesian woman who spends her days shopping in downtown Padang.It's just that she is too tall and her skin is too white to hide from others. Taylor.Her blue eyes were wide open, she said.Have you ever noticed bodily fluids coming out of yourself? Is it that serious? She strokes my forehead.It's hard, isn't it? I have long been mentally prepared, it must not be fun. It's over in a few weeks.By the time I don't need her to tell me.The drug has begun to seep into my muscle tissue and nerve tissue. She added: Fortunately, there is such a place.Here are the anti-spasmodics, the regular pain relievers.Ina understands the whole process.She smiled dryly, and said again: Although this is not the same as our original plan. Our original plan was to remain anonymous.It was easy for a wealthy American to slip into one of the cities of Port Arch and disappear.We will choose to settle in Padang, not just because Sumatra is the closest mainland to the Arch and has convenient transportation.In addition, it is also because the speed of economic development here is advancing by leaps and bounds. Moreover, the government here is not happy with the new Agni Moxi government in Jakarta. The whole city has fallen into anarchy, but it is still very active.I can hide in an inconspicuous hotel and get through the effects of the drug, and once the effect wears off and my body is rebuilt, we can arrange transportation for a little money to a place where no one can harm me. our place to go.This is our original plan. It's just that I didn't expect that the Sarkin government held a grudge against us and was determined to catch us and make an example to others.They want, not just the secrets we still harbor, but the secrets we've spilled. Diane said: I probably went to some places I shouldn't go and did some things that made people suspicious.I dealt separately with two groups arranging overseas sojourn transportation to book the two of us, but neither of these deals came through.Then, suddenly, no one would talk to me anymore, obviously someone was already watching us.The consulate, the new government, and the local police all have our background information and know our appearance.While their descriptions don't exactly match, they're pretty close. So you just tell Jara and Ina who we are. I told them because they were already suspicious.Ibina isn't suspicious yet, but her ex-husband Jara must be suspicious of me.He is a very cunning and sensitive fellow.The shipping company he runs is quite famous.Much of the bulk cement and palm oil transshipped at Drupayu port passes through one or two warehouses in Jala.This business of arranging the transportation of immigrants to the New World earns relatively little money, but it does not need to pay taxes. Moreover, after the ships full of immigrants pass by, they will not come back empty.He also doubled as a black market trader of cattle and sheep, and his business was very good. It sounds like this guy would be more than happy to sell us out to the new Agni Moxi government. It's just that we pay more, and we haven't been caught so far, so we're less likely to get him into trouble. Does Ina agree with this? agree with what?Do you agree with immigration to the New World?Her own two sons and a daughter were already in the New World.Do you agree with Jara?She thought he was quite reliable, and if you paid him, he would keep his word.As for, does she agree with us?In her mind, we were almost like saints. Is it because of Wan Nuowen's relationship? Basically. You are lucky to have met her. Not exactly luck. In any case, we should find a way to get out of this place as soon as possible. Just wait until you feel better.Jarrah had arranged for a ship, the Cape Town Ghost.I made several trips back and forth to Padang just to arrange this.I have to buy a lot of people. We were rich foreigners, and now we are suddenly rich foreigners.I said: Anyway, I still hope What do you want?Lazily, she stroked my forehead gently back and forth with one finger. Hope I don't have to sleep alone again. She smiled and put her hands on my chest, on my bony ribs, on my ugly, battered skin.Her gesture probably wasn't a hint of intimacy.Hug together is so hot. So hot? I'm still shaking. Poor Taylor.she says. I wanted to tell her to be careful, but I couldn't keep my eyes open.When I opened my eyes again, she was gone. ☆ There will inevitably be more difficult things to come.However, in the days that followed, I felt much better.Diane described it as the eye of the typhoon.As if the Martian medicine and my body reached an agreement, the two sides ceased fire, each regrouped, and waited for the final decisive battle.I decided to make good use of this time. Whatever Ina gave me, I ate clean.I often paced the room, hoping to regain some strength in my scrawny legs.If I had been stronger, this concrete room might have been like a prison, and there was nowhere for me to go. (Yina plans to build a relatively safe warehouse next to the clinic and install an electronic alarm lock. Before the building is completed, medical supplies will be temporarily piled up in this room.) Under the current situation, this room has already been considered a safe warehouse. comfortable.I stacked a few hard-shell suitcases in one corner, which I used as a desk, and sat on a mat of dry reed grass when I wrote.Sunlight streamed in through the window, forming a wedge-shaped beam of light. Sometimes the face of a primary school student will appear in the window.Twice I've seen him peeking at me.I mentioned this to Ibina, she nodded, and then she left for a while, returning with a little boy in her arms.His name is Ian.While she was talking, she almost pushed the little boy through the bamboo curtain and threw him in front of me.He is ten years old, very smart, and he says he wants to be a doctor one day.He is my niece's child.If the child is too curious, he will become clueless.He climbed on top of the dumpster to see what was hiding in the room behind me.You can't do it without a lesson.Ian, say sorry to my guest. Ian's head hung so low that I was afraid his big glasses would fall off his nose.He muttered something. speak English.Ina said. sorry! The brat has no rules, but not too much.Park Taylor, maybe Ian can do something for you to redeem yourself. That brat is obviously getting mad, and I have to find a way to help him out.As long as my privacy is respected, nothing else matters. From now on, he will never bother you again, will he, Ian?Ian nodded timidly.However, I do have something for him to do.Ian comes to the clinic almost every day, and when I am not busy, I also teach him something.Teach him to look at human anatomy diagrams, teach him to see what color litmus paper will turn into vinegar.Ian said he was grateful for the special treatment I gave him.Ian nodded energetically, almost like a cramp.Therefore, he should repay and repent for his ignorance of basic manners.From now on, Ian is the guard of the clinic.Ian, do you know what a guard does? Ian suddenly stopped nodding, his expression looked cautious. Ibuina said: It means that from now on, you should use your alertness and curiosity in the right place.If anyone comes to the village and asks where the clinic is, I'm talking about people from the city, whoever it is, especially if they look like a policeman or act like a policeman you have to come here immediately and tell I. Do you also want to go to school? I don't think those people from New Agni Moxi will go to school to bother you.When you are in school, just concentrate on the class.The rest of the time, whether you're on the road, in a restaurant, or anywhere else, as soon as you hear anything about me, or about the clinic, or about Park Taylor, you come to the clinic immediately .Also, you must never mention Park Taylor to anyone, get it? I get what Ian said.Then he muttered a few more words, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. No.Ina said immediately.Is it not ashamed to ask such a question whether to give money or not?However, as long as I am happy, I may still reward you.As for now, I'm not happy at all. Ian ran away in a flash, the oversized T-shirt blowing in the wind. In the evening, it started to rain.It was a tropical rainstorm that lasted for several days.In those days, my life consisted of writing, sleeping, eating, pacing the room, and suffering. ☆ One rainy night, in the dark, Ibina scrubbed me with a sponge, brushing away the dried-up scabs. She said: Do you remember what happened to their brothers and sisters before?Tell me, will you?With Diane and Jason.What was it like growing up with Lawton? I thought about it.In other words, I sank into the memories of the past, as if sinking into a pond that was getting darker and darker, trying to find something to tell her, something real and symbolic.I didn't find what I really wanted to say, but something came up by itself.I saw a starry night sky and saw a tree.It was a silver poplar, feeling dark and mysterious.I said: Once we went camping, it was before the time gyration, but not for a long time. Those dried-up scabs are washed off and it feels good, at least at first.However, the exposed leather underneath is very sensitive and chilly.The sponge brush was quite comfortable the first time, but the second time, it felt like rubbing iodine on a paper cut.Ina knew that feeling. Just the three of you?Going camping outside, don't the three of you think it's too young?I mean, will the adults in your country be reassured?Or do you want your parents to go with you? Not with our parents.Edward and Carol would go on vacation every year, at the Holiday Inn, or on a cruise.They would rather not take the little ones with them. What about your mother? She would rather stay at home.A couple from our neighborhood took us there.They took us to the Adirondacks, and their two sons followed.Those two boys were already in their teens and didn't bother to deal with us at all. Then why, I understand, it should be that father wants to please Edward.Lawton?Is there something you want to ask him? That's about it.I didn't ask, neither did Jason, and Diane probably knew she was more mindful of such things. Just ask, it doesn't matter.So, are you going to a camping area in the mountains?Please turn your body around. It's the kind of camping area with a parking lot, not the wilderness.But that day was a September weekend, and we were pretty much the only ones in the entire camping area.We pitched our tent and built a fire.I suddenly thought of the names of those two adults.Mr. Fitch and Mrs. Fitch were singing and made us join them.They must be reliving old dreams of the summer camp days of their youth.Honestly, it's pretty boring.Those two young men hated this kind of bullshit so much that they simply hid in their tent and listened to music with headphones on.The two adults finally had no choice but to go to bed. Did they just leave you three kids there?Isn't the campfire dying?Was the weather okay that day, or was it raining?like here? It was just autumn, and the weather was fine that night.I thought to myself, it's not like tonight, when the frogs are croaking and the rain is pattering on the roof.There is no moon in the sky, but there are many stars.We have climbed very high in the mountains, the weather is not warm, but not too cold.There is wind in the mountains, the wind is not strong, just blowing the treetops, as if the trees can talk, you can hear them talking to each other. Ina smiled even wider.The trees are talking to each other!I get it, I know that feeling.OK, now turn to the left. Hanging out with those people was really boring, but now that it's just the three of us, it's starting to feel good.Xiaojie grabbed a flashlight, and then we walked to a clearing among aspen trees, about a few meters from the campfire, away from those cars, those tents, and those people.Where we stood, there was a slope to the west.Following the direction Jason pointed, we saw a zodiacal light rising on the horizon of the sky. What is the zodiacal light? The zodiacal light is reflected from sunlight shining on fine icy dust in the asteroid belt.You can occasionally see it when the sky is dark and clear.Or it should be said that before the time gyration appeared, it was once visible.Is there still a zodiacal light now?Or has the solar wind blown away the fine ice dust?The zodiacal light would rise from the horizon, as if the earth were breathing in winter, exhaling a mist, far away and slender.Diane was fascinated by Zodiacal Light, and she was listening to Xiaojie's explanation very attentively.Back then, Xiaojie's commentary was still very attractive to her. In fact, she still hasn't shaken off Xiaojie's charm now.She is infatuated with his intelligence.She loves Xiaojie because Xiaojie is very smart Maybe Jason's dad is just like her, right?Please turn around again and lie on your back. But he shouldn't treat Xiaojie as a commodity and monopolize his intelligence.He simply saw Bao and was fascinated. Excuse me, what does seeing Bao mean? Meaning, stare dumbfounded.Then, as the wind picked up, Jason's flashlight turned to illuminate the aspen grove so Diane could see the way the branches swayed in the wind.Speaking of this, my memory suddenly became vivid.I remember that the young Diane was wearing a sweater that was at least one size too big, with her hands tucked into the knitted wool sleeves, her arms folded across her chest, and she looked up at the direction of the flashlight beam, with eyes in her eyes. Reflect a solemn look.He taught Diane to see how the branches moved.The thickest branches move like in slow motion from a movie, while the thinner branches move faster.Because every branch and bud has a resonance frequency that Jason described.You can think of that resonant frequency as a musical note, he said.The sound of trees swaying in the wind is actually a kind of music, but the frequency is too low for human ears to hear.The trunk sings the bass, the branches the tenor, and the buds seem to play the piccolo.He said, or you can also imagine that it is pure numbers, from the wind itself to the vibration of each leaf, all the resonances are intertwined into layers of calculations, layers of depth and infinite complexity. You describe it so beautifully.Ina said. It was less than half as beautiful as Jason described it.You get the sense that he loves the world, or at least the way it manifests itself.The whole world is filled with wonderful music.Ouch! Sorry to hurt you accidentally.So, does Diane love Jason too? What she loved was the feeling of being his sister, being proud of him. Do you also love being his friend? I think so. Besides, you love Diane too. Yes. Does she love you too? Maybe.I hope she is. That being the case, may I take the liberty of asking you what's going on between you two? Why do you think there is a problem between us? You are clearly still in love.I mean, the two of you are in love.However, you don't look like a man and woman who have been together for many years.Something must have separated you.I'm sorry, but it's really presumptuous of me to say that. In fact, she was right that something had separated us.Many things.The most obvious one should be the time reversal.She has a unique, excruciating fear of time spins, and I've never really understood why she's so terrified.Everything that seemed to make her feel safe was challenged and offended by the whirl of time.What can make her feel safe?I think that's the order in the life process, friends, family, work, the basic perception of everything.Back then, in Edward and Carol.In Lawton's big house, her perception of all this must have been very fragile, maybe it was just a desire at all, and she never really had it. The big house had betrayed her, and Jason had betrayed her in the end.Jason presented her with many scientific concepts, as if giving her many special gifts.All this once brought her a lot of comfort, as if Newton and Euclid jointly compose a melody in a major key.But now, all this has become more and more strange and alienated.For example, the Planck scale: under the standard of the Planck scale, all things are no longer the original things.Take black holes, for example: their incalculable density encloses them in a realm in which everything is no longer causal.Back then, when the puppy St. Augustine was still alive, she once told me that whenever she stroked the fur of the puppy, she wanted to feel its heartbeat, to feel its living existence.It's not to count how many times his heart beats, nor to think about the constituent elements of the dog's body, how huge the space is between the countless atomic nuclei and electrons.What she hopes is that St. Augustine is St. Augustine, a complete life in itself, not just a bunch of horrible organs combined.St. Augustine, she hopes, is not just a byproduct of a fleeting evolution in the life of a dying star.In her life, there is always a lack of enough love and emotion, so she does not let go of any short moment where she can feel love and emotion, and stores those moments in her own paradise, storing them so that they can spend Live the cosmic winter. The appearance of time gyrations seemed to shockingly prove Jason's worldview.Perhaps, that was mainly because Jason had devoted himself unreservedly to the study of time gyrations.Apparently, somewhere in that vast galaxy, there is a kind of intelligent creature.Obviously, they are completely different from us humans.They possess immense strength, unbelievable stamina, and are utterly oblivious to the horrors they bring into the world.If you try to imagine hypothetical intelligent beings, the images that come to mind are likely to be of extremely intelligent robots, or creatures of incredible energy.But you definitely don't think of tender touches, kisses, a warm bed, or words of comfort. So, her hatred of time gyrations is very deep and very personal.I always feel that she will talk to Simon later.Together with Townsend, joining the New Nation Movement is the guide of this force of hatred.According to the teachings of the new kingdom: the time round is a divine event, but also a secondary event; it is a great event, but not as great as the God of Abraham; it is a shocking event, however, the crucified The messiah and the empty tomb are even more shocking. I shared some of these thoughts with Ina.She said: Of course, I'm not a Christian.Moreover, I am not even a devout Muslim, so the local government is very dissatisfied with me.Maybe I'm just corrupted by Western atheism, as they say.In fact, Islam itself has the same movement.People are always chattering about the Redeemer Imanmadi, the Holy Dajjal, the Yajuja, that Yajuja drank up the Sea of ​​Galilee.Because they think such an explanation is more reasonable.Well, your body is washed.She has finished wiping the soles of my feet.Do you really understand Diane's inner feelings? Understand?How do you know?I can feel it, I can guess it, I can feel it intuitively, but I dare not say that I really understand. That said, maybe the Martian drug will meet your expectations.Saying that, Ina put away all kinds of sponges, picked up the stainless steel washbasin filled with warm water, and went out.I was alone in the room, thinking in the gloom of the night. ☆ Once, when there was only the last patient left in the clinic, she splinted the patient's finger, and then, after the patient had left, she walked me around the clinic.I noticed that Ina's clinic has three doors. She said: All of this, I spent my whole life building up bit by bit.Maybe you think this is just a small clinic, but people in the village need this place, because if the patients get sick, I can help them with some basic treatment first, and then send them to the big hospital in Padang , might be better.It is a distance from here to Patong.If you can only take the bus, or if the road is bad, the distance will be even further. Of the three doors, one is the front door, the door through which patients come and go. The other one is the back door, which has a metal mesh and is very strong.Yi Na's electric car is parked in the open space filled with soil behind the clinic.Every morning when she arrives at the clinic, she enters through the back door, and at night after get off work, she also exits through the back door and locks it before leaving.The back door is next door to my room.The mosque in the village is about half a kilometer away, and every morning I hear the call to prayer.As time passed, I gradually realized that not long after the first call, I would hear her key click in the lock. Going down the corridor, there is a toilet and a cupboard with medical supplies, and the third door is on the wall of the corridor, which is the side door.If someone sends something, she will receive it through this door.Ian also liked to run in and out of this door. Ian was just as Yi Na described, a bit shy, but very smart.With his intelligence, it should be no problem to follow his wish and obtain a medical school diploma.Ina said that their family didn’t have much money, but if he got a scholarship, he could go to the new university in Padang to study the pre-medical school preparatory class. If he got good grades, he could find a way to find someone to sponsor him to go to the medical graduate school and then, It's hard to say, maybe there will be another doctor in this village.That's how I got here. Do you think he will come back after finishing his studies and return to the village to be a doctor? should be.We're all like that, going out and coming back.She shrugged, as if that was the way things were in the world.The Minangkabau people call it an overseas sojourn, which is a tradition of sending young people to other places.Overseas sojourn is also part of the system of traditional customs and norms of Yadat Law.過去的三十年裡，亞達特法就像傳統伊斯蘭教文化一樣，也逃不過現代化文明侵蝕的命運。不過，亞達特法依然潛藏在米南加保人的日常生活中，像心臟脈動一樣生生不息。 伊娜已經警告過伊安不准來打擾我，可是後來，他愈來愈不怕我了。有時候，我燒退了，人比較清醒，只要伊布伊娜允許，伊安就會跑來找我。他會帶一些吃的東西來給我，同時也練習講英文。他會指著某一樣東西，教我米南加保話要怎麼講。例如，silomak就是黏黏的飯，singgangayam就是咖哩雞。我跟他說謝謝，他就會回答我不客氣，笑得很開心。他一笑起來，就會露出雪白的牙齒，可惜牙齒長得亂七八糟。伊娜曾經勸他的爸媽讓他裝牙套。 伊娜和村子裡的親戚一起住在一間小房子裡，不過，最近她都睡在診所的一間診療室裡。比起我那個牢房似的簡陋的小房間，診療室睡起來也不見得會比較舒服。有時候，到了晚上，親戚家裡有事，就會打電話叫她回去。每到那個時候，她就會先記錄我的體溫和狀況，幫我準備一些吃的東西和水，並且給我一個呼叫器，以防有什麼緊急變故的時候，我可以找得到她。那個時候，整個晚上診所裡就剩我一個人了，要等到第二天早上，聽到她用鑰匙開門的聲音，才會再看到她。 有一天晚上，我做了一個瘋狂錯亂的夢，夢裡彷彿聽到有人正在猛轉側門的門把，想把門打開。我驚醒過來，心裡想，不可能是伊娜，她不會從那個門進來，而且時間也不對。我看看手錶，已經是半夜了，離天亮還很久。這個時間，還是會有一些人不回去睡覺，在村子裡的小吃攤閒晃。大馬路上偶爾會有車子經過。卡車常常會在這個時間出發趕路，看看隔天早上能不能趕到那些遙遠的村子。也可能是病人想碰碰運氣，看看她還在不在。也可能是一些吸毒的人想進來偷藥。 門把轉動的聲音忽然停了 我靜靜地撐著身體站起來，穿上牛仔褲和Ｔ恤。診所裡一片漆黑，房間裡也是一片漆黑，唯一的亮光就是從窗口照進來的月光突然間，月光被遮住了。 我抬頭一看，看到伊安的頭擋在窗口，一團黑影彷彿一顆盤桓的星球。他壓低聲音叫我：帕克泰勒！ 伊安，你嚇死我了！事實上也是，被他一嚇，我的腿忽然沒力氣了，必須靠在牆上才站得住。 伊安說：讓我進來！ 我光著腳慢慢走到側門去，拉開門閂。猛然一陣風吹進來，熱熱濕濕的。伊安也跟著那陣風猛衝進來。我有事要跟伊布伊娜說！ she is not here.伊安，怎麼回事？ 他顯得很困惑，把眼鏡推回鼻梁上。可是我一定要跟她講！ 可是她今天晚上不在這裡。你知道她住哪裡嗎？ 他不太高興的點點頭。可是她叫我到這裡來告訴她！ What did you say?我是說，她什麼時候告訴你的？ 她說過，只要有陌生人打聽診所在哪裡，我就要趕快來這裡告訴她。 可是她不我感覺到自己又開始發燒了，整個腦袋彷彿被一團霧罩住了，突然間，他話中的含意穿透了那層霧，一下子清楚了。伊安，是不是有人在村子裡打聽伊布伊娜？ 我連哄帶騙地問他，好不容易問出了整件事的來龍去脈。伊安他們家的房子在村子中央一個小吃攤後面，隔著三戶就是村長的辦公室。有時候，伊安晚上睡不著覺，躺在房間裡，可以聽得到小吃攤的客人七嘴八舌在聊天。因此，雖然一知半解，他倒是聽了不少村子裡的蜚短流長，加起來差不多可以編成一本百科全書了。天黑以後，村子裡的男人通常會聚在那裡喝咖啡聊天，例如，伊安的爸爸、舅舅和幾個鄰居。可是，今天晚上村子裡來了兩個陌生人，開著一部黑得發亮的轎車，朝著燈火通明的小吃攤開過來。那兩個人態度很粗魯，像水牛一樣野蠻。他們連自己的身分都不表明，劈頭就問村子裡的診所在哪裡。那兩個人看起來都不像生病樣子。他們穿著城裡的衣服，行為舉止很野蠻，一副警察的樣子。於是，伊安的爸爸就模模糊糊指了一個錯誤的方向。照那樣走，絕對會走錯路。 不過，在這麼小的村子裡，伊娜的診所並不難找，走錯路頂多只是耽擱一點時間，他們早晚還是會找得到。因此，伊安立刻起來穿衣服，偷偷摸摸從家裡跑出來，遵照伊布伊娜的吩咐，跑到這裡來。這是他和伊布伊娜說好的，一有危險就要來警告她。 我跟他說：很好，伊安，你做得很好。可是你現在要趕快去她住的地方，告訴她這件事。這段時間，我會趕快收拾行李，逃到診所外面。我盤算了一下，應該可以躲在隔壁的稻田裡，等警察離開。我現在還有點力氣可以躲到那裡。應該還可以。 可是伊安雙手交叉在胸前，退了幾步。他說：她叫我在這裡等她。 That's right.可是她明天早上才會回來。 她晚上幾乎都睡在這裡。他伸長了脖子，探頭探腦地看著我後面黑漆漆的走廊，彷彿認定她會從診療室那邊走出來稱讚他。 是沒錯，可是今天晚上她不在，真的不在。伊安，這裡可能會很危險，這些人可能是壞人，要來找伊娜麻煩，你明白嗎？ 可是這孩子似乎有一種天生的死硬牛脾氣，雖然已經跟他混得滿熟了，他還是不太相信我。他全身顫抖了一下，眼睛瞪得像狐猴一樣大，然後猛然從我旁邊繞過去，衝進黑漆漆的診所裡，大喊著：伊娜！伊娜！ 我在後面追他，邊追邊把燈打開。 我一邊追一邊想拼湊整件事的來龍去脈。那兩個打聽診所的兇狠男人可能是巴東新烈火莫熄政府派來的，或是當地的警察，要不然就是國際刑警組織或國務院派來的人。不管是哪個機關派來的，反正都是薩金政權的爪牙。 如果他們是來找我的，是不是意味著他們已經審問過伊娜的前夫賈拉？是不是意味著他們已經抓到了黛安？ 伊安跌跌撞撞地衝進了診療室，額頭不小心撞到檢查台突出來的墊腳架，整個人跌坐在地上。我趕到的時候，他被嚇到了，放聲大哭，眼淚一顆顆沿著臉頰滾下來。他左邊的眉毛被撞出了一道很深的傷口，還好不是很嚴重。 我把手搭在他肩上，對他說：伊安，她不在這裡，真的。她真的真的不在這裡。而且，我很確定，現在可能會有危險，她絕對不會叫你留在這個黑漆漆的地方。她絕對不會，對不對？ oh.伊安說，終於聽進我的話了。 所以，趕快跑回家，好不好？趕快跑回家，待在家裡。我會對付那些壞人，然後我們明天一起回來找伊布伊娜。這樣有沒有道理？ 他明明怕得要命，卻還是硬要表現出一副冷靜考慮的模樣。Right.他說著，皺皺眉頭。 我扶他站起來。 這個時候，忽然聽到診所大門外面有一陣輪胎壓過碎石路的聲音，我們又趕快蹲下去。 ☆ 我們趕緊跑到前面的櫃檯那邊。我從竹簾橫條的缺口偷看外面，伊安躲在我後面，手緊緊抓著我的襯衫，絞成一團。 外面有月光，車子引擎沒有熄火。我認不出是哪種廠牌的車子，不過車身黑得發亮，看起來很新。黑漆漆的車子裡忽然亮起了一陣火光，但很快又滅掉了，一定是有人在點煙。接著，一道更強的光亮起來，右邊的車窗射出一道手電筒的強光，穿透竹簾照進來，車子引擎蓋的影子投映在馬路對面的牆上。我們趕快把頭低下去，伊安抽抽噎噎地哭起來。 他叫我：帕克泰勒？ 我閉上眼睛，發覺眼皮愈來愈重，幾乎快要睜不開了，眼簾上光輪金星飄來飄去。又開始發燒了。耳朵裡揚起一陣此起彼落的回音：又開始發燒了，又開始發燒了。彷彿在嘲笑我。 帕克泰勒！ 這個節骨眼發燒真是要命。（又是一陣回音：真是要命，真是要命）伊安，到門那邊去，側門。 Let's go together! good idea.我又偷看了一眼車子的窗戶。手電筒關掉了。我站起來，帶著伊安沿著走廊經過那個醫療用品櫃，走到側門。門還開著，他進來的時候沒有關。夜晚靜得有點詭譎，充滿誘惑。門外是一片壓平的土地，一片稻田，再過去是一片樹林，棕櫚樹的黑影在月光中搖曳生姿。 診所的建築體正好擋住了車子的視線。直接跑到樹林那邊去。I said. 我知道路 避開馬路，必要的時候就躲起來。 I know.我們一起走！ 我沒辦法走。I am not kidding.以我目前的身體狀況，想跟在一個十歲的小男生後面猛衝，似乎是異想天開。 可是伊安說。我推推他，叫他不要浪費時間。 他頭也不回地往前衝，以驚人的速度消失在陰影中，無聲無息，無影無蹤，令人讚嘆。我真羨慕他。接著，四下一片沉寂，我忽然聽到有人打開車門，然後又關上了。 月亮幾乎快要是滿月了，比從前多了一點紅暈，比較遙遠，看起來和我小時候記憶中的不一樣。不再像是著名的圖片月亮裡的男人那樣，有眼睛、鼻子、嘴巴，右眼上還有一艘太空船。月亮表面上有一塊黑色橢圓形疤痕，那就是新近形成但現在已經變得十分古老的月海。有一次，巨大的隕石撞擊月球，撞擊熔化了極地到赤道的表土，同時也減緩了月亮的環繞軌道遠離地球的速度。月海就是那次撞擊所留下的痕跡。 從診所裡面，我聽到那幾個警察猛敲大門（我猜應該是兩個），猛力拉扯門上的鎖，大吼大叫說他們是警察。 我心裡想，該跑了，我相信自己還跑得動，雖然動作沒辦法像伊安那麼敏捷，但應該跑得到那邊，然後躲在那裡，接下來就聽天由命了。 可是，我忽然想到放在後面那個房間裡的行李。手提箱裡除了衣服之外，還有我的筆記本和光碟片，細細長長的數位記憶體。此外，那幾瓶透明液體正是最明確的犯罪證據。 我又進到診所裡，把門閂起來。我光著腳，提高警覺，豎起耳朵仔細聽那些警察在幹什麼。他們可能正繞著診所周圍盤查，也可能會再試試看能不能從前門闖進來。燒發得愈來愈厲害，但我還是聽得到周圍的動靜，不過，可能只有一部分聲音是真的。 我回到後面的房間，天花板上的電燈還是暗的，我靠著微弱的月光在黑暗中摸索。那裡有兩個硬殼手提箱，我打開其中一個，把一大疊我寫的手稿塞到裡面，然後合起來扣上卡榫。我把手提箱提起來，身體一陣搖晃，連站都站不穩，於是我又提起另一個手提箱，讓身體保持平衡，卻發現自己幾乎走不動了。 我踩到一個小塑膠盒，差一點被絆倒，原來是伊娜的呼叫器。我停下來，把手提箱放在地上，把那個呼叫器撿起來塞到襯衫的口袋裡，然後深深吸了幾口氣，又把手提箱提起來，奇怪的是，手提箱似乎變得更重了。我拚命告訴自己：你一定辦得到。可惜自我催眠似乎起不了什麼作用，我的腦袋彷彿變得像大教堂一樣空曠，只聽得到自己繚繞的回音。 我聽到後門有聲音。伊娜在門外面加了一副掛鎖。我聽到一陣金屬撞擊的聲音和拉扯門閂的聲音，好像有人拿了一支鐵鍬塞到掛鎖的環孔裡，想把它絞斷。要不了多久，那個鎖一定會被絞斷，那些人就會衝進來。 我步履維艱地走到第三個門，伊安進出的那個門，側門。我拉開門閂，輕輕推開，暗中祈禱，希望此時此刻不要有人站在門口。還好沒人。那兩個入侵者（假設只有兩個）在後門那邊。他們低聲交談，拚命想絞斷那個鎖。外面有輕微的風聲，還有此起彼落的蛙鳴，我聽不清楚那兩個人在說什麼。 我有辦法不引起那兩個人注意，跑到田那邊躲起來嗎？我實在沒什麼把握。更糟糕的是，我甚至沒把握跑的時候不會跌倒。 接著，我聽到一陣巨響，後門的掛鎖已經被他們扯斷了。我告訴自己，該鳴槍起跑了。我告訴自己，你一定辦得到。我提起手提箱，光著腳衝向滿天繁星的夜晚。