Chapter 3 secret dog

1954, May 21st, according to JJ That's what I said at the time. Gentlemen and ladies!Boys, girls!Whether you are just beginning to be bald or have blue hair, whether you are a helpless wanderer or an uneducated brute, dumbfounded and at a loss in this new world that has just been born You are all welcome!You've come to the show to take a breather, to take a moment from the sadly mundane reality of another time and place.There, birds will appear out of thin air and rabbits live in hats.There's someone out there who not only knows what's on your mind right now, but even what you're going to think next.He knows which card you'll draw and why, and can tell right away how many times you cheated on your wife.His power is far beyond your comprehension and can surprise you.

However, you won't see that show tonight. Because the person in charge of the performance disappeared, I don't know where he went.Sadness clenches my heart at the thought of it, and I believe yours does too.My heart is broken, just the thought of our little circus losing such a precious member breaks my heart in pieces.You hope that this person can help you forget the pain and worry, even for one night, and let the sadness of real life be discussed later, even if reality will still feel like a sledgehammer hitting your chest later, let it go for now.Where did I say that?Oh yeah, I'm just sad he won't be here to entertain you tonight.

The black magician Henry disappeared, why?where did he go This whole town and everything in it would be mine if I knew. Of course, there are many speculations. He may have found true love, may have found true God, may have found himself, and may have found a lot of money!Others speculated that maybe he had practiced a powerful new trick to make himself invisible.Did you know magicians pick out fat ladies and old bachelors for the most dangerous tricks because if something goes wrong no one will miss them don't blame me for saying that even the fat lady in the back laughs at that .But I'm going so far, and honestly I'm going to go so far, that I'm afraid that if nothing else, it's going to be off topic, and besides, that's my job.But there's a reason to digress now, like a puppy chasing a scent, so I'll go on, and the good news is, we're getting to the point.

Gentlemen and ladies!What is going to happen before your eyes tonight is unique. Jeremiah, who has gathered many abandoned people and deformed people here.In the Musgrove Chinese Circus, it never happened, and no one ever tried. That is, I'm going to state the facts. First, there are a few things I think you need to know first. None of us are really what we appear to be.Take the strongest man in the whole world, he is cowardly and cries himself to sleep every night.Katrina the Spider Woman is a trick created by using a mirror. How could there be such a thing as a human face and a spider body, especially that face is so beautiful, even I am a little fascinated.As for Miss Crocodile Agnes, she just had a serious skin disease.

Speaking of this, I think of Henry. No matter how charming the person standing next to you is, hold his hand, because what I’m going to say next will make even the most ruthless person feel dizzy, or even pass out, and the caring person may understand Broken, as for the kind of people who have no imagination, what are they doing here? I want to report to everyone that the black magician is not black. He is white. White!White as you and me. This matter may be difficult for you to accept for a while, so I will stop for a while before continuing. Not everyone knows this, even in the Chinese circus, and I think you can understand why.In all your pathetic life have you ever heard of such a horror?No second example can be found in the juggling and freak show business circles throughout the ages.Think about it, how could anyone do this to themselves?White people turning themselves black?In this day and age?It's almost like the king chose to be a beggar, Carleigh.Glenn (Annotation: Cary Grant, 1904︱1986, movie star. "Jin Yumeng" An Affair to Remember actor.) Choose to be a leper, or Marilyn.Monroe chooses to be a truck driver with pimples and no teeth, don't you think?

No, it can't be the same, it should be worse, more unbelievable, but everything inexplicable has an explanation, right?That's what I'm going to tell you tonight.He and I are friends, we are probably best friends.Sitting out in the open and drinking wine together at night, he told me something about his real identity that he never told anyone else, so the story is only for me.I can only repeat to you exactly what he said, hoping that in this way he will appear before you in such a vivid way that, in the light of the facts, he will appear more real than the real him. A motherless ten-year-old boy growing up under the clouds of the Great Depression and we'll start there.In those days, many rich people were reduced to begging on the street for food, many proud people were reduced to cleaning up horse manure for a pair of shoes, and Mr. Walker, an accountant who was once quite wealthy and had his own company, was reduced to a big hotel Be a coworker.Henry's little sister Hannah is the only light in his life, really, her blond hair shines even at night.With her, what else does his life lack?

Well, he lacks almost everything. He lacks everything that can be lacked in this world, especially the future, or the possibility of development. Magic is what we need most, isn't it?You need it, and I need it too.Just me, I sell these freaks every day, tell you where there's a show, and that show will always be there, in those gaudy tents, my job is like 9 to 5 , day after day, nothing new, that is if you don't take Yolanda into account.She would sometimes talk to me standing by the drain under that pine tree, and we would chat.Everyone has been with her with her permission except me.We never were, and never will be.She was like a fantasy come true, a beautiful gypsy girl.I used to really want to have sex with her, but then I felt that if I was the only one who didn't have sex with her, then she would be closer to me than anyone else, as if she were married, so only I could treat her like that.That's magic, right, at least for me, yes.

Now, try to picture in your mind the summer of 1931. Henry and his sister had just escaped from school, which was a distant memory, and they had started a new life of freedom in the Fremont Hotel, where they could spend their leisure time. Akira, you can take risks, you can do whatever you like.Try to imagine this cute, sad ten-year-old boy playing hide-and-seek, opening the door of what he thought was an empty room, and discovering a man sitting in a chair opposite him, As if waiting for him.The man was wearing a black suit and tie, and the black and white leather shoes were as shiny as Henry had never seen them before.He was smiling, but his face was so white, as white as a sheet, that his teeth were yellow by comparison.His hair is a little wet.There are books and pens on the small table next to the lamp. The pages of the book are blank, with neither pictures nor words.He had a coin in his hand, flipping it between his fingers from time to time.

He said: "Henry, what a surprise to meet you. you you know my name Good luck, guessed it.He seemed to have no other expression to change, that smile was frozen on his face.Names are a funny thing, let's take mine for example, I change names every day. real? real.Yesterday my name was Horatio, today I am Mr. Sabaschin, and tomorrow, who knows?I'm thinking about using Tobias. Henry nodded, as if he understood, but in fact he was mesmerized, and in the shortest possible time, he let the man put a curse on him. Where is Hannah?Mr. Sabaschin asked him, coins running like snakes between his fingers, and he knew everyone's name.

Henry said: Hiding. That's it.You thought she was here, didn't you? Henry nodded again, unable to take his eyes off the coin for a moment, and asked: How did you do this? Mr. Sabaschin's smile seemed to deepen, and his eyes twinkled.Oh, you know, the method is the same as this one. And saying, at that very moment, on the very day they first met, Mr. Sabaschin did the unbelievable and disappeared.Henry swore it was true.For a few seconds, the chair was empty.He kept staring at the man's hand, but the hand was gone too, gone with the whole person.Henry hadn't had time to see if he was elsewhere in the room when he reappeared, sitting with his feet up, the smile still on his face.

Henry asked: What is that? Mr. Sabaschin said: Well, that is magic. That night, neither Henry nor Hannah could sleep on the paper-thin mattress in the small dark room.Clothes hung on ropes that ran from one end of the room to the other, looking like ghosts.They heard water gurgling through the exposed pipe, indicating that a customer had just flushed the toilet.They knew that each other was still awake, that the other lay in the dark with their eyes open just like their own.Born less than a year before his sister, Henry seems to have left a part of himself in his mother's womb, becoming a part of Hannah.There was a clear connection between them, feeling each other's eyes. Henry said: "One thing happened to me today. Hannah gasped.Me too!She tried to keep her voice down, but couldn't help but want to scream.Something happened to me too.She leaned against his side of the bed and said: You talk first. No, you go first. good.She said: "I found a dog. You found a dog, what do you mean? I found a dog in the alley behind the hotel. What are you doing in the alley behind the hotel? read magazine.she says. Magazine? She showed Henry something from under the mattress, a page torn from a magazine, the Cunarder travel magazine.In the photo is a beautiful tropical island. There is a woman on the beach, overlooking the boundless blue sea with a handsome guy beside her, and there is a biplane above her head.There are many pictures like this, and they are all in different places. One day in the future, I will go to those places. us.Henry said. What? You should say us, one day we will go to those places. Hannah didn't answer, just stared at the picture. Then she said: I was standing behind the big row of trash cans, looking at some photos like this, after a while, I suddenly heard a strange sound, it turned out to be a dog. what kind of dog Blue, sort of, blue dog. There is no such dog. Well, I found out. Sounds more like it found you. I fed him some ham after supper. Henry was silent for a while, thinking about it.Do you mean our ham? She said: Yes. He said: "We don't have a lot of ham. That's mine, not yours.I didn't eat it tonight, I ate it. So, that dog ate better than you today. It should be, but it doesn't matter. There was a moment of silence, then she turned her head away.She knew how Henry felt about it, and even if she wasn't his belated half, she could have guessed. She turned her back to him and said: It is my dog, I can feed it as I like. Henry wouldn't be so stupid as to argue with her, because although she was half him, the other half wasn't.Just let her feed that stupid dog, and he doesn't care if she wants to live in an alley and sleep behind a trash can, or so he tells himself.She had rolled to the edge of the mattress, farther than usual, and Henry could feel the distance and knew that if there was room, she would roll further.This is the beginning.So he slept that night, not saying a word about Mr. Sabaschin or Horatio or Tobias, and the secret was his only consolation. The next day, Henry went to Room 702 again without Hannah.Hannah ran away as soon as she got up, taking bread to feed the dogs.Mr. Sabaschin (Henry thought he looked like Mr. Sabaschin, so he called him that in his mind) was still sitting in the same chair, wearing the same clothes, and smiling the same way.But he had no coins in his hand today. Instead he had a deck of blue-backed cards that moved between his hands as if it had a little head of its own, a little head trained to follow Mr. Sabaschin's Willing to think, sliding gently in the air, one after another is performed perfectly, as if they are magnetically attracted to each other, but free as smoke. Unable to move or speak, Henry is like meeting his first true love. I can teach you.Mr. Sabaschin said: If you want to learn. Henry nodded slowly.He wants to learn. I'm from Alabama and my dad was an oilman.When I was a child I lived in a castle, and that castle was built on the prairie like a mirage.There is a photo of me standing in front of the castle, a little boy, wearing bloomers, bloomers!My hair was brushed back wet, just like it is now.Then, when I was twelve, my dad broke down.He was a gambler, a bad gambler, an unfortunate combination.We left the castle, my mother left us, and we lived in a building in Norman with no elevator.When I was fourteen my dad worked tirelessly to earn everything and even found me a new mother.When I was sixteen, he lost it all again, for the same reasons as before. I've had enough of this life, enough of this uncertainty, never knowing whether tomorrow will be poor or rich, whether I will live in a castle or above the butcher's market, with a mother or without a mother.So I ran away from home, jumped on the train bound for Oklahoma City, and arrived here more than a year later, doing some loading and unloading work. He died in the fire, so I took over his errand to sell these freaks.Of course, I love them and they love me, but they are the stars.It's funny, they're geniuses, I'm too ordinary to be on stage, to be important here, all I can do is talk.That's the similarity between me and Henry, if it wasn't for my dad, I wouldn't be here at all. After living in the hotel for a year, Henry watched his father's hands grow thicker, and the cuts, bruises, and thick calluses made the hands more and more like the tools they used.Back when he was living at home, Henry's dad would hold his son's hand as he slept and gently brush the hair from his forehead.But now Henry didn't want Daddy to touch him anymore because it was like a drill. Not only that, of course, but his dad's hand reminded him how miserable their life was.Henry watched out of the corner of his eye during dinner as his dad clutched the knives and forks as if to strangle them, clutching them and attacking the food viciously with eagerness.Henry didn't want to judge his father very much, but the more he endured, the deeper the prejudice became.Because it's not proper manners, his father doesn't eat properly.Although he has worked hard all day, is very hungry, and there is not much food, and there is not much time to eat, but his mother said: you don’t have to follow the customs when you enter the country, especially you don’t need to wear clothes like the natives.Henry still remembers his mother teaching him how to hold a knife and fork, how to sit upright in a chair, and how to ask for butter. Those rules he still follows, they are mother's rules.He gently cut the food on the plate into small pieces, picked it up with a fork, slowly lifted it, then put it in his mouth, chewed it carefully, and counted silently in his heart: one, two, three, four, five.Mom said it was Fletcher's theory. Hannah was caught between the two of them. She knew how Henry felt and didn't want to disappoint him, but she didn't want to embarrass her father either. She knew that in his heart he knew exactly what he had become.So although she saw vigorously the leftover steaks from the hotel kitchen, once she found Henry looking at her, she immediately changed back to the proper table manners. She wanted to take care of both sides, but she couldn't please both sides.At a young age, she was stuck between two worlds and two family relationships. Henry knew that he could forgive her, and she could eat whatever she liked. The leftovers at the hotel this evening consisted of a mixed vegetable dish, four loaves of hard bread, and fish in white sauce in an old tin dish, and the kitchen had too much to sell. Delicious.Henry's father's mouth was full of food when he spoke, and there was a little white sauce on the corner of his mouth. Henry nodded to Hannah, and Hannah sighed and said: I'm full. Her meal was barely touched.Henry glared at her. He said: How can you be full like this. She said: I'm just full. Dad smiled and stroked Hannah's head, and she flinched.Dad said: Henry, she is still young, look at her, she can be blown away by a strong wind!She only needs to eat a few bites, and we can share the rest.As he spoke, he reached for her meal. No.She said: No, I want to save the rest to eat later. It's not that I don't want to eat, but I just can't eat it now. Henry asked: When do you eat? She said: Wait a minute. Henry said: I can hear your stomach growling from here.She glared at him to try to shut him up, but he still said: You bark like a dog. She got up from the table, plate in hand, and glanced back at Henry to see if he was looking at her, yes, he was, but she left anyway. His dad asked: What's going on? Henry wanted to tell Dad the truth: Hannah was going to feed a stray dog ​​she found in the back alley of the hotel with her own food, but he couldn't betray her, not yet. I'm just worried that she won't get enough to get sick or something. His father smiled at his son, a gleam in his gray eyes.You are a good brother and a good son.I was also worried that you would not be able to eat enough. You are growing so fast and you will soon be bigger than me. Soon he stopped talking, stared at his son carefully and asked: What is that? He found a lump in his son's pocket, and the brilliance on his face disappeared immediately. Is that a cigarette? Henry said: No, of course not. We didn't have money to buy cigarettes, and when things got like this, I quit cigars, and I didn't want to, but I couldn't.you can't spend your money on Henry said: It's not cigarettes, it's playing cards. card? Henry reluctantly took the cards out of his pocket and placed them on the table in front of Dad.Before dinner, he stared at the deck of cards for more than half an hour, no matter how he looked at it, he thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world.There are three words of bicycle plate printed on the surface of the bright red box, so simple and cute, it is printed on the top, and there is a picture of Cupid riding a bicycle on the bottom, which is ridiculous!Cupid riding a bicycle?What does this mean?Henry doesn't understand, but it's okay, he likes it.There were fifty-two cards in this sturdy box, and although he didn't know much about it, he had come to believe that there was more life inside than outside, more possibilities, and that was amazing. His father said: Then, I don't have to be unhappy, it turned out to be playing cards.He reached for his cards, and Henry twitched. Don't how? Don't break it.Henry said. Henry's father heard the condescending force in his son's voice, he smiled and said: How could I break the cards?This is made of paper, not crystal. No matter, please, wipe your hands clean first. Of course, of course, we don't want to smudge the cards.He wiped his hands on the napkin, then carefully picked up the deck of cards, looked at it carefully, and said: This is new. New. Did you buy it? It was sent by others. As his father studied the deck, his glasses slid all the way to the end of his nose.Sent?Did the tenant send it? Henry said: Yes, that's right. His father shook his head.They give alms to the less fortunate to make themselves feel good.he laughed.We've become that unfortunate character now, and they're the lucky ones. Henry fought back the urge to contradict his father, because although what he did with Mr. Sabaschin was right, Henry always felt that anything that needed to be explained to his father would eventually be forbidden.He didn't even tell Hannah about it, because the cards were all his own, the only thing that had been his own since moving here. His dad is still working on that card.I used to play a little too, when I'll let's say it was a long time ago, we'd clear a table after get off work and come out and play a few hands, betting pennies, and the losers would usually throw a fit.A smile appeared on Mr. Walker's face.Solitaire has its history, you know what, I'm not sure which is which, but those royalty stamped on it make sense. Henry couldn't help but say: the king of hearts represents Charlemagne, the king of diamonds is Julius Caesar, the king of clubs is Alexander the Great, and the king of spades is David from the Bible. ). His dad stared at him through the glass, as if he thought it was funny.is that so? Yes.Henry said. Do you know who these people are? have no idea.Henry said.But I will know. I believe you will, son. His father turned the cards over in his hand and said with a smile: I used to like to shuffle the cards and listen to the sound, especially this new card.Want to hear how your dad used to shuffle the cards? Henry reached for the cards, but his dad moved faster, instinctively moving them away like a dog defending a bone.He has become the kind of person who would snatch things from his son.The father and son froze there for a moment, Henry stretched out his hand, his father twisted his shoulders, his eyes closely intertwined, Henry's eyes were cold and hard, while his father's eyes gradually dimmed. You don't want me to shuffle?His dad sounded like he was saying his last words after being shot.You don't want me to do this?Of course Henry didn't want to, but he couldn't resist this voice, expressing his frustration so clearly that his son refused him even such a trivial matter. No.Henry said.Of course I want to hear you shuffle the cards, I just want to help you get the cards out. His dad smiled and said: Son, I know how to get the cards out.There was a chill in his voice now.I was playing cards when you weren't even the light in my eyes. what does that mean? Meaning, I was playing cards before you were even born. What does a little light in your eye mean? Meaning, I looked into your mother's eyes one night, God bless her, mine, you know, lit up a little bit, and then her eyes lit up to mine, and we decided to have a baby, Then there was you.So I said you were just a little light in my eyes at first. Henry couldn't imagine what it would be like to have light in Dad's eyes. Do you and your mother play cards together? Won't.Dad seemed to go back to a distant time.We've done a lot of things together, but never played poker, and your mother spends a lot of time outside, in the garden.Besides you and Hannah, she loves her plants the most. Me and Hannah and you.Henry said. Yeah, I think I'm included, probably right behind the hydrangeas. As he spoke he laughed, and Henry laughed too, and the laughter lifted the spell, and their attention returned to the cards.Dad pressed his thumb on the opening of the box, and it took him two or three tries to open the box. Henry watched his dad open the box, as nervous as watching an operation.His dad's fingers, big and ugly looking, gripped the delicate, sleek bright red box, rolling out the cards with one hand and catching them with the other.Henry had opened the pack of cards for the first time earlier that day.Mr. Sabaschin said: This is for you.Henry has not received anything that is not a necessity for life for a long, long time, and no one has given him toys for a long time.Mr. Sabaschin said: Small boxes usually contain big things, and this box contains fifty-two things.Henry couldn't say anything other than thank you, and even those two words were very empty, unable to express his true inner feelings.In the not-too-distant future, you'll be able to manipulate these cards however you want, and I'll show you how.No one can say for sure what will happen to our future life. Whether it will be good luck or tragedy that befalls us is beyond our control.But we have full control over these cards. He can't control those cards now, the cards are in his father's hand, and they are poured out.The father looked at his son with an expression as if something good had just happened. He began to shuffle the cards, closed his eyes and listened to the neat voice, which was so beautiful, just like the applause of the audience. I used to shuffle cards in the air.With that said, his dad took the cards off the table. Henry said: No, I like the way you shuffle the cards on the table. Let me try it out and wash it in the air. dad, really That's too late.His father had already started, and almost from the beginning, the cards were out of control. All fifty-two cards jumped into the air, flying for their lives, scattered in all directions, some fell on the ground, some on the table, and some on the stove. side.One of them landed on the edge of his dad's plate, and Henry watched it soak in gravy. dad!Henry screamed, grabbed the card, and wiped it on his shirt.He checked it, it looked ok, then he went to pick up the others in a rage and glared at his dad and said: Look at what you've done!This deck of cards shouldn't be touched by anyone but me. It's all my fault. I shouldn't let you touch it at all. It's not that I don't know, as long as it's something you've touched Henry stopped talking at this point, he knew that he would hurt people too much if he went on. Henry.His dad said: It's just a deck of cards. It's okay if his father doesn't say that, but it's even worse if he says it. Just Solitaire?Just Solitaire?Henry bent down to pick up the cards, without looking at his father, and said again: it was just cards.As he picked up and counted, the cards fell everywhere, on the chairs, on the table, on the refrigerator, and even scattered like fallen leaves on the cold and cracked linoleum.He looked around, picked up all the cards one by one, finished his meal, went back to his room, and counted and counted the cards until he was sure, until he was 100% sure that they were all rescued. This reminds me of the day my dad found me, I was standing on an apple box, because the elephants in the regiment broke my original table like bandits, and it rained again the night before, and the ground was very wet, Lots of mud and puddles, it's in a miserable state, it's impossible to stand.I still remember that I just started shouting: Gentlemen and ladies!Boys, girls!Whether you're just starting to go bald or have blue hair, look out and see him in a crowd.He was wearing a black suit and a bow tie, and the tie was orange, a not-so-bright orange.As I continued to yell, I thought, He looks like he's earned his fortune again, rich again.I thought to myself, that's fine.He has his career, and he originally hoped that one day I could inherit it, just like what people say a son inherits his father's business.But now I'm standing on the apple box and screaming like the whole world is on fire: Come see Spider-Woman!A human head and a spider body are quite strange!So he turned and left, and I watched the back of his head disappear into the crowd, and I never saw him again. The dog, of course, is not blue.It was black from head to toe, and when Henry approached it for the first time, it was extremely fierce. It could bark, and the hair along its back stood up high and stiff, like a serrated knife.Henry was so frightened that he froze there and did not dare to move. Every part of his body, including his fingers and eyes, froze.Even breathing caused the dog to bark loudly, as if to warn him not to breathe.It stinks terribly here, along the wall in the alley stands a row of scarred trash cans, like tin soldiers lined up neatly, Henry and the dog stand behind the trash cans, staring at each other coldly, as if waiting for the inevitable decisive battle At this moment, the flames of war were on the verge of breaking out, and Henry tried to hold his breath in order to prolong the time before the war. This was different from what he had imagined, and of course, it wasn't this kind of dog he'd imagined he'd be dealing with.He thought that Hannah raised a dirty and obedient little poor girl who could only survive on the little food Hannah fed. He thought that the puppy touched the little girl's sympathy, and he could kill the little girl with a stick. it drives away.But the dog was a monster at all, and he wondered how Hannah had the guts to feed it, but if she hadn't, she wouldn't have come here at all.The Fremont Hotel is a first-class hotel. Even if the guest's life is a little imperfect, it will disappear when he walks through the golden door.Only in the back alleys can you see it for what it really is, all the crap out there created by pretense comes here, every kind of human waste is here, physical or mental, the smell is horrible, it smells like Something died three or four times, and was put to smother in the summer heat.The smell was so strong, so pungent, that he thought he could see the stinking mist rising and lingering among the trash cans. How Hannah could be here, he couldn't imagine.To him, Hannah was perfect, a girl's girl, with hair so blond and skin so white that there should be no dirt anywhere.This alley is the opposite of her, dark and terrifying, almost evil, he thought, that's what a corner of hell looks like. For the first time in his life he felt that he did not understand her. After a minute, he felt he couldn't hold his breath anymore.The black dog also felt this, and was about to find a reason to attack.Its eyes were red with a fierce look, and its teeth were like hacksaws. It looked more and more like a monster.Henry had a suicidal urge to kill himself before the dog got a chance to kill him. Hannah suddenly appeared. Henry.He heard her calling him, but he didn't dare to move, he could only wait for her to come to him.She looked like an angel in a faded light blue dress with puff sleeves and a tortoiseshell barrette her mother used to love.She smiled and said to him: I will definitely advise you not to do this, but you didn't ask me. Then Hannah turned and called the dog: Joan.Crawford (Annotation: American actress Joan Crawford "1905︱1977" name.)!She said it with a tone of joy and command at the same time, which is perfect for a dog, Joan.Crawford was very obedient, and came over wagging his tail, like a different dog, Henry couldn't believe it for a while. Hannah stroked the good dog's head, then down its back where the fur had just bristled, and was now soft and compliant.You call this dog Joan.Crawford? She nodded and he glanced between the dog's hind legs. It's a male, why don't you name it Xiao Hei or something, it's more like a dog. i like joanCrawford. Joan.Crawford growled and took a step closer to Henry. Hannah said: Shoot it. I do not want.He was afraid it was a joke. To be friends with animals, you have to be nice to them.She stopped and thought for a while, then said: People are like this too, I think.If you are nice to others, they will be nice to you. She looked at Henry, waiting for him to move, but he just didn't move.So Hannah grabbed his wrist and pulled it down. He wanted to withdraw his hand, but he didn't expect her to be so strong, so he forced his fingers to the dog's mouth.shoot it.she says. Hannah.He had to wait to be bitten. But Joan.Crawford didn't bite him, he sniffed, then licked, and that was it, after that it was all right. Hannah took a slice of ham out of her pocket and gave it to the dog, who ate it in three bites. Henry said: You can't keep doing this. She said: I can, I think it will be like this. We need food. That's mine, not yours. You need it, Hannah. Joan.Crawford needs it too.I am a good person and would like to share with it. Too good to be true. How can it be too much? You are too much, you are too good. She shook her head and said: Don't worry about me, Henry. I have to take care of you. No.She smiled and said to him: Henry, you don't have to take care of me, I'm fine.Besides, you're here to scare it away, aren't you? The dog was watching them, looking from Hannah to Henry, looking from one face to the next, as if they were talking a little too fast for him to hear.The sun moved to the corner of the big hotel, and the sunlight hit Henry, Hannah and the dog like a spotlight, and the garbage was roasted to the extreme, so Henry had to hold his breath again. Hannah didn't care, she touched Joan with her little hand.Crawford's head, and the dog rubs its head against her leg. I trained it to learn some tricks.she says.Want to see it? Henry said he would. On the second day, Henry went to Room 702 to report for duty the same as the previous two days.For the first time since Henry had known Mr. Sabaschin (though not very long), he hadn't seen a smile on his face.Henry knew that this meant that he wanted to talk about business, so he also put on the expression that he wanted to talk about business. He said: Henry, sit down. Henry sat down.Mr. Sabaschin put the ink pen lightly beside the book, the pages of which were still blank.He looked deeply at Henry, looked into his eyes, Henry had never felt this way before, he felt Mr. Sabaschin inside him. He said: This is the beginning, your career as a magician begins here.But before you start you have to swear, a magician's swear.Because the secret I will reveal to you must never be told to anyone other than a magician, if you tell He stopped here and let Henry imagine the consequences by himself.Henry imagined far worse than anything that could have happened: instantly and tragically killed in fire, drowned, buried in a hole, locked in a box, thrown into a boat at sea, thrown into a world where no one could see, became Invisibility, loss of sensation, tongue cut out, never speaking. Do you agree? Henry said: I am not a magician. Mr. Sabaschin raised one eyebrow and lowered it.Are you not a magician?Not a magician?You're more of a magician than I am, and I'm serious.There is a special ability buried in you, unfathomable.That kind of power would pose great danger if it fell on immoral people.Woe to the world if you dig it out before you learn to control it!Any magician loses power one day, mine is disappearing, but before it's completely gone, I'm going to give it to another person.你知道嗎，亨利，這幾年來我一直在尋找徒弟，想找一個有品德又有潛力的人來繼承這不屬於凡間的衣缽。現在，我想我找到了，那就是你。 I? 薩巴斯欽先生嚴肅地點點頭。發過誓以後，就算是個魔術師了，也就可以獲准進入魔術世界。are you ready? 亨利根本想都不用想，不過他還是假裝考慮了一下，然後點點頭。 於是薩巴斯欽先生從胸前口袋拿出一把小刀，對亨利說：把你的手給我。 亨利看看那把刀，看看自己的手，再看看那把刀。然後，鼓起身體裡那股神祕力量（那股薩巴斯欽先生看得見但他自己卻不了解的力量），伸出手。這種感覺跟前一天把手伸到瓊．克勞馥眼前很像，當時瓊．克勞馥舔了他，而薩巴斯欽先生卻迅速劃破他的手指，血流出來，滴到地板上。薩巴斯欽先生盯著傷口怔了一會兒，然後在自己食指上也劃一刀，鮮血流出。 他將自己的傷口壓在亨利的傷口上，閉起眼睛說：身為魔術師，我發誓絕不透露任何幻術的祕密，甚至不與未曾修習這項黑暗藝術的人談論魔術，除非他與我一樣，立過這魔術師誓言。我發誓絕不透露魔術習自何人、來自何處，尚未練至完美效果前也絕不表演給非魔術師看，否則將會失去得到的一切。我發誓不但演練幻象，並且生活於其中，表裡不一，故弄玄虛，唯有如此，我們才能完全進入魔術世界。謹將魔術師師徒之血融而為一，立此誓，永世不渝。 亨利說：我發誓。 薩巴斯欽先生睜開眼睛。那麼我們就開始吧。 一切都在牌中。他發過誓之後，薩巴斯欽先生告訴他：一切都在牌中。老實說，亨利原本以為發過那麼可怕的誓、見過薩巴斯欽先生那麼嚴肅的臉後，會聽到些更了不起的東西。原來最重要的是牌。他說：牌是一切的基礎。於是亨利不斷練了又練，就連睡覺也不忘練習。有時候半夜醒來他會發現自己的手正在自行練習某個當天剛剛見過的手法。他最常使用的練習場所是廁所，因為雖然他很想，但不能告訴漢娜，漢娜不是魔術師，沒發過誓，所以這件事就連她也不能講。白天沒什麼問題，漢娜會去後巷找瓊．克勞馥，爸爸在工作。可是等到他們回來，就會一直敲門，不知道裡頭怎麼了。亨利盡最大努力發出呻吟和嘆息，然後沖馬桶。他爸問他：要不要去看醫生？我每次回來你都在裡面。亨利說，不用，他沒事。可是爸爸的眼神帶著懷疑，懷疑這中間有什麼不對勁。事實上，他爸也需要躲進廁所。有天亨利在放拖把的櫃子裡發現一個沒貼標籤的瓶子，裡頭裝著琴酒。他從來不知道爸爸會喝洒，但從那之後他整夜喝個不停，亨利明白了，這就是他喝酒的地方，他一個人躲在廁所裡，有其父必有其子。 薩巴斯欽先生教他許多手法，每種手法都有名字，蒙大拿藏身術（Montana Hideway）、喀爾巴阡山掙脫術（The Carpathian Struggle）、排山倒海的叛變（Mountainous Mutiny）、胡迪尼脫逃術（Houdini′s Escape）。一共有好幾十種，就跟上學一樣，通通都得記住。但這不辛苦，一點都不辛苦。練習才辛苦，要不斷重複同樣的動作，可是亨利甘願，而且做得很好，像學習一種新語言一樣，他能在幾秒鐘內抓到要領，然後重覆做出一模一樣的動作。就連薩巴斯欽先生都大吃一驚，對亨利說：你會很棒，真的，你很特別，比我還棒。將來就算你不說，世人也會看出你是跟我學的，因為在這世上除了薩巴斯欽先生之外，沒人能教出這樣的徒弟。 亨利每天都去找他。漢娜一出去跟瓊．克勞馥玩，他就用最快的速度衝到六樓，衝過侍者和房客身邊，惹得他們盯著他看。每天薩巴斯欽先生都在那裡等他，身穿同一套衣服，坐同一張椅子，死白的臉上掛著同一副微笑。亨利一直很想問他的皮膚怎麼了，連手也那麼白，想問他是不是從來沒有曬過太陽，因為他看起來簡直像是從沒出過房門，簡直像是生下來就在這房裡，靠客房服務和女傭提供全部生活所需。亨利雖然想問，又覺得可能不該問，因為也許是病。如果薩巴斯欽先生想說，他就會說，但亨利知道他不會，他們只談魔術，這對彼此就都夠了。 一開始學的都是些騙人的戲法，等到戲法純熟，魔術才會出現。他對亨利說：你現在所做的是在為魔術營造家園，等到它信任你，覺得那像家的時候，就會降臨。技術會漸漸成為藝術，一旦成為藝術就再也不單屬你一人了，你得和人分享，你沒法忍住不去分享。你會去尋找一些自認了解情況的觀眾，靠純熟巧妙的手法製造效果，給他們一些錯誤引導，用些詭計、特殊裝置、鏡子，甚至和觀眾席上的某人聯手。你製造出的精巧效果會讓觀眾無法相信自己的眼睛，想不出解釋，他們心裡會想，這一定有合理的解釋。但是並沒有，連你自己也無法解釋。那是個弄假成真的謊言，誰也不知道怎麼回事，這就是趣味所在。想想看，你將成為大師，人生中只有這種時候人們會心甘情願受騙，而且還付錢請人騙自己，他們先是自以為明白狀況，之後才會明白這正是最大的謊，他們所見識到的根本超出自己心智所能想像。那是魔術！他一遍又一遍地說：那是魔術！ 亨利是完美的學徒，師父怎麼說他都相信。 夏天帶來一波波人潮，佛瑞蒙特大飯店湧入大量優雅可人的快樂房客。他們好像都不會出汗，在亨利眼裡他們都是嶄新的人，彷彿剛從人類製造機裡走出來，一出生就是成人，而且非常有錢，完全沒經歷過那些令一般人傷痕累累甚至早衰的辛苦過程。男人襯衫筆挺，女人白天穿著高腰禮服，晚上加上皮草，好多動物為這些人獻出了生命，亨利心想，牠們一定很高興能這麼做吧。漢娜跟那些人很像，一樣光彩奪目。 七月份旅館客滿，也就是說沃克先生很少有空陪小孩，或者應該這麼說，他除了工作根本沒空做任何事。三人唯一的相聚時間就是晚餐，而且時間不多。沃克先生讓這份工作整慘了，這份工作還有這種生活對他是種凌遲，他的樣子看起來越來越像死人，膚色蠟黃，眼神空洞，臉頰深陷。亨利發現酒瓶之後，每天早上偷偷用鉛筆在上頭做記號，但其實大可不必，因為一瓶酒爸爸兩天就喝完，酒精漸漸毀了他。原本就做不好的工作現在更糟，他喝多了酒，忘東忘西，連修馬桶、打鑰匙、補牆縫之類的簡單事情都忘了怎麼做，還把工具弄丟。有次亨利不小心聽見旅館經理克羅頓先生（他是亨利這輩子所見過最胖的人，沃克先生背後都叫他大起士）指摘他爸的表現：你看看你那是什麼樣子，像個流浪漢似的。他挑明了告訴他爸飯碗可能就要不保。我那裡有上百個人排隊等著要做你這份工作，只是看在朋友份上才用了你，你給我搞清楚，朋友歸朋友，顧客抱怨我可經不起，沃克先生。晚餐時他爸很沉默，大家都很沉默，屋裡唯一的人聲來自收音機。爸爸彷彿根本不在現場。 於是亨利與漢娜比之前更專注在自己的事上。亨利學戲法，漢娜教戲法教瓊．Crawford.七月中的時候，牠學會聽令坐定不動，還會作乞食動作。亨利學會讓紅心皇后出現在人後口袋裡，而且那人之前半小時都坐著沒動。而爸爸呢，學會了在一天之內把整瓶琴酒變不見。亨利好想表演給漢娜看，可是他發過誓：尚未練至完美效果前絕不表演給非魔術師看。而薩巴斯欽先生還沒說它夠完美，所以他只好繼續練習，長時間待在廁所，動不動沖沖馬桶，營造出他在做其它事情的幻象。 漢娜的小手每次都在門上輕敲三下。 亨利，出來，我要上廁所。 去上大廳那間。 我很急，現在就要上。她轉動門把，門把鎖著。 亨利裝出痛苦的聲音。妳不會想進來的啦，裡面臭得要命。我肚子有問題，漢娜，拉出來的東四不怎麼好。 lie. 沒騙妳。 我知道你在裡面做什麼，亨利。 最好是。亨利說：我做的事大家都做。 No.她隔著門說。我知道你在幹什麼，你在裡面玩牌。 亨利打開門，她站在那裡，像站了一輩子，像永遠不會離開，美麗而且絕不妥協。現在兩人注視對方的眼神回到了從前那種一切了然於心，再也沒有祕密。 他告訴我了。she says. 他告訴妳了。亨利重述她的話，可並不十分明白。他告訴妳？ 他說告訴我沒關係。說著，她笑了。因為我是你妹妹，而且他說有天我會成為很好的助手。 assistant? 魔術師的助手。她光想到都很興奮。 亨利點點頭，嘴裡喃喃說了些什麼，自己都聽不見，腦中一片混亂，沒法想清楚。薩巴斯欽先生說，不能告訴任何人，所以他誰也沒說。可薩巴斯欽先生自己卻說了。事情不該這樣。 亨利問：妳認得薩巴斯欽先生？ 她點點頭，說：可是他不叫這個名字。 他說：他叫這個名字沒錯。 那是他以前的名字，現在他叫做偉大的史考特。 他這麼跟妳說的？ 她說是。 他說：也許我們說的不是同一個人。 She shook her head.就只有一個他，很白很白。 她低頭看看亨利緊抓在手裡的牌。表演給我看看。 I can not. 他說你很棒。 我得等他說可以才能表演。 他跟我說 How do you know him?亨利好不容易回過神來，知道該問什麼了。 他幫過我餵過瓊．Crawford. 幫妳？ 我的東西不夠瓊．克勞馥吃，我又不想牠離開這裡去別處找食物，有一天，偉大的史考特不知道從哪裡冒了出來，手裡提著一大桶剩飯，然後，變！ Change? 她的藍眼睛睜得大大的，說：這很像變魔術啊。 亨利說：也許是魔術吧。 可能真的是，瓊．克勞馥變成最快樂的一隻狗，我變成最快樂的人。她笑了，然後笑容轉小了些。從那天起，我和偉大的史考特就成了朋友。 是薩巴斯欽先生。 好，你愛怎麼叫就怎麼叫。她又看看那紙牌。你真的什麼都不表演給我看？ 亨利有心事，現在根本聽不進別的話。我在想，為什麼他沒跟我提到妳？ 她望著亨利，聳聳肩，伸手把哥哥眼睛上的頭髮撥開。What can I say?別一副不高興的樣子。我遇見他，變成朋友，就這樣而已，沒別的。 亨利正衝往七○二號房，不知哪裡跑出一隻手來抓住他肩膀，爸爸出現了。 你不應該用跑的。他爸緊張兮兮左顧右盼一番。這樣子很可能會撞到人，那我們會有什麼下場？亨利聞到他呼吸裡的酒味，他喝得半醉。 我不會再跑了。 他爸眼神有些古怪。I need to talk to you. 亨利說：現在不行。 It's now. 他爸再次環顧大廳四周，沒人在看他們。就在這兒談。 他們走進旅館的會議室，裡頭有張棕色長桌，是用最好的桃花心木作的，每張椅子面前都有一盞綠色檯燈，牆上掛著許多重要人物的畫像，畫像的表情好像認為自己是神，覺得自己尊貴而有權威，很有自信。許多重要的事都在這間會議室裡定案。 他爸關上門，嚥了口唾沫，摘下帽子放在桌上，用粗糙的雙手摩了摩臉，閉上眼睛嘆了口氣。 亨利，我知道你這幾個星期都跑去哪裡。他看看兒子想得到確認，可是亨利完全不動聲色。怎麼每個人都知道不該知道的事？事情不該這樣。你跑去找七○二號房的那位先生，不管他叫什麼了，他有很多名字，我能理解。你們交了朋友。 說到這裡，爸爸停頓下來，眼睛望著牆上的畫，如果那些發生過的事都從未發生，那麼他也可能是其中一張畫像中的人物。 可惜我要告訴你的不是好消息，他要走了。這裡的經理，還有別人，那些負責做決定的人，認為他在這裡對旅館不再是件好事，所以他要離開了。 when? soon.他爸說。very fast.我想那之前你最好別再見他，好去習慣他不在這裡的事實，而且我覺得去見他對你不是好事。 你不想讓我見他？ 他爸沒法直視兒子的眼睛，去看牆上畫像的眼睛還比較容易。他的目光從這張換到那張，好像在對他們講話。 你最好別去。 你是說我不准見他？亨利說：是這個意思嗎？ Yes, that's what I mean.說著他爸迅速向他掃過一眼，眼中一片空洞。亨利能一眼看見他靈魂深處，空無一物，什麼都沒有。我不准你去見他。 那我就不去。亨利說完就離開那房間，把他爸和那些偉人一起留在裡面，快步前往七○二號房。 魔術很難。每次亨利犯下令人難以饒恕的錯誤，像是掉牌、誤導失敗或是沒把該說的台詞說對，薩巴斯欽先生就會這麼說。有時候整堂課他就只重複兩句話，不是：魔術很難。就是：熟能生巧。說完就示範給他看。紙牌在他手裡像水，像空氣，像煙。亨利只能盡量模仿，就算練得再熟，也無法像他一樣從容。薩巴斯欽先生表演的是魔術，雖然亨利完全明白做法，可就是做不到。這跟學習語言很像：無論亨利能有多麼純熟流利，一個真正的魔術師依然能夠發覺他來自別的國家。 從他練習洗牌到現在，這是最糟的一天。薩巴斯欽先生一開始就心不在焉，甚至帶著點怒氣。桌上的書闔著。亨利沒提爸爸找他說話的事，薩巴斯欽也沒提到克羅頓先生找他談話。一切都跟平常上課一樣。 迫牌，紅心五。薩巴斯欽先生說。可是亨利迫出的是方塊九。 藏住A。He said.可是牌卻從亨利指縫間露了出來。 切牌。聽得出他已經火了。可是亨利手直抖，想把整副牌拿起來，反而讓它從手中滑了出去，就跟他爸那天晚上一樣，牌掉得到處都是。亨利蹲下去撿牌，一邊撿，一邊回頭去看薩巴斯欽先生的臉色，希望他說些什麼，什麼都好。可是他一句話也不說，只是坐在椅子上往後靠，靜靜盯著亨利把所有的牌都撿起來數好。 我教你那麼多，你學會的卻這麼少。 我學到很多，你說我做得很好。 你連撿牌都撿不全。 全撿起來了，我數過。 紅心三還在衣櫥底下。薩巴斯欽先生說。 impossible.薩巴斯欽先生坐的位置根本看不見衣櫥底。 亨利說：全都撿起來了，我數過。 薩巴斯欽嘆口氣閉上眼，再睜開時看見亨利還站在那兒沒動，就瞪著他用眼神逼他蹲下去找。這一瞬間亨利突然明白，牌一定真的在那裡，要不然他不會這樣。他給那眼神逼得不得不趴在地上伸手去衣櫥底下摸，下頭好多灰塵，他手指頭一路摸過灰塵，在很深的地方碰到了某樣東西，好像是牌，他幾乎可以確定那正是張紅心三。但他手伸出來時空空如也，至少看起來手裡沒有東西。就算別的把戲通通失敗，藏張牌他還辦得到。 亨利起身直視薩巴斯欽先生的眼睛說：衣櫥底下什麼也沒有。 亨利說謊，而且薩巴斯欽先生知道他說謊，至少看起來知道了，後來的事就都從這裡開始，一輩子的對抗就此展開，亨利要到多年之後才明白那種存乎己心的恨意是早已注定的，無法控制，對此他們誰也無能為力。 亨利問：為什麼沒告訴我？ tell you what? 漢娜的事。 What can I say? 他腦中重複響著漢娜二字，好像在解一組密碼。 沒什麼，只不過你沒告訴我。 薩巴斯欽先生微笑說道：那跟我們又沒關係，跟我們在做的事也沒關係。你生活裡發生的其他事情也沒跟我說，不是嗎？ 可是亨利沒別的事可講，他每天醒著的時候腦子裡就只有一件事，就只有在這房間裡學會的事。 亨利說：她是我妹妹。 同時，她也不是你妹妹。薩巴斯欽先生說。同樣的，我是你的老師，你的師父，同時也不是。我是薩巴斯欽先生，同時也是別人。舉例來說好了，我們從沒聊過我畢生的興趣，蝴蝶。 薩巴斯欽先生張開右手，一隻美麗的蝴蝶飛了出來，像在空中尋找什麼只有它看得見的東西似的，繞著房間飛，最後飄落在燈罩上，翅膀一開一合，一開一合，上頭有藍棕綠三色，非常好看。還有另一隻從他左手裡飛出來，他打開身旁桌上的盒子，先飛出三隻，然後半打，最後整個房間都飛滿了蝴蝶。 亨利又說：她是我妹妹。 Yes, I understand.可是現在情況和以前不一樣，你跟漢娜之間和以前不一樣了，對吧？That's what she said.我想瓊．克勞馥改變了一些事。 瓊．克勞馥是一隻狗。 目前對漢娜來說，最在乎的就是那隻狗，沒有別的東西比牠更重要。 你應該要告訴我。Henry said. 誰都比不上，亨利，即使是你，也沒牠重要。 你應該要告訴我。 我們所做的事和我們該做的事常常有很大的差距，亨利，這件事我們早該學會，你連這也要我教嗎？ 亨利說：不，這我知道，我早就知道了。 薩巴斯欽先生變出他的懷錶，拿在手裡看了一會兒，說：那麼，我想我全教完了。 全教完了？亨利大吃一驚。他又期待又害怕這一天真的到來，但怎麼想也想不到會在今天。What's the meaning? 我想我們就到這裡為止吧，亨利，你今天運氣不太好，應該說很不好，但你現在是個真正的魔術師了，連骨子裡都是。我沒什麼好教你的了。 不，這怎麼可能會是全部。 確實不是，其餘的得靠你自己去發掘。 亨利好恨，恨到想揍他，想握起拳頭去打他的臉，可是薩巴斯欽先生不知道施了什麼法，亨利的雙腳定在地上，一步也動不了，就只能站在那裡用力喘息。 one more.Henry said.再教我一個。 薩巴斯欽先生雙手一攤，大笑說：可是我沒東西教了啊！你把我搾乾啦！我真的沒得教了。 亨利說：教我那第一招。 第一招？薩巴斯欽先生一臉困惑，想不起來。哪一招？ 亨利說：把自己變不見那招，第一天你變給我看的那個，那招你沒教過我。 薩巴斯欽先生微笑直視亨利的眼睛，同情、愛、憐憫還有驕傲盡在那一眼之中。亨利心想，如果薩巴斯欽先生是他的爸爸，該有多好。如果他是他爸，就永遠不會離開，會永遠用那種眼神看他。 啊，那一招啊。薩巴斯欽先生嘆了口氣。我都忘了還有那招，我本來就打算教你，只是不在今天。 那什麼時候？ tomorrow. tomorrow?are you sure? Of course I'm sure.He said.明天，我明天教你。 可是到了明天，當然，他已經不見了。 漢娜也不見了，還有那隻狗。 他把他們帶走了，把他們偷走了。他們同時消失，就像變魔術一樣。 各位先生女士，這是故事的結尾，也是另一個故事的開頭。當我剛開始說故事的時候，您也許曾經自問，是什麼迫使一個人去改變膚色呢？他原來的膚色明明比新換的膚色要好得多。嗯，這就是答案。我已經把解題所需的資料給您了，當年一個白人，一個非常非常白、白得像鬼一樣的人偷走了他妹妹，他怎麼還會願意跟這種顏色有任何關係？各位，這是我的理解。依我看，亨利用整個生命去對抗邪惡，無論如何都不肯變成跟他師父一樣的人。 生命自己會轉彎，對吧？人生有那麼多轉捩點，一個接著一個，又一個，可是一切的源頭在哪一點呢？這是個奧祕。我知道我之所以會在這裡，是因為我爸，亨利也是因為他爸。可是事情不只這樣，絕不可能只是這樣。我們永遠無法回溯到夠久遠的地方，去搞清楚自己現在到底是誰，因為一切很快就會模糊，所有人都會死去，而小孩會餓，要吃飯。我想各位站這麼久腳一定痠了，謝謝您的耐心與諒解，如果您還是想退錢，請到身後票口找尤闌達，她很樂意協助。 當時我就是這麼跟他們說的。