Chapter 5 The Petrified Girl's Love Song

May 29, 1954 Come closer, come closer, I can't speak loudly, but I'll tell you all I know. He never loved me, I know that, we met too late, Henry's love was used up, and my heart, though soft and beating like other women's, was as hard as stone in the rest.Before we met, my arms and legs were already unable to move, and the only functions of my mouth were chewing, swallowing and smoking, and I had to be fed by others.Before Henry came, it was a shared chore.I eat two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening.I am everyone's burden, and I still am, but no one will complain. I am very lucky to have such a family.But since Henry joined, he took all the responsibility on his shoulders and fed me every day, twice a day, for years.What makes it even better is that we can chat, and it's great not to chat, to share moments of silence together.He never loved me, but I think he liked me quite a bit, he saw through my shell, he saw the real me, and I saw the real him.This is what love is like, and the emotion of looking directly at the soul should be regarded as love at second sight.However, if there is nothing that can be seen, if the heart is cold and hard, what else can it be?That would be the same as being blind.

Every morning he would bring eggs, sausages, toast and coffee, the same breakfast you would get in a good hotel.In the evening, the contents of the meal are ever-changing, and the unlimited expansion of his imagination is surprising, and the surprise is always worth the wait.Henry is a careful and considerate person who can use Dirk.Mosby's golden old cymbal lids keep warm on dinner plates.Before he came, my eggs were always cold, the bacon was as hard as my fingers, and the milk sometimes spilled out.I never complained about this. My mother always said: Jenny, you can take whatever they give you.I always have.But he knows how to treat women well, even with women like me who suffer from sclerosis.

Not only does he send food to feed my body, but he also sends words to feed my heart, and I think I'm the only one here who can really talk to him.He had other friends, of course, and Henry was friendly, or at least tried to be, but our time together was special, and there were certain things he only said to me.Too much sadness, regret, and whiskey clouded his memories of the three or four years before he joined the Chinese circus, but he remembered everything before that clearly.Before I met him, I was stuck in the same place like a tree, but the stories he told moved me. I felt like I was on an airship, ascended into the air, and traveled around the world. Sometimes I was in heaven, and sometimes I fell into hell. , as long as you close your eyes, you can see everything.His life followed the established route, even if he tried his best, he still couldn't change it. One good person suddenly became two, and we are his last hope.In the eyes of gods, people are weak. The goddess Themis (Themis) gave birth to three lovely daughters: Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, known as the goddess of fate.Crosa wove the fate of man, Laches measured it, and at last Atropos cut the thread.If we try to deceive them with our meager strength, we will only be laughed at by them, because they will always be invincible.What happened to Henry is the same as ours, except that he has been the most miserable one in the millennium, and he seems to have fallen from a book into our ordinary world.I think Henry.Walker is a hero, a tragic hero.How is a tragic hero different from a real hero?The tragic hero keeps losing, but survives after all.Henry is like that.He lost his sister and lost his mother. I still can't figure out how he survived.

No one listens to me, it's so hard, I speak more than a whisper, you have to be quiet in a very quiet place and really want to hear.Nobody really wants to listen to me anymore, but I like my voice in my head, except most of the time it's Henry talking. The importance of lost property is not the quantity, but the size.The little girl cries when the fish she wins from hooping dies on the way home. If you want to count things like this, you can count the times on the table.But a little boy died before he was nine years old, his beloved sister was stolen before he was eleven years old, and his father sat in despair before him and the whole world waiting to die, dying a little bit every day. Loss tears the body and bleeds the soul.Henry will not calculate his losses, he is not that kind of person, so people need friends, and friends will calculate for us.

It is easy for me to be foolishly moved by a love story. Two people stand at the two ends of the room, and with a look of lightning, they can move the fire with one eye. In the end, the story of inseparable love is inseparable to me. many.Everyone thought that it was only found in books. They were wrong. Stories like that happened every day, and I saw it with my own eyes.I was laying on the stage with my head upside down on a sideways display, like a dead body.I saw a boy in overalls and a girl in calico holding hands tightly.Love is born of fear sometimes, and I am the provider of that fear, even though I can't move at all, even though they know I am completely harmless, I know there are people who have never seen anything as scary as me.The most selling point here is me. Strong men are not uncommon, and bearded women also stand aside. Everyone is waiting in line to touch me to see if I am real. They will think I am a dummy until they touch it with their own hands. Believe it, and then you'll see them pull their hands back, as if touched by fire.The girl will throw herself into the arms of her boyfriend, love will be born from it, and she will hold his hand tightly in terror.Sometimes I will look deeply at a boy in the crowd who is terrified to death with eyes full of love (now I can only move my eyes), and silently say to him: Hold her hand and love her forever Bar.

In short, Henry alone has two stories.One talks about revenge and the other talks about love. I love that love story. Her name is Mariana.Flower, sometimes he calls her Mary, sometimes Mary Flower, sometimes my Flower, sometimes my Flower, marry me.She was white, and so was he, and he had been white for years.But between 1933 and 1938 (from twelve-year-old boy to seventeen-year-old man), he was a full-time black.Tom.Haley asked him to keep his skin dark at all times, just in case.Although Henry's schedule is very full, there will always be a few weeks of vacancy. Henry wants to see his former self during that time, even for a day.But Tom.Haley forbid, he was worried that someone would bump into Bakali from Dark Congo on the street and find that he turned into White Henry from Albany, wouldn't that ruin everything?How could that work, so Henry had no choice but to stay dark for a long time. After stopping the medicine for a long time, his complexion still remained a little dull, not white or black, a little gray.But that was later, Henry was black throughout his teenage years.

For the first five years he was the one and only, Bakali from the Dark Congo touring the country, visiting New York, St. Louis, San Francisco, and becoming a hit wherever he went.He burned the hundred-dollar bill and returned it to its original state, and used eggs to conjure many magic tricks that had never been seen before.Tom.Hailey made Bakali gradually change from monster to boy in everyone's mind, but of course the boy was not Henry.The American people watched him gradually become an American, watched him learn our customs and our language, and the newspapers also reported his affairs.

Bakari has spoken! I bring you African magic.He won warm applause for his bad English. His English improved with each performance.Don't use eggs in tonight's show, Tom Haley taught him.Switch to baseball.After the third baseball is gone, say strikeout!Of course, a little accent is a must, and your African accent has always been very good. His transformation was rapid, and his transformation was the subject of national entertainment for a while, until at last he became almost like us, almost the same, and the public interest died away.Other magicians who were actually from Africa won the attention of the crowd, so Tom.Haley decided to let Bakhari go back to Congo.

Bakari became Prince Archie, a noble ascetic from India.It was 1937, and he was wearing a purple turban, speaking with an East Indian accent, and his skin was lighter.This requires ingenious adjustment of the amount of medicine and exposure time, Tom.Hailey has become adept at adjusting skin tones.His mother had hoped that he could be a doctor, but he became Henry's personal pharmacist, with the new title Tom on the new business card.Dr. Haley, he's very pleased with himself. Henry, Prince Archie, has telepathic abilities and can predict fate.Before the show started, Tom.Dr. Haley will collect questions from the audience, and then communicate with Henry using coded signals.Most of the issues focus on the same few things: money, health and love.Tom.Haley would whisper a question to someone in the audience before Henry took the stage, like: How long have you been married?At the same time, he gestured (scratched elbows or slapped knees) to let Henry, who was peeking in the background, know the answer.In this way, when the person asked me, will my wife and I be happy?Henry can say: the next seventeen years will be as happy as the past seventeen years.Audiences will be shocked and amazed at his omniscience.

His most famous magic trick is called Mango Tree.He had a small wooden box four feet square, covered with a piece of cloth, put a little soil in it, put a mango fruit on the soil, and after a few seconds, the cloth was lifted, and a small mango tree appeared, six inches high. , it grows on that bit of soil.He put the cloth back on, and when he lifted it again, the mango tree was still there, but it had grown to a height of three feet and a diameter of half a foot.No one knew how he did it, and of course there were white people doing the same trick elsewhere, but no one cared, and they weren't Prince Archie.

For the next two and a half years he played Prince Archie, and if it hadn't been for a tragedy that happened later, I don't know how much longer he would have played.The cause of that tragedy was desire. Tom.Hayley, that man, loves boobs.When he sees a woman, he only sees breasts and nothing else, and the other parts are not important to him.He called breasts balboas, though Henry didn't know why he called them that.Every night they peek behind the scenes at the crowd, Tom.Haley would point somewhere and whisper into Henry's ear: Look at those balboas on her!Henry would look and nod, otherwise he wouldn't know what to do.Henry is not the type of person who pays special attention to breasts. It should be said that he has never been the type of person who dissects women into parts.When he fell in love with someone, he would love her whole body, every inch, from toenails to hair tips.Even I knew it, even me who he had never loved. The show is in progress, Tom.Hailey would search for the right balboa in the audience. The low-cut and large V-neck popular in the late 1930s was simply a gift from God, singing a charming song that only he could hear.The breast that rises and falls like the waves of his breath is where he longs to sleep that night, he closes his eyes and imagines the secret nipple, he desires the coordinates on the map.He was like someone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs, stuck in it, never satisfied, getting more and more addicted.He has always liked big breasts, but his demand for big breasts has continued to increase, and finally he has to have big breasts that are unsatisfactory. He likes the size that normal men may turn off, and it is difficult to buy the right bra.Teardrop or heart-shaped breasts are not Tom.All Hayley wanted, all he wanted were fabulous boobs, and boobs that were too big in the wrong hands might suffocate, but Tom.Haley can handle them, only he can love them properly and hear their call. He had discovered and offered to know a particular pair of breasts years before, in Cincinnati, in 1939.Henry and Tom.Haley goes to Cincinnati a lot because Prince Archie is popular there and there are plenty of busty, huge balboas.Tom.Haili sighed jokingly and said: There must be something special in the water here. I really envy the children here who can suck such good milk.Henry had just turned eighteen, a week before Tom.Hailey put a candle in the muffin for his birthday, and after singing happy birthday, he said: "I'm pretty sure I want to give you something for your birthday, but I haven't got it yet."Henry said he would be happy to wait.Tom.Hailey said: I really like you. This is one of the 247 reasons why I like you. You are willing to wait. Those who can wait can always wait for good things. In the middle of a hot night in Cincinnati, something good happened. Henry was soundly asleep when he suddenly heard laughter, a commotion, something was kicked and broken, and a blinding glare fell on his eyelids. Prince Archie, get up.Tom.Haley grabbed his shoulders and shook him awake. Henry was sleepy and saw Tom.Hailey's big ears flapped in front of his eyes.I have a present for you. Only then did he notice that there were others present, and only then did he hear a woman giggling outside the door. Who is there? Tom.Hailey quickly covered his mouth and whispered: Don't forget, you are still Prince Archie.He blinks.Understand?Henry nodded.Wait a minute if she's a little cold at the beginning, don't worry, a woman who is as cold as ice at the beginning will be as hot as fire in the end. There was a smell of gin in his breath, a smell Henry was all too familiar with.The difference is that his father drank his sorrows, Tom.Hailey is drinking and having fun. Henry asked softly: Who is she? Tom.Haley said: Just a girl, she wants to see your mango tree in Prince Archie.He spoke loudly at this time.Allow me to introduce you to one of your biggest supporters and here he winks again, meaning: Biggest yo, get it?Beth.Come in, Beth. She appeared by the bedroom door, and Henry recognized her as the audience of the night, Tom.Haley once pointed at her behind the scenes and said to Henry: Watch out!Balboa appears!Although she has a horse face, but as long as the angle is correct, the face will not be seen, I will teach you later. She did look a bit like a horse, with big teeth, prominent nostrils, two big brown eyes set apart on either side of her face, and big red lips, but otherwise the most striking thing about her was her breasts.Her eyes lit up and she looked at Henry foolishly, as if seeing a star.She turned to look at Tom.Haili glanced at him and got a nod of encouragement, so he stepped forward to Henry's bedside. Prince Archie.She saluted him as if he were a nobleman.It was a great pleasure to meet you. Just be happy, that's the most important thing.Tom.Haley blinked and blinked at Henry.He said to her: Although his English has improved, he still can't understand much.Then he turned to Henry, and said in his mouth: Kubu Mufti, Kubu Mazhuni Dog. Beth.Rhett sat down beside his bed.He was shirtless and had to pull the sheet over his chest, but she pulled the sheet down and pointed to herself and said: Me, Beth, may I? Henry nodded. The color of his chest was the same as his face, and Beth seemed fascinated by it. She reached out to touch it, laughed again, and turned to Tom who was standing by the door.Haley: Are you sure that's okay? I have never been more certain in my life.It was a tradition in his homeland, and it was a shame not to be a man on his eighteenth birthday, and he would have to go wandering in the jungle for a week or so to atone. We don't want that to happen.Beth said, holding Henry's face in both hands, with a look full of maternal love. Tom.Haley smiled sympathetically at Henry, whose eyes were filled with fright.Don't worry, kid, it's going to be okay, it's going to be good.Beth will treat you well, and I, I think I should quit, unless, what else can I do? Beth said: We'll just do it ourselves then, shall we, honey.But maybe you'd like to unhook me? Tom.Hailey's eyes lit up.With pleasure, oh, with pleasure. He undressed her slowly and watched her breasts fall out of her bra with Henry. Henry felt that this ceremony seemed to be going on forever, and Tom.Hailey wished the process would never end.It's a pity that the clothes were taken off after all, Tom.Haley turned off the lights and left. Breakfast time the next day was unusually quiet.Tom.Hailey smeared jam on the biscuit and pretended to be indifferent, but she was secretly watching Henry, watching him gobble up all the scrambled eggs with cheese. He asked him: Are you okay? Henry chewed his food, stared at the plate, and said: It's all right. Tom.Hailey smiled and blinked, and the two of them never mentioned it again. So what happened next is not surprising.Tom.When Haili died, the person next to him was a certain audience he had photographed from behind the scenes, her name was Miaoli.Zack Marie, sitting in the second row with her friends, was very absorbed in watching the show, and excitedly pushed her friends with her elbows every few minutes.Miao Li is the type he likes, not particularly beautiful, but has her unique charm hanging on her chest.Tom invited her to dinner, admiring the pair of sexy heavens across the table, and died in the restaurant with a piece of unchewed steak stuck in his throat and unable to breathe.Henry had gone back to his hotel room to read, and didn't learn until hours later that he had lost another father.And, the losses don't stop there. Tom.Hailey died, and with him the secret of the dyeing method.Henry wants Prince Archie to attend the funeral, accidentally takes too many pills, and turns black in the morning, and blacks are not allowed to attend funerals.The dead not only saved his life, became his father, made him what he was then, and he couldn't even attend his funeral. After a few weeks, he slowly returned to white, but he never returned to his original color, and he hadn't seen his original skin color for so long that he couldn't even remember it clearly.He went back to his old business, playing card games, noticing the color of every person who came to his table, waiting to meet Mr. Sabaschin.He must be in it, Henry was sure of that, but he was too shrewd to show his face.Shapeshifting was Mr. Sabaschin's forte, Henry was good at it, too, and his own presence was always elusive. Henry made enough money to rent a second-floor room in some old lady's house, who was about the same age as his mother (if she was still alive), who was not very talkative, but loved to sit by Henry's side and watch him. Have a meal.She said: You have good table manners, you hold the knife and fork correctly, and you always remember to spread the napkin on your lap before eating.People nowadays don't pay much attention to table manners, not at all.He didn't know anything about the world, he was lost, like he was born again, and he had to learn everything from the basics, but at least he remembered how to hold a knife and fork. Fortunately, at the time of World War II, Henry joined the infantry regiment and was sent to France with the 22nd Division.France!He'd always wanted to go to France, and so had his sister, who had pictures of Paris in magazines she'd found in the trash, and she'd shown them to him, but she'd never been there, and he had. War brought him joy.During the war, he made the first group of real friends in his life: Charlie.Smith, Dayton.Maulali, and Mucci.Max.They each had specialties, Charlie played the mandolin, Durden spoke French, Mucci sang like a bird, and Henry, of course, played cards.They fought from France to The Battle of Huertgen Forest in Germany, fought side by side, ate and slept together.Other troops also have soldiers who can sing and speak French very well, but they are the only ones who can perform magic tricks.Henry was very happy, and he thought it would be nice to die there. But he didn't die, and although there were many chances of dying, he was always safe and sound.There were many casualties in the war, some were burned to death, some were blown to pieces by armored vehicles, but the four of them not only survived, but were even unscathed, luck was too good, and everyone attributed it to Henry's magic.Henry did a few card tricks in the foxhole and once made a grenade disappear, so everyone knew he was good at it.Mucci.Max believed that he had a special ability to protect them, and he told people about his personal experience everywhere. It is said that Henry can turn bullets with a light word, and make them invisible with a sigh. Blowing back and forth, they just couldn't break through the protective shield Henry set up. During one brief truce, when Henry and Mucci were smoking, Charlie showed Dayton a picture of his hometown ex-girlfriend, whom he still calls Katie.Baker, but her surname was no longer Baker, she was married and took her husband's surname Resk, even so, he still liked to see her photos.The apocalyptic gunfire and bangs can make it feel like all the bad things in the world are on you and you're all alone, but then there's a short pause like this sometimes and you can have a cigarette. Henry said to Mucci: Stop talking around. What are you talking about? Don't go around saying that I know magic. Everyone is saying that I have magic powers that can defend against the Germans. I don't like that. I didn't tell a lie.You are like our guardian angel, except that you are not an angel, but our brother, you can shoot, hehe, in my opinion, this is better than being an angel. Mucci, I'm not a magician, I just can do a few tricks with cards and nothing else, okay?Exposure to France in World War II, Henry.Walker does everything he can to transform himself into someone else, a new person, but it doesn't work. Mucci smiled and said: Do you remember the last time you read what was on my mind? Good luck, random guessing. Also, you have conjured eggs out of nowhere several times, and they are quite delicious.You also let the whole pack of cigarettes float off the table, no strings, what a dick.Henry, don't be shy, you are covering us, I love you. Charlie said: I love you too, really. Suddenly there was a deafening rifle shot, and the three of them sighed at the same time, and they were about to start fighting again. I never saw you miss a shot.As he spoke, Charlie tapped Henry's rifle lightly with his toe.You hit the mark, you killed more Germans than Eisenhower. Henry said: That's not magic, it's hate. I hate them too, but sometimes they just miss. I don't hate Germans.Henry stopped Charlie's doubts with his eyes.It's not the Germans I hate, it's someone else, and killing Germans is just an exercise. What do you mean by that?i still feel Think whatever you like.Henry continued to fire as he spoke, bullets whizzing overhead.But I hope you stop talking. Well, for your sake, I won't say anything.But you know it's true. Mucci grabbed a handful of mud, threw it on Henry's face, shook his head and said: What's the big deal?I mean, if I could believe that, I'd be less likely to feel like I was going to die any moment.Talk about what's the big deal? Henry looked at him, reached out and wiped off the mud on his face, half of his face was still black.No big deal, I thought, really no big deal. It's amazing.Charlie said. Dayton said: Yeah, what could be bigger than fate?It's important to me to be alive, and I'm grateful to those who saved my life.Thank you, I hit the soles of my boots thank you. Henry said: You are the one who saved you, not me. Charlie turned to Henry and said: Let me prove it to you. They were all leaning against the edge of the trench, and the German army attacked from both sides, outnumbering the few, and there was a hail of bullets everywhere, and it kept falling.The birds were frightened and wanted to fly away, but they couldn't escape. They were shot one by one and fell into the trench, blood dripping on the soldiers' boots. So Charlie walked out confidently, into the hail of bullets, smiling, arms outstretched, proud, shining in the sun. Here I am, you German bastards!he yelled.Shoot me if you can!kill me!see if you dare He stood outside for five seconds before being dragged back by Henry and Mucci grabbing his ankles.Henry said angrily: You damn fool! But Charlie laughed, and so did Durden.Amidst the hellish noise, Mucci looked at him quietly, then at Henry. He said: He was unharmed, not even a minor injury. Henry said: I said, I don't care anymore, you can say whatever you like, as long as it works. So the soldiers spread word of mouth, saying that he could make tanks invisible, bullets into feathers, and he could see through the enemy's mind. Some even said that the success of the Normandy landing was thanks to him. Before the war ended, Henry.Walker has become the most famous magician in the world. But that wasn't the story I wanted to tell. I used to love reading novels, when I was still able to turn pages.The best novels always start out with one thing and then move on to another before you know it.Or the author will say: I'm going to tell you about this.It said something else entirely.I love this kind of book very much, isn't life like this?Want to go shopping, but walk into the park; want to dig holes in the ground to plant trees, but find treasure buried inside.What people want does not necessarily end up being what they want. Will is the most fragile thing in the world.I originally wanted to use a story to explain why Henry.Walker never loved me.He didn't fall in love with me because he still loves Mariana.Hua'er (he doesn't love her anymore), but because she can't love him. When the war ended and the troops returned home, thousands of Americans cheered when the troop carrier arrived in New York Harbor, but Henry, like many others, returned homeless.That's what the Gershwins said in the song: They were writing love songs, but not for me. Those friends in wartime returned home safe and sound, but disappeared into the vast sea of ​​people and never saw each other again.Wearing a green military uniform and carrying a cylindrical duffel bag, Henry walked past the music, noise, and colored shreds of paper, and easily disappeared from the crowd.Deep down he wished the war would never end, that he had a new version of himself there, and when he returned home he was old again, back to the old one.He is back to square one. Before lunch, he thought, he could have an hour of card games. At this moment, someone called him. Henry? He stopped, turned his head, no one looked at him. So keep going. Mr Walker! It was so strange that anyone could call him by his name.This man was a small man, wearing a double-breasted herringbone suit and a felt gentleman hat, carrying a briefcase in each hand, waving one of them and struggling to squeeze through the crowd towards Henry.Henry thought to himself, is this man here to ask for trouble?Did his past come to him?Could it be that this person discovered his past and wanted to sue him for something?Pretending to be black?Pretending to be an ascetic?In any case, it would not be a good thing, so Henry turned around and walked away, getting more and more anxious. The man had already caught up, but because of his short legs, he had to run two steps for every step Henry took to keep up. Karl Steinbaum.Edgar.Karl Steinbaum.With that said, the man stretched out his hand, Henry turned a blind eye and moved on without knowing where he was going.This Karstenbaum was out of breath and sweating profusely, but he still followed him closely. I prefer to be called Eddie.He smiled and continued: "It's not Ed, I think Ed sounds too mature and serious."My grandfather's name was Ed, God told him to live a long life, and he is still alive today, and my dad is also in good health. For me, Ed should be that kind of person.As for Eddie, it's a different type, fun and playful, so please call me Eddie.Or, if I make you angry someday, just call me Karstenbaum, I guess no matter how nice we are, it will always happen, then you can shout at me: Karstenbaum!As for me, I'll call you Mr. Walker or the Great Henry, but I think I might think of something more striking or more recognizable.What do you think? Henry didn't stop, he looked down at the little Eddie, and asked: Thoughts?Thoughts on something? I think you still have plenty of time to think on the way home.By the way, welcome home. Henry stood still and looked at the man, who also stopped to catch his breath in relief.Home?Where is the home, I don't even know what that word means.Even with the sun, the city was an ugly gray monster of which he couldn't see himself as part, but then again, he couldn't see himself as part of anything at all. Would you like a cigarette?Karstenbaum handed over the cigarette case.I don't smoke myself, this is for those who do.Henry said: Listen, I don't know you, I don't know what you're talking about, if you're not crazy, you've got the wrong guy.Sorry, I have something else to do, I have to find a job. Why? Because I like to have food and sleep under a roof. Karstenbaum held up his briefcase.But I have already found you a job, and not just one, I have hundreds of jobs for you. Hundreds of copies?Why do I want hundreds of jobs? Shows, magic shows, you've got August. What are you talking about? You're famous, Mr. Walker, you don't know it yourself, do you? Karstenbaum knelt on the sidewalk in the street, quickly opened the golden lock of the briefcase, took out a stack of newspaper clippings, and asked Henry to read one by one. There are twenty-three of them here, and I'm sure there must be more. Henry said: "It's all about me. That's right. But he thought of Mucci and his big mouth, and Charlie, and those comrades who had lived and fought with him for four years, and he knew how these reports came from. who are you?Henry wanted answers, real answers, so that the confusion would clear up. Unfortunately, this answer did not appear.Karstenbaum raised his head and said proudly: Mr. Walker, I am your agent. Now Karstenbaum turned around and left. This man was so mysterious that Henry, driven by curiosity, had to follow him.Where are we going?Henry asked. Karstenbaum stared straight ahead, facing the future, and replied with a smile: "Of course I'm going to your office." On the way, Karstenbaum told him about the passage, how his magical feats passed from army to army, and then returned to America by plane and ship across the ocean.He is red now, purple red. Karstenbaum told him: There is only one rule in showbiz, and that is to strike while the iron is hot.I saw an opportunity for you to capitalize on the popularity you'd built overseas, but I couldn't reach you, so I had to do it myself first. Henry said: Let me make good use of it?You mean to let you make good use of it? Please don't get mad, a reciprocal relationship is the best kind of relationship. Mr. Karstenbaum, I don't want a broker. It's too late, Mr. Walker, you already have one. Yeah?Then you are fired. I'm not technically employed, and of course you can't fire me, we don't have a contract, and if there's one rule in show business, it's this: no contract, no nothing.He paused for a moment to make Henry more and more confused.Besides, I think it would be too rash to say no to something you don't understand yet, so take it easy and it will work out.Here we are. They were standing in front of a four-story building in Bridge Street, a brick building with glass windows, but all the windows were dark and dull to look at.There was a hole where the doorknob should have been, and a dead bird lay rotting in the alley to the left. Based on the current funding situation, the security can only be done to this extent, so it is considered expedient and can be repaired. Henry sighed. Karstenbaum says: Come on. Henry took a step, went up the steps, and looked up to see the house number. Number seventy two. Yes, 702 Bridge Street, remember.Any questions? Henry stared at the number, unable to move, and muttered to himself in an extremely soft voice: No problem, I'm fine.They climbed three flights of wooden stairs in the dark, walked down dark corridors, passed Moody's Rubber Stuff and Swinburne's Fresh, and came to an unremarkable frosted-glass door.There was light shining through the door, as if the sun was inside, or God lived there. Karstenbaum opened the door and said: Boss, please first. Henry opened the door and entered, and the light flooded his whole body. He stood there motionless, stunned by the scene in front of him.The lights in the office were really bright, but that's not how the light came from. In Great Henry's waiting room stood against the wall fifteen of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life, blondes, brunettes, redheads. Yes, long legs, and Balboa, oh, Balboa.He knows Tom.Haley must be desperately grabbing the lid right now, trying to climb out and enjoy the view with his former employee. He looked down at Karstenbaum, who knew what he wanted to ask.They're here for an interview, boss. interview?Henry had doubts in his heart, but he didn't ask. He knew the answer would be revealed soon. Karstenbaum said: You need assistants when you perform. certainly. Henry laughed, and so did Karstenbaum.It's impossible, but it happened. In less than ten minutes since getting off the boat, the two of them have become best friends, just like Bob.Hope Peace.Same as Crosby , the best partner.有時候這種事會在瞬間發生，他們就是這樣。 亨利說：契約在不在手邊？ 就在我可靠的公事包裡。 告訴我簽什麼地方。 於是他們穿過美麗的等候室，走進一間比較小的房間（亨利的辦公室），把門關上。 我在腦中想像那些女子，像書本排在書架上似的站在他辦公室牆邊，不知道這為什麼會帶給我莫大的樂趣，她們和我完全相反，如果她們是書，我就是書架，我應該因此討厭她們或討厭自己才對，但我沒有。我對她們的看法大概跟亨利一樣，當她們是種禮物，是生命的徵象，是好事降臨的預兆，我沒法討厭她們。如果沒有她們，這世界會成什麼樣子？沒有了我，她們又會成什麼樣子？ 亨利從來沒用過助手，湯姆．海利不知道算不算？他在表演前會混進觀眾裡，為亨利的算命表演套些相關資料。可是說起來亨利還比較像他的助手，或是產品，湯姆．海利用亨利完成了他自己的幻術。Tom.海利一直是主控者，亨利當然恨他，但對他的愛比恨更多，他讓亨利變成這個樣子，也避免了另一種下場。他的第一個人生在漢娜被帶走的時候就結束了，如果沒有湯姆．海利，他的一生就那樣了。Tom.海利教會他一件事，那是他這輩子所學過最重要的一件事：適應。求生的祕訣就在於適應。缺乏適應力，缺乏改變的意願與能力，就很難存活。因此亨利先變成黑人，後來讓膚色變淺一些，現在又變回白人，如果變綠就能永遠留在那間等候室的美人堆裡，他也毫不猶豫。可惜卡斯坦包姆說，她們全都得走，只能留下一個。 非得現在面試不可嗎？亨利坐進卡斯坦包姆鄭重其事為他拉開的他的椅子，那是張轉起來很不穩的高背總裁椅，坐墊的填充物都露出來了，不過他已經好幾年沒坐過這麼舒服的位子了。辦公室的牆面沒貼壁紙，是裸露的磚牆。 面試必須立刻進行。卡斯坦包姆指指手錶。時間不等人，你聽過時間說什麼我在前面轉角等你之類的話嗎？沒有，它不等人的。 亨利說：可是，不能讓她們多待一會兒嗎？我們可以請她們吃個飯什麼的。 聽起來很有趣，我相信她們一定會跟你一樣高興，可是我算過卡斯坦包姆看看手錶，那是隻瑞士的寶路華。如果不趕快開始，我們就來不及設計第一場表演了。 How much time is left? 六個星期。卡斯坦包姆說：四十二天。 six weeks?亨利從來沒有自己設計過一場表演，六個星期絕對辦不到。就在這個時候，他彷彿見到湯姆．海利顯靈，站在他那了不起的椅子後面捏著他肩膀說：你是不是覺得這就好像魚要長腳變成哺乳動物，在陸地上生活？That's right.而且魚辦到了。 亨利聳聳肩膀嘆口氣說：那就開始吧。 她們一個個進來，又一個個給請出去。過程差不多就像這樣： 妳的名字叫做？ Victoria.哈利斯。 她捲髮披肩，大紅口紅，綠眼睛，長睫毛，胸部似乎隨時會從衣服裡爆出來，這讓亨利忍不住想到湯姆．海利和他的秘書蘿拉。亨利有回不小心進辦公室撞見他們，蘿拉雙腿張開躺在桌上，湯姆．海利像隻肉食性動物似的粗暴對她，她似乎對亨利在場毫不在意，湯姆．海利也沒有停下。亨利還記得煙灰缸裡有未熄的香菸。 妳有興趣要當魔術師助手。大部分問題由卡斯坦包姆提問。 噢，非常有興趣！她表現得很熱切，也許太熱切了點。 妳在這個領域有沒有什麼經歷？ 這個嘛，沒有，在這行沒有，可是我當別的助理當了一輩子，應該都大同小異吧。 妳會不會怯場？在台上要面對幾百個觀眾，而且很多人可能還會盯著妳，甚至盯著妳的某些部位看。卡斯坦包姆說著向亨利投去一個眼神。 她說：我喜歡被人欣賞，戰前我當過絲襪模特兒，本來還想回去，可惜他們已經用了別人，比我年輕。 謝謝妳，維多利亞。卡斯坦包姆在標準拍紙簿上做了點筆記。我想這樣行了，我們有妳電話號碼，再聯絡吧！ 我單身。她說話時看著亨利。這會加點分吧？ 卡斯坦包姆問她：加什麼分？ 她的眼睛還是緊盯著亨利，我可以毫無顧忌地參加巡迴演出，我毫無顧忌。 very good.卡斯坦包姆說。Thank you. she left.門一關上，卡斯坦包姆就緩緩點頭說道：我喜歡，她會放電，這在演出時很有幫助，男人會盯著他看，做老婆的也會因此分心，這叫誤導，對吧？ right. so? 她很好，而且很漂亮。Henry said.可是，我想她不適合。 你覺得她不適合？ right.亨利嘆了口氣，他感覺自己好像剛剛才爬出戰壕，就到了這裡，有這麼多美女想在他身邊工作，幫他擺放兔子和鳥，讓他把自己切成兩半。他曾有過來自各方的女人，有法國人，有德國人，甚至有一個來自他聽都沒聽過的國家，但他們所處的房間都太過陰暗，他沒法把她們看仔細。他喜歡像現在這樣，開著燈。他說：就是不適合，她不適合我。 卡斯坦包姆只沮喪一下下，就重新打起精神，他的情緒像皮球一樣有彈性。她是今天進來面試的十位。 好吧，那我們就請下一位進來。他看看名單，笑了。這一定不是真名，不可能。他站起來伸頭朝門外喊：瑪莉安娜．花兒，請進。 她進門那一瞬間，亨利心想，就是她了。他跟我說：她一走進來，我就篤定是她，我說：因為她讓你想起漢娜？我說她一定跟漢娜一樣金髮藍眼，一樣光彩耀眼，一樣讓人不背對她就睡不著，這個瑪莉安娜一定很像成人版的漢娜。自從漢娜被人帶走以後，亨利一直在找，他的找法和那些瞎找幾星期的警察不同，亨利找她的方式就像你看風景時心想：少了什麼東西。他在任何地方都會看見漢娜留下的空缺，我想，在瑪莉安娜．花兒身上他找著了那一塊。 但他說：不，妳錯了。 I was wrong? 接著他跟我說了下面這個故事。 瑪莉安娜．花兒很黑，內外都黑，整個人明亮的部分只有名字而已。那年代不時興黑頭髮，她髮長過肩，而且只有隨便梳梳。她是那種很難想像小時候是什麼樣子的女人，看起來好像昨天剛剛出生。眼睛圓圓的，巧克力色，並不閃亮，好像裡頭有什麼東西在悶燒。手腕很細，他可以像握傘把一樣握在手裡。她不笑，沒有女人味，不像其他人那樣精心打扮，為自己添加額外的吸引力。 我問亨利：這就是你愛上的人？ 他回答我說：偉大的胡迪尼都讓笨蛋打死了，有些事就是讓人無法理解。 卡斯坦包姆還來不及開口問話，亨利就舉起手說：我要這一個。 OK卡斯坦包姆說：當然好。 亨利盡力不讓聲音發抖。那麼，花兒小姐，您對魔術熟嗎？ 熟啊。她一開口，亨利和卡斯坦包姆都靠了過去，他們聽不清楚她說什麼。她只好稍稍提高音量再說一次：熟。 噢，這樣啊，那好，對吧？亨利望向卡斯坦包姆，眼中充滿驚訝，面試進行到現在，她是唯一一個這麼回答的，其他人都只是想找工作，什麼工作都行。亨利說：有經驗，那好。 卡斯坦包姆卻皺起眉頭。什麼樣的經驗？ 嗯，我也算是個魔術師吧，當然沒你那麼厲害，可是有點像。她看亨利一眼。我可以現場表演嗎？ please.卡斯坦包姆說：請只管做吧。 好，我要從一到十之間選出一個號碼。她問：我會選幾呢？ 亨利聳聳肩膀，望著卡斯坦包姆說：三？ 她說：答對了，就是三。 亨利大笑起來，他好久好久沒這麼笑了。here you go. Thanks. 可這不是魔術。卡斯坦包姆不喜歡事情變成這樣，他對亨利說：你如果說九，她也會說九，我們根本不知道她原本選的是幾。 亨利點頭說：當然不知道啊，魔術本來就是這麼回事。於是她當場獲得雇用。 當天晚上，卡斯坦包姆在酒館吧檯把椅子坐到熱，最後摔下來，在大理石地板上撞了頭，才清醒一點。兩個水手扶他起來，和氣地送他出門，他謝過他們，跌跌撞撞走在百老匯街上，迷失在霓虹夜色中。那段日子城裡總是瀰漫著笑聲和歌聲，但卡斯坦包姆笑不出來也唱不出來，他累壞了。這一天好長，而且值得紀念。一切都照他計畫進行，那可是個瘋狂的計畫呢，步步都瘋狂，他卻辦到了！假如娛樂事業也有規則可言的話，那就是：不敢冒險，就沒有收穫。他已經冒險把一切都賭進去了，包括所有的錢，還有整個未來。首先，租房子，亨利那間房子很貴，卡斯坦包姆買的設備也很貴，錢全是他向父親借的。他預定了表演，訂製了精美信紙，亞麻紙上印著浮凸的黑字艾德嘉．卡斯坦包姆，經紀人。他前往碼頭，去找他第一個也是唯一的客戶亨利，找到了，而且憑著魅力和勸說拉他入夥。是的，他有魅力也有說服力。還有信心，對自己有信心。他只要對自己有信心，就感覺所向披靡。他父親常說，只要深具自信，天底下就沒有做不到的事。他不知道說了多少次自己白手起家的故事：一個農夫的兒子胼手胝足，終於做到全美最大的鬱金香球莖批發商。他身處社會底層的底端（農夫之子已經在社會底層了，更何況他父親連地都沒有），挨家挨戶推銷商品，直到歐威爾．卡斯坦包姆成為鬱金香球莖界最值得信賴的名字，此處販售卡斯坦包姆鬱金香球莖！的牌子到處可見。鬱金香！他爸說是鬱金香給了他們房子住，是鬱金香給了他們鞋子穿，是鬱金香讓他們有飯吃。誰想得到這一切全靠鬱金香呢？It's crazy.他爸說：我當時真是瘋了，我的夢想很瘋狂，可是哪個夢想不瘋狂呢？合情合理的夢想能算夢想嗎？不，合情合理的夢想叫做計劃。我們這種人會做夢，然後靠著相信自己讓美夢成真。加油吧！ 艾德嘉．卡斯坦包姆就是這樣飛離了父親的巢。 每件事都照計劃進行，那天下午他一度已經想好要怎麼把這個故事說給兒子聽（如果他有兒子的話），但半途卻殺出了瑪莉安娜．花兒這個程咬金，而亨利．沃克雇了她。誰想到會發生這種事呢？他原本以為亨利看法和他相同，至少對女人的審美觀一致，他認為全國男人心目中的理想應該都是像Vargas Girl雜誌封面上那種性感美女，有點淘氣，又十分撩人，讓你光想到都會流口水。魔術師的助手通常令男人仰慕，令女人憎恨，就跟魔術一樣令人嘖嘖稱奇！她要做的事情並沒什麼了不起，不過就是幫魔術師拿拿道具，偶爾浮在半空，偶爾被切成兩半。可是魔術師旁邊站的助手若是貌不驚人，就跟男人娶到醜老婆一樣，不只看了難過，還會讓人懷疑他到底有什麼問題。 瑪莉安娜．花兒並不醜，她比醜更糟，她很嚇人，總是一副憂煩不堪擔心害怕的樣子。不管誰見了她，都會忍不住想，這人出了什麼事，遇上什麼事能讓她嚇成這個樣子。她人很怪，行為也怪，就連眨眼都眨得特別慢，好像特地要你看見她在眨眼。問她問題，她要想半天才回答，讓你等得很不自在。如果你說：妳好嗎？她會在你極度緩慢默數到三之後才說：我很好。然後你再默數到三，還會聽見她說：你好嗎？至於她的衣著，那些衣服顯然在她之前有過一個以上的主人，而且到底現在是不是她的還很難說，也許是她在赴試途中從某個曬衣架上偷的。上身太寬太空（她胸部太平，幾乎完全沒料），裙子太緊，黑色舊平底鞋的鞋跟上都是泥。她到底從哪裡跑出來的？在卡斯坦包姆的想像中，她就跟農作物或雜草一樣，從土裡長出來，然後把自己連根拔出，跑來當了魔術助手，但他怎麼也想不通亨利怎麼會被她迷住。 但是，夜裡回家的路上，他依然對自己充滿信心。他跟父親一樣，是領導者，是頭兒，是風浪中掌舵的人，瑪莉安娜．花兒不見得能把他們的船弄沉。他對此並不樂觀，一點也不樂觀，可他沒別的辦法，只能繼續下去。 時光飛逝，再過兩星期他們就要在安保利恩劇院進行第一場演出了。亨利和瑪莉安娜一直在準備，卡斯坦包姆砸大錢買了不少最新設備，包括半打機關盒、隱形線和鏡子，還有超貴的頂級死亡之輪（擲刀的技術是亨利在軍中學的），這機器太大，存放在卡斯坦包姆父親的倉庫裡。他還買了許多尚在實驗階段的電子裝置來加強效果，很想趕快親眼看看效果如何。可是亨利堅持不讓任何人參與他與瑪莉安娜的排練。 這太荒謬了，亨利，我得了解狀況。 Why? 因為我是你的經紀人，我要站在最前面幫你推銷，如果娛樂事業也有規則可言的話，那就是：平日練習的時候經紀人一定要參與。我得了解幕後的情形，你明白嗎？ 亨利說：看來娛樂事業的規矩還挺多的。 yes.卡斯坦包姆說：我跟你說過的還不到一半呢。 亨利說：我明白。但卡斯坦包姆看得出他只是嘴上說說。等我們準備好之後，你會第一個看見我們練習。可是這得照程序來，一開始魔術師必須先和助理獨處，建立起某種關係，別人不能參與。瑪莉安娜必須了解我的想法，我也必須了解她的想法。她必須單憑一個眼神就知道我要她做什麼，我用右手和左手代表不同的意思，就連對她微笑也有含意在其中，同樣的，她也是。她得搞清楚狀況。如果她凶巴巴瞪我，就算只有短短一眼，我也得知道該加把勁來維持她對我的注意力，噢，我是說他們，我是指觀眾。我們必須合為一體，兩人同心，這需要一段時間的私密相處才能營造出來。在觀眾觀賞的整場表演之中，就只有一件事做不了假，那就是魔術師和助手的關係。 卡斯坦包姆並不這麼想，他覺得那聽起來並不是魔術師和助手的關係，而像男人和他的戀人，但他不能說出來，因為他的處境如履薄冰，從亨利的表情就看得出來。他看得懂亨利看他或瞪他的含意，也明白亨利各種笑法或者不笑（這最常出現）是什麼意思。 卡斯坦包姆轉身離開，亨利抓住他，把他轉回來，看著他的眼睛對他說：這會是場偉大的演出，會是魔術史上最偉大的演出。全世界所有魔術師都會聽到消息，每一個，包括他。他會知道我在這裡，他會知道我回來了，他會知道 who is he? What? 你剛說他會知道我在這裡，他是誰？ 亨利搖搖頭說：沒有誰，他誰也不是。 卡斯坦包姆想得沒錯，亨利之所以想和瑪莉安娜．花兒獨處，是因為他愛上了她，而且希望她也愛他。到頭來，一切全給卡斯坦包姆料中了，這是他的天賦，也是種詛咒。他知道他們注定要失敗，瑪莉安娜．花兒將會把他們兩個都毀掉。可惜亨利當他是卡珊德拉（譯註：Cassandra，希臘神話中不為人所信的預言家。）雖然他相信自己，人家卻不相信他。他總感覺父親的魂魄（雖然他父親還好端端活在兩哩之外）在上方盤旋，像在他小時候那樣給他打分數，沉默又嚴肅地搖著頭督促兒子走向光明前程。但卡斯坦包姆放眼望去只見黑暗一片。 如果能這樣就好了，我在想，如果我們心裡能有個人，就像拉繩開燈一樣，在有人愛上我們的時候把我們的心點亮，那有多好。這麼一來，只要愛上了就一定能夠得到回報。 有天晚上，亨利公私兩便地在瑪莉安娜面前布置了一張餐桌，憑空變出瓷盤、閃亮的銀器和水晶酒杯，接著又變出羊排、胡蘿蔔、豆子、熱麵包和一瓶一八九七年的馬德拉酒（Madeira），右手一揮，酒就開了，晚餐都擺好了。 他為瑪莉安娜拉出座椅，她從房間另一端飄過來。她並不是真的飄在空中，只是長裙下的腳走起路來彷彿從不著地。她好不容易到了桌邊，對他露出她特有的那種淡淡微笑。 她對剛才看見的事未予置評。 亨利坐下來，小心地把桌布鋪在膝上。嗯，妳覺得怎麼樣？ what about 晚餐啊，變出來的方式。我想把這表演叫作神饌，也就是 神的食物，我知道啊，我覺得很好。 換作別的女人，或是其他任何普通人，都會對他剛剛的演出嘖嘖稱奇，但她沒有。這雖然讓他感到失望，卻又有種古怪的吸引力，他愛上了全世界最不把他的魔術當回事的人。 她開始用餐。有那麼一會兒誰也沒說話，除了亨利刀叉碰到盤子發出的聲響之外，非常安靜。 亨利突然咳了起來，一開始沒什麼，可是越咳越厲害，最後咳到喘不過氣來，臉都脹紅了。 這是那天晚上頭一回，可能也是有始以來頭一回，瑪莉安娜帶著真正的人性關懷看他，問他：你還好嗎？ 他點點頭說：我八成是給什麼東西哽住，現在沒事了。 you sure? certainly.他說：別擔心，我只是有點累。三天後就要首演，就算死也阻止不了我。 死當然阻止不了你。 他笑笑繼續吃飯，她也是。可是她老盯著他看，好像在仔細研究他，看得他不自在起來。他問：妳有話想跟我說？ 她緩緩搖頭，臉色蒼白到快要消失不見。 她說：豆子好極了。說著盛起三四粒放進嘴裡，那些豆子在湯匙裡的樣子就好像蛋在巢中，亨利望著她，覺得她像一首詩，超然物外，除了維生所需不帶任何雜質，如果他能天天看著她過她的日子，讀書、睡覺、呼吸那麼此生別無所求。 突然，響起如雷一般驚天動地的敲門聲。 Henry!Henry!let me in! 是卡斯坦包姆。亨利嘆口氣說：我不會讓他進來的。 瑪莉安娜拿起餐巾，輕輕在唇上按了按，搖搖頭說：不，讓他進來吧。我累了，我想我要去睡了。 她睡狹小的客房，從前大概是女僕的房間，只放得下一張單人床、一張木桌和一盞燈，但對她來說這樣就夠了。 She stood up.雖然他們沒有互相親吻或擁抱，卻以一種愛人向彼此告別，要等數天或者數月才能再見的表情注視對方。 她走進自己的房間，輕輕把門帶上。 亨利也站起來，走到門邊說：卡斯坦包姆。然後把門打開，卡斯坦包姆飛也似地閃進來。他的頭髮平日抹油向後梳，再故作自然地放下中間一撮，此刻卻都掉在眼睛裡，眼神狂亂。一進門就大步從房間這頭走到那頭，從餐廳走到後面的臨時舞台區，臉上表情像在嘲笑自己花錢買了這些東西，想著父親換作是他父親，一定會堅持這一切必須有所回報。 他問：她在哪裡？ 亨利說：你小聲點，她睡了。 想必是排練太久，累壞了吧。 我都請你小聲點了。 哪裡是請，你是叫我小聲，你命令我。我們是合夥人，可你專制得很，你是亨利九世。 you're drunk.Henry said. drunk?drunk?這哪叫醉？朋友啊，我喝醉的時候既沒法走路也沒法講話，兩個眼睛都沒法同時睜開，我會忘記自己的名字和活下去的原因。可是一杯馬丁尼或是三杯只會讓人有自信去說出清醒時說不出口的話，如果他真是個男人的話。 有什麼話你得先喝三杯馬丁尼才能跟我說？ 卡斯坦包姆彷彿這才忽然發現到自己在做什麼，看看亨利，再看看那一桌菜。 他說：我還沒吃飯，可以吃嗎？ 亨利點點頭。卡斯坦包姆敲門的時候，他剛叉起一塊羊排，還沒送進嘴裡，就去應門。現在卡斯坦包姆拿起那支叉子接著吃，他閉上眼睛，十分滿意，這正是他現在最需要的東西。 可是不對，他嚼了幾下，突然停住，睜大眼睛，皺起眉頭，然後從嘴裡拉出一根線。亨利不知道那是什麼，卡斯坦包姆也不知道，但這東西本來就是要讓人看不見的，那是條隱形線，一條原本用過要丟的隱形線。那條線好長好長，卡斯坦包姆拉了好久都拉不完，最後亨利忍不住大笑出來，就連氣呼呼的卡斯坦包姆自己也不禁失笑。他的笑聲很尖，頻率很高，像嬰兒笑，聽了你想不笑也難，所以亨利笑得更厲害了，兩人越笑越嚴重，笑到非得坐下不可，否則會膝蓋發軟跌倒在地。他們足足花了一分鐘才笑完，把身體裡面的笑意全都用光光，然後開始感到空虛，好像這輩子都沒法再笑了。 卡斯坦包姆把一顆豆子放在叉柄上，猛壓叉齒將它彈到空中，劃出美麗的弧線，掉進他嘴裡。亨利看著看著，想起他為什麼初次見面就喜歡這人。 你知道演藝事業的頭條規則是什麼嗎？亨利，你知道嗎？ 亨利搖搖頭說：我不知道。 trust.卡斯坦包姆說。娛樂事業的頭條規則就是信任。我得信任你，你得信任我。 我信任你，艾迪，我完完全全信任你。 卡斯坦包姆直視亨利的眼睛。是嗎，那麼我們至少還有一個人做到了。 他拿叉子在桌邊敲呀敲，從容堅決，就像時鐘滴答滴。 You can trust me.亨利用手按住卡斯坦包姆，讓他別再敲。我們同在一條船上，艾迪，要不是你，我現在根本一無所有。 卡斯坦包姆勉強想要擠出一個微笑，可惜並不成功，那笑容死在他臉上。他說：亨利，事情是這樣的，你目前依然一無所有，我們兩個都一無所有，至少目前還沒有。你的首演，可以打著愛國魔術師的名號，人們喜歡這種胡說八道，可是你過去並沒有演出資歷，單憑戰時那些傳奇故事獨領風騷，這是一時的，只能撐到第一次上台。等到上了台，台下每個觀眾都會有兩隻眼，相信我，有一隻眼想看見你成功，另一隻眼想看你成空。你的機會只有一次，亨利，後頭排隊等著把你幹掉的人太多了。 亨利說：這聽起來不像投信任票。 卡斯坦包姆起身向道具架走去，那是條長桌，以神祕的次序擺放了許多道具。我不知道我有投票權。 What's the meaning? 卡斯坦包姆拿起一個看起來盛滿水的杯子，倒過來，沒有東西流出。我還沒看過表演內容，亨利，我不知道我在賣什麼，連我在賣誰都不知道，我不知道接下來會怎樣。你將要面對滿座觀眾和城裡所有媒體演出，但你要表演什麼還沒有人知道。 我想給你驚喜。 我不喜歡驚喜。 亨利將眼光移開。艾迪，這場表演有點與眾不同。 這就是卡斯坦包姆最怕聽見的。what is the difference? 亨利說：我不知道該怎麼說，這不是我想要怎麼做的問題，而是我努力想要讓自己面對變化保持開放的態度，這些事勉強不得，只能順其自然發展，我不知道，艾迪，這有點背離常軌。 卡斯坦包姆說：那就更應該要先讓別人看看，例如我。我們可以研究出一套說法，讓人能夠預期他會看見什麼，這樣子當他看見的時候才不會太過驚訝。這個行業就是要讓人先有所期待，然後滿足他的期待，就好了！如果觀眾期待看見兔子，你卻變出一隻大象，不管那象有多大，亨利，他們都會失望。小女孩會哭，做媽媽的會要求退錢，因為他們想看的是兔子，而你給他們看的卻是 大象。亨利說：我懂我懂，別擔心，我不會變兔子，也不會變大象。 就好比說卡斯坦包姆從超級長腿桌上拿起一副紙牌，洗過之後隨手抽出一張，看也不看，問亨利說：我拿的是哪一張？ 亨利眼睛眨都不眨一下就回答：紅心三。 卡斯坦包姆露出微笑。understand?我就愛這樣。 Why? 因為你總是帶著紅心三。卡斯坦包姆把那張牌塞回去，嘆了口氣，搖搖頭望著他的朋友說：你還是不會讓我看，是不是？ 他明知道答案，卻還是不能不問。 亨利說：對。抱歉，艾迪，可是我不能。 可以至少給我個理由嗎？ 他說：你知道的。 啊，當然了，瑪莉安娜。 瑪莉安娜為這場表演帶來了特別的元素，那是某種我無法描述的東西，就算我努力說明白了，老實講，恐怕你也不會喜歡。 Why? 因為那違反演藝事業的首要規則。Henry said. 卡斯坦包姆問：哪一條首要規則？ 亨利想了一想，回答：每一條。 卡斯坦包姆傷心離去。亨利清洗碗盤，並且收好。他真希望能把碗盤都變不見，可惜辦不到，只得親