“什么鬼东西？”克拉克自言自语地念叨着。他拖着一条僵硬的下肢，无可奈何地看着它。

“哈哈哈！”小托马斯看着他的狼狈相，捂着嘴巴笑起来，“你最近一定是做多了坏事，不然上帝为什么要这么惩罚你呢？还是我来帮你捡吧！”

Chapter 4 Beach Strange Encounters （B）

‘What the hell?’ Clark muttered to himself. He dragged his stiff leg, helplessly looking at it.

‘Ha, ha, ha!’ Small Thomas looked at messy Clark, and took fingers masking the mouth to **ile, ‘you must be done bad things too much recently, otherwise why does God punish you? Or let me help you to pick up!’

小托马斯跳下躺椅，帮着克拉克捡回了那张纸片。

这是一张印刷精美的广告画片外带文字说明，上等道林纸制成。摆弄这张画片可以发出“呱拉呱拉”的声音，和揉弄一张簇新的美圆一样悦耳动听。在那上面：一对充满青春气息的妙龄男女，从一口“返老还童之井”中腾起。他们搭肩搂背，微笑着在向你招手。“现代科技成果”几个立体方字引人注目。旁边的说明中写着：

Small Thomas jumped off the couch, help for Clark to retrieve the piece of paper.

This is a beautifully printed advertising posters and with text instructions, made fine quality wood-free printing paper. With these pictures kneading could send out "ke-la,ke-la,ke-la"the voice that it like malaxates new dollars same pleased to the ear as euphonious and pleasant sounds. It is on the paper what a male and a female who full of the youthful flair to leap out from a well of rejuvenation. They are hand in hand waving at you with a **ile. "Modern scientific and technological achievements" several stereoscopic words were compelling. There is the description on beside:

如果衰老不可避免地已经降临，您是否希望生命从头开始？

如果您对自己不满意，您是否希望换个形像？

如果您有难言之隐，您是否希望改头换面隐居他乡？

如果您是一位女士，您是否希望来世变个长胡子的俊男？

If aging inevitably has arrived, would you like that the life starts all over again?

If you do not satisfy yourself, whether you want to change another image?

If you have some skeletons in your closet, would you like a makeover seclusion elsewhere?

If you are a woman, whether you want to change into a bearded man?

如果您是一位先生，您是否希望来生变个体态婀娜的小姐？

请赶快拨打热线咨询电话：96818888，本公司的“青春一月游”将使您梦想成真。

If you are a gentleman, would you want to change into a curvaceous young lady?

Please hurry up to dial telephone hotline: 96818888, the company's Playing a Month for Youth will make your dreams come true.

末尾的署名写着：贝特·道格拉斯[1]公司总部。

“生命隧道”业务部。

公司地址：拿骚，伯拉克斯通大街104号。

At the end of the signature write: Bethe Douglas company headquarters.

The Tunnel of Life business department.

Company address: Nassau, the Blackstone street number 104.

有些旅游公司为了增加收入，变些花样来招揽游客，这也能让人理解，可也没有像这家公司这么不着边际的。那个电话号码倒是很有中国味的：就要发要发发发发，许多中国人喜欢这样的数字，它们代表着吉利。克拉克想起了以前在**出差时了解的情况。“莫非这家公司的老板是中国人？”他突然想到。

“这下你明白了吧？”小托马斯问道。吹牛

“不明白，我越来越糊涂了，”克拉克一边揉着小腿肚子一边说，“这上边说的都是些奇谈怪论，而你说的更是无稽之谈，我都在怀疑，我是不是在做梦。”

Some travel companies in order to increase their income,using some tricks to attract visitors, it could also let people understand, but did not like the company so blague. The phone numbers were very having Chinese taste what a lot of Chinese people like the numbers that they represented the good luck to come in. Clark thought of on a business trip in Hong Kong understanding the situation. ‘Is company’s boss the Chinese?’ He suddenly thought of.

‘This time, do you see?’ Small Thomas asked.

‘Don't understand, I more and more confused,’ Clark said, rubbing his calf. ‘the above said is some sheer fallacy, but what you said is nonsense yet, I doubt that if I was dreaming.’

“没做梦，克拉克先生，看来我还得再给你解释解释，”小托马斯盘坐在躺椅上说，“事实上，我今年八十五岁了。”

克拉克这回没有打断小托马斯的话，但他不住地摇着头。

‘Have no dream，Mr Clark, it seems what I have to explain to you more,’ said the Small Thomas hunker sitting on the couch, ‘in fact, I'm eighty-five years old this year.’

Clark this time without interrupting Small Thomas, but he kept to shake his head again.

“你别看我外表只有这么大一点儿，无足轻重；但是你知道吗？我是沃德联合实业公司的老板，手下员工成千上万。”

“你是说总部设在纽约的那个沃德联合实业公司吗？”

“是的。没想到吧？”

‘You don't look at my appearance only so big a little, is no weight, but do you know? I'm the boss of Ward Joint Industrial Company, thousands of staffs in my hand.’

‘Your mean is the head office of Ward Joint Industrial Company that in New York?’

‘Yes. did not expect, what is it?’

“请等等。”克拉克忽然想起了什么，他打开那张扔在桌上的报纸，找到一篇文章念起来，“本报记者比阿特丽斯报道：失踪已达二十余天的亿万富翁托马斯·沃德先生至今仍无音讯，目前警方已排除了被绑架的可能；椐不愿说出姓名的人士透露，沃德先生临行之前曾留下了一盘重要的录像，发表了一些十分怪诞的设想，他的家人对此三缄其口；该人士还表示，沃德先生可能于本月二十二日返回家中。……”

‘Waiting for a minute please.’ Suddenly Clark remembered what, he opened that newspapers it throws on the table, find an article to read. ‘Our correspondent Beatrice reported, missing has amounted to more than 20 days of billionaire Sir Thomas Ward is still no response, now the police have ruled out the kidnapped. The people who would not say name said, Mr Ward before departure left an important CD, to make some very weird ideas. His family remained mum, and the message source also said that Mr Ward may return to home on 22 of this month....’

“别念了！”小托马斯生气地打断克拉克说，“讲我发表了十分怪诞的设想，真是岂有此理；这些人没有科学头脑，简直是一群笨蛋；明天我就要回去了，我要让他们亲眼看看，到底是我怪诞还是他们的思想太陈旧。”小托马斯胸有成竹地说。

‘Don't read it!’ Small Thomas interrupted Clark and said angrily, ‘what I delivered a very bizarre idea, it is nonsense. These people does not have the scientific mind. It is a group of idiots, what tomorrow I will go back and I want to let them see that I'm weird or their ideas are too old.’ Small Thomas said with confidence.

面对这位大言不惭的小男孩，克拉克感到自己的脑子不够用，他一时无法尽快理出一条头绪。

这个小男孩看起来的确与众不同，他说话时的态度十分严肃，缺少儿童特有的稚气。这时，克拉克开始有些明白了，他急急忙忙拿起那张广告，又从头到尾看了一遍。

Clark faced the little boy who was rodomontade, his own mind was not enough and he was unable to sort out the mess.

What the little boy looks really different the lack of children's unique childlike, he spoke very seriously. At this moment Clark started some understand, and he took the advertising piece of paper and hurriedly watched it again from the beginning to the end.

“这么说，你是从‘返老还童之井’出来的？”克拉克问。

“不错，我是从他们那儿来的，不过不是‘井’。”

‘So, you come from 'rejuvenation well?’ Clark asked.

‘Yes, I'm from there, but not well.’

这时，从小卖部那边走过来一位体态轻盈的姑娘，她身穿一件黄绿色的泳衣，手上拿着几盒冰淇淋。

“我来介绍一下，”小托马斯说，“这是我的私人护士玛丽亚小姐，这是我新交的朋友克拉克先生。”

At this time, a slender girl agile and light coming from a store over there, she was wearing a green and yellow bathing suit, with a few boxes of ice cream on her hands.

‘Let me introduce,’ Small Thomas said, ‘this is my private nurse fraulein Maria, this is my new friend, Mr. Clark.’

“怎么样，您还不明白吗？”小托马斯继续接着刚才的话题问道。

“简直无法想像，”克拉克指着报纸上的照片说，“这是托马斯·沃德先生一个月前拍的相片，你看他的腿都站不直，脸上的皱纹成千上万条，很难拿他和你联系在一起。”

“哈哈哈，……”小托马斯笑起来，“我们还是先吃冰淇淋吧！不明白的地方以后慢慢再说。”

‘How do you still not understand?’ Small Thomas continued to ask about just now talk.

‘Can't even imagine,’ Clark said, pointing to a photo in the newspaper, ‘this is Mr Thomas Ward of pictures from a month ago, you see his legs no straight on his feet, and wrinkles tens of thousands on his face, so that it is difficult to contact him together with you.’

‘Ha, ha, ha,...’ Small Thomas laughed, ‘let us eat ice cream first! It slowly discusses again in the future what you don't understand.’

克拉克这时还是看着报纸上的老托马斯·沃德在发呆。像魔术师那样变吗？这不可能。可是，那又是怎么回事呢？他苦苦思考毫无结果。他看着对面的孩子突然灵机一动：为什么不问问他呢？

“沃德先生，”克拉克问道，“这事实在让人难以想像，你能说说这段奇妙的经历吗？”

Clark was in a daze when he looked at the old Thomas Ward in the newspaper. How to change? It does like a magician? It's not possible. But how does it to do? He puzzled over without result. He looked at the other side of the children then to think why don't you ask him?

‘Mr Ward,’ Clark asked, ‘the fact that it difficult to imagine, can you tell me about this wonderful experience?’

“当然可以，”沃德先生说，“其实没有什么特别的，他们把我送到一个地方，给我打了镇静剂，然后在我的脸上、脚上、扎了些针；后来，我就没有知觉了，像睡着了一样。等我再醒过来时，一切都变了，就这么简单。”

‘Sure,’Small Thomas said, ‘in fact nothing special. They took me to a place to give me a sedative, and then some needles pierce into my body on my face and feet, later I have no consciousness as to be asleep. When I woke up again, everything changed, it's as simple as that.’

“玛丽亚小姐，您当时在场吗？”

“不，他们不让我接近。”玛丽亚小姐答道。

“简直像神话一样！”克拉克自言自语地叹道。自从他从事特工以来，从来没有像今天这样摸不着头脑。

‘Fraulein Maria was you on the spot?’

‘No, they don't make me close.’ Fraulein Maria replied.

‘It's like a myth! ‘ Clark grunted himself. Since he engaged in agent never confused like today and couldn't find the path.

“史蒂文斯怎么还没回来？”小托马斯抱怨道。

“要我去看看吗？”玛丽亚小姐问道。

“不用了。”小托马斯摆摆手转向克拉克说，“我明天就要回去了，听口音你好像是美国人，如果你也要回美国，可以和我一起走，我的朋友为我准备了一架专机。”

‘How Stevens hasn't come back?’ Small Thomas grumbled.

‘Would me have a look?’ Fraulein Maria asked.

‘No.’ Small Thomas turn to Clark said, ‘I will go back tomorrow, listening to the accents likes that you Americans, if you also want to back to the United States, you can go with me, my friends prepared a special plane for me.’

“谢谢，我的假期还没有用完。”

“那么再见了，克拉克先生，很高兴在这儿遇见您，我要回旅馆去了。”

“再见！”

‘Thank you, my holiday is unused.’

‘So goodbye, Mr. Clark, I'm very glad to meet you here and I'm going back to the hotel.’

‘Good-bye!’

玛丽亚小姐牵着小托马斯的手渐渐远去，看上去像是一位年轻的母亲和她的孩子。克拉克把广告画片和报纸小心折叠好，放进自己的口袋，他想回去继续研究研究。

Fraulein Maria took Small Thomas's hand away, looked like a young mother and her child. Clark carefully folded newspaper and the advertising poster into his pocket and he wanted to go back to continue study.

注 [1]贝特·道格拉斯在西方语言中，意为灰色的赌金；贝特，意为赌注；道格拉斯，克尔特语 中是深灰或深蓝的意思。