劉墉原創散文：〈十二個孩子〉

By SYZ站長 | 2020/02/05 |

防疫期間我很少出門，專心編寫寓言故事集，這是三十四年前寫的故事，今天看特別有感覺。連同新畫的插圖刊出，英譯是小帆作的，請大家指教！

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〈十二個孩子〉

某地突然流行一種怪病，患者都是幼兒，由於過去沒有那樣的病歷，症狀又惡化得很快，使得羣醫束手，幼兒一個接一個地死去。

有位富翁的獨子也染上這種病，富翁四處打聽治療的方法，發現那病是國外傳來，只有一種藥可以救，而且一劑見效。但是那種藥非常昂貴，效期又短，即使用乾冰保存，也只能維持七十二小時，加上疫苗是特別陪養，一次必須購買整打包裝。

「我只需要一劑！」富翁打電報問。

「一劑不賣，必須一次訂十二劑！」回電毫不通融。

為了救愛兒的命，雖然對富翁而言，這十二劑也是極大的負擔，他還是訂了。

特效藥立刻空運過來，但是就在到達的前一刻，富翁的獨子已經等不及而斷氣。富翁的妻子撫屍痛哭，卻見丈夫沖出門去，置愛兒于不顧。

原來富翁沖去機場拿藥，再晝夜不停地驅車到各地醫院詢問，遇見與他愛兒患同樣病的孩子，就留下一劑藥，兩天兩夜不食不眠，他終於把藥在過時之前送給了十二個垂危的病童，但是當他蒼白著臉跨進家門時，卻被不知情的妻子狠狠打了一記耳光：「你這無情的東西，怪不得絕子！」

富翁並沒有絕子，他有了十二個孩子，經常繞在膝下，全鄉的人都說：那十二個孩子的命是他賜予的。

Twelve Children

There was an epidemic of a strange disease that only affected young children. There was no history of such a disease, and the symptoms worsened extremely quickly. Doctors were helpless, and children were dying one after the other.

A wealthy man’s only son also contracted this disease. The wealthy man searched for answers everywhere and found out that this disease originated from another country. One cure existed; one dose of a vaccine was all that he needed. However, the vaccine was very expensive and would lose its effectiveness in 72 hours, even if kept on ice. The vaccine was also difficult to cultivate, and so it had to be purchased by the batch.

“I only need one dose!” the wealthy man messaged.

“We don’t sell single doses. The minimum order is 12 in a batch,” the other side replied rigidly.

Even for such a wealthy man, purchasing 12 doses would be a financial burden. But for the sake of saving his son’s life, he placed the order.

The vaccine was immediately shipped by air. On the day it was set to arrive, the wealthy man’s son passed away. The wealthy man’s wife sobbed over the son’s body, but she saw her husband rush out the door, with no regard for their deceased son.

It turns out that the wealthy man rushed to the airport to pick up the vaccine. Then day and night, he drove to various hospitals and asked to meet children with the same disease as his son. He would give each of them one dose of the vaccine. For two days and nights, he neither slept nor ate. Before the vaccine’s expiration deadline, he was able to distribute the 12 doses to 12 dying children. But when he finally arrived home, tired and pale, he was unexpectedly greeted by his wife’s hard slap in the face: “You’re so heartless, no wonder you have no children!”

However, the wealthy man did have children. He had 12. They often surrounded him at his knees, and the whole village said, “He gave those 12 children their lives.”

 

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