Chapter 19 small town anecdote

Our small town is a traffic artery. During the day, cars come and go, and the dust is billowing. Sometimes in the middle of the night, there are coal convoys passing by.The houses we residents live in are cloaked in dust and noise for years, and our vision and hearing are weakening day by day.Often, a certain person walks from the other side of the street, but he is just a cloud of gray fog in my eyes, and the outline of his whole person gradually becomes clear in front of my eyes.As for hearing, it was even worse. Whether it was day or night, whether there was a car on the street or not, my ears were buzzing all the time.When we all talked to each other, we were always very close, shouting hoarsely into each other's faces, and gesticulating with our hands like we were about to fight.In order to see each other's expressions, we often need to get close to each other, and sometimes our noses almost touch each other's faces.I heard that civil servants in the capital can wear glasses, but no one in our place has seen such a thing.I always think that maybe there are elves living in the bodies of our residents, and they are listening and seeing for us. Since they live in the place in our chest close to the lung lobes, they have to feel that the outside world is not so good. easy.When I told everyone this view, everyone smiled and nodded in agreement.

We who live in chaos have lost the memory of living under a quiet, clear sky.It is said that our ancestors could hear wolves running ten miles away in the past, and they could see the shining glazed tiles on the imperial palace in the capital, and the capital is at least fifty miles away from here, and it would take a long time to drive an ox cart. Lying under the filthy and torn sackcloth tent, I listened to another train of carriages pass by in the middle of the night.The sharp noise of the wheels in the potholes between the stones awakened my sense of hearing.Yes, I could vaguely distinguish the noise of the convoy from the noise in my ears.The wagons were for coal, the convoys had come from the far north, the horses were worn out, the axles and spokes were not working so well, and the drivers growled and complained.I have a sad hunch that maybe I will wake up one morning and find that my hearing has been completely lost and there is silence around me. "Ah, ah, ah!" I opened my mouth and said, but I couldn't hear my voice.Things like this in the middle of the night always drive me crazy!

Children's hearing and vision are better than adults.I came home after a day's work in the shoe-making workshop, and I heard my grandson, Agou, shouting at me: "Flash floods! Flash floods!" I rolled my eyes blankly and asked, "Where?" His The little hand waved to the east, afraid that I would not understand, he climbed to the east window again, and pointed out again and again.So I burst into tears, because it was the big mountain to the east.I know my grandson will soon lose his hearing, and this seven-year-old seems to be experiencing the pain of hearing loss that adults feel right now.I also stuck my old head out of the window and saw the gray balls rolling in panic on the street. They rolled to my eyes one after another. Only then did I roughly distinguish that they were some victims of disasters in mountainous areas, and most of them were women. Child.

Soon there were rumors of a landslide, and it was said that half of the mountain had collapsed from the south.How can a mountain collapse in half? It's so strange.Of course, the deaf and blind residents of our town would not dare to go to such a dangerous place to confirm a rumor, let alone our energy is very low.But landslides did happen, and wave after wave of mountain people poured into the town.At first they were relatively humble, just crowded by the side of the road, or under the eaves of the residents.Later, their number increased and almost filled the road, making it more and more difficult for vehicles to pass.After the two children were trampled to death by the bullock cart, they began to squeeze into the houses of the residents.When they saw someone coming out of someone's house, they rushed in in groups. After entering, they knelt down with a plop and begged the master to let them stay for a while.The owner softened his heart and agreed.So these days, looking in through the windows of every house, you can see people's heads surging in the house.These victims were very dirty and liked to defecate everywhere, so within a few days, the whole town became stinky.Soon they finished the pancakes they had brought, but they were not gone yet.The residents were worried, not knowing what they were going to do, and worried about their rice tanks.The first theft happened immediately, and the owner, who was not much better than a disabled person, of course couldn't catch evidence of these clever mountain people.The family had no choice but to go from house to house to tell their misfortune.This complaint caused panic among the residents.

I walked in the crowd with my hands behind my back and was pushed and shoved by them.The sun shone on me, and the choking dust and the smell of urine hit me in bursts. I couldn't help but sneezed a dozen times, and the ringing in my ears became louder.I could barely hear or see anything.Suddenly a person stopped me. I took a closer look and saw that this person was about my age, with a gray beard and surprisingly thin.I had to look down at him, I saw his little withered hands gesticulating. "Louder!" I ordered. "The robbers are coming!!" His hand waved more violently.

His voice must have been extremely sharp. To me, it was as if a large glass had been smashed on the concrete floor at the end of the road. Although it was far away, it still caused a shock in my heart. I couldn't see the robbers, but I felt the sudden increased crowding.Soon, my feet were lifted off the ground, and someone was holding me under both armpits, lifting me up and running.The chaotic crowd arrived at the intersection in a while, and I heard the sound of neat horseshoes, and then I was thrown on the side of the street, and the crowd dispersed. First, there was a yellow fog all over the sky, and then the slow-moving horse team arrived.The leader got off his horse and came up to me.This is a guy covered from head to toe in a thick iron armor, even the shoes are iron, and they slap on the ground, only his face is exposed outside the helmet.His face was extremely pale, and there were two purple-black halos under his eyes.I realized vaguely that this was a terminally ill person.I looked around and found that other people were standing far away from him, like some shadows.This very sick man was talking to me, and his voice sounded like a mosquito to me, and I couldn't make out what he was saying.It seemed that his speech had attracted the attention of others, and those shadows were gradually moving closer. They all stretched their necks and listened intently.Finally, when the man had finished speaking, he waved his hand angrily, and turned his back to lead his horse.Only then did I see clearly that this was a sick old horse, the gray fur had fallen off in many places, exposing the flesh inside.

I retreated under the eaves on the side of the road.I saw this team knocking on the door of my shoe workshop.A man hit it a few times with a brick, and then slammed it hard, and the door flew open.They left the horses outside and went in one by one.Those horses stayed on the side of the street obediently. I walked over anxiously and walked into the workshop.These people were all sleeping sideways under the workbench against the wall, and no one paid me any attention.Some of them were already snoring, probably from being too tired.Where did they come from and where are they going?I cautiously stretched out my hand and pinched the corner of a man's clothes who fell asleep. The corner of the clothes suddenly hardened between my fingers and turned into iron armor. I was so frightened that my face turned pale.I felt that this place was not the place for me to stay, so I moved out of the door lightly, and walked home quickly as soon as I got outside.At this time, I found that the victims of the disaster had disappeared without a trace.

"Grandpa, there will be a ground crack here, which is more terrible than landslides!" said grandson Agou. "Who did you hear that from?" "The potter next door. He also said you were responsible for this!" The child stood on tiptoe and yelled these last words into my ear.Immediately I thought of those horsemen in my workshop. It has been three days, and the horses are getting thinner and thinner, and there are horse manure and urine everywhere, but they still stay on the side of the street.The door of the workshop was closed, and the people inside didn't know what they were doing.On the contrary, the number of convoys coming and going in the past few days has decreased a lot, and there was a rare silence at night.This superficial tranquility made the residents even more disturbed. They walked up and down the streets in the middle of the night, or stood in a daze, sighing, as if they had heavy thoughts that couldn't let go.But no one noticed the strange thing in front of my workshop, and everyone passed the horses without seeing them.I stood next to those horses with evil intentions, and whenever I saw someone approaching, I went to talk to him. I didn't know whether my behavior was to attract their attention or to draw their attention to these horses.We shouted at each other at the top of our lungs, but none of them thought of knocking on the door of the workshop.

When the morning star rose, the neighbors were too tired to stand still, so they had no choice but to go into the house to sleep.I didn't go in, I stood among the horses, wondering how long they would last.Finally, I mustered up the courage to push the door, but the door was locked from the inside.Someone was fighting inside, kicking the walls so slightly that they trembled. The next day, I heard someone outside the door saying that the danger of a ground fissure had passed.I quickly opened the door and looked over to my workshop.Gone were the shadowy herds of horses parked in the clearing by the street!I rushed over there and saw that the door of the workshop was wide open, and the people inside had already left.I went inside and sniffed out the body odor of those people with my sensitive nose.

"They left me," said an old voice in the dark. I looked over there in surprise, and by the blurred shape, I recognized that the person who was speaking was the leader who was sick.At this moment, he was sleeping on the ground, still wrapped in the iron armor.As soon as he turned over, the iron armor made a harsh sound.I knelt down to touch his armor, and he immediately became vigilant. "Get your hands off!" "What's the matter?" "I hate being in contact with people, it makes my illness worse." I sighed and stood up.Yet he was unhappy again.

"You hypocrite, why are you sighing?" What surprised me was how his voice became so clear and powerful, before he spoke to me like a mosquito.Yes, why am I sighing?Am I pity him?What right do I have to pity him?He lay there looking miserable, but I don't know if the pain was what he wanted.But I'm not a hypocrite. Suddenly he had a seizure, he was rolling around under the workbench, his armor made a sharp noise, and I thought his end was coming.At this time, my grandson Agou called me loudly at the door, and came in all the way.He tugged at the back of my shirt and asked what I was doing.I pointed to the man under the workbench, and he laughed and said, "It turns out that grandpa is hiding big pancakes here!" I looked hard, and sure enough I saw half a basket of flatbreads there, and the man had disappeared. A Gou lifted the half-basket of pancakes to the bright place at the door to see, and shouted: "The cake is moldy! The cake is moldy!" I searched the workshop for a long time, turned on every lamp, searched every corner, but still couldn't find that person.I also thought about the hole in the wall at the back of the house, which led to the pottery workshop next door. Could this person have gone there?I blew out all the soybean oil lamps one by one, and planned to go to the next door.At this time, the familiar voice sounded again: "Looks like I'm going to settle down here." I suddenly felt disgusted with this kind of guy who sold out.I walked out quickly, locked the door of the workshop, and led Agou back.There are piles of horse dung everywhere on the street, and there are also rags and paper bags thrown by those people last night.Those horses are really energetic. You must know that they haven't eaten anything for four days. "Where did he go?" Agou asked me. "Who? "The kid who brought you the pancake." "He's back." "I want to play with him." After returning home, the man in the workshop became my heart disease.First of all, I have thrown his pancake, now he has nothing to eat, will he go crazy and destroy the equipment in my workshop?Secondly, will this man come from the far north and come to "settle" in my workshop, will he bring some dangerous mission? In my family, neither the son nor the daughter-in-law inherited the father’s business. Many years ago, they went to a remote countryside to work as kiln workers who fired bricks and tiles.They left their grandson, Agou, at home and never came back to visit.I have always thought that those two people were uncertain, and I have long since given up any hope in them.On this point, the well-behaved dog agrees with me.After seeing the man in iron armor, this memory that I had buried for many years came back to life faintly.I have been speculating whether this person is related to my son Min Ze.If Minze was still alive, he would be in his forties. He belonged to the gloomy and calculating type, which probably has something to do with his mother's early death.Back then, my career was booming in this small town, and I never dreamed that Minze would propose to work as a kiln worker with his wife.In fact, I have never figured out the temperament of this son.People in iron armor led a horse team from afar, and I was the first to greet them in the town. It seemed that no one among the residents paid attention to them during those few days.Those starving horses aroused my association, and I felt for no reason that Min Ze and his woman must also be riding such horses to trek in the wasteland.After the horse team left, the vague guesses gradually converged to one point, and the word "settlement" suddenly brightened my dim mind one night. It is now the seventh day.During the day, when my workshop was open, he disappeared.In the evening, all the workers had gone home, and when I was about to lock the door, when I turned around, I must have seen his blue armor—he was huddled against the wall.I put a few new cakes in a basket and put them under the workbench, but those cakes remained intact. This person's illness seemed to be related to the stomach.I was amazed by his tenacious vitality. It's the eighth day again.As I swept the floor, I decided in my heart that this person's time was running out.Suddenly I heard the familiar sharp sound again. It turned out that he stood up staggeringly while supporting the workbench.He looked like a ghost, with a chilling phosphorescence in his eyes, and if it weren't for an old fellow like me who had had enough of life, other people would have been scared to death.He took a step while supporting the workbench, swayed forward, and fell face down on the ground again.The sound of metal crashing reverberates throughout the workshop.He was motionless.I bent down and turned his face to make sure that he was still alive and would not die for a while.The moment I looked at him, I thought of a problem, that is, this person has not eaten for so long, so he has never excreted, and if he excreted, I really can't think of how to wear this armor do this.So is it possible that he hasn't eaten for a much longer time?entirely possible.Perhaps those horses also lasted a long time after emptying their stomachs.On the contrary, his face was not necessarily thinner than what he had seen before.I looked at his eyeballs again, and now they were no longer phosphorescent, just a malnourished tinge of purple. "What do you want from me?" he whispered, and forced an ugly smile. "The workshop is not a shelter." I don't know how I came up with this sentence. "I didn't ask you to take me in, this is my home, how did you forget?" He actually laughed happily, and rolled his eyes after laughing, as if he was about to die.It was so dreadful that I left him hastily, went outside and locked the door tremblingly.To my right, the owner of the pottery workshop is also closing.I don't know if it was a hallucination, but I saw the heads of two horses sticking out from the crack in the door, and the pottery boss quickly blocked my sight with his broad back.I wanted to go over and confirm what I saw, but the dust was blowing up in the air and I couldn't see anything.I took off the cloth shirt outside and covered my head, and walked home by touching the wall.As I approached the door, I heard the neighing of a horse. I asked Agou, and Agou told me that there were no horses in the pottery workshop, and those horses had all gone to the south, and many people knew about it.Agou also knew something I didn't know, that is, those horses didn't eat. He saw with his own eyes that one of the sorrel horses gnawed the dirt on the ground, and the other gnawed a lot of bark.A Gou said that these were strange horses that would eat anything.I was a little displeased, because Ah Gou knew too many things, beyond the scope of children.I was always worried that the townspeople were going to teach him badly, and now it happened.I kept my face stern and stopped talking, Agou saw that my expression was not right, so he slipped out.I stuck my head out of the window and saw that he was knocking on the door of the pottery workshop. Unexpectedly, the door was knocked open by him, and he jumped in.It seems that there is indeed a problem in the pottery workshop, why didn't I notice it? The pottery boss is a man with a humble smile on his face who never gets close to anyone.There are three potters in his workshop, looking in from the outside, it looks a little deserted.The real workshop is in the back room, which I only entered once.The room was dark as hell, with no lamp or light in it, and three ghostly workmen bent over and busied themselves in it.That time I went to the boss to borrow a big brush. I stood in the workshop for a few minutes and felt dizzy, so the boss helped me out.I never dealt with him again after that.Usually meet, it is limited to a nod.It was really beyond my expectation that Ah Gou would fall in love with that kind of place. After Ah Gou came back, I pretended to be casual and asked him where he had been. "We're digging holes into the ground," he said proudly. "Where does it go?" "Everywhere. We call those holes dungeons." "Can you show me?" "cannot." "why?" "Anyone who speaks out will be killed immediately." "What if I don't let you go?" "They will come and attack you." Ah Gou rolled his eyes at me. I felt that I was very familiar with his new expression. I had seen it on others.He has completely changed.I am a dull old guy, why didn't I notice it at all.Looking back now, Agou did have a few abnormal behaviors recently.One is that several times, with a small hammer in his hand, he knocked on those brick walls and wooden walls along the street.The second is that he seemed to be afraid of something, and he actually wanted to put a knife under the pillow before going to bed.This kind of behavior made me laugh, but he himself didn't laugh at all, he did it very seriously.Just the day before yesterday I found him going out with one of my fur hats, so I stopped him and asked him what he was going to do with it.He vaguely said that it was donated to someone, but when he asked again, he refused to say anything, and even threw the fur cap on the bed in a fit of temper, saying it was not a good thing. In this way, the workshop next door became dark in my mind, and I felt that it was opening its mouth like hell, trying to swallow my little grandson.Is the boss in collusion with the man in the iron armor?And the horses in his workshop, are they phantoms?If the horse is a phantom, the workers in the dark may also be phantoms.I think that almost no one has seen them, even the potter who lives next door to me, I have never met him, I just heard that he is a worker who sleeps during the day and goes to work at midnight.My hair is going to stand on end at the thought of a room full of ghosts locked in that dark room, and my dog ​​fascinated by that place.The pottery workshop has been in town for as long as I can remember, and has changed places a few times since then, and is now owned by the son of the original owner.The previous boss was a burly man who made a "squeaky" noise when he walked.Now the boss is much thinner, and his appearance is still a bit wretched. I have never seen him have any disputes with anyone, and his business scope is much smaller than that of his father. He should belong to the category of lack of courage.Perhaps because he has no courage, he started a conspiracy.It is also possible that the team was summoned by him by chanting a spell in the dark room, and they did not leave, and they are now locked in the cellar by him.Thinking of this, I couldn't help but sigh to myself: "Ah dog, ah dog." The traffic on the street has increased again, some carriages are going on a rampage like crazy, and it is said that there have been several accidents, which have not happened in many years.There is a saying that someone deliberately provoked the horses and rushed to the horses to die.Of course, these were just rumors. The family members of the injured were crying and shouting. From morning to night, the town was shrouded in a terrifying atmosphere.Now at night, the horse-drawn carts and ox-drawn carts are still flowing. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I feel that I am living in a moving horse-drawn cart. Ah Gou has become much more obedient these days, neither going out nor acting strangely, and sometimes helps me cook. I still meet the man in the armor in the evening.I'm not as scared as I used to be, and several times, I asked him where he came from.Every time he doesn't answer me, but asks me to guess his age.As soon as I guessed, he shook his head and showed contempt, which made me very angry.Later, I stopped being fooled by him, and I called him "an old tortoise who has never died for a thousand years." As soon as I said this, he laughed, and seemed to appreciate my description of him.I stood there and tried my best to find a few more words to describe him, but I couldn't find any, the only thing I could think of was "an old tortoise who has lived for a thousand years". "Where have all your people gone?" I asked him. "Didn't you see it?" What did I see, yes, I saw the heads of two horses sticking out of the next door.But if the pottery boss kept his mouth shut, wouldn't it mean I didn't see anything?I pressed my ear to the wooden door to listen, but I didn't hear anything.Can a herd of horses stay in one room without making a sound?It may also be that my hearing has deteriorated further, and the traffic on the street is noisy again, so I can't hear anything.I asked Agou to listen again, and Agou told me with a grimace: "There is nothing in it." Then he added: "I will not tell you my secret." Our grandparents and grandchildren walked not far on the way back, and I saw a pit?/p> Those were three very tall black horses, and behind them was a gorgeous carriage. Maybe the carriage drove out of the palace.The old woman stood in the middle of the road as if deaf, intently looking at something on the hemp stones. The horse knocked her down, and she swayed to the right, and the wheel passed her lap again.The car didn't stop, and no one poked their heads out of the windows.I thought this old lady named Hong Aunt was dead, but I bent down to drag her, only to find that she was still alive.Although her lower body was covered in blood, her eyes were very bright.That look seemed to be mocking herself and said, "Look, I've become like this!" Her family members came crying all the way from there. Because of Aunt Hong's accident, there was a short traffic jam on the road.The curses were endless.A Gou tugged at the corner of my clothes and urged me to go back, he seemed very scared. A few minutes after we got home, there was a knock on the door.The visitor had a slashed face and long hair. "Words will come here in a minute," he said. "what news?" "Wait, you!" The man interrupted me bluntly, and hurried away again. Agou immediately closed all the doors and windows tightly. I looked at this behavior that was not commensurate with his age anxiously, and sighed one after another.Later, I was still waiting for the news until midnight, but the news never came.All night long, the traffic on the street was as crazy as it was during the war, accompanied by the shrill cries of Aunt Hong's house and the roar of a mountain torrent.These sounds, to my deaf ears, seemed to come from far away, because my own tinnitus was much louder.Several times, I worriedly went to Agou's room to visit. Every time, I saw him tossing and turning in the hazy moonlight.I tried to ask him if he was asleep, but he didn't answer. At dawn, Ah Gou came to my bed, he climbed up and said: "I shut the door on the guy who sent the message." "Why didn't I hear it?" "You're deaf. He's hammering down my door." A Gou lay quietly beside me, staring at the ceiling with big eyes without blinking.I sighed in my heart: At such a young age, I have such courage! Does our town look like an enchanted town just to me, or does it look like it to everyone else?I did a survey on this issue. It was in the middle of the night when the cars were coming and going, I was sitting on the granite steps in front of the house, and Fourth Master Qi was sitting with me, and we were smoking our pipes in silence. "You're not used to life being turned upside down like this day and night?" I said. "How can I not get used to it? I used to be awake at night, but now it's fine! In those dead nights before, hey, don't mention it... Once I was so scared that I couldn't help it, so I asked my family to send me to a hospital. I went to stay in the dry well all night. This car is coming and going, you can see how good it is." After sitting for a while, Boss Wang from the pottery workshop also came.Boss Wang stood thoughtfully, looking very energetic.I thought of those weird things in his workshop, and I felt chills down my spine. "Someone was trampled to death!" I said in protest. Boss Wang let out a "hmm" from his nose, clearly blaming me for my impulsiveness. Fourth Master Qi laughed and said: "Look how cynical he is." Boss Wang didn't smile, he looked intently at the passing carriages, and raised his arm from time to time, as if paying tribute.You could tell he was grateful for the madness. "Qi Fourth Master, do you know where the horse team went?" I asked. "The cavalry? And the gallant riders? They're all in my heart." Fourth Master Qi exhaled a mouthful of white smoke, crossed one leg leisurely, and said: "Think about it, can they not stay in such an important place for transportation? Even if they live here and mix with everyone, there is nothing strange. It is very strange to wake up in the morning and see a skinny horse standing on the head of the bed. okay." Although Fourth Master Qi is old, his voice is very loud, so I can hear these words clearly. I stood up and walked to my workshop.I opened the door, entered the workshop, and lit all the oil lamps.Those leathers, shoe soles, and tools are all quietly placed on the workbench, and the bottom of the workbench is empty. Fourth Master Qi also followed me in quietly in the dark.I heard him say: "You are worrying about nothing!" When he said this, he drew a big circle in the air with his pipe, which seemed exaggerated. "There is a man in iron armor who lies here every day." I pointed to the underside of the workbench while lighting the lamp. The neighing of horses and the screams of people sounded outside, and a new tragedy must have occurred.The muscles on one side of Fourth Master Qi's face visibly twitched, and when I looked again, there was no expression on that face.He bent down and started blowing on the oil lamp I had lit.By the time all six lamps were blown out, he and I had to grope our way out.Fourth Master Qi said to himself behind me: "Isn't this much better?" He looked very calm, and when I was approaching the door, I almost tripped over a tool, but he supported me from behind. "You, you, don't be so impulsive!" He seemed to be holding back a chuckle as he spoke. As I opened the gate, a crowd poured in and knocked me to the ground.I couldn't move while they were on top of me.Suddenly they all ran away like fallen leaves in a storm.I sat up with difficulty, and heard Agou calling me from the side. "Why didn't you sleep and ran out?" "I'm afraid these people will destroy our dungeon. Fortunately, they won't be able to find out." Agou leaned his furry head on my lap, and he said: "I'll just sleep here." Of course I couldn't let him sit on the ground and sleep.I stood up vigorously, moved my old bones, and then led him to lock the door.When I locked the door, Agou leaned against me and fell asleep again. "Agou, Agou, wake up!" He was dragged away by me staggeringly, and I don't know if he woke up.He kept chanting "underpass, underground passage" in his mouth, and later said that he wanted to "go home".By the time we got home and I put him in bed, he was still purring "going home". After what happened that night, I felt the seriousness of the matter, so I decided to break into the underground passage to inspect it.As soon as I entered the door of the pottery workshop, I rushed in, but Boss Wang came to stop me and didn't stop me.I went to the back room, which was still not lit, and three shadowy guys were jumping around in it.I stretched my hand forward to touch the darkest place, and stepped on a guy's foot, the guy said "Ouch", I tilted my body, and kicked down a lot of pots and jars, only the sound of a piece of pottery breaking .Finally someone struck a match and lit a lamp.I looked around and saw that the room was empty, with neither pottery nor any underground passageway, and the three scrawny guys were standing pitifully by the wall with their hands down. "What were you doing here just now?" I asked. "Dance," said a lanky one feebly. "Where is the tunnel entrance?" "This is the tunnel, didn't you already come in through that opening?" I touched the walls of the room carefully again, and stomped hard on every corner of the muddy floor. When I did this, the three people laughed at me.I asked them if my grandson Agou had been here.The slender man standing by the wall asked me to touch his back.I stretched out my hand to touch it, and sure enough I touched Agou's furry head. I didn't need to look to know it was Agou's head. I was so familiar with that feeling.I dragged Agou out and told him to go with me.But Agou slipped out of my hand like a loach, and he hid behind the man again.Since those three guys got together to make fun of me, I really wanted to argue with them. "This is not a pottery workshop at all," I said. "Of course not. We're dancing here," replied the lanky man. "It's not a workshop, why is it pretending to be a workshop?" "For dancing." I was tired of this kind of question and answer like a trap, so I groped my way along the wall, trying to find the door through which I came in.They didn't make fun of my behavior anymore, they observed me in silence, and even offered to make way for me.I went around and around the house, but I couldn't find the door.I was finally discouraged and sat down on the ground.He heard Agou say to them: "My grandpa is really outrageous. He just sits on the ground casually. He is still acting wild at such an old age." I couldn't believe my ears. "The door is right behind you." The lanky man spoke again. Reflexively, I stretched out my hand to look back, and sure enough, I found a gap in the wall.I stood up holding on to the door frame.After I stood up, I realized that I was no longer standing in the original room. This was the room in front of the workshop, and the three people and Agou were no longer in this room.A large candle was burning in this room, and the candle illuminated the familiar pottery, which sat quietly on the wooden shelf, covered with a layer of dust.I looked for the door with my eyes, and I found it quickly, it was still there.It was a thick and heavy oak door, which was always open and is still open. I clearly remember that I entered the workshop at the back from there. "Ah, Boss Wang!" I said happily. Boss Wang was cutting the candle wick with scissors, but he ignored me.After Boss Wang finished cutting the candles, he walked to the wooden frames. He took off the pottery one by one, wiped off the dust carefully, and put it in front of his ears to listen carefully.He did it as if in a trance, and the candlelight cast a baby-like expression on his face.I thought, what could Boss Wang hear about the noise outside?I looked at the pottery that Mr. Wang had tidied up, and felt that they all became glaring, especially the jug, as if it was about to speak.Maybe they've been saying things that only Boss Wang can hear.The strange thing is that Agou actually got involved with them. "Ahhh," Boss Wang said, pressing his cheek to a vase. Then I heard commotion in the back room, and Agou screaming.A dog barks for joy.But Boss Wang seemed indifferent, he was still talking to Hua Vase vaguely.At this time, Boss Wang showed an appearance that I had never seen before, both gentle and enthusiastic, as if those bottles and jars were his lovers.I was not used to this kind of scene, so I retreated outside in shame. Agou didn't come home until morning.He stretched out his hands forward in a sleepwalker's pose, touched his bed and lay down.I sat on his bedside for a long time, recalling with distress the days when I was with him.我忽然想到，阿狗失去父母这件事也许只是一个假象，说不定他一直同他们有种我不知道的联系，他越长大，这种联系就越凸现出来。以前我眼里的那个乖孩子不过是种伪装，是我一厢情愿产生的幻觉。 京城的煤缺少得越来越厉害了，冬天快要降临，街上狂跑着一色的拉煤的车。据说另外两条车道上出现了强盗帮，所以现在全部往京城去的煤车都要经过我们镇了。这几天刮大风，整个镇子笼罩在黑蒙蒙的煤屑里头，行人就是面对面地相遇也看不清对方。 经过了一个夏天又一个秋天，我作坊里的那个穿铁甲的人的身体缩小了好多。他现在越来越懒得动弹了，更不说话。我不看他也感到他对我是怨恨的。我却总是担心他会不会已经死了。但只要我弯下腰，就会同他那炯炯有神的视线相遇。他的表情总是在责备我。到底责备我什么呢？是因为我没有充分重视他的存在？不能帮他解除病痛？还是因为我对某种灾祸降临的可能性没做充分的估计？我想了又想，想不出原因。我一转过背朝门口走去，就感到自己在背叛他，因而十分难过。但我不能将他请到家中去，即使我请他，他也不会动。他对我那么蔑视。 有一天一辆马车的车轴出了问题，车夫将车停在路边进行修理。那个戴毡帽的汉子一转过脸来，我立刻认出了他。他就是夏天来的那队骑手中的一个。我连忙走拢去向他打听事情。 他接过我递给他的烟斗，蹲在地上眯着眼吐了几口烟，声音沙哑地说： "军令如山倒，在这种季节，你想要做些不入流的事也做不到。京城里已经砍了两个怠工的家伙的头。" "你们的头头，为什么留在我们镇了呢？" "这是早就商量好了的，他必须呆在这个交通要道上，但他不能露面。" "他需要我们为他做些什么吗？" 汉子笑起来，一边起身一边说： "哪有这种事！" 他放好工具，趾高气扬地登上车夫座位，高举了一下鞭子，车子立刻轻快地向前跑去。被风吹起的一股煤屑迷了我的眼，令我懊恼不已。 由于煤屑硌得眼珠实在难受，我这个老家伙居然不知羞耻地哭了起来。我也没法走了，就摸到路边，靠墙坐在地上。此刻，我特别感到自身的软弱无力。也许我不久就会死去？ 我睁开眼睛之际，有人抓住了我的手，是一双孩子的手，是阿狗。 我站了起来，这一回是阿狗牵着我回家。他一路啜泣着，我听见他像个大人一样唠唠叨叨，对着空中大声说话： "我的爷爷怎么啦？啊？他有病吗？他根本没有病！他坐在地上了……坐在地上撒野，他就喜欢这样！今后我每天要抽时间照料他了，他不听我的话……他一早跑了出来，就坐在地上哭……呜呜呜！" 阿狗也哭了。 回到家，我用井水冲洗了好久，才把那些煤屑冲干净。我闭着受伤的眼睛一动不动地躺在床上，这时阿狗也爬上了床。 "爷爷，我快死了。" "nonsense." "到过地下城市的人很快会死。也有不死的，就像你作坊里的那个家伙。他不同，他是外面来的。" "你见过他了。" "见过了。他的身子小得很，他坐在篮子里吃烙饼。" "地道里有些什么人？" "你明明看到过嘛。我爸爸在那里呆了几个月了。我不能同他握手，只能远远地望着。每次他都很高兴的样子，每次他都喊我，说他是我爸。" "你妈也在吧？" "我妈病了，她被挂起来，一动不动，头发长长地垂到地下。" "她死了吧？" "我不知道。我不能去摸她，只能看。" 阿狗的小手冰冷，冷得令我吃惊了。我吩咐阿狗去烧热水洗脸洗脚，阿狗就要我向他保证他不会死。 "你不会死，你还是个小孩。" 我听到自己的声音很空洞，于是我很羞愧。但阿狗似乎相信了，他跳起来到厨房去了。一会儿就传来什么东西烧焦的味道。 我用力睁开受伤的双眼，蹒跚着往厨房里走去。 阿狗正在地上使劲打滚，火已经灭了，他全身的衣服都在冒烟。这太奇怪了，阿狗很早就熟悉厨房的活儿，今天怎么会把火引到自己身上去的呢？我脑子里马上出现"引火烧身"这四个字。他真的是引火烧身吗？既然是引火烧身，现在又为什么要把火弄灭呢？ 他终于站了起来，我发现他连头发都烧焦了。他眨巴着眼睛，将他的小手放进我的手掌里，那双手现在已经变得滚烫滚烫的了。 "你看，我不用洗了吧？我回房里换衣服去！" 他往自己房里去了。 厨房里弄得一片狼藉，灶台上水淋淋的，干柴扔得到处都是，天晓得阿狗在这里是如何倒腾的！我一边骂一边弯下腰收拾，弄了好久才收拾妥当。我烧了一大锅水，然后叫阿狗。 我将热水在木盆里兑好，阿狗才磨磨蹭赠地出来了。他那身烧坏了的衣服已经换掉了，现在他穿着他三四岁时候穿的衣服，肚脐都露在外面。他有点害怕似的脱掉不合身的衣服，犹犹豫豫地伸出脚试了试木盆里的热水，然后猛地缩回脚大叫： "烫死了！" 我又兑了些冷水，他还是嚷嚷说烫得很。我扶住他，发现烫得很的是他的身体，但他又好像并没生病的样子。 直到我将水兑成了微温他才开始洗澡。 这时我听见了街上人群由远而近的声音。阿狗说他早就听见了，那伙人是从东边来的，因为那里有一次新的山崩。我为他的听觉依然这么灵敏感到惊讶，镇上好多小孩到了他这么大就已经快聋了。 外面是人群的喧闹声，还有兵器的撞击声，远方传来的炮声，好像在那里打得不可开交。我们窗户玻璃上糊的那些防震的纸条都断裂了，那炮好像要打到街上来了一样。我忧虑地打量着澡盆里光身子的阿狗，觉得他那副样子实在令人心疼。 阿狗睡下之后，我就从门缝里向外瞧。不知是我眼睛有问题呢，还是我的估计出了岔子，我看见外面一个人都没有，只是零零落落的有些马车。然而炮声和冲锋号还在响，还在逼近。到底是我的耳朵还是我的眼睛有问题呢？我终于鼓起勇气开了门，我一伸出头去那些可怕的噪音就消失了。初冬的街上显得分外凄凉，瘦马拉着车在夕阳里缓缓而行。 "战争发生了，京城里正在大逃难。"齐四爷边说边吐烟圈。 "隔了那么远，为什么我窗户上的纸条都断裂了呢？"我不解地问，一边迅速地朝街道的两头张望。这一刻那两头都是空空荡荡的。 "到底是远还是近，这种事谁说得清？！" 齐四爷威严地用烟斗敲着我的门，我畏缩地闭嘴了。屋子里头，阿狗不知在他房里喊些什么。齐四爷见我不说话了，口气又缓和下来： "今后嘛，你还会听到更多的声音。我们这些老年人，听觉正一步步恢复呢。" 他这番话令我十分震动。的确，我同阿狗听到的是两种事，他听到了山崩，而我听到了战争。我又回想起在作坊里，他看到的是一个小人，我看到的是穿铁甲的马队首领。我的耳朵里仍然在轰响，可是，如果这耳鸣突然消失，我变得"耳听八方"的话，各式各样的、滚滚而来的声浪会不会将我压倒呢？这么多年了，我的耳鸣就像一道屏障，使所有进入我耳朵的声音都减弱了，当我倾听的时候，我就想到"隔墙有耳"这个比喻，我隔着"耳鸣"这道墙窃听外界的声音。既然全镇人都有相同的倾听方式，是不是到了老年，所有的人都会恢复听觉呢？我活了这么大岁数，还没听到过关于这方面的例子。我曾看见一个老婆子站在井沿的高处大喊大叫，说她听到了京城里的钟声，但她是一个疯子。 因为夜里的煤车太多，煤被撒在地上了，有厚厚的一层。一大早就有很多人在用铁铲铲煤。然而马上就传来了命令，命令说那些将煤搬回家的人都要杀头。大搜查立刻开始了，人人自危。当我听到骚乱过去，将门打开一条缝向外瞧时，我简直不相信自己的眼睛。被五个壮汉押着，推着往前走的，竟是那穿铁甲的汉子。是的，他从我的眼前走过去，他居然还撑得起那身铁甲。但是他憔悴不堪，摇摇晃晃，仿佛随时要倒地。我看见他后来晕过去了，一个彪形大汉将他抱到牛车里去了，那汉子的动作显得很温柔。 缺少了铁甲人的作坊显得如此的空荡。我一个人站在里头，张开口说道："你……"我的声音震出的回音使我出冷汗了，就好像有多个隐蔽的人在暗处说着这同一个字，满屋子全是"你、你、你……"的。我躲也躲不开。我冲到门口，一反身锁上门，将满屋子的怪声音锁在里头。 "你知道为什么偷煤的人不站出来坦白么？"齐四爷说。 "坦白了要杀头。" "不是这个问题。那些人知道有人替他们担罪呀！喂，你作坊里不是有怪事么？" "他们知道我作坊里有个铁甲人！？" "不是这样，他们仅仅知道被杀头的不会是他们罢了。你的这个作坊，不是有一百多年的历史了么？"他得意洋洋地摇头晃脑。 "那又怎么样？" "问题大得很呀。你想一想，一百多年里头，这种老屋里头什么没有躲藏过呀。这种事，在镇上传得最快。" 我沮丧地、赌气似的将他甩在后面。但是他偏不闭嘴，他跟在我后头大喊道： "你要好好做人！" 这时那些赶车的都停下车来看我，他们那种表情好像要把我也抓走似的。我一下子感到毛骨悚然，忍不住跑了起来。我跑的姿势一定很丑，像鸭子一样，可现在也顾不得了。一路上，凡我经过的马车和牛车都像听到了命令一样停下来，我感到车夫们全都屏住气准备攻击我。 我跑进房里，一头跌进蚊帐里头躲起来。这时我满耳都是那些车夫们的吼声："你呀，你呀，你……"声音粗鲁又有点挑逗。我用被子蒙住头，开始在黑暗中想像车夫们那凄凉阴暗的生涯。 据说那些煤都产在遥远的北方的大山里头。接到皇家的命令之前，车夫们必须将马匹（那些牛一般是用来做短途运输）养得膘肥体壮。然后就是风餐露宿的苦日子来到了。即使是在马队里头，车夫们心里的那种孤独感也像是密不透风的死亡之井。对于能否达到目的地他们心里全然无数，挥之不去的死亡恐怖常常令他们的行动自暴自弃起来。有时，一个车夫突然让马匹离开马路，驾驶着马车冲向麦地，然后就从马车上下来，倒在麦地里一动不动了。马儿欢畅地大吃麦子，农夫匆匆地赶了过来。农夫赶过来时，可怜的车夫已经死了，他瞪眼看着上面的蓝天，仿佛是受了惊被吓死的。自暴自弃的例子还有很多，这种事在镇上流传得很广。我自己就亲眼见过一名汉子跳进镇头的茅坑，让屎尿没过他的头顶，死在了茅坑里。他的马车本来还停在路边，后来忽然就被人偷走了。每次死一名车夫，就会丢失一车煤，很少有人知道那些煤去了什么地方。奇怪的是煤的总数虽是经过了统计的，皇家却从未下来追查过丢失的那些煤车。皇家惟一的一次追查是前不久散落在地下的那些煤屑，当时谁都没有料到会有这种事，更没有料到被抓走的会是一个外乡人。那么刚才，面对齐四爷揭露真相的大喊大叫，车夫们是用怎样一种眼光看我呢？ 我听见有个女人在窗户那里喊我，是洪大妈的声音，那位死去了的大妈。我将头蒙得更紧了。幸亏阿狗不在，要不他又会来问东问西的，他现在去了哪里呢？洪大妈的声音消失了之后，又有个男的开始敲门，高声嚷嚷说他是隔壁的陶工，要找我借水桶。我想，经过了几十年的功夫，陶工终于在白天现身了，这该是一件多么不好的事啊。可是他坚持敲个不停，他的敲门声又引来了一些其他的邻居，他们都在外面七嘴八舌地议论我。 我不高兴地起身去开门。门外站着我那些邻居，却没有看见陶工。我就问他们刚才要借水桶的陶工哪去了。邻居们你望我、我望你，摇着头说不知道。他们说在面包店的门口发现了一具尸体，他们来找我商量看如何处理。 "这种事，镇上的居民谁也摆脱不了干系的。" 说话的是洪爷，洪大妈的丈夫，他边说边狠狠地盯了我一眼。我脑子里立刻浮出洪大妈惨死的情景。莫非这洪爷找我复仇来了？我说我病了，不能同他们去。那四个人却站在原地不动。我总不能朝这些街坊劈面关上门吧，于是只好回转身去磨磨蹭蹭地穿衣。他们倒也有耐心，就在那里一声不响地等。 要完全把那天的事弄明白大概是不可能的。我们一行五个人到了面包店门口，但那里根本就没有什么尸体。首先开口的是洪爷，他说他忘了到这儿来干什么的了。我就提醒他说我们是来处理尸体的，但洪爷坚决否认，那三个人也用责备的目光瞪我。很显然，这四位邻居都在努力地回忆，脸上的表情既焦虑又激动，似乎是，他们要回想起促使他们来这里的某个使命，但他们四个人居然都将那个使命忘记了。这时我看见面包铺的门开了一下，一个蓬头垢面的伙计探了一下头，不怀好意地看了我们一眼，很快又缩回去了。 洪爷立刻喊叫起来，说他想起来了，并且一边喊着就冲进了面包店，我们也跟着他冲了进去。我们经过那两座热烘烘的大炉子后，眼前就什么都看不见了。我感到自己正身处一间密室，但又不太像，因为迎面吹来的阴风给我一种空旷的感觉。邻居袁郎在我旁边讲话，他说他有生以来还没有到过这种新奇的处所呢！现在他一下子就这么激动，他真担心他的心脏会受不了呢！要是他倒在这种地方，他担心家里的父母都要完蛋。他不停地聒噪，乱扯，弄得我很生气。 "走啊，走啊！"洪爷催促着我们。 接下去我就听到了钟声，洪爷说是从皇宫传来的。我没想到皇宫的钟声会是这样的，怎么说呢，那很像宣告末日来临的钟声。而且渐渐地，我就听见了周围传来的喧闹，这些喧闹像是人们赶集时发出的声音，只是隔我们有一段距离。我甚至听到有个小贩向一名妇女兜售一段花布，那声音甜蜜而暧昧。远一点的人群里还有卫兵骑了马走来走去的，有的卫兵发出吆喝，不吆喝的便朝空中挥着响鞭。一名老大娘在路边哭喊，因为有人偷走了她的鸡蛋。 "洪爷啊，这就是地下城吧？"我问道。 洪爷没回答。我们五个人的脚步在黑暗里有节奏地踏响，同那边的嘈杂形成了对照。我还想问洪爷一句什么，可是钟声又响起来，我忍不住泪流满面了，就像阔别了故乡五十年后回来的老爷子一样。 "处死刑的时候到了。"袁郎停止了聒噪，小声说道。 右边空旷的地方忽然响起了一名妇女发疯般的尖叫，但没延续多久，就被炮声淹没了，一共打了三炮。 我心里隐隐地抱了希望，我觉得我有可能同阿狗在这种地方相遇，甚至有可能遇见阿狗的爸，我在浮动的空气里闻到了这种希望。我们一行人机械地朝前迈步，我觉得洪爷很清楚我们要去哪里。我把这种想法告诉袁郎，袁郎就鄙夷地回答我说："我们只是在原地兜圈子。" 我们走了很久，但我们始终到不了附近那个发出喧闹声的地方。我猜那里是一个很大的集市，男男女女全在黑暗中做交易，谁也看不见谁。我听出他们那种讨价还价的声音里充满了紧迫感，还有隐秘的激情。也许，处在末日的人们都会这样做生意吧。从我走进面包坊后面的黑暗时起，我就觉得自己已经活到头了，于是我坦然地等待后面的事发生。袁郎和刘郎这两个年轻人不像我，他们还太年轻，没有活够，所以感觉得到他们的身体在剧烈颤抖，那是极度怕死的表现。真正情绪笃定的是齐四爷和洪爷，这两只久经风浪的老麻雀，不时轻轻地相互嘀咕几句，既不害怕也不激动，将眼前的情形看作家常便饭。 我忽然听见齐四爷告诉我，现在已经到了监狱，路的两边全是牢房。他还要我紧跟他，别偏离，不然就有可能被犯人伸出的手抓伤。 现在四周变得静静的，根本听不到两边有犯人，我怀疑齐四爷在骗我。我抬起头，看见了几颗星星。难道还有露天的牢房？ "现在你想同谁讲话就可以同谁讲话。"齐四爷对我说。 "我想同我儿子讲话。" "你请便吧。" "敏泽啊，回答你老爹的问候吧！我是快死的人了，你也用不着同我赌气了。你现在坐在牢里，这事可怪不了我！"我高声说完这些。 顿时就有四五个声音从不同的处所齐声响起： "爹爹，爹爹，我好得很呢！" "坐牢有什么好呢？孩子！我知道你很苦啊！" "我不苦，我也没坐牢。我在这里烧一窑瓦呢。" 我细细回味那些声音，我的确听出了儿子敏泽的口音，但又不完全像，并且这些声音明明是出自好几个人。 "敏泽，敏泽，你要保重啊！阿狗的事就拜托你了！" "我才不管阿狗呢，我要享受我自己的生活！阿狗的事由你管到底！" 这时洪爷赶过来了，他催促我快走，说因为两边的犯人都企图冲出牢房，我们所在的这条路已成了是非之地。 果然，我再要同我儿子敏泽对话就得不到回音了。齐四爷责备我，说我错过了好机会，不该同儿子讲些不相干的事，怜悯心也用错了地方。 "这种人，你就是给他一个金元宝，他也只会拿了去埋在土里。"我听见齐四爷在气愤地向洪爷说。 他的话音一落，钟声就在很近的距离内响起来了。那声音震得我腿发软，我就坐到了地上，我一时怎么也起不来了。 似乎是，他们四个人都很生气，就站在一堆议论我。洪爷说我"拿了作坊里的那玩意儿做资本，成天炫耀，就不想好好劳动了。"刘郎则说我"一点主见也没有嘛，也是个内心空虚的人嘛。"齐四爷还说了些更难听的，说着说着，他们就悄无声息地走开去了，四下里一点声音都没有了。那集市还在那边喧闹着，有点恍若隔世的味道。我想，我一直在好好地劳动，我做的鞋子至今穿在全镇人的脚上，洪爷真是冤枉了我了。铁甲人明明一点都没有给我带来什么运气，反而是，自从他睡到我的工作台底下之后，倒霉的事接踵而来，不仅仅对我是如此，对于全镇的人也是如此。我们不再有平静的生活了，我们，怎么说呢，被抛到了险滩上。只要从那京城里传来什么可怕的命令，我们这个小镇就面临着被踏平的危险。 坐在这黑地里，我就不停地想着我们小镇的前途，把我自己都忘记了。在我右边的那个集市很像京城里的集市，那些人的口音和我平时听到过的京城里的口音一模一样。这是不是说，我的耳朵现在已经灵敏到这个程度，居然可以听到京城里发生的一切了呢？我所在的地方虽然有露天监狱，但绝对不可能是京城，我们在这黑地里并没有走多远啊。看来此地就是阿狗所说的地下城，我活了几十年，从来也没有注意到这种地方。前几天我还偶然听到阿狗唠叨："失踪的人就变成了囚徒。"当时我还以为他说着好玩呢！不知从何时开始，镇上就不断有人失踪，据我老父说这个镇先前有六千人，现在只有三千多人了，而一般来说，生育率是超过死亡率的。失踪的情形同我们家大同小异，一般是家庭成员提出去外面谋生，然后就一去不复返了，差不多每个家庭都有这样的事。起先人们还抱着希望，过了两三年就死了心了。会不会有一天，整个镇子都隐入黑暗，来一次集体的失踪呢？如果我们镇从地面消失了，皇宫里还会发出什么样的命令？ "他是一个鼠目寸光的人，除了他家里那几件东西，什么都看不到。"有个京城口音的妇人在我身后说话。 和她在一起的另外一名妇人就笑起来，附和说："鼹鼠的后代嘛。" "请指教我！"我朝她们所在的方位喊道。 那两人发出一阵慌乱的声音，接着就走开去了。她们边走还边嘀咕："没想到这种地方还会有人。" 我所在的地方到底是什么地方呢？是不应该有人的地方么？那么在这里的全是死鬼了。谁造的地下城？还有监狱？ 集市上的声浪一波一波传过来，给这死寂的处所带来生活的气息。从前我的老父告诉我说，我们这个镇里曾丢失过大宗的宝物，那个时候，千军万马滚滚而来，百姓抱头鼠窜，什么都顾不得了。丢失的金银器皿后来又两次再度现身，一次在茅厕边，还有一次就在面包坊。但终究又再度丢失，并且永远消失了。那些个宝物，会不会也在这地下城里收藏着呢？据说当时丢失宝物的家庭悲痛欲绝，连活下去的信心都丧失了。如果他们知道有个地方收藏着他们失去的一切，那会是多么大的安慰啊。失踪的人都来到了这个地下城，想一想，这实在是一件不坏的事呢。敏泽临走前闪烁其词地说，说不定会常常回来看一看。那个时候，我一点都没听懂他的话。 钟声又一次响起来的时候，我感到屁股底下这条土路在微微起伏，这件事令我大惊失色，我脑子里立刻出现了地裂时的情形。那是在乡下，我亲眼见到带着小孩的妇女被地下的滚水所吞没，裂开的地壳如一条黑色的巨龙向前延伸着。那边的集市上也响起了此起彼伏的惊叫，看来可怕的事真的发生了。我屏住气等待，但土地只是起伏抖动着，并未裂开。这么说，我所在的地方是相对安全的。而集市那边，在一阵强烈的骚动之后，现在变得静寂下来了，大概一切都完蛋了吧。一切都发生得太快也结束得太快了。我的前方出现了微光，我站起来后，双腿忽然就获得了力气。那微光里也有一个人站了起来。那人的背影同我很相像。我朝他走去时，他也往前走，我们之间总是拉开同样的距离。 不记得我们走了多长时间，后来太阳就出来了。太阳一出来，那个人就消失了。这件事令我感到特别的恐怖。 镇子出现在我面前，滚滚的灰沙使我不停地打喷嚏。 "爷爷，你已经死了么？"阿狗扯着我的衣袖问道。 "谁在胡说八道！" "大家都看到尸体了，我也看到了。有一个人和你一模一样。我们把他扔到那边野地里，刚才我去看，看见乌鸦啄去了他的双眼呢！" 阿狗说出这些话后，显然陷入了一种烦恼。 "假如你死了，现在这个你就是你的魂，对不对？这种事很好玩。昨天我还见到爸爸的魂了，我们在一起玩攻城游戏呢！" 我抓住阿狗的手，那小手冷得像冰一样。他对我说，街上的灰尘已经让他没法呼吸了，他必须到家后才能呼吸。"我已经学会了憋气。"他眨着眼告诉我。我发现他只有一只脚穿了鞋，就问他另一只鞋到哪里去了。"蹬掉了。穿鞋脱鞋的，太烦。"他坦然回答。 走着走着，我忽然又发现阿狗鼻梁上有道很深的伤口，那道伤口好像要使他的鼻梁裂成两半似的，干了的血痂凝聚在他的上嘴唇那里。我将阿狗的脸掰转来，从那道裂缝望进去，我只望了一眼就吓坏了。是的，我看到阿狗脑袋里面有一只小鼠!