Jubal woke up refreshed and in a good mood, and he realized right away that he hadn't felt better before breakfast in years.For a long time, it was a very dark time from the moment he opened his eyes to the time he drank his first cup of coffee. He said to himself every day that tomorrow might be better, and it was only by these words that he survived.
This morning he whistled.He noticed this strange phenomenon and shut his mouth quickly, but he forgot it after a while and started whistling again.
He saw his own face in the mirror, smiled wryly, and grinned again, "You bad old goat. Just wait, the butcher will be here soon." He saw a white chest hair and pulled it Pulled out.There was still a lot of white hair left, so he ignored it and continued to prepare to face the world.
He walked out the door to find Jill standing in the doorway.Is it a coincidence?But he no longer believed in any "coincidence" in the house; it was like a computer, everything was organized.She threw herself straight into his arms, "Jubbal—oh, how much we love you! You're God."
Jubal kissed her back with the same passion, and he realized that it would be hypocritical to do otherwise.Kissing Jill felt completely different from kissing Dawn, indefinable but unmistakable.
He quickly ended the kiss and pushed her away a little: "You little...you actually framed me."
"Jubbal dear... you are amazing!"
"Hmm... hell, how do you know I can still do it?"
Jill looked at him with wide, clear eyes. "Why, Jubal, I've been sure ever since Mike went to sleep—I mean in trance. After he was in trance, he could still see a good deal of the surrounding area. He He wants to ask you a question, so he will look at you from time to time to see if you are asleep."
"But I've always slept alone! All the time."
"That's right, dear. That's not what I meant. You know, I always have to explain things to him that he doesn't understand."
"Uh, uh!" Jubal decided it would be better not to ask any further. "Anyway, you shouldn't have framed me."
"I realized you didn't mind, Jubal. We had to get you into the nest. Full access. We needed you. You were so nice, and yet so shy, so humble. So we changed it so we could It’s welcome, and it won’t hurt you. And according to my epiphany, we really didn’t hurt you.”
"What's up with this 'we'?"
"As you realized, it was a water sharing with the whole nest. You were there yourself. Because of it, Mike also woke up...He and you have a spiritual realization, which keeps us together."
It seems that this question can't be asked, Jubal quickly changed the subject again, "So Mike finally woke up. That's why your eyes are so bright."
"Only a part of it. We're always happy when Mike isn't shrinking, it's so nice to have him around...but he never really leaves. Jubal, I realize you haven't fully enlightened us yet Way to share water. But the wait will be fulfilled. Mike didn't get the epiphany at first. On Mars, gestation and sharing-intimacy are completely separate. He thought that kind of thing was just for breeding eggs, like on Mars .”
"Well...that was the primary purpose, baby. So what I did last night was silly to one person—me. At this age, I have no intention of triggering population growth."
Jill shook her head, "The baby is one of the results...but it's not the primary purpose. It's good that the baby gives meaning to the future. But women don't have many babies in their lives, three, four, at most a dozen times ...but she shares herself a thousand times - that's the primary use of that thing. If it's just for procreation, a few times would be enough, but it's so often. It's sharing and growing Close, forever, never ending. Jubal, Mike epitomizes our way better. What a joy not to be hatched as a Martian...to be human...and a woman!"
Jubal looked at her closely, "Son, are you pregnant?"
"Yes, Jubal. I've had the epiphany that the wait is over and I'm free to conceive. Most of the people in the nest don't need to wait, but Dawn and I have been busy. Now we have the epiphany that the pivot point is approaching , I also realized that there will be a period of waiting after the key point - there will be, you just wait and see. Mike will not rebuild the church immediately, so his high priest can make a baby without rushing. Wait It will be perfect in the end."
Jubal distilled the main facts from the jumble...or Jill's view of the possibility of pregnancy.At the end of the day, Jill's chances of getting pregnant are good, which proves nothing.He decided to take good care of her and take her home when the time came.There's nothing wrong with Mike's superhuman approach, but it wouldn't hurt to have some modern medical equipment on hand.He wasn't going to lose Jill to a seizure or labor or something, even if it meant having to fuck these kids hard.
Another question swirled in his mind, and he decided not to ask it. "Where's Dawn? And Mike? It's such a quiet place." No one around could see or hear anyone talking. The sound... and yet the weirdness, the joyful anticipation, was stronger than ever.He had thought that the atmosphere would relax—hadn't he already attended the ceremony?Although it was added in the dark.But now the air is even more tense.This suddenly reminded him of the first time he stood on the side of the road when he was a child, waiting for the circus parade...Suddenly someone shouted: "The elephant is coming!" The feeling now is almost exactly the same as that time.
Now Jubal has that feeling again, as if if he grows taller, he will be able to see the elephant over the heads of the excited crowd.The only problem is, there are no crowds here.
"Dawn wants me to give you a kiss on her behalf. She's busy now, about three hours away. Mike is also busy, and he's going into contraction again."
"Oh."
"Don't be so disappointed; he'll be free soon. Mike is working so hard right now just to make time to see you...and to get us all free. Duke scoured last night for the high-speed tape recorder he used to compile the dictionary, Now everyone who can do it has Martian phonetic symbols in their heads, and Mike will come over when it's done. Dawn just started recording; So that Mike can stuff my head again, the last part I'm in charge of, so Dawn's going to come out before me later. Here, Dawn's kiss—that one was mine." She put her arms around him neck, greedily pressed his lips, and finally sighed, "My God! Why did we wait so long? Goodbye, for now."
Jubal finds a few people in the restaurant.Duke looked up, waved him with a smile, and continued munching on his breakfast.He doesn't look like he's been up all night, which he hasn't been; he hasn't slept in two nights.
Seeing Duke waving, Becky Vicente also looked up and looked around. When she saw Harshaw, she said happily, "Hey, you old goat!" Said, "I've always known—but why didn't you come to comfort me when the professor died?" Then he added loudly, "Sit down, we'll fill you with food, and then tell me What have you been planning lately?"
"Come on, Becky." Jubal went around to the other side of the table. "Hey, Captain. How's the trip going?"
"—No trouble at all. The task is getting more and more trivial. You haven't met Mrs. Van Tromp. My dear, meet the founder of this show, the one and only Jubal Harshaw—to If there is a second one, that would be too much." The captain's wife was tall and plain-looking, with calm eyes, apparently she often stood on Wangfu Cliff and looked into the distance.She got up and kissed Jubal, "You are God."
"Uh, you are God." It seemed that he had better submit obediently and stop resisting their catchphrases.Heck, if I say it a few more times, maybe the few remaining healthy nerves will say goodbye to him, and maybe he will really believe in it by then... Plus the captain's wife's arm hugged him so tightly Tight, these words do sound a bit friendly.Yes, she could even be Jill's teacher when it comes to kissing.She—how did Annie describe it? - She's preoccupied; letting you know her attention is fully on you.
"Van," he said, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find you here."
"Well," the astronaut replied, "people who have been to Mars should talk to the natives of Mars and learn the local language, shouldn't they?"
"Just for the language, huh?"
"There are other aspects." Van Tromp reached out to a piece of toast, and the bread was very cooperative. "The food is good, and the company is good."
"Well, that's right."
"Jubal," cried Mrs. Vicente, "here comes the soup!"
Returning to his seat, Jubal found a plate of roast beef tenderloin, two eggs, fried apples, and pancakes on the table, along with orange juice and other goodies.Becky patted his ass. "You had a nice 'prayer meeting', lad."
"Woman, go back to your horoscope!"
"It reminds me, dear, that I want to know exactly when you were born."
"Well, I gave birth three days in a row. They had to get me out piece by piece."
Becky's answer was very rude, and she added: "I'll figure it out."
"The courthouse burned down when I was three. You can't find anything."
"There are many ways. Want to bet?"
"You think you're too old to be spanked? Try bothering me again. How are you doing, girl?"
"What do you think? How do I look?"
"Healthy. Gained some fat in the ass. You dyed your hair."
"Not at all. I stopped using hair dye months ago. Work hard, man, and the few gray hairs you have left can be solved as well. We're going to turn your head into a lush lawn."
"Becky, I refuse to be young. It's hard work to be an old man, and I'm ready to enjoy it. Stop talking nonsense and keep people from eating."
"Yes, sir. You old goat."
Jubal was about to leave when the Martian visitor walked in. "Father! Oh, Jubal!" Mike gave him a hug and a kiss.
Jubal pulled him away gently, "Like a grown-up, kid. Sit down and have a good breakfast, and I'll be with you."
"I didn't come to eat, I came to find you. Let's find a quiet place to talk."
"Ok."
They walked into an empty living room, with Michael pulling Jubal along like an excited little boy welcoming his favorite grandpa.He chose a big chair for Jubal and lay down on a nearby sofa.The living room is on the side where the apron is, with long French windows facing the apron.Jubal stands up to move the chair so that the light doesn't hit his eyes, but the chair moves by itself, which makes him slightly uncomfortable.Remote control does save hassle; probably saves money (at least laundry bills!—his spaghetti-stained undershirt looks like it's just been laundered, so he doesn't change at all), and it's obviously cheaper than a blind, mean-spirited The mechanics are much better.After all, Jubal was still not used to the remote control without wires or radio waves.Similar situations have occurred in the past.When Jubal was born, people had just invented horse-free carts. Seeing that kind of thing, any decent and decent horse would feel the same as Jubal now: a little uncomfortable.
Duke came in and poured them brandy.Mike said: "Thank you, Cannibal. Are you the housekeeper now?"
"Someone's gotta do it, monster. You've got every brain on the mic."
"Ah, it'll be done in a few more hours, and then you can go on with your lascivious, lazy life. The job's done, Rabbit. The show's over. It's over."
"Damn it, did you get the whole Martian thing done? Monster, I'd better check you out and see if you're overworking and burning the capacitors."
"The whole Martian language? It's not even close! It's just the rudimentary knowledge I have - what I used to have. My head is empty and I need a scholar like an alcoholic to go to Mars to catch up on what I never learned .would have another century to go. But I did pour out quite a bit, enough to keep us going for a while. I've had six subjective weeks since I ended the water share this morning, at about five o'clock. time. Now our tough and dependable brethren will get on with it and I'll have nothing to do." Mike stretched and yawned. "It feels good. It always feels good to get a job done."
"Before the day is over, you'll find something else to do and keep working hard. Boss, this Martian monster just can't afford to let it go. It's been almost two months, and this is the first time he's relaxed. He should Sign with the Black Workers League. You come back a few more times, you can influence him to give him a break."
"Me? God forbids it."
"Get out of here, Shengfan. Also, don't tell any more lies."
"Lying? Damn it. You've given me an obsessive-compulsive truth-telling...that's a huge hindrance in the places I hang out." Duke turned and left as he spoke.
Mike raised his glass. "Share the water, father."
"Drink to your heart's content, son."
"You are God."
"Mike, I can stand other people saying that, but don't do it to me. I've known you since you were 'just an egg'."
"Okay, Jubal."
"It's so much better. Since when did you start drinking early in the morning? Do it so young you'll ruin your stomach and never be a happy old drunk like me again."
Mike looked at his glass, "I drink when drinking is about sharing. It doesn't do anything to me, most of us don't unless we want it to work. Once I let it drug me until Drunk to death. That's a weird feeling. Not good, I epitomize. Like disintegrating for a little while without disintegrating. I can have a similar effect with contraction, and better than it , and there was no damage to be repaired afterwards."
"Very economical."
"Uh, well, the drink bill is nothing. In fact, the cost of maintaining the entire church is less than what you spend on our house. Besides the initial investment, plus some small props and so on, the only place we can spend money is Coffee and cake. Our enjoyment costs nothing. So little is needed, and money keeps pouring in. For a while, I just didn't know what to do with them."
"Then why are you still asking for donations?"
"What? Oh, you gotta charge for it, Jubal. Free stuff nerds don't notice."
"I know that, I just thought you didn't."
"Oh, I know, I've got an epiphany, Jubal. When I first started, I did preach for free. It didn't work. Accept a free gift, and value it. To be able to do it, we humans There is still a long way to go. Before the sixth floor, I never give them anything for free. At the sixth floor, they can accept it... It is much more difficult to receive than to give."
"Mmm... boy, maybe you should write a book on human psychology."
"I wrote it, but in Martian. The tapes are at the drunks." Mike took a sip of his wine slowly and enjoyed it. "We do drink some. A few people like this stuff, Saul, me Myself, Swain, and a few others. I learned to let it work a little bit, and then hold it, to get a euphoric closeness of growth, much like trance, but without the shrinking." He sipped again Take a sip of brandy, "That's it for this morning, to keep me warm and happy with you."
Jubal looked at him carefully, "Son, you have something on your mind."
"yes."
"Want to talk?"
"Yes. Father, it's always good to be with you, even when nothing is bothering you. But you're the only one I can talk to, and I know you're spiritual and not oppressed." Broke. Jill... Jill always gets the epiphany - but if I hurt, she hurts even more. Dawn too. Pat... well, Pat can always take my pain away, but hers The solution is to transfer the pain to myself. Some things, if I don’t share them, I can’t achieve full enlightenment. The problem is that they are too vulnerable, and I can’t fully share with them.” Mike revealed The look of thinking, "Confession is necessary. The Catholic Church knows this. They have trained a group of people with strong hearts to listen to the confession of believers. First believers also have group confession, to speak out the pain and make it dilute. I Confession should really be brought into the early purification process. Yes, we have confession, but it's spontaneous, and by the time it happens, the believer doesn't really need it. We need someone with a strong heart to listen to it. The so-called ' Sin' really has very little to do with real wrong, it's just what the sinner realizes as sin. And when you're with him, it can make you miserable too. I know that." Mike continued eagerly, " Goodness is not enough, goodness is never enough. That was one of my first mistakes. To the Martians, goodness and wisdom are the same thing. But not to us. Just say Jill, I met her At the time, she was a perfectly good person, but a mess inside - and I nearly ruined her, and myself, because I was just as messed up. Her endless patience (which is really rare on this planet) Saved us. I learned to be human, and she learned what I knew.
"Being kind is never enough for humans. You have to have solid, ruthless wisdom at the same time. Only in this way can good things be done with good intentions. Goodness without wisdom will always create evil." Mike added with great seriousness, "so I don't just love you, Father, I need you too. I need your wisdom and your strength...for I must confess to you."
Jubal moved. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Mike, don't make such a fuss. Just say what's bothering you. We'll figure it out."
But Mike didn't go on.Finally Jubal asked: "Did the destruction of the church make you feel like a complete failure? I don't blame you. But you are not broke, you can build another one."
"Oh no, I don't give a damn about that!"
"what?"
"That church is like a diary, every page is filled. There is no need to continue writing on the paper full of handwriting, it is time to open a new one. Fire cannot destroy those experiences... Besides, never From a political practice point of view, expulsion in such a spectacular way is beneficial in the long run. The Church has always thrived on martyrdom and persecution, and that is their best advertisement. In fact, Jubal, we are already Hiji has been busy for a long time, and I can finally catch my breath in the past few days. Everyone is very happy. There is no harm." His expression changed, "Father... I just discovered that I am a spy recently."
"What do you mean, child?"
"A spy for the Elders. They sent me here to spy on my people."
Jubal thought for a moment, "Mike, I know you're smart and have powers I've never heard of. But even geniuses can get delusional."
"I know. Let me explain it to you, and you can judge whether I'm crazy. You know what's going on with those surveillance satellites used by the Ministry of Security?"
"No."
"Not the details that only Duke is interested in, I mean the overall design. They revolve around the earth, receiving and storing information. At a certain point, the eye of the sky is activated, and everything it sees is sent out in one go. That's what they did to me. You know, our brothers in the nest use what's called telepathy."
"There are so many facts out there that I have no choice but to accept that."
"It's true. But now we're talking privately. Besides, no one's going to read your mind; I don't even know if it can be done. Even last night, the connection was through Dawn's mind, not you of."
"Well, it's kind of a consolation."
"I'm 'nothing more than an egg' in this art; the spirit elders are masters. They communicate with me, but don't interfere; they ignore me—then suddenly trigger the mechanism, and I hear, see Everything that I saw, realized, all my experiences and feelings poured out and went into their records. I don't mean they wiped me out, no, they played the tape again and made it I got a copy. I knew it when it tripped—but before I could think of stopping it, it was all done. Then they cut the connection. I didn't even get a chance to protest."
"Well... it seems to me that they used you despicably."
"Not by their standards. Besides, I wouldn't object if I'd known before I left Mars—I'd be more than happy to volunteer for them. But they don't want me to know; Complete enlightenment without being affected."
"I was going to ask you just now," Jubal said, "you've gotten rid of this bloody invasion of privacy, isn't that the end of it? It's like they sent a Martian who spent the last two and a half years Following you inseparably, the result is just to make others stare, there is no other harm."
Mike's expression was very serious, "Jubbal, listen to me tell you a story. Listen to me." Mike told him about the destruction and disappearance of the fifth planet from the sun, and turned into an asteroid in the universe. "How is it, Jubal?"
"Reminds me of the story of the Great Flood."
"No, Jubal. You're not sure if the Flood actually happened. But what about Pompeii and Herculaneum?"
"Oh, sure. Those are established facts."
"Jubal, Elder Ling's destruction of the fifth planet is as undoubted as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and its records are much more detailed than Pompeii's. It's not a myth, it's a fact."
"Uh, yes, but what are you worried about? Afraid that the spirit elders of Mars will give this planet the same treatment? Will you forgive me if I say I'm a bit unbelievable?"
"Jubal, this doesn't require spiritual elders to do it. It is enough to know how matter is combined. A little knowledge of physics, plus the kind of control method you have seen countless times in me, and spiritual understanding of yourself , I know what I want to dispose of. I can do it, right now. Like pick a mass of matter about a hundred miles in diameter near the core of the earth-it's not necessary to make such a large piece, but suppose we want to quickly Get it over with, so there's no pain for everyone, even if it's to make Jill happy. Get a sense of its size and location, carefully comprehend how it fits—" The expression on Mike's face disappeared completely, and his eyeballs began to roll up.
"Hey!" Harshaw interrupted him. "Stop! I don't know if you have the ability, but I don't want you to experiment."
The visitor's face returned to normal. "Well, I would never do that. It's wrong for me - I'm a human being."
"But isn't it a mistake for them?"
"Oh no. The spirit elders might spiritualize it as a beauty. I don't know. Of course, my practice allows me to do that... but I lack the will. Jill can too. I mean, she can meditate but she will never have the will. She is human too, this is her planet. At the core of our practice is self-awareness first and then self-control. As long as one has the ability to , instead of destroying the earth with cobalt bombs and the like, he couldn't possibly have such a will, which I've fully realized. He will disintegrate. Then, any threat will disappear; Because our spirits are not like Martian spirits, they can still do this and that after disintegration."
"Mm... Now that we've talked about your whims, let me tell you another thing. You talk about those 'elders' as easily as I talk about the neighbor's dog. But But I think it's a bit difficult to digest. What does 'Ling Lao' look like?"
"Why, of course it's the same as other Martians."
"Then how do you know he's not an adult Martian? Can he walk through walls or something?"
"Any Martian can walk through walls. I did, yesterday."
"Hmm...then are they shimmering, or something?"
"No, you can see them, hear them, feel them—everything. It's like the picture on a stereo, only perfect and straight to your heart. But—look, Jubal, On Mars this whole question would have seemed ridiculous. But I realize it's not the case here. Suppose you attend a friend's disintegration-death, eat his body...then you see his ghost , you talk to him, touch him, things like that. Do you then believe in ghosts?"
"Well, either believe it, or I'm totally crazy."
"Well, on Earth, it could be hallucinations... If I'm right, we're not going to stay after we disintegrate. But on Mars, it's either a collective hallucination of the entire planet, or the most straightforward The explanation is correct...not only have I been taught so, but all my experience points to that conclusion. Because on Mars, the 'ghosts' are the most powerful and numerous group of Martians. Still alive and not disintegrated Those who fell were woodcutters and water collectors, and they were servants of the old spirit."
Jubal nodded, "Well, Occam's razor, I wouldn't be surprised no matter what it cuts. Although this does not match my experience, my experience is limited to this planet, which is too earthy. Well, boy, are you afraid they will destroy us?"
Mike shook his head. "I'm not particularly worried about that. I think—not epiphany, just speculation—I think there are two possibilities: They may destroy us...or try to conquer us culturally, shape us in their image."
"It doesn't frighten you that we're blown up to the sky? Pretty detached."
"No. Oh, maybe they'll decide to do it. You see, we're a sickly crippled bunch by their standards. We hurt each other, we don't understand each other, we don't get enlightened at all with anyone else. And all those wars, Plague, famine, and brutality—it's just crazy to them. Believe me, I know. So I think they'll decide on euthanasia. But that's just speculation, and I'm not an old man. But, Jubal, if they decide Well, that too—" Mike thought for a long time, "—at least five hundred years, more likely five thousand years from now."
"The jury also took too long to deliberate."
"Jubbal, the biggest difference between the two races is this: Martians are never in a hurry, while Earthlings are always in a hurry. They'd rather think about it for a century, maybe a few hundred years, to make sure they're enlightened absolutely perfect."
"If that's the case, boy, then there's nothing to worry about. If five hundred or even a thousand years from now, human beings can't cope with their neighbors, then there's nothing you or I can do. But maybe they will Still can't handle the neighbors."
"I'm so enlightened too, but it's not perfect. As I said, I'm not worried about that. It's the other possibility that bothers me more, and I'm afraid they'll step in and reform us. Jubal, they Impossible. Trying to make us act like Martians would kill us for sure, and not without pain. That would be a huge mistake."
Jubal thought for a long time, "But, boy, isn't that what you've been doing all along?"
Mike looked sullen. "That was my goal when I started, but it's not what I want to do now. Father, I know you were disappointed in me when I started doing this."
"That's your business, son."
"Yes. Ego. I had to epitomize each key point alone. So do you... all ego are the same. You are God."
"I don't accept the title."
"You can't say no. You are God, I am God, and all that I am is God, and I am all that I am, see, feel, and experience. I am all that I am. Father, I Seeing this planet in its dire state, I had an epiphany that I could change it, although my epiphany was not complete. What I had to teach humanity couldn't be taught in schools; I had to sneak it in disguised as a religion It's not really a religion, but I'm going to take advantage of the curiosity of nerds and coax them to come over and try it. I know it will work, and it does work in part; this practice will work for others as well as it does for me , although they were not raised in a Martian nest. Our brothers get along very well. You all saw it and shared it. They lived peacefully and happily, without resentment, without envy.
"That alone is a triumph. Both sexes are our greatest gifts—maybe romantic physical love is unique to this planet. If so, the universe is a wretched place indeed . . . and I vaguely realized that we gods should protect this precious invention and spread it. In the ecstasy of sharing, the body is connected with the fusion of souls, giving, receiving, and taking pleasure in each other. There is no Anything can be compared to it, really. And, I fully epiphany, it is the source of this planet so prosperous, so wonderful. Jubal, every human being should experience this ecstasy, connecting the soul with the flesh Unless you have had the joy of indulging in it, neither man nor woman is as if you have never had sex with anyone, just a virgin. I realize that you have such an experience; Just the evidence... Besides I don't need any proof, I know. I know straight away that you can be enlightened. You can always be enlightened, you don't even need the language of enlightenment. Dawn told us that you deeply Into her heart, just like you in her body." "Uh... that lady is exaggerating."
"There's no way Dawn could be lying about this. Besides, if you'll excuse me, we were there. In her heart, not yours...but you're there, sharing it with us."
Jubal was going to say that, in fact, it was only in that situation that he felt he could see through people... and it wasn't thoughts, just emotions.But he refrained from speaking.He didn't feel pain, but just regretted that he was not half a century younger.Otherwise, he could forget the scars of the past, let go of his courage, and give the marriage another chance, asking Dawn to remove the word "Miss" in front of his name.Last night had been wonderful, but he wouldn't trade all the days he had left.In general, Mike is right. "Go on, sir."
"Sexual union should be like that. But I gradually realized that this kind of situation is extremely rare, and some of them are indifferent mechanical movements, rape, and seduce each other like a playful game. It is no better than roulette, or even less honesty; and prostitution, voluntary and forced singleness, and fear, guilt, hatred, and violence; and children, taught that sex is 'bad', 'shameful', 'animal must be concealed and always be vigilant about it. Male and female, who are so cute and perfect, have been completely subverted from top to bottom, from the inside out, and turned into creepy fear.
"All these mistakes are the inevitable result of 'jealousy'. Jubal, I couldn't believe it at all, and I can't fully understand 'jealousy' even now. It seems to me that it is just crazy. When I first experienced At this ecstasy my first thought was to share, at once with all my water brothers. Share directly with women, invite more men to come, share with them indirectly. If I had then thought of enjoying it alone The thought of this inexhaustible spring must have disgusted me to the core. But in fact, I cannot conceive of such a thought. A corollary is that I have absolutely no desire to be with anything I have not cherished and trusted. People try this miracle. Jubal, my body can't make love to a woman who has not shared water. The brothers in the nest are the same. Either the soul and the body merge together, or the spirit is impotent."
Not a bad system, Jubal thought dismayed—for an angel.就在这时，一辆空中汽车降到停机坪上，正好落在朱巴尔的斜对面。他转过头去，只见车刚一刹住便消失了。
"in trouble?"
“不，”迈克否认道，“他们开始怀疑咱们在这儿，或者说，怀疑我在这儿；他们以为其他人已经死了。我指的是核心神庙，外围几层没人打扰……”他咧嘴一笑，“看样子，我们酒店的房间很快就能挣上不少钱。大主教肖特的突击队快把城里塞满了。”
“现在是不是该把家里人送到别的地方？”
“别担心，朱巴尔。那辆车根本没机会报告，连用无线电都来不及。我在守护咱们。一点麻烦没有。吉尔已经弄明白了，让内心带着错误的人解体是没错的。过去我必须想出好多权宜之计来保护大家。但现在吉尔知道，我只会在灵悟到完满以后才采取行动。”火星来客笑得像个大孩子，“昨晚她还帮我干了回活儿呢……而且那也不是第一次了。”
“什么样的活儿？”
“哦，不过是越狱之后的一点收尾工作。有些人太凶恶，我不能放他们出去。所以在弄掉栅栏和铁门之前必须先解决他们。当然，我已经慢慢地把这城市灵悟了好几个月……有些最坏的人并不在牢里。我一直等待着，列出个清单，对每一个都确保达到完满。所以，既然咱们现在要离开，最好顺便让那些人解体，把他们送回队尾，重新排队，好从头再来。顺便说一句，正是通过灵悟，吉尔才从犹犹豫豫变成了真心赞同。她终于完满地灵悟了：人不可能被杀死。我们不过是充当了一回裁判，把动作'过于'粗野的运动员罚下场而已。”
“扮演上帝你就一点不害怕吗，小家伙？”
迈克高高兴兴地咧开嘴，一副问心无愧的样子，“我就是上帝。你是上帝……我弄走的任何一个混蛋都是上帝。朱巴尔，据说上帝能注意到每一只坠落的麻雀。的确如此。但在英语里，最接近事实的说法应该是，上帝没法不去注意每一只麻雀，因为麻雀就是上帝。当猫偷偷跟在麻雀身后时，它也是上帝，它们俩都在执行着上帝的思想。”
又一辆空中汽车试图降落，并且消失；朱巴尔没吭声。“昨晚你把多少人弄出局了？”
“喔，大概四百五十左右，我没数。这座城市挺大的。今后一阵子，它会变成一个特别正派的地方。当然，不是根治。除了修行，没有根治的法子。”迈克露出不开心的表情，“我要问你的就是这个，父亲。恐怕我误导了咱们的兄弟。”
“怎么说，迈克？”
“他们太乐观了。他们看到修行给我们带来了什么，他们知道自己多么快乐，多么强壮、健康、觉悟，知道大家彼此多么相爱。现在他们以为自己灵悟了，以为整个人类都将得到这种祝福，剩下的不过是时间问题。当然，不是明天。有些兄弟灵悟到，对于这样一个任务而言，两千年也不过是眨眼的工夫罢了。但那一天总会来临的。
“我曾经也这么想，在一开始的时候。是我让他们这么想的。
“可是，朱巴尔，我漏掉了一个关键：“地球人与火星人是不同的。
“我一次又一次地犯下这个错误。之后我会纠正自己……却仍然会一再重犯。对于火星人可行的东西，对地球人不一定能行。至于那些概念性逻辑，虽然只能以火星语表达，但的确对两个种族都适用。逻辑是不变的……问题是材料不同，所以结果也不一样。
“在火星上，假如大家饿了，有些人就会自愿以身相伺。在火星这是不言自明的——而且是一种荣誉，我不明白地球人为什么不这么干。我也不理解为什么这里的小孩子被捧上了天。要是在火星，这儿的两个小宝宝会被扔到门外，任她们自生自灭。十个若虫里头，九个都会在第一个季节送命。我的逻辑是正确的，可对材料的解读却错了：在这里，相互竞争的是成年人，而不是孩子们；但在火星上，成年人从不竞争，弱小者在婴儿期就已经淘汰了。不过，尽管方法不同，竞争和淘汰都同样存在……否则一个种族就会每况愈下、日渐衰亡。
“而我在做的，是把两头的竞争都去掉。婴儿之间不竞争，成年人也不竞争。我不知道这么做对不对。但最近我灵悟到，人类是不会允许我这么干的。”
杜克把脑袋探进房间，“迈克？你看过外头吗？酒店周围聚了一大帮人。”
“我知道。”迈克点点头，“告诉其他人，等待尚未完满。”他继续对朱巴尔说，“'你是上帝'，这不是欢乐与希望的信息，朱巴尔。它是挑战，也是承担个人的责任，勇敢无畏，绝不退缩。”他露出悲伤的表情，“可我很难能让人接受这一点。只有极少数人，只有这些与我们在一起的兄弟们能理解我。他们接受了伴随甜蜜而来的痛苦，敢于将苦涩一饮而尽——并且灵悟它的意义。而其他人，成千上万的其他人，他们要么把它当作免费的奖赏，当作一种'皈依'；要么就干脆视而不见。我费尽口舌，他们还是坚持以为上帝是某种异己的东西，以为上帝巴不得拥抱和抚慰每一个懒惰的蠢货。我告诉他们，他们必须自己作出努力……他们所有的麻烦都是自己造成的……可这样一个念头，他们根本不能碰，或者不想碰。”火星来客摇了摇头，“我失败的次数远远超出了成功。真不知道等达到完满的灵悟时，我会不会发现原来自己一开始就走错了道。这个种族是不是必须彼此分裂、相互仇恨、攻击，是不是必须经常不快乐，甚至与自己的自我兵戎相见……而这一切仅仅是为了完成每个种族都要进行的淘汰。告诉我好吗，父亲？你必须告诉我。”
“迈克，你怎么会以为我他妈就是全知全能的？”
“或许你不是。但每次我需要知道什么的时候，你总能告诉我答案。当等待完满以后，也总是证明你是对的。”
“见鬼，别想神化我，我拒绝！不过，我的确看出一件事，孩子。你总劝其他人永远别匆忙——用你的话说，'等待将会完满'，”
"That's right."
“但你却违反了自己定下的规矩。你只等了一小会儿。用火星人的标准看，实在短得可怜。只等了一小会儿，就迫不及待地想认输了。你已经证明自己的系统对一小群人是有效的。我很高兴为你证实这一点；我还从没见过如此幸福、健康、愉快的人。对于你所花去的那一点点时间，这样的结果应该足够了。等这个数目翻上一千倍时，你再看看吧。所有人都在工作，在享受快乐，彼此毫不忌妒。到那时，你会怎么说？”
“你说得对，父亲。”
“我还没说完呢。一百个人里面有一个没上你的钩，于是你就发愁，怕人类没有现在这些罪恶就过不下去，怕人类必须要用它们来实现优胜劣汰。可是，见鬼，孩子，你一直干的不就是淘汰吗？或者说，失败者由于不听你的话，自己完成了淘汰。你想过消除钱和财产吗？”
“唔，不！在巢里我们的确不需要，但——”
“任何健康的家庭都不需要。但出了家门，你就得用它跟其他人打交道。萨姆告诉我说，咱们的兄弟非但没有变得不食人间烟火，反而比过去更会刮钱了。是这样吗？”
“噢，是的。一旦你灵悟挣钱，它就会变成一个非常简单的小把戏。”
“你刚刚给里又添上了一条：'精神充实的人有福了，因为他能搞到钞票。”咱们的人在其他领域干得如何？比一般人更好还是更坏？ "
“噢，当然是更好了。你看，朱巴尔，修行并不是信仰；它只是一种方法，让你在任何事情上都能高效运转。”
“你已经回答了自己的问题，孩子。假如真如你所说——我不做判断，我只提问题，你来回答——那么竞争非但远远不会被消除，反而会比过去更加激烈。如果有千分之一的人有这种潜力，能听懂你传达的信息，那你要做的就再简单没有了：把你能做的做给他们看。然后，用不了几代人的时间，傻瓜就会死光光，你的信徒会继承地球。无论那是多久之后——一千年、一万年，反正有的是时间，到时候再去想要不要弄个新篱笆，好让他们跳得更高。一夜之间变成了天使的只有几个人，没错，但别为了这个灰心丧气。我还以为压根儿不会有人合格呢。我本来以为你假装成传教士真他妈傻透了。”
迈克舒了口气，微微一笑，“我原本也开始这么想来着，我真怕自己会让兄弟们失望。”
“真希望你给教会取的是个'臭虫大集合'之类的名字。不过名字并不重要。如果你拥有真理，你就能证明自己确实掌握着它。夸夸其谈是不行的，要做给大家看。”
迈克没有回答。他的眼帘垂下来，身体纹丝不动，脸上毫无表情。朱巴尔不安地扭了扭身子，生怕自己说得太多，把这孩子逼得只能闭缩起来。
不过迈克睁开了眼睛，他开心地微笑起来，“我全想通了，父亲，都是你的功劳。现在我已经准备好了，做给他们看。我灵悟到了完满。”火星来客站起来，“等待结束了。”
Notes:
Notes: