Sam told me that last night she’d had a dream. In the dream, she had been wandering through the town she had grown up in.
It had been a market town, busy day and night.
In the dream, the streets were empty. They were filled with nothing but dust and shadows.
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者古德謙攝
Like most towns, there were wealthy parts and there were poorer parts. Her family used to live in the poor area. In the dream, she was walking through the wealthy part of town.
The wealthy area used to be full of brightly painted stores. There would be shop staff outside catching the eyes of passersby and inviting them in. In the dream, there was no longer any paint on the storefronts. There was nothing but brickwork.
The stores would be full of luxury items that she couldn’t afford. She used to like going into them, she remembers, but the owners would often eye her with suspicion, thinking she was trying to steal something. Occasionally they would chase her out.
Her own area was not as nice. She would have to be careful to avoid rats, thieves and disease. Her parents didn’t use to like her being out on her own. But every Thursday was market day. She wouldn’t have the money to buy anything, but she used to love seeing all the goods on display.
Seeing the town in the dream made her realize how much she misses her family. She hasn’t seen them in many years. Some of them died some time ago.
Write about something you remember from your childhood. Use “would,” “wouldn’t,” “used to” and “didn’t use to.”
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
莎曼告訴我她昨晚作了一個夢,夢到她漫步在從小長大的城鎮。
那裡從前是個市集,從早到晚都很熱鬧。
夢裡,街道空蕩蕩的,除了塵土和影子什麼都沒有。
一如大部分的市鎮,這裡有富裕的區域,也有較為貧窮的區域。她的家人過去住在貧窮的區域。夢裡,她走到鎮上富裕的區域。
過去,這個區域隨處可見漆得鮮豔明亮的商店,還有吸睛的店員在街上招攬客人。夢裡,那些店面都沒了油漆,除了磚頭砌成的房子本身,什麼都沒有。
過去,店裡都會擺滿奢華的物品,而她總是買不起。她回憶起自己愛去店裡,然而店員經常狐疑地打量她,認為她想偷東西。有幾次,他們還把她趕出商店。
她自己住的區域沒那麼高雅。她需要小心提防老鼠、小偷、還有各種疾病。她的父母親過去不喜歡她獨自出門。但每個星期四是市集開張的日子。她沒有錢,買不起任何東西,但還是喜歡去那裡看展示的商品。在夢裡見到家鄉,她才發現自己有多思念家人。她好幾年沒見到他們了。有些家庭成員已經在幾年前去世。
(涂宇安翻譯)
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