經典科幻文學:《生命 宇宙及一切》第2章5

A lot of them didn’t make it through the winter three years ago, he said, and the few who remained in the spring said they needed a holiday and set off on a raft. History says that they must have survived…
Huh, said Ford, well well. He stuck his hands on his hips and looked round again at the empty world. Suddenly, there was about Ford a sense of energy and purpose.
We’re going, he said excitedly, and shivered with energy.
Where? How? said Arthur.
I don’t know, said Ford, but I just feel that the time is right. Things are going to happen. We’re on our way.
He lowered his voice to a whisper.
I have detected, he said, disturbances in the wash.
He gazed keenly into the distance and looked as if he would quite like the wind to blow his hair back dramatically at that point, but the wind was busy fooling around with some leaves a little way off.
Arthur asked him to repeat what he had just said because he hadn’t quite taken his meaning. Ford repeated it.
The wash? said Arthur.
The space-time wash, said Ford, and as the wind blew briefly past at that moment, he bared his teeth into it.
Arthur nodded, and then cleared his throat.
Are we talking about, he asked cautiously, some sort of Vogon laundromat, or what are we talking about?
Eddies, said Ford, in the space-time continuum.
Ah, nodded Arthur, is he? Is he? He pushed his hands into the pocket of his dressing gown and looked knowledgeably into the distance.
What? said Ford.
Er, who, said Arthur, is Eddy, then, exactly?
Ford looked angrily at him.

“他們中很多人沒捱過三年前的冬天，”他說，“剩下少數撐到春天的，說他們需要休假，就坐上木筏子離開了。根據歷史他們應該活下來了……”
“呵，”福特說，“好吧好吧。”他把手放在嘴邊，再次環視這個空蕩蕩的世界。突然之間，福特感覺到一種活力，一種目標感。
“我們走，”他很興奮地說，帶着充滿活力的戰慄，
“去哪兒？怎麼去？”阿瑟問。
“我不知道，”福特說，“我就是覺得時機到了。會有事情發生的。我們已經在路上了。”
他壓低聲音，如同耳語一般：
“我已經發現了，水流裏的波瀾。”
他凝視遠方，目光炯炯有神，似乎希望能起一陣風，好把他的頭髮吹得戲劇化地向後飛舞。可惜，風正忙着跟不遠處幾片葉子胡鬧呢。
阿瑟請他再重複一下剛纔的話，他沒聽懂。福特又重複了一遍。
“水流？”阿瑟說。
“時間與空間的流動。”福特說。這時來了一小縷風，他便露出牙齒迎接風兒。
阿瑟點點頭，又清了清嗓子。
“我們說的是不是，”阿瑟謹慎地問，“一些沃貢人自助洗衣店，或者別的什麼？”
“漩子，”福特說，“就是在時空連續體裏的那種，”
“啊。”阿瑟點頭道，“他呀。是他？”他把手插進睡袍的衣袋裏，顯得很懂似的。
“什麼？”福特說。
“呃，漩子，”阿瑟說，“又是誰？確切地說？”
福特惱火地看着他。