身影/希尼尔（新加坡）

程思良

Shadow
By Xi Ni Er (Singapore)
Translation by Catherine Platt

After the rain I took a shortcut home through the neighbourhood park. In the underbrush I came across a Rhinoceros Beetle and was unable to avoid stepping on it; with a cracking sound its uneven long black horn broke off.  
When I got home Mother was saying her routine evening prayers. Sometime after dinner, I noticed a shadow wavering on the altar where she burns incense before Father’s memorial tablet. I went to take a closer look and to my surprise found it was a Rhinoceros Beetle, covered in incense ash and missing its long hard horn.
“He was here last night!” Mother said, squinting at the beetle. “I chased him off this afternoon but looks like he flew back again!”
“Oh - ” That struggling shadow stirred a memory, of a rainy day in my childhood, when my father came to meet me with an umbrella, slipped on the wet pavement and got up again only with great effort.


身影
文/希尼尔（新加坡）

雨后，抄公园的小径回家。在草丛处踩到一只独角仙的甲虫，“嗞”的一声，来不及闪避，那黑色的觭角好像是被压断了。
回到家，妈在做例常的晚祷。都过了晚餐时间，老爸灵位前的香坛有蠕动的影子。我趋前一看，竟然是一只沾满了香灰的独角仙，丢失了坚硬的角。
“它前晚就来啦！”妈半睁着眼：“下午被我赶了出去，怎么，又飞回来啦？”
“哦——。”那用力挣扎的熟悉身影，如童年某次的雨天，老爸撑伞来接我回家，不小心滑倒却努力爬起来的样子。

尚舟

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