說夢 2012-01-27

好像發生在類似馬雅文化或某些文明草創的所在，見有亮色系的高臺建築，不少人在廣場上走來走去。我獲得「勳章」，類似西方勳章「帶」，不僅僅是個牌子玩意而已；可這很不正式，便就忽然也不知誰交到我手中，上頭還繫了紅絨繩。

當頭接受這禮物我其實是很慌張的不知該怎麼辦好：不知道為何要給我，不知是不是給錯人，不知是不是要遭殃，也不知道這東西怎麼佩掛起來，要不要戴起。心內掙扎一遭來，結果是放到褲子後面的口袋了，可是紅絨繩露出褲頭來，隨著有個人來，問我怎不戴上勳章，我答道不知如何佩掛。那人也不囉唆，喚我拿出勳章來給他，竟然兩端扣緊了我衣服的袍帶，枷鎖是的；另一邊來了一隊武士，抓住我架到方才那人面前，「大人」是也。

大人命人把我關進一間小屋裡。屋子是長形的，約五六坪，大多黑漆漆的，是個牢房，只有門口縫透入亮光。這門開得並不正，而是在長邊上偏一邊開，透進的光線給一邊房的兩個角落和牆壁照個半亮，牆上掛了許多幅看似空白的裱幅，有大有小。

正在觀望四周時，又有武士進來，是奉命把我全身剝光，兩邊挾著。大人走進來說交代了，限幾天之內書就所有的裱幅，不依令就殺了扔進陰溝裡餵魚。

莫名其妙，大概華人在那虛境裡是稀有動物。
*      *      *
Again, as I did in previous day, this afternoon I sat in an armchair and browsed decades-long housed National Geographic magazines. And Katschen the cat sprang up onto my thighs and rest while I read.

I found some titles interesting -- to my own -- worth note them:

On computer chips, revolution on lifestyle ......... Vol 162.4 (Oct 1982), pp. 421.
On Bluefin Tuna (and its sashimi!) in Vol 162.2 (Aug 1982), pp. 220.

"The Iceman" (a feature about Ötzi) .........Vol 183.6 (Jun 1993), pp. 36-67. --
"Silence of the Songbirds" ......... ibid., 68-91. A little bit sad is the observation and rescue of songbirds being captured and eliminated in our surroundings and replaced step by step by common sparrows. (p. 74, margin note) --
Also an essay entitled "corn, the golden grain" (ibid., 92ff)

"Cotton, King of Fibers" ......... Vol 185.6 (Jun 1994), 60-87. Pp. 80-81 the report goes on chemical catastrophes in cotton / textile industries (raw material processing, dyeing), especially the manufacture of pesticides, which has been heavily relied in growing the crop and become even more deadly as insects turned to be more resistant than previous generations. An instance in India (1984) killing more than 3000 people is included in the article.

For a bit belletristic understanding "Shakespeare Lives at the Folger" ......... Vol 171.2 (Feb 1987), pp. 244.

Sofar, here are some feature releases per:
"The Peopleing of the Earth" (anthropology, ice-age) ......... Vol 174.4 (Oct 1988)
"A Broken Empire" (UdSSR), cover photo shows a red-ribbon-blind-folded bronze Stalin bust ......... Vol 183.3 (Mar 1993)
"France Celebrates Its Bicentennial" Vol 176.1 (Jul 1989)