〈Parallel Universes〉 平行時空

4. 《高空彈跳》大綱
一名不太情願的男子陪室友參加一次高空彈跳活動，從一座高橋上跳下。雖然他曾接受過軍事訓練，卻在跳躍過程中突然失去意識。
當他醒來時，發現自己躺在一名陌生女子小莉的床上。與此同時，報紙刊登消息，指出一名男性研究生在同一場高空彈跳事故中死亡。
在他還來不及理解這場詭異的身分轉換時，一通來自超自然機構的電話打了過來，對方向他道歉，表示他的身體或身分已經被另一個人占用。

4、〈高空彈跳〉
經不起室友一再慫恿軟硬兼施，答應這個連續假期，陪他去體驗高空彈跳。
騎著重機，我兩來到位於河流上游的場地，一座高懸在深谷間的拱型鐵橋。老闆是個金頭髮藍眼珠的阿朵仔，典型的肌肉男，他的伙計五官深邃，聽口音應該是原住民，同樣身材魁梧。兩個大隻佬手腳俐落，配合得相當有默契。
望著前面的玩咖往深谷跳下時，有的扯開喉嚨驚聲尖叫，有的閉起眼睛佯裝鎮定，各種刺激有趣的反應，覺得這些人分明花錢凌虐自己。
我室友排我前面，他往下跳時張開四肢，像一隻灰面飛鼠，在深谷間幾個彈起落下、落下彈起，才三分鐘不到就燒掉三張千元大鈔，我突然有點心疼，三張千元大鈔足夠我連續十天，中晚餐吃到好料的火鍋。輪到我了，我自行把胸帶、腰帶和胯下吊帶，熟練地繞著身體套起，扣上扣環。
原住民教練好奇問：「你以前跳過嗎？」
我點頭微笑，懶得多做解釋。
教練提醒說：「你可以抱著抱枕，舒緩緊張情緒。」
我心想：「XD，你未免看貓仔沒點，林北服兵役時可是特戰部隊，接受過跳傘和山訓，這種小場面根本是小菜一碟。」
我頭下腳上倒栽跳下，像一隻海豚睜著眼睛，河床很快地拉到我眼前。
瞬間，眼前一片漆黑，耳後的風聲完全靜止，我正感納悶，幾秒鐘後，耳邊竟然傳來鬧鐘鈴聲。
「咦？我在陷眠嗎？」我翻身坐起，環顧房間四面，從秀氣的布置看來，這應該是女生房間，地板上散落十幾只啤酒空罐，我喃喃自語：「我怎麼回來了？不是正在高空彈跳嗎？這裡是哪兒？」
接著浴室門開了，一個大女生走出來，下半身裹著條浴巾，頭上盤著一條毛巾，我瞠目結舌盯著她看。這女生挺著一對包子型車頭燈，往我走來：「小莉，妳醒啦！我說就把妳男友放生吧，天涯何處無芳草！」
「小莉？我是小莉？」我立即意識到「這下代誌大條了」，我低下頭，看見睡袍裡竟有對車頭燈，而且還是木瓜型。
我壯起膽問：「小莉是誰？妳，是哪位？」
「怎麼？妳這是失戀後的創傷症候群嗎？跟我來這套！諾，這是今天的報紙，妳昏睡了大半天，都快中午了。」這女生拾起書桌上的一份報紙，遞給我。
「看完報紙，記得到餐廳等我，一起吃飯。」女孩轉身走到床邊衣櫥，卸下浴巾，背對著我穿胸衣和內褲。
「非禮勿視」我將視線移回報紙，頭版上的一條標題和圖片，把我嚇矇了：「樂極生悲，高空彈跳出意外，男研究生，命喪大漢溪谷」。我拍了幾下腦門，一時間搞不清楚狀況，我怎麼會出現在這裡，以一個陌生的身分﹖這時，手機響起，我拿起來接聽︰「先生，對不起，你時辰未到，是我勾錯對象了。」

4. “Bungee Jumping”
Unable to withstand my roommate’s repeated persuasion and relentless coaxing, I finally agreed to accompany him on the long holiday weekend to experience bungee jumping.
Riding our heavy motorcycles, the two of us arrived at a site upstream along the river, where an arched iron bridge hung high above a deep valley.
The owner was a foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes, a typical muscular guy. His assistant had strongly defined features, and judging from his accent, he was probably an Indigenous man. He was just as powerfully built. The two big men worked quickly and efficiently, coordinating with remarkable teamwork.
As I watched the thrill-seekers ahead of us jump into the deep valley, some screamed at the top of their lungs, while others closed their eyes and pretended to remain calm. Their various expressions of excitement and fear were so entertaining that I could not help thinking these people were clearly paying money to torture themselves.
My roommate was ahead of me in line. When he jumped, he spread his arms and legs like a Formosan flying squirrel. He bounced up and down several times over the deep valley, and in less than three minutes, he had burned through three NT$1,000 bills.
I suddenly felt a little heartbroken. Those three thousand-dollar bills would have been enough to let me enjoy good hot pot for both lunch and dinner for ten straight days.
Then it was my turn.
I calmly put on the chest harness, waist belt, and crotch harness myself, skillfully wrapping them around my body and fastening all the buckles.
The Indigenous instructor asked curiously, “Have you done this before?”
I nodded with a smile, too lazy to offer any further explanation.
The instructor reminded me, “You can hold a pillow to help ease your nervousness.”
I thought to myself, “LOL, you really must think I’m a total amateur. I served in a special forces unit during my military service. I received parachute training and mountain warfare training. This is nothing.”
I jumped headfirst, upside down, like a dolphin with its eyes wide open. The riverbed quickly rushed toward my eyes.
In an instant, everything in front of me went completely black.
The sound of the wind behind my ears suddenly disappeared.
Just as I was beginning to wonder what was happening, a few seconds later I heard the ringing of an alarm clock beside my ear.
“Huh? Am I dreaming?”
I turned over and sat up, looking around the room.
Judging from the delicate furnishings, this appeared to be a girl’s bedroom. More than a dozen empty beer cans were scattered across the floor.
I muttered to myself, “How did I get back here? Wasn’t I just bungee jumping? Where am I?”
Then the bathroom door opened.
A young woman walked out, wrapped in a towel around her lower body, with another towel wrapped around her head.
I stared at her in stunned disbelief.
The girl, who had a prominent pair of breasts, walked toward me and said, “Xiaoli, you’re awake! I told you, just let your boyfriend go. There are plenty of other fish in the sea!”
“Xiaoli? I’m Xiaoli?”
I immediately realized, “This is serious.”
I lowered my head and looked down, only to discover that beneath the robe was a prominent pair of breasts, shaped like papayas.
I gathered my courage and asked, “Who is Xiaoli? And who are you?”
“What? Is this some kind of post-breakup trauma syndrome? Are you seriously pulling this on me? Here, this is today’s newspaper. You’ve been asleep for more than half a day. It’s almost noon.”
The girl picked up a newspaper from the desk and handed it to me.
“After you finish reading the newspaper, remember to meet me at the restaurant. We’ll have lunch together.”
The girl turned around and walked over to the wardrobe beside the bed. She removed her bath towel and, with her back toward me, put on her bra and underwear.
“See no evil.”
I immediately shifted my gaze back to the newspaper.
A headline and photograph on the front page left me completely stunned:
“Tragedy Follows the Thrill: Bungee-Jumping Accident Claims Life of Male Graduate Student in Dahan River Valley.”
I slapped my forehead several times, completely unable to figure out what was happening.
How had I ended up here, living under a stranger’s identity?
Just then, my cell phone rang.
I picked it up and answered.
“Sir, I’m sorry. It wasn’t your time to die. I accidentally selected the wrong person.”