〈Parallel Universes〉 平行時空

6、〈魔術畫筆〉

街角小公園的涼亭裡，擺著一個攤位，一支畫架、一只木箱、兩個木板凳子和一床躺椅，這些就是中年人像畫師阿湯哥僅有的家當，他的生意清淡，不是由於繪畫技術不好，而是他這人太有個性，非得看順眼的顧客，他才願意動筆，而且，他還有一條臭規矩，先前畫過的客人絕不再接。這天下著大雨，整個上午，沒有顧客找他做畫，他安靜讀著聖經。到了中午，一個衣衫襤褸的老遊民，胸前掛著一只髒污的帆布袋，濕淋淋坐到板凳，眼巴巴盯著阿湯哥手上的一條法國長棍麵包。阿湯哥把麵包撕成兩截，長的那截遞給老人，還有喝剩半瓶的礦泉水。雨幕裡，老人不客氣地大口咬著麵包喝水，很快地吃完麵包打了嗝，隨即從帆布袋中抽出一只木筆盒。
「你叫阿湯，對吧？」
「是啊，老哥。」阿湯哥嘴裡嚼著麵包。
「你知道，我為什麼找上你？」
阿湯搖搖頭。
「我跟你一樣，以前也是個街頭人像畫師，此刻我正在找接班人。」
「原來你是同行前輩，可為什麼找上我？」
「你是我的影子，脾氣跟我一樣。」
「跟你一樣？又臭又硬？」阿湯苦笑一下。
「算是吧！我手上這只木盒子傳給你，你就是我的傳人。」
老人把木盒子交到阿湯手上：「盒子裡有一對畫筆，一支黑墨水，一支彩色筆。你打開來看看。」
「前輩，你要我替你做些什麼？」阿湯打開木盒子，果然有一對畫筆。
老人正色說：「拿著這對筆，去做些對的事。黑筆用來塗銷，彩筆用來創造。唯一的限制，你不能拿它們來做損人利己的事。」
「我懂了！你幾時會回來？前輩。」
「你該改口叫我一聲師傅，我，不會回來了，現在你取出盒子裡的黑筆，把我的影像塗銷。」
「師…師傅，可徒兒不能這樣做啊！這是忘恩負義的…。」
「聽我話，拿起筆把我塗銷掉，讓我可以回去天堂交差。然後，你去對街的那家銀行等著，稍後會有一夥歹徒持刀槍衝進去打劫。」
「回去天堂交差？師傅，你，你真是神…神仙。」
老人微笑點頭：「拿起黑筆，把我塗銷掉。」
阿湯拿起那支黑筆，隔空塗了幾筆，老人的影像跟著就消失了。這時，大雨突然停止，阿湯知道，師傅要他開始新的工作。他收拾一下家當，往對街銀行去。
沒多久，果然有一夥歹徒，戴著面罩從一部房車出來，他們手持長短槍，來勢洶洶地衝進銀行，隨即朝天花板開槍，並喝令在場人員不准擅動。這時，在角落裡閱報的阿湯，淡定地從外套口袋裡摸出一對畫筆，他先拿黑筆將幾人手上武器塗銷掉，幾個歹徒遇到這樣的變局，每個瞠目結舌。阿湯接著拿彩筆在他們的手腕劃上手銬，腳踝畫上腳鐐，幾個歹徒紛紛跌坐在地上。

6. “The Magic Paintbrush”
In a pavilion at a small park on a street corner stood a makeshift stall consisting of an easel, a wooden box, two wooden stools, and a lounge chair. These were all the possessions of Tang, a middle-aged street portrait artist.
His business was slow, not because his painting skills were poor, but because he had too much personality. He would only paint customers he personally liked. On top of that, he had one particularly peculiar rule: once he had painted someone, he would never accept that person as a customer again.
It was raining heavily that day. Throughout the entire morning, no one came to have their portrait painted, so Tang quietly read the Bible.
Around noon, an old homeless man dressed in tattered clothes, with a dirty canvas bag hanging from his chest, sat down on one of the stools, soaking wet from the rain. He stared longingly at the French baguette in Tang’s hand.
Tang tore the baguette in half. He handed the longer piece to the old man, along with half a bottle of mineral water he had not finished.
Amid the curtain of rain, the old man bit into the bread without hesitation and drank the water. He quickly finished the bread, burped, and then pulled a wooden pencil case from his canvas bag.
“You’re Tang, right?”
“Yeah, old man,” Tang replied, chewing on his bread.
“Do you know why I came looking for you?”
Tang shook his head.
“Just like you, I used to be a street portrait artist. Now I’m looking for someone to take over from me.”
“So you’re a fellow artist from the older generation. But why did you choose me?”
“You are my shadow. You have the same temperament I do.”
“The same as you? Stubborn and hardheaded?” Tang gave a bitter smile.
“Something like that. I’m passing this wooden case on to you. You are now my successor.”
The old man placed the wooden case in Tang’s hands.
“There are two drawing pens inside, one with black ink and one with colored ink. Open it and take a look.”
“Master, what do you want me to do for you?”
Tang opened the wooden case. Sure enough, there were two drawing pens inside.
The old man became serious.
“Take these two pens and use them to do what is right. The black pen is for erasing. The colored pen is for creating. The only restriction is that you must never use them to harm others for your own benefit.”
“I understand! When will you come back, Master?”
“You should start calling me Master. I’m not coming back. Now take out the black pen from the case and erase my image.”
“M-Master, I can’t do that! That would be ungrateful...”
“Listen to me. Pick up the pen and erase me so that I can return to Heaven and report that my task has been completed. Then go wait at the bank across the street. A group of criminals carrying guns and knives will soon rush in and rob the place.”
“Return to Heaven and report your task? Master, you really are a... a god.”
The old man smiled and nodded.
“Pick up the black pen and erase me.”
Tang picked up the black pen and made several strokes in the air.
The old man’s image disappeared along with the strokes.
At that very moment, the heavy rain suddenly stopped.
Tang understood that his master wanted him to begin a new mission.
He gathered up his belongings and headed toward the bank across the street.
Before long, a group of criminals wearing masks got out of a minivan. Armed with rifles and handguns, they charged aggressively into the bank.
They immediately fired several shots into the ceiling and shouted orders at everyone inside, commanding them not to move.
At that moment, Tang, who had been sitting in a corner reading the newspaper, calmly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the two drawing pens.
First, he used the black pen to erase the weapons from the criminals’ hands.
Faced with such an astonishing turn of events, the criminals stood there dumbfounded, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Tang then used the colored pen to draw handcuffs around their wrists and shackles around their ankles.
One after another, the criminals collapsed onto the floor.