一個夏夜，七歲的男孩亨利#8226;戴離家出走，躲進(jìn)了森林里的某個樹洞中。在那里，他被一群精靈抓走。其中一個精靈用他的外表重返人世，展開新的生活。而那個被抓走的男孩，經(jīng)過死而復(fù)生的奇特洗禮之后重生為精靈，被改名為安尼#8226;戴，從此告別文明世界，永遠(yuǎn)以七歲的外表游蕩在森林中。時光匆匆，安尼#8226;戴漸漸遺忘了人類的語言和自己真實的姓名，卻努力想要記住自己的家人與過去。而假亨利#8226;戴在人群中隱瞞著自己的真實身份，卻無法掩藏自己那神童般的鋼琴天賦，更無法阻止那些總是在夢中涌現(xiàn)的記憶。他費盡千辛萬苦了解一個德國少年鋼琴家的真實故事，最后赫然發(fā)現(xiàn)，那正是一百多年前的自己……兩個被交換命運的孩子漸漸長大，他們的生命幾度交會，卻都擦肩而過。他們的靈魂該如何得到救贖?他們又該如何奪回自己的人生?

美國作家Keith Donohue花了七年時間完成的處女作The Stolen Child(《失竊的孩子》)是一個寫給成人看的樸實的童話，其中無不反映了現(xiàn)代人存有的心病:異化、孤獨、身份丟失，渴望與他人交換人生……該書的創(chuàng)作靈感來自于著名詩人葉芝于1889年發(fā)表的同名詩作。美國亞馬遜網(wǎng)上書店在該書出版前就已秘密買下其電影改編權(quán)。該書出版后不僅登上各大暢銷書排行榜，更入圍了2006年度“圖書界的奧斯卡”——鵝毛筆大獎，還榮獲了美國《軌跡》雜志2006年度“最佳新人作品獎”和亞馬遜網(wǎng)上書店文學(xué)小說榜及奇幻科幻榜雙料冠軍。

本文節(jié)選自該書第一章。

Don’t call me a fairy. We don’t like to be called fairies anymore. Once upon a time， fairy was a perfectly acceptable 1)catchall for a variety of creatures， but now it has taken on too many associations. If you must give me a name， call me 2)hobgoblin. Or better yet， I am a 3)changeling—a word that describes within its own name what we are bound and intended to do. We kidnap a human child and replace him or her with one of our own. The hobgoblin becomes the child， and the child becomes a hobgoblin. Not any boy or girl will do， but only those rare souls 4)baffled by their young lives or 5)attuned to the weeping troubles of this world. The changelings select carefully， for such opportunities might come along only once a decade or so. A child who becomes part of our society might have to wait a century before his turn in the cycle arrives， when he can become a changeling and reenter the human world.

Preparation is tedious， involving close surveillance of the child， and of his friends and family. This must be done unobserved， of course， and it’s best to select the child before he begins school， because it becomes more complicated by then， having to memorize and process a great deal of information beyond the intimate family， and being able to mimic his personality and history as clearly as mirroring his physique and features. Infants are the easiest， but caring for them is a problem for the changelings. Age six or seven is best. Anyone much older is bound to have a more highly developed sense of self. No matter how old or young， the object is to deceive the parents into thinking that this changeling is actually their child. More easily done than most people imagine.

No， the difficulty lies not in assuming a child’s history but in the painful physical act of the change itself. First， start with the bones and skin， stretching until one 6)shudders and nearly snaps into the right size and body shape. Then the others begin work on one’s new head and face， which requires the skills of a sculptor. There’s considerable pushing and pulling at the7)cartilage， as if the skull were a soft 8)wad of clay or 9)taffy， and then the malicious business with the teeth， the removal of the hair， and the tedious re-weaving. The entire process occurs without a gram of painkiller， although a few 10)imbibe a noxious alcohol made from the 11)fermented mash of 12)acorns. A nasty undertaking， but well worth it. In the end， one is an exact copy of a child. Thirty years ago， in 1949， I was a changeling who became a human again.

I changed lives with Henry Day， a boy born on a farm outside of town. On a late summer’s afternoon， when he was seven， Henry ran away from home and hid in a 13)hollow 14)chestnut tree. Our changeling spies followed him and raised the alarm， and I transformed myself into his perfect15)facsimile. We grabbed him， and I slipped into the hollowed space to switch my life for his. When the search party found me that night， they were happy， relieved， and proud—not angry， as I had expected. “Henry，” a red-haired man in a fireman’s suit said to me as I pretended to sleep in the hiding place. I opened my eyes and gave him a bright smile. The man wrapped me in a thin blanket and carried me out of the woods to a paved road， where a fire truck stood waiting， its red light pulsing like a heartbeat. The firemen took me home to Henry’s parents， to my new father and mother. As we drove along the road that night， I kept thinking that if that first test could be passed， the world would once again be mine.

As the fire truck 16)lurched up the driveway to the Days’ home， I 17)vomited against the bright red door， a vivid mess of acorn mash， 18)watercress， and the 19)exoskeletons of a number of small insects. The fireman patted me on the head and 20)scooped me up， blanket and all， as if I were of no more consequence than a rescued kitten or an abandoned baby. Henry’s father leapt from the porch to gather me in his arms， and with a strong embrace and warm kisses 21)reeking of smoke and alcohol， he welcomed me home as his only son. The mother would be much harder to fool. Her face betrayed her every emotion: 22)blotchy skin， 23)chapped with salty tears， her pale blue eyes rimmed in red， her hair 24)matted and 25)disheveled. She reached out for me with trembling hands and emitted a small sharp cry， the kind a rabbit makes when in the distress of the 26)snare. She wiped her eyes on her shirtsleeve and wrapped me in the wracking shudder of a woman in love. Then she began laughing in that deep 27)coloratura.

“Henry? Henry?” She pushed me away and held on to my shoulders at arm’s length. “Let me look at you. Is it really you?”

“I’m sorry， Mom.”

She brushed away the 28)bangs hiding my eyes and then pulled me against her breast. Her heart beat against the side of my face， and I felt hot and uncomfortable. “You needn’t worry， my little treasure. You’re home and safe and sound， and that’s all that matters. You’ve come back to me.”

Dad cupped the back of my head with his large hand， and I thought this homecoming 29)tableau might go on forever. I squirmed free and dug out the handkerchief from Henry’s pocket， crumbs spilling to the floor.

“I’m sorry I stole the biscuit， Mom.”

She laughed， and a shadow passed behind her eyes. Maybe she had been wondering up to that point if I was indeed her 30)flesh and blood， but mentioning the biscuit 31)did the trick. Henry had stolen one from the table when he ran away from home， and while the others took him to the river， I stole and pocketed it. The crumbs proved that I was hers.

Well after midnight， they put me to bed， and such a comfort may be the greatest invention of mankind. In any case， it 32)tops sleeping in a hole in the cold ground， a moldy rabbit skin for your pillow， and the grunts and sighs of a dozen changelings anxious in their dreams. I stretched out like a stick between the 33)crisp sheets and pondered my good fortune. Many tales exist of failed changelings who are uncovered by their presumptive families. One child who showed up in a 34)Nova Scotia fishing village so frightened his poor parents that they fled their own home in the middle of a snowstorm and were later found frozen and 35)bobbing in the frigid harbor. A changeling girl， age six， so shocked her new parents when she opened her mouth to speak that， thus frightened， they poured hot wax into each other’s ears and never heard another sound. Other parents， upon learning that their child had been replaced by changelings， had their hair turn white overnight， were stunned into 36)catatonia， heart attacks， or sudden death. Worse yet， though rare， other families drive out the creature through 37)exorcism， banishment， abandonment， murder. Seventy years ago， I lost a good friend after he forgot to make himself look older as he aged. Convinced he was a devil， his parents tied him up like an unwanted kitten in a 38)gunnysack and threw him down a well. Most of the time， though， the parents are confounded by the sudden change of their son or daughter， or one spouse blames the other for their queer fortune. It is a risky 39)endeavor and not for the fainthearted. That I had come this far undetected caused me no small satisfaction， but I was not completely at ease.

別叫我精靈。我們已經(jīng)不再喜歡被稱作“精靈”了。曾幾何時，“精靈”是對多種生物相當(dāng)不錯的一個統(tǒng)稱，但如今它已染上過多的聯(lián)想色彩。如果你非得給我取名，就叫我小妖吧?；蛘?，更好的說法是，我是一個換生靈——顧名思義，這個詞指明了我們要做和想做的事。我們誘拐一個人類小孩，把他或她與我們的一個小妖交換。小妖變成了那個小孩，而那個小孩變成了一個小妖。并非隨便哪個男孩女孩都行，只有那些少之又少的、對他們年幼的生命感到困擾，或?qū)κ郎系谋钚挠衅萜菅傻娜瞬拍苡脕斫粨Q。換生靈們挑選對象很小心，因為這種機會大概十年左右才有一次。成為我們這個族群一分子的那個孩子，或許要等上一個世紀(jì)才能輪到他換生，那時他將成為一個換生靈，重返人類世界。

準(zhǔn)備工作繁重而乏味，其中包括密切監(jiān)視那小孩，還有他的朋友和家人。當(dāng)然，這都得做得不露痕跡。最好選擇在那孩子上學(xué)之前換生，因為孩子上學(xué)以后，一切都會變得更復(fù)雜。除了與那孩子關(guān)系親密的家屬的信息外，換生靈還要記住和處理其他大量信息，另外還得像鏡子映照形體容貌那般，一清二楚地模仿出那孩子的性格和經(jīng)歷。嬰兒是最好辦的了，可對換生靈來說，照料他們是一樁難事。六到七歲的孩子就最好不過了。超過這個年齡，孩子就開始更有自我意識了。而不管他們年齡大小，我們的目標(biāo)是騙過孩子的父母，讓他們相信這個換生靈的的確確就是他們的親骨肉。這其實比大多數(shù)人想像的要容易。

不，困難不在于裝出擁有那孩子的經(jīng)歷，而在于那痛苦的變形本身。首先，從骨骼和皮膚開始，把自己拉伸成合適的大小和體型，拉到渾身顫抖，骨頭差點兒斷裂。然后，其他換生靈會在他新的頭臉上下功夫，這需要雕刻家的技藝。軟骨被左扯右捏，整個頭顱就像是塊黏土或太妃糖等軟物。接下來是針對牙齒的“歹毒工序”，還要拔頭發(fā)，然后再慢慢編織新的頭發(fā)。整個過程中，一粒止痛藥都沒有，雖然有些換生靈會喝一種對身體有害的用橡子汁發(fā)酵而成的酒。這變身工程很痛苦，但很值。最后，換生靈就和某個用來換生的孩子一模一樣了。三十年前，就是1949年，我從一個換生靈重新變成了一個人。

我和亨利#8226;戴這個男孩交換了生活，他出生在鎮(zhèn)外的一個農(nóng)場里。一個夏末的午后，七歲的亨利離家出走，藏到了一棵栗樹的樹洞中。我們的換生靈密探跟蹤他并發(fā)出信號，我于是變身成為了他完美的復(fù)制品。我們抓住他，然后我溜進(jìn)樹洞，和他交換了生活。當(dāng)晚搜尋孩子的那隊人馬找到我時，他們可高興了，松了口氣，還挺自豪的——沒有一絲惱怒，正如我所料?！昂嗬?。”一個穿著消防員制服的紅發(fā)男人朝我喊道，當(dāng)時我在躲藏處假裝睡覺。我睜開眼，沖他露出燦爛的微笑。這人用薄毯把我裹起來，抱著我走出樹林，來到公路上，一輛消防車停在那里，車上那紅燈如心跳那般搏動閃爍。消防員們把我?guī)Щ丶?，交給亨利的父母，也就是我的新父母。那晚車子在路上行駛時，我一直在想，只要能通過第一關(guān)，這個世界就會重新歸我所有。

在開往戴家的路上，消防車顛簸起來，我吐在了鮮紅色的車門上，能看出來那骯臟的嘔吐物里有橡果泥、水田芥，還有很多小昆蟲的外骨骼。消防員拍拍我的頭，把我連同毯子一把抱起，好像我不過是只被救的小貓或者一個棄嬰似的。亨利的父親大步跨過門廊，一把抱住我。他以緊緊的擁抱和帶著煙酒味溫暖的親吻，把我當(dāng)成自己唯一的兒子迎回家。但亨利的母親就不太好糊弄了。她的臉完全泄露了她的情緒:長滿斑點的臉上掛著一道道咸咸的淚水，暗淡無神的藍(lán)眼睛四周紅了，頭發(fā)蓬亂，糾結(jié)成一團。她朝我張開雙臂，兩手直抖，發(fā)出一聲短促的尖叫，那叫聲聽起來好像是掉入陷阱的兔子發(fā)出的一般。她用襯衫的袖子擦了擦眼，她滿懷愛意地在顫抖中把我摟住，接著笑了起來，聲音深沉急促。

“亨利?亨利?”她把手放在我肩上，把我推至一臂遠(yuǎn)的地方，說道:“讓我看看你。真的是你嗎?”

“對不起，媽媽?！?/p>

她撥開遮著我眼睛的劉海兒，一把將我摟進(jìn)懷里。她的心在我臉側(cè)跳動，我覺得又熱又不舒服。“別擔(dān)心，我的小寶貝。你回家了，安然無恙，這才是最要緊的。你回到我身邊了?！?/p>

爸爸用他的大手包住我的后腦勺，我想這幕“歡迎回家”的場面可能會永遠(yuǎn)持續(xù)下去。我蠕動著身子，一點一點地掙脫出來，從亨利的口袋里掏出條手帕，餅干屑撒在了地板上。

“對不起，媽媽，我偷了餅干?！?/p>

她笑起來，眼里的陰影消失了。也許她直到前一刻還在懷疑我是否是她的親骨肉，但我一提到餅干就奏效了。亨利離家出走時，從桌上偷了塊餅干，別的換生靈把他帶到河邊時，我把餅干偷過來放在口袋里。餅干屑證明了我是她的孩子。

午夜后，他們讓我上床睡覺，這種舒適大概是人類最偉大的發(fā)明了。不管怎么說，這總比睡在洞里冷冰冰的地上要強，拿發(fā)霉的兔皮當(dāng)枕頭，還有十來個換生靈在不安的睡夢中咕噥和嘆氣。我在松軟的被子里伸直手腳，思索著我的好運。換生靈失敗的故事也有不少，他們的身份被所謂的家人揭露。有個出現(xiàn)在加拿大新斯科舍某漁村的孩子把他可憐的父母嚇壞了，他們在暴風(fēng)雪中棄家而逃，后來被發(fā)現(xiàn)尸體凍僵了，飄浮在寒冷的港口上。一個六歲的換生靈女孩，一開口說話就讓她的新父母恐懼不已，這對父母在驚嚇之中，把滾燙的蠟油灌進(jìn)對方耳朵里，從此再也聽不到聲音。還有一些父母，得知他們的孩子被換生靈替換后，一夜白發(fā)，有的被嚇到得了緊張癥，有的心臟病突發(fā)，還有的猝死。更慘的是，盡管很少見，但確實有一些人家通過驅(qū)魔、驅(qū)趕、拋棄等方式把換生靈趕出去，或者殺害他們。七十年前，我失去了一位好朋友，因為他忘了讓自己隨年月成長變大。他的父母深信他是魔鬼，把他像一只沒人要的小貓一樣捆起來裝進(jìn)麻包袋，丟到一口井里。但大多數(shù)情況是，父母對他們兒女的突變大惑不解，或為這種離奇的命運而相互責(zé)備。這種冒險的事真不是膽小鬼能干的。我對于走到這一步仍沒有被揭穿感到挺得意的，但還沒有完全放下心來。