启程
2027年12月25日，星期日，雾
薄雾笼罩下的城市如仙境般，静谧而圣洁。而与之反衬的，是城里人们飞快的节奏——有人打着电话安排着一天的工作任务，有人用着微信查看新收到的99+条消息，有人踏着急匆匆的脚步奔向公司……
而对于我来说，这是再平常不过的一天。起床，洗脸刷牙，跟家人说早安，吃饭，下楼，向地铁站走去。每日的活动早已成了Routine，有时候脑海中会响起猜火车中耐人寻味的台词——
“选择生命，选择工作，选择职业，选择家庭，选择可恶的大彩电，选择洗衣机、汽车、雷射碟机，选择健康、低胆固醇和牙医保险，选择楼宇按揭，选择你的朋友，选择套装、便服和行李，选择分期付款和三件套西装，选择收看无聊的游戏节目，边看边吃零食......选择你的未来，选择生命……太多选择，你选择什么，我选择不选择。”
而这个想法，也不过是一闪而过而已。毕竟这一切，都是无法逃避的命运。
到了地铁站，只见有一个排队口一个人都没有。我心中闪过一丝疑虑，但也没再多想，顺理成章地走到了那。上车后，只见这节车厢里依然只有我一个人。“怎么回事？”我心想，事情似乎有些不对劲。这时候，有一个小男孩走了过来，惊奇的是，我似乎在哪看过这张脸，但又想不起来。
小男孩对我说:"你好，我叫Charles，我可以坐你旁边吗？"
“当然可以” 我不假思索地答道。
“大哥哥，你就是Eric吧？”
霎时，无数疑惑涌进我的脑海——他是谁？为什么知道我的名字？为什么他的脸看起来有种莫名的熟悉感？为什么这一节车厢会只有我和他两个人？
“呃...没错，我英文名是叫Eric，你是怎么知道的？”我惊讶地望着眼前这个貌不惊人的小孩。
“哈哈，就不告诉你。有人要我来跟你聊聊天，你现在一天都是咋渡过的？”
“呃...老样子吧。每天7点起床，搭地铁去到公司。完成一天的任务，回家后看看美剧，有时候娃不听话还需要教育下他。”我简单地答到。
“噢，这样啊。那你今年的计划是啥？”
“计划？我早就不做那种东西啦。可能你还小，遇到的事情还不多。但是当你长大以后，你会发现，大多数情况下你的计划都只是你的幻想而已。这个世界上有太多的变数，一个人要坚持追求自己认为对的东西太难了。还不如放弃那些无谓的执念，过好当下的生活多好？”
……
……
……
场面静了下来，半晌不见Charles的回话。
“你变了。”Charles低声说到。
“哈？？”我睁大双眼望着眼前这个小男孩，感觉越发不可思议。我变了？意思是他知道我以前是怎样一个人？但这不可能啊，我应该没见过他，难道他是我某个哥们的小孩？
Charles站了起来，手放到我肩膀上，对我说到：“我给你看些东西吧”
星夜
我不知怎么地被传送到了一个森林里。头顶是皎洁的月亮和漫天的繁星，空气异常地清新。耳边时不时传来阵阵鸟叫声，与溪流的声音混杂在一起，构成了一幅完美的自然画作。感叹之余，看见前面有火光。“有人！”作为Discovery迷的我脑中第一反应便是这个，随即跨着大步跑向光源处。
走到火堆旁时，眼前的场景令我的下巴几乎掉了下来！面前坐着的这两人正是《飞屋环游记》里的Carl和Russell.我结巴地说到：“Hey,guys! I'm Eric.I accidentally run into this forest,could I share the fire with you?”
"Of course.It's really surprise to see someone else in this forest."Carl回答道。
而正如在小说里面描述的场景一样，Carl和Russell说到了各自的身世。但是，实景远比文字来得震撼地多。我看见了Russell提及爸爸时脸上带有希冀而又略显失望的表情，看见了Carl听后若有所思地盯着火堆中摇曳的火星，眼中透露出万般错综复杂感。
似乎想到了什么，我走到Russell面前，问道：“Russell.If I tell you that there would be far more danger than you could imagine in the following adventure, would you still stick to your heart and keep going?”
他回到：“Why not? I wanna be a senior wilderness explorer, and explorer will never be afraid of danger!”
我欣慰地笑了，想起了曾经的自己——那个永远怀揣梦想，誓言有再大困难也不怂的自己。
“You'll make it. Trust me!”我对Russell说到。
只见不远处出现一个人影，仔细一看，竟是Charles。他挥手示意让我过去，我意识到是时候走了。于是对两个人说：“Thanks,you two really gave me a good lesson.”
废墟
这一次，我被传送到了Memory Dump.然而奇怪的是，没见到Bing Bong，相反，有一个房子建在废墟的正中央，沐浴着废墟之顶洒下的唯一一束光。我走向前敲门，只听见“咚咚咚”的脚步声传来。果然，开门的正是Bing Bong,它长的还是跟之前一样，甚至更为精神了。
“Who are you?”Bing Bong惊奇地看着我。
"uh..It's actually hard to explain, but you can think of me as a sort of special memory created by accident."机智的我临时编了个假话……
“Oh,so you just come from the upside?”
“Yeah,by the way, Riley really misses you.” 我回答到。
"Hah,I know.It's been 10 years since I fell from the upside.However, the good thing is that I can still watch her through the mirror in my home.During all those years,she met lots of obstacles, some of which really caused great pain..."
"But that's called growing."我打断道.
"Yeah,you got my point.In her young and more vulnerable years, Riley talked to me every time she felt sad.After I fell to this dump,however,she can no longer rely on me just like before.What she needed to do since then was to think independently and deliver the right solution of every single problem she encountered.You know what, I can go back to the upside at any time I want.But actually if I do that,Riley can never grow up, which is exactly what I don't wanna see.It is true that growing always comes with pain,but that's what life is all about——Saying goodbye and be a better person."
顿时，我明白了。其实每个人这一生都在不断地告别，无论是和我们童年时的幼稚告别，与过去的自己告别，亦或是与自己珍视的人告别，这些事情都无法避免。但或许这未必是坏事——告别幼稚，走向成熟；告别错误的习惯，找到更优秀的自己；告别自己重视的人，从伤心中孕育出更坚强、更独立的自己……
门外又传来了敲门声，我意识到我又需要走了。我对Bing Bong说：“It's really nice to hear your mindful sharing. I believe all those memories you made with Riley will never fade away. They are like flames glittering in the darkness,lighting up the right path when she lost her way.”
大学
这次来到的是Mike的宿舍。Charles对我说：“为了防止你吓到Mike，我暂时把你变成Scott的样子。”我点头同意。
Mike看到我时很热情：“Hey,Scott,how you doing?”
我答到：“Great,uh...Mike,actually I come here to ask you a few questions,would you mind?”
"Of course not,what do you wanna know?"Mike干脆地回答道。
"You know,you've read a lot of books,right? Do you think they really have helped you? I mean,many successful monsters do not read at all,but they still succeeded. Don't you think reading is some sort of useless thing?"
"Well,Scott,I really did not expect this.I thought you know me well. "Mike脸上露出惊讶而失望的神情。”
"No,no,no,Mike,don't get me wrong.It's nothing personal. Actually I'm also reading lots of books these days,but I don't know whether it'll work out fine.Sometimes I feel I'm like an idiot,learning in the library instead of playing with our friends."我解释到。
"I got your point,Scott. I know how you feel. Remember the final exam? I passed the test in that Sully did some tricks on the measuring device,otherwise I must had failed. I admit that there are something innate that you can't change whatever you tried.For example, I'm not scary.No matter how many tactics I learned from books,I cannot change the fact."
“So,why are you still……”
“Here's the point” Mike很快地打断了我，“But,if I do not read,how do I know how to lead my team? If I do not read, how can I come up with the idea to scare those human adults at the critical moment? If I do not read, what else can I do to make me a qualified monster?”
我一时语塞……是啊，对于Mike来说，读书是他唯一可走的走向成功的道路。确实，这世上很多人并不需要读多少书也能够成功，但是那又有多少呢？幸存者偏差造成的认知陷阱使很多人认为“读书无用”，甚至讥讽那些高学历的读书人。现在想来，是否也是有几分荒谬？
尽管一部分疑惑解决了，但是还是觉得有啥没完，我继续问到：“Oh,Mike,what you said really impressed me. But I still have some doubt. You know, there are many people read as much books as you do. However, they ended up knowing nothing more than mere 'knowledge' in their head. I mean, they can't actually apply what they learned to deal with practical things such as scaring people or leading a team. Why would this kind of phenomenon exists?"
Mike思考了一会儿，笑着对我说："Scott, do you remember the first time I lead you guys across the ground full of toxic urchin? At that time, the only thing in my mind is TO WIN, regardless of any tactics employed. To be honest, knowledge without practicing is mere rubbish that could even do harm to you. So you can see, I carefully designed every course of action based on my knowledge ever since the "sewer nightmare" happened. So, do you know what I mean?"
"Of course"我答到，感觉醍醐灌顶。“I got your point. Knowledge and action form one thread. If someone only learn knowledge without wielding it, what he/she did was just a waste of time. Thanks, Mike. Really thank you, I think I've already found the exact answer I want!”
我看了门外的Charles一眼，发现他会心地笑着。哈，想必这也是他想要我知道的东西吧！
城堡
这一次，我来到了野兽的城堡。我算是见过很多华丽场所的人，但是此般富丽堂皇的宫殿我还是首次见到。这次，Charles把我变成了一个水杯。我走进野兽的房间里，发现他正隔着窗眺望远方。
“看来现在的情节是发展到Belle刚走那会。”我心想。
我走向前问道：“Master, could I ask you a question?”
野兽转过身来，他的眼中透露出对Belle的无尽思念，巨大的身体之下藏着的是一颗与凡人无异的心。他说：“Go ahead.”
我整理了下思路，说到：“You love Belle,right? We all know. But why did you let her go? Wouldn't it be better if you to ask her to stay, and then we could all be turned back to normal again?”
野兽沉吟了片刻，说：“Some things are best left unsaid.”
"Why?Now the only thing you need is time, which is exactly what we lack. Since the enchanted rose is reaching the end of its life……"我追问到。
“I know. The fundamental problem is——I really love her. Belle's mother died when Belle was just a child, after that Belle was raised by his father. She doesn't have many friends at her villages because of her "weird habits".So her father means everything to her. Now what she needs to do is to save his father, rather than to stay here with a beast. If you really love someone, but you can't be with her, it is better to let her go."
想必野兽说出这一番话也很不容易吧……我心想。他的眼神中显露出那种爱却触不可及的无奈。也许很多人都有过这样的经历，爱过一个人，但是却知道永远无法和他/她在一起。而这时也许最该做的事，便是放手了。
“Now I understand, master. You did a right thing.”
他笑了笑，没有露出锋利的獠牙。继续走向窗边，向远方看去……
Charles拍了拍我的肩，霎时场景再度切换——
“回家”
终于，我们又回到了地铁上。
Charles对我说：“你现在知道我想说啥了吧？”
我微笑地点点头。周围的一切还是那么熟悉，12月凌冽的冬风从列车缝里吹进，直往人骨子里钻。但是那么多年来第一次，我感觉到实实在在的存在感。
我对Charles说："这么多年来，我变得越来越不像自己了。当年那个满怀梦想的自己消失了，我变得胆小、世俗。我害怕改变，害怕走出自己的舒适圈。我不再看书，觉得那只是虚无的安抚自己心灵的东西而已。我不再尝试新鲜事物，认为‘传统’永远是最好的……"
“那如果给你一个再来一次的机会呢？”
“我会过一个令自己无悔的人生！”我坚定地答到。话毕，突然，我总算想起来了在哪儿见过这张脸。
“你就是我吧？”
Charles笑了，眼前的景象开始破碎，空间开始扭曲。他的脸也变得模糊起来，最后伴随着一声巨响——
……
……
……
耳边响起熟悉的钟声，我抬头蓦然发现自己坐在图书馆里。窗外的树影在摇曳，栖在树上的鸟儿叽叽喳喳地叫着。斜阳洒在桌上，反射出略微刺眼的光芒。看了一下电脑上的时间——
“2017年11月19号”
（完）