BBC专为青少年举办的500字故事大赛邀请抖森为获奖的小朋友颁奖。颁奖典礼上,抖森现场朗读了银奖作品——一位十岁小女孩写的《时光之沙》。这是一个温情而戳心的小故事,讲述了一个患老年痴呆症的老人的记忆。
"Kathryn, Kathryn?" repeated the call, interrupting my thoughts.
I can feel the warm rays①ray 英 [reɪ] 美 [re] n. 射线;光线of searing sun beating down on me. There is not one single fluffy cloud in the tranquil②tranquil 英 ['træŋkwɪl] 美 [ˈtræŋkwəl]adj. 安静的,平静的;安宁的;稳定的, cornfl ower sky. Below, the sea is a picture of perfect calm; little waves washing onto unspoiled, golden sands. The smell of sharp, salty sea stings my nostrils③nostril英 ['nɒstr(ə)l] 美 ['nɑstrəl] n. 鼻孔and everything seems wonderful with my lovely family here.
A delightful picnic is packed carefully in the boot of our trusty, red car. All the same, I can't help feeling something's not quite right. Everything seems sort of hazy.
Never mind, I'm not going to dwell on it, especially now Dad's unpacking our glorious lunch. We're allowed to tuck in, so I sprint over and begin eating before my two greedy elder brothers devour it all!
Yet still there's that nagging feeling at the back of my mind, but I’m choosing to ignore it and go for a relaxing swim.
It's so peaceful out here. I close my eyes and lieback comfortably on my lilo listening to the screech of gulls overhead. I can see my family enjoying themselves on the beach. I don't know why I was so worried. Everything's fine,just fi ne. My eyes grow heavy as I'm overcome with tiredness.My eyelids start to droop...
After what seems only a few minutes, I awake and stare in horror at the blurred horizon④horizon 英 [hə'raɪz(ə)n] 美 [hə'raɪzn]n. 地平线;视野;眼界;范围. A mist seems to have descended,swiftly enveloping me. I peer frantically for my beloved family;waving, screaming at the top of my voice but it's futile⑤futile 英 ['fjuːtaɪl] 美 ['fjʊtaɪl] adj. 无用的;无效的.
They can't hear me. They can't see me. It's too late. The mist has now engulfed them. Salty tears begin streaming down my face. Uncontrollably.
...
"Kathryn, dear. It's your granddaughter!" announced the care worker cheerily, gently shaking granny's arm.
She just sits there. Indifferent. Her frail, wrinkled hands tremble, oblivious to the world around her. She looks at me blankly as though she doesn't know me. Maybe she doesn't anymore.
It's hard to remember my dear granny without dementia.It’s only been a few years since it all began; yet it seems like forever.
Sometimes I ask mum what she was like before but it's not the same as really knowing her. Despite this I love her just the same. She squeezes me tightly as though she'll never let go,perhaps an indication⑥indication 英 [ɪndɪ'keɪʃ(ə)n] 美 [,ɪndɪ'keʃən]n. 指示,指出;迹象;象征as to how loving she once was.
Experts say it's important to engage and stimulate⑦stimulate 英 ['stɪmjʊleɪt] 美 ['stɪmjə'let]vt. 刺激;鼓舞,激励people with dementia, by looking through photos or even just having conversations. Suddenly I remember the cardboard box of old photos I used to enjoy looking at when I was little.
With renewed interest, I rush to get them from under her bed and blow off the thick covering of dust. That's when I see it – a picture of my granny in her youth, surrounded by her family, standing grinning happily up at the camera on a beautiful beach.
A flicker of recollection momentarily⑧momentarily 英 ['məʊm(ə)nt(ə)rɪlɪ; ,məʊm(ə)n'terɪlɪ] 美 [,momən'tɛrəli] adv. 随时地;暂时地;立刻passes across her face...
“凯瑟琳,凯瑟琳?”一直呼唤着她的名字,打断了我的思路。
烈日炎炎,我感受到灼热的阳光洒在身上。如矢车菊一般湛蓝、静谧的天空中不见一朵轻柔松软的云。往下看,海面平静得像一幅完美的画卷;细碎的海浪轻轻拍打天然的金色沙滩。海风带着一丝咸咸的味道,在我的鼻翼回旋。我可爱的家人都在这里,一切似乎显得那么美好。
红色家庭车的后备厢里,是一顿精心烹制的美味野餐。即便如此,我却感到一丝不安,似乎有点什么不妥。眼前的一切,依稀开始变得朦胧。
好啦,别总想着这事儿了,尤其是此刻,爸爸取出了我们丰盛的午餐,好让我们大快朵颐。我立刻冲了过去,开始用餐,可别被我两位馋嘴的哥哥,狼吞虎咽地吃完啦!
然而,在我内心深处,依然有一丝隐隐不安的感觉。但我选择了忽略它,让自己游泳放松一下。
这里真的好安静!我合上了双眼,舒舒服服地躺在气垫上,听着海鸥在头顶盘旋,发出嘹亮的鸣叫。我一抬眼就能看到,家人在海滩上玩得很开心。可我却不知为何,心里始终忧虑重重,明明一切都很好啊。真的很好。困倦疲惫之时,我的双眼发昏沉沉欲睡,眼皮也开始打架……
过了几分钟,我突然醒来,惊恐地望着眼前一片模糊的地平线,仿佛降下了一团浓雾,迅速包围了我。我像发疯似的,四处寻找我亲爱的家人,不停挥舞手臂,扯着嗓子发出声嘶力竭的喊叫,然而,全是徒劳。
他们听不见我,也看不到我。一切都太迟了。大雾已经吞没了他们。咸咸的泪水从我的脸颊滚落,无法自控。
……
“凯瑟琳,亲爱的。这位是你的孙女!”护工轻轻摇晃着奶奶的胳膊,高兴地向她介绍着。
她只是坐在那里,没有表情。双手布满皱纹,止不住地颤抖,仿佛对周围的世界一无所知。她一脸茫然地望着我,好像完全不认识我似的。也许,她真的再也认不出我了吧。
奶奶以前没有患上老年痴呆症的状态,我已经记不大清了。这只不过才开始几年而已啊。可我却感觉,已是一辈子那么久了。
有时我也会问妈妈,奶奶以前是什么样子的。但是,这种就不是真正地了解她啊。即便如此,我还是一样那么爱她,她紧紧抓住我,仿佛一辈子都不会放手。或许,这就是她曾经爱过我们的表现吧。
专家说,可以回看一些旧照片,甚至只是进行日常对话都对老年痴呆患者很重要。这会让他们参与过去,甚至唤起记忆。我突然想起来,家里有个装满了老照片的纸盒,我小时候可喜欢看了。
带着重新燃起的兴趣,我赶紧从奶奶床底下翻出了纸盒,吹走一层厚厚的灰尘。那一刻,我终于看到了它——一张奶奶年轻时的照片,她的家人陪伴在旁,站在一片美丽的海滩上,面朝着相机,开心地笑着。
就在那一瞬间,她的脸上闪过一丝关于往事的回忆……