Michael+Morpurgo

Moments later， as the wind filled the sails， I knew he1） was right. We hugged each other there on the hilltop beside the blazing2） beacon3）. I leaped up and down like a wild thing， and Stella4） went mad with me. Every time I looked through the binoculars now， the yacht5） was coming in closer.

"She's a big yacht，" I said. "I can't see her flag. Dark blue hull6）， like the Peggy Sue7）." Only then， as I said it out loud， did I begin to hope that it could possibly be her. Gradually hope turned to belief， and belief to certainty. I saw a blue cap， my mother's cap. It was them！ It was them！ "Kensuke，" I cried， still looking through the binoculars， "Kensuke， it's the Peggy Sue. It is. They've come back for me. They've come back." But Kensuke did not reply. When I looked round， I discovered he was not there.

I found him sitting at the mouth of the cave house， with my football in his lap. He looked up at me， and I knew already from the look in his eyes what he was going to tell me.

He stood up， put his hands on my shoulders， and looked me deep in the eyes. "You listen to me very good now， Micasan8），" he said. "I am too old for that new world you tell me about. It is very exciting world， but it is not my world. My world was Japan， long time ago. And now my world is here. I think about it for long time. If Kimi9） is alive， if Michiya10） is alive， then they think I am dead long time ago. I would be like ghost coming home. I am not same person. They not same either. And， besides， I have family here， orang-utan11） family. Maybe killer men come again. Who look after them then？ No， I stay on my island. This is my place. This Kensuke's Kingdom. Emperor must stay in his Kingdom， look after his people. Emperor does not run away. Not honourable thing to do."

I could see there was no point in pleading or arguing or protesting. He put his forehead against mine and let me cry. "You go now，" he went on， "but before you go， you promise three things. First， you paint every day of your life， so one day you be great artist like Hokusai12）. Second， you think of me sometime， often maybe， when you are home in England. When you look up at full moon， you think of me， and I do same for you. That way we never forget each other. Last thing you promise and very important for me. Very important you say nothing of this， nothing of me. You come here alone. You alone here in this place， you understand？ I not here. After ten years， you say what you like. All that left of me then is bones. It not matter anymore then. I want no one come looking for me. I stay here. I live life in peace. No people. People come， no peace. You understand？ You keep secret for me， Mica？ You promise？"endprint

"I promise，" I said.

He smiled and gave me my football. "You take football. You very good at football， but you very much better painter. You go now." And with his arm round my shoulder he took me outside. "You go，" he said. I walked away only a little way and turned round. He was still standing at the mouth of the cave. "You go now please." And he bowed to me. I bowed back. "Sayonara13）， Micasan，" he said. "It has been honour to know you， great honour of my life." I hadn't the voice to reply.

Blinded with tears I ran off down the track. Stella didn't come at once， but by the time I reached the edge of the forest she had caught up with me. She raced out on to the beach barking at the Peggy Sue， but I stayed where I was hidden in the shadow of the trees and cried out all my tears. I watched the Peggy Sue come sailing in. It was indeed my mother and my father onboard. They had seen Stella by now and were calling to her. She was barking her silly head off14）. I saw the anchor15） go down.

"Goodbye， Kensuke，" I whispered. I took a deep breath and ran out onto the sand waving and yelling. I splashed out into the shallows to meet them. My mother just cried and hugged me till I thought I'd break. She kept saying over and over again， "Didn't I tell you we'd find him？ Didn't I tell you？"

The first words my father said were， "Hello， monkey face16）."

片刻之后，当船帆被风鼓起，我就意识到健介是对的。我们在小山的山顶上相互拥抱，身旁是正在炽烈燃烧的烽火（编注：麦克点燃烽火向路过的船只求救）。我像疯了似的上蹿下跳，史特拉也跟着激动起来。现在我每次从望远镜望去，那艘帆艇都离我们越来越近。

“那是一艘大帆艇，”我说，“船上的旗子我看不清楚。船体是深蓝色的，就像‘佩姬苏号一样。”只有在那时，在我大声喊出这句话的时候，我才开始怀有这样的期待：那艘帆艇可能就是佩姬苏。渐渐地，期待变成了相信，相信又变成了确定。我看到了一顶蓝色的帽子，那是妈妈的。是他们！是他们！“健介，”我一边拿着望远镜向远处张望，一边大声叫喊，“健介，那艘船就是佩姬苏。就是它。他们回来找我了。他们回来了。”可健介却没有回应。我看了看四周，发现他不在那里。

我在岩洞房屋的门口找到了他，他坐在那里，腿上搁着我的足球。他抬头看了看我，透过他的眼神，我已经知道他接下来要跟我说些什么了。

他站了起来，两只手搭在我的肩上，深深地望着我的眼睛。“麦克桑，现在你好好听我说，”他说道，“对于你给我讲的那个新世界来说，我太老了。那个世界非常精彩，可它不属于我。很久以前，我的世界在日本。而现在，这里就是我的世界。这个问题我考虑了很久。如果君还活着，道哉也还活着，那他们一定认为我在很多年前就已经死了。我要是回去了，就好像鬼魂一样。我已经不是曾经的我了，他们也不是曾经的他们。……