星光的化裝舞會

（中英雙語版）

 

作者：楊天江

 

終于到了一年中的那個夜晚，安娜貝爾雪白的羽毛和優雅的拱形脖子漂浮在光滑如鏡的池塘上，月光倒映在她純凈的羽毛上。

當天鵝靠近池塘邊緣時，星星從天而降，荷葉分開，仿佛它們知道發生了什么。一陣微風吹來，白色的百合花懶洋洋地搖曳著，帶著小小的、閃閃發光的球體，這些球體是天使般的生物周圍的星星。它的羽毛柔軟，蓬松，脖子是簡單的半顆心，拱形而優雅。

星星盯著天鵝，繞著天鵝轉，速度慢慢加快，就像一場雪風暴。柔和的燈光變成了熾熱的光芒，天鵝感覺到她的長喙在移動，她的翅膀和羽毛變細，然后消失了。光線在她周圍旋轉得越來越快。黑色的絲綢從她的肩膀上滾落到腰上。女孩終于走出了耀眼的白光，她眨眨眼睛，想把眼中的星星趕走。

站在小池塘邊的不是天鵝，而是一個女孩。她不超過二十二歲，皮膚像玻璃一樣細膩，黑色的頭發像絲綢一樣柔軟，眼睛像大理石一樣，臉頰上點綴著淡淡的雀斑。

星星交織在一起，直到一件美麗的藍色連衣裙旋轉而出，與漆黑的夜空相得益彰。仿佛一片夜空被編織進了裙子里。銀色的亮片裝飾著裙子，午夜藍色的緊身胸衣緊緊地包裹著安娜貝爾的身軀。

剩下的小天球變暗成更微弱的光芒，然后靠近她的臉，在女孩曬得黝黑的皮膚上形成一個優雅的銀色面具。

那只白色嬌嫩的天鵝不見了，取而代之的是一個似乎自己也是從黑夜中誕生的女孩。女孩邁著輕柔、謹慎的步伐，走近巨大的宮殿，小提琴、笛子和鋼琴的聲音在夜空中飄蕩，像食物的香味一樣飄進她的耳朵。

她走近一朵白色發光的月光花，它變成了一個年輕男子。深棕色的巧克力色卷發與他的眼睛相配，勾勒出他的臉龐，雪白的皮膚在月光下閃閃發光。一身銀色襯里的深藍色西裝彰顯了這對情侶的忠誠。

如果他們只需要等待一年，安娜貝爾認為這沒什么問題。當這對情侶走進去時，這個名叫亞瑟的男人輕輕地握住了她的手。

生活并不總是公平的——就像對安娜貝爾和亞瑟一樣。他們被詛咒只能作為月光花和天鵝生活一年，只有一個晚上可以像羅密歐與朱麗葉一樣跳舞和生活。

這個地方很大，墻高三十英尺，兩邊是二十英尺高的窗戶，可以一覽外面的池塘、月光花田和深藍色的夜空，夜空中點綴著閃亮的銀色星星和一輪圓圓的斑點月亮。

大理石地板是淡藍色，銀色和金色點綴其中?？床坏酱昂?；為什么要遮住這么美麗的夜晚？圓形房間里擠滿了穿著玫瑰金色到酞菁綠色衣服的女人，還有拿著各種顏色的玫瑰和鮮花跳舞的男人。

安娜貝爾和亞瑟幾乎聽不到音樂，他們的身體和動作都有自己的節奏。男孩抱起女孩的腰，輕松地把她轉了一圈。她笑了，一團黑色絲綢、午夜藍和銀色的旋風像一顆即將飛走的流星一樣旋轉著。

旋轉、跳舞、穿過舞廳，藍色和銀色的旋風，微笑和愛的旋風，永無止境。他們永遠不想結束這一切——又一次旋轉，然后是一次俯沖，一次擁抱，然后是一次親吻。古典音樂在他們周圍飄蕩，將這對情侶推向了一起，他們親吻了起來——那個吻就是一切：宣告他們對彼此的愛和忠誠。如果一個晚上就是一切，那么他們會把所有的事情都留到下一個晚上再想。

 

附英文版：

 

Masquerade of Stars

 

It was finally that night of the year, Annabelle’s snowy white form of feathers and elegantly arched neck floated across the mirror-smooth pond, the moonlight reflecting down on her pure feathers.

The stars descended from the sky as the swan neared the edge of the pond, the lily pads parting as if they knew what was happening. White flower lilies swayed lazily as a gentle breeze picked up, carrying the small, shining glowing orbs which were stars around the angelic creature. Its feathers were soft, and all fluffed out, its neck a simple half of a heart, arched and elegant.

The stars stared circling around the swan, slowly picking up speed like a snow hurricane. The soft lights increased to a burning glow, the swan felt her beak shift, her wings and feathers slim and then disappear. The light swirled faster and faster around her. Black locks of silk rolled down her shoulders and onto her waist. The girl finally stepped out of the blinding white light, blinking to get the stars out of her eyes.

Standing on the edge of the small pond was not a swan, but a girl. No more than twenty-two, with skin as delicate as glass, black hair in soft waves of silk, marbles of painite for eyes and faint, airbrushed freckles across her cheeks.

The stars weaved and spun together until a beautiful dress of a blue matching the dark night sky twirled into existence. It was as if a piece of the night sky was weaved into the dress. Silver sparkles adorned the dress, the midnight blue corset hugging Annabelle’s frame.

The remaining small celestial orbs dimmed to a fainter glow, before nearing her face and molding themselves into an elegant silver mask on the girl’s sunkissed skin.

The white, delicate swan was gone, replaced by a girl who seemed to have been born from the night herself. With soft, tentative steps, the girl stepped near the huge palace, the sounds of violin, flute and piano drifting through the night air and into her ears like a delicious smell of a food.

She approached a white, glowing moonflower, as it materialized into a young man. Deep brown chocolate curls, matching his eyes, framed his face and pale skin glowed under the moonlight. A dark blue suit with silver linings only showed the couple’s devotion.

If a year was all they needed to wait, Annabelle saw no problem. The man, named Arthur, took her hand with a gentle grip as the couple headed inside.

Life wasn’t always fair – like how it wasn’t to Annabelle and Arthur. Cursed to live as a moonflower and swan for a year, and only given one night to dance and live as the Romeo and Juliet they were.

The place was huge, with walls higher than thirty feet, lined with twenty – foot - tall windows, giving a full view of the pond outside, the moonflower fields and the dark, blue, night sky, sprinkled with glowing silver stars and a round, freckled moon.

The marble floors were a faint blue, silver and golden accents travelling across. No curtains were in sight; why cover up such a lovely night? The round room was crowded with women dressed from rose gold to phthalo green, of men with an assortment color of roses and flowers dancing around.

Annabelle and Arthur could barely hear the music, their bodies and movements having a rhythm of their own. The boy picked up the girl by the waist and spun her around with ease. She laughed, a whirl of black silk, midnight blue and silver spinning all around like a shooting star about to fly off.

Twirling, dancing and moving across the ballroom, the swirl of blue and silver never ending, a delicate whirlwind of smiles and love. They never wanted this to end – another spin, and then a dip, a hug and then a kiss. The classical music floated around them, pushing the couple together as they shared a kiss – that kiss was everything: a declaration of their love and devotion to each other. If one night was all there was, they would make it all there was to think about until the next.

楊天江2024年9月3日在多倫多大學附屬中學（UTS）留影

 

作者簡介：楊天江，英文名Ayesha Yang，祖籍湖南漢壽縣，2011年10月13日出生于長沙，曾就讀于北京新華社幼兒園、蒙特利爾蜂鳥幼兒園，今年6月從加拿大瑪麗克萊爾小學畢業，考入多倫多大學附屬中學（UTS），現為該校文學社成員。

 

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