离家

文/樊功生

小哥明明昨晚跟我说

他再也忍不住了

要去参加串联

今早  人果然不见了

妈妈急得要发疯

-- 这才十二岁的孩子

能跑去哪儿呢？

爸爸不在意地说

-- 说不准在哪儿撒气

明天就回来了

可是一晃两礼拜过去

爸爸也急得要发疯

我也不敢说什么

这天傍晚

哥哥突然出现在门口

爸爸一眼看见

抄起桌上那把尺子

-- 你这浑小子

妈妈一下把哥哥撸到了身后

-- 老头子  你要干吗！? 

哥哥把妈妈慢慢推开

走到爸爸面前  头一扬  

-- 怎么着？

我跟大哥哥们去了北京

在天安门广场被检阅了

你再也不能打我了...

-- 什么？你说什么？！

爸爸倒退了两步

一屁股倒在凳子上

妈妈把哥哥拖进了小厨房

-- 你把我们急死了  唉

怎么这样跟你爸说话  唉...

-- 怎么啦  我又没犯法

受到检阅了

好激动

过两天还要走

你们这个屋子不想呆了... 

爸爸眼睛直直地

哥哥的话像小针一样刺着他

不时在抽搐

-- 他去北京了... 

检阅了...

我不能了...

他突然双手捂上眼睛

头越来越低

瘫倒在膝盖上... 

Leaving Home 

By Ken Fan 

Ming Ming, my elder brother, confided to me last night, 

He couldn't bear it any longer, 

And would hit the road soon. 

This morning, he actually disappeared. 

Mom went nuts, 

-- he's merely twelve years old, 

Where could he go? 

Dad wasn't that concerned, 

-- He's probably upset about something, 

Will be back tomorrow, no worries...

Yet, two weeks were gone since, 

Dad went nuts as well,

And I dared to say nothing. 

Suddenly tonight, 

Ming Ming showed up at the door. 

Dad grabbed a ruler from the table upon seeing him, 

-- you little bum....! 

-- what are you doing, old man ?! 

Mom hauled Ming Ming behind her. 

The boy quietly pushed mom to the side, 

Walked up to dad, head lifting, 

-- So? What? 

I went to Beijing with big fellows. 

We were reviewed on Tiananmen Square. 

You can't hit me anymore! 

-- What? What the heck did you just say?! 

Dad backed off, 

And fell onto his chair. 

Mom hurried Ming Ming to the kitchen and whispered: 

-- you got us terribly worried, 

why did you talk to your father like that? Aye... 

-- So what? 

I didn't do anything wrong! 

We got reviewed on the Square, 

So so excited! 

Will leave in a couple of days, 

Can't stand it in this house...

Dad's eyes looked so blank and miserable. 

Ming Ming's words were stinging him so acutely,

The man trembled uncontrollably while murmuring

-- to Beijing... 

-- Reviewed by ... 

-- Can't... anymore ... 

All of a sudden, 

Dad covered his eyes with his both palms, 

And the head bent lower, and lower. 

Until it collapsed onto his own lap...