⋯⋯

（Alex在遠處唸出啤酒罐上的字：「故事靠的是，它跨越了空間。在這些空間裡，擺著故事賦予事件的意義」）

Charlie　好像……有點……耳熟……

（Charlie逐漸匍匐在地變成爬蟲類的姿態，緩慢前進並趴臥到木馬上；冬冬不解，但見Charlie對他沒有任何反應，便放任Charlie在木馬上像是金魚一樣吐息）

冬冬　（冬冬第一次走向暢生）嗨，你喜歡海嗎？

暢生　我有個朋友。我以前有個朋友，認識他的時候我二十歲。感覺像很久以前了。那個時候花了好大的力氣才穩定下來。我們在同一間學校唸書。他狀況不好時，就不會來上學。總之，過了好一陣子，應該是滿久的，我覺得是很久的。總之，最後最後，他變成了海水。（停頓）之後好一陣子我都不能喝咖啡。很痛苦。他是做咖啡的，最一開始。我以為我再也看不到他了。我很清楚他始終是這世界的一部分。對，他是海水，沒有地方沒有海水。在無數個宇宙裡面，他的確變成了海水。但有些宇宙裡的他，依然可以像你問我問題一樣，問我早餐要吃什麼。我剛認識他的時候，他第一次幫我做早餐的時候，因為不知道我喜歡吃什麼，就把冰箱裡有的東西都用了一點。雖然我記得的東西不多了，至少這個我很確定。你當然可以不相信我。只是後來，在我們分開以後。我不喜歡分開這個字。我蹲在我和他常蹲著抽菸的路口，抽菸，我看到了他抽的菸的菸蒂。我每次去，那個路口永遠都有那個牌子的菸的菸蒂在。說起來很煽情，但是，即便，我現在變成了這個樣子，我能夠記得的是，看到那些有增無減的菸蒂的時候，我覺得這真是太好了。我很清楚地記得，那個時候的感覺叫做：浪漫。我覺得從此之後，在這個宇宙裡，不可能有更好的事情能發生了。

冬冬　那你身上的鱗片，對於在海裡生活有幫助嗎？

（Alex在遠處唸出啤酒罐上的字：「書寫是為經驗賦予意義。只是為了靠近所書寫的那項經驗。」）

暢生　我們是最快樂的兩個人。（沉默）我從來不敢這麼說，直到現在。

⋯⋯

Alex (from a distance, reading the words on the beer can)
“The story depends on this: it crosses space. In these spaces, it lays out the meanings that stories give to events.”

Charlie
That sounds… kind of… familiar…

(Charlie slowly lowers themself to the floor, taking on a reptilian posture, crawling forward and finally lying across the wooden horse. Don does not understand what is happening, but seeing that Charlie has no reaction to her, she lets Charlie lie on the horse, exhaling like a goldfish.)

Don (approaching Chang-sheng for the first time)
Hi, do you like the ocean?

Chang-sheng
I have a friend. I used to have a friend. I was twenty when I met him. It feels like such a long time ago. Back then it took so much effort just to settle down. We were in the same school. When he wasn’t doing well, he just wouldn’t come to class. Anyway, after quite a while, should be long, it feels long to me. Anyway, in the end, he became seawater.

Pause.

I couldn’t drink coffee after that for a while. It was awful. He used to make coffee. I thought I would never see him again. I knew very clearly he was still part of this world. Yes, he’s seawater. There’s nowhere without seawater. In countless universes, he does become seawater. But in some universes, he can still ask me what I want for breakfast, just like you’re asking me questions now. When I first met him, the first time he made me breakfast, because he didn’t know what I liked, he used a little bit of everything in the fridge. I don’t remember much, but that, I’m sure of. Of course you don’t have to believe me. It’s just that after we parted ways– I don’t like the word “part.” I was squatting at the corner where we used to squat and smoke, and I saw the cigarette butts from the brand he smoked. Every time I went there, there were butts from that brand. Sounds sentimental, but even now, even having become whatever I am now, the thing I can still remember is that when I saw that ever-growing pile of butts, I thought, this is really nice. I remember very clearly: back then, the feeling I had was called “romantic.” I thought that from that moment on, in this universe, nothing better could ever happen.

Don
So… do the scales on your body help you live in the sea?

Alex (from a distance, reading from the beer can again)
“Writing is what gives experience its meaning.It exists only to draw closer to the experience that is written.”

Chang-sheng
We were the two happiest people.
Silence.
I never dared to say that, until now.

⋯⋯