Friday, October 31, 2008

「兩週一聚: 我有一部時光機」之【紅髪女孩 (續集) 】 / 【The Red Hair Girl (End Game) 】: Bi-weekly Potluck Series (submitted article under the theme " My Time Machine")


上回說到何健在矇矇矓矓中,似乎是看到紅髪女孩看著他微笑,在那一剎那間,他感到天旋地轉,四肢無力,倒流的時光,像怒海巨浪一樣,向他迎頭冲擊,就在他幾乎支持不下之際 .......

"Are you okay, Ken?"

Startled by the voice behind him, Ken turns around and finds his boss Bob looking at him with some concerns.

"Oh, I am fine, Bob."

"That's good. As I was saying, please go over the papers submitted by the two applicants and decide who is going to be your principle researcher."

Now, Ken starts to remember.

The date was, or rather is, October 30, 1988. Their pharmaceutical company is one of many in a fierce competition to map the DNA sequence of a persistent virus that has plagued the lives of many children in developing countries. Since sequencing technology is not exactly Ken's forte, his boss Bob has asked him to hire a post-doc to solve the problem.

"I sort of prefer the red-head over the brunette," says Bob half-jokingly. "But of course, we are professionals and I'll let you be the judge of who best qualifies for the position."

"Of course! Of course!" Ken replies, watching Bob leaving the office.

Ken reviews the two unfolded files in front of him. Here is the brunette's résumé and her thesis on DNA sequencing. It is good work but not exactly something that will lead to the break-through that has yet to happen. Ken knows this because he already has the scientific knowledge and answer from the future. On the other hand, the work of the red-head - Ken feels bad identifying female workers by their physical appearances - is exemplary and she will very likely make the discovery on her own without any intervention from Ken. There is no doubt she is the preferred candidate. There is just one little problem: Ken knows the future. He and the brunette will eventually have an office romance, fall in love, get married, and have children.

So on this day October 30, 1988, Ken makes the most important decision of his present and future life. He takes the brunette's file into Bob's office.

For the next 20 years, Ken "knowingly" fulfills his destiny. He uses his knowledge from the future to help his principle researcher "discover" the sequencing technology. The pharmaceutical company is able to find a cure that will save the lives of many yet-to-be born children in the third world. His career thrives and they "spontaneously" fall in love, get married and have children.

As to the red-head who was not hired, she falls into a depression and eventually commits suicide. And Ken has known it too.

後言: 世界就是這樣的不公平的嗎?為了私人感情,阿健就是選擇了他未來的妻子,但如果他不這樣做,他的未來後代就不会成人長大,所有被保存的美好家庭丶事业都会化為泡沫!!至於那紅髪女孩,為什么她每年都会在阿健的後花園中出現呢?她是寃鬼回魂丶再世投胎丶還是她妻子夢想未出生的女孩子?既然阿健和妻子都不是頂尖兒DNA測序法專家,那么他們的知識又從那裡來呢?

Happy Halloween !!!

12 comments:

The Man Who Loves Everton said...

wow, an ending specially made for halloween?!

at home, in chinese; and in the office, in english. a nice arrangement.

michelle said...

alright, didn't notice that! yes, pretty intelligent arrangement!

新鮮人 said...

幅相好靚好靚,
藍色的果實是我未見過啊!

Hyacinthus said...

不論你是那門專家,優生學本身便是存在,物競而天擇乃自然界恆久不變的定律!在可能的範圍內maximize profit/gain or minimize the loss/cost,咁下一代的存活率相對地又提高,人類也因如是而存生到這世紀,我不敢說這是公平與否,但基於兩位candidates 條件相若,那餘下的很明顯便是個人情感主導 =) 

另,我覺得那red-head並不是因未能受顧而感上depression,她本身也有問題吧!

Btw,回樓上新鮮!藍色的果實=藍梅跟西梅呀 =)

啤酒花™_J said...

i luv the colors!
err, the story reminds me of-A Time for Everything...in the Bible, Ecclesiastes: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven :)

啤酒花™_J said...

oh ya, blueberries? yummy yummy! would be lovely if plus cherries!

Haricot 微豆 said...

The Man Who Loves Everton: Yep !! That was a Halloween special for everyone. Glad you enjoy the story :)

Haricot 微豆 said...

Michelle: Thx !! Oui, le Canada est un pays bilingual :)

Haricot 微豆 said...

新鮮人: To tell you the truth, I don't really know the name of the wild berries in the picture.

Haricot 微豆 said...

Hyacinthus: "... 物競天擇 ..."

Now that is an interesting perspective you have introduced into this story !!! It is my understanding that in the animal kingdom, nature usually favours the female whose role is to reproduce the species (that's why women generally live longer than men!!). The role of the male is just to "facilitate" the procreation process. If that's the case, maybe the red-head should have lived on. Perhaps that will be a sequal for next Halloween ;-)

Haricot 微豆 said...

啤酒花™_J: What you are inferring - a designed universe - is different from the evolutionary world 物競天擇 as seen by Darwin. However, I do find the classic line poetic: There is a time/season for everything.

Haricot 微豆 said...

啤酒花™_J: Hold your horses !! I am not sure if those wild berries are edible and I am not willing to bet my life on it (for fear of being eliminated in the Darwinian process).

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