小兄弟來到正在用上等桃木屑燻火腿、香氣馥郁的廚房。兩人爬上粗木長凳,趴在坑坑洞洞的餐桌上靜靜看著最後排班的男僕,在彌散著肉香的煙霧中忙進忙出。一位女傭將長老們用剩的法國麵包收回來,裝在舖著格紋保溫布的藤織籃子裡,一晃眼看見他們,露出混雜著厭惡與憐憫的怪異表情,扭過身去用力一把將籃子放下。358Please respect copyright.PENANAWxiRMO4aOS
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「幹什麼?」男人問她。358Please respect copyright.PENANAYbV3MINiL0
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「怪物之家的小鬼頭來了,你拿這些剩麵包餵他們。」女人邊說,邊三腳兩步走開。358Please respect copyright.PENANAHlc1wUva6S
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男僕拋給她「骯髒差事妳偏偏要叫我做就對了」的眼神,知道她沒在看,嘆了口氣。小兄弟口水直流,眼巴巴地看著他。358Please respect copyright.PENANAJub5VulinB
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男僕不敢直視他們,喃喃自語:「別詛咒我,我也只是聽你們父親之命行事,要怪就怪你們偏偏生在這個家族。邪惡的怪物就該吃和怪物匹配的東西。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAoV9EcI6aTy
358Please respect copyright.PENANAH5hGhYV9pF
一會兒工夫,桌面擺上一大一小兩盤圓蓋覆蓋著的銀盤。小雅各布面前放著大主菜盤,基德面前則擺著一落剩下的法國麵包、果醬刮刀、和被略小的圓銀蓋覆住的中型沾醬盤。雅各布迫不及待地揭開他面前的大蓋一看——358Please respect copyright.PENANANsYh9xiYI7
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「嗚……都是乾掉的死老鼠。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAHZT93eqEIg
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「看樣子弟弟又惹爸爸生氣了。」基德無奈。358Please respect copyright.PENANA7kX2hpq3k4
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雅各布頭低低地把那盤臭油黑污的老鼠推遠,靠著哥哥的身體,縮起背來委屈地哭。基德小心地揭開他盤子上的圓銀蓋,從縫隙中覷見他的「沾醬」——頭蓋骨被削掉一半的猴子,一雙猴眼珠被挖出來用竹籤串成雞尾酒櫻桃狀,綴在淋著不明液體的裸露猴腦上面。他立刻反胃地把蓋子蓋回去。358Please respect copyright.PENANAGZV6wDdsO3
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「哥哥,你的晚餐是什麼,我可以看看嗎?」雅各布揉揉哭紅的眼睛。358Please respect copyright.PENANAX2vRZ56mxL
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「沒什麼好看的,我不想吃了。麵包通通給你吃吧,小心點,不要被人發現。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAspa93Eb5Fu
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基德小心地把麵包撕成小碎片。哥哥覷著僕人都不想面對他們兄弟,得空閃得一乾二淨,四下無人,將軟的部分餵給幼弟,邊邊硬的地方則用嘴稍微含軟了再餵給他。待雅各布把麵包吃乾淨,小基德才把仍然在喊餓不肯爬樓梯的小弟弟揹回房。358Please respect copyright.PENANA9agJPcn33e
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僕人們怕這兩小傢伙單獨撞見他們母親,只會引發無窮騷亂,便在族長的默許下把兩兄弟趕到舊閣樓去住。閣樓板門發著聒耳的聲音打開,兩人看見花兔早已掙脫紙盒自己跑出來,蹲坐在床上。基德教弟弟拿蔬菜類廚餘桶裡的蘿蔔渣跟粗萵苣餵牠。花毛小兔子遲疑了半天,終於鬍鬚大動,咀嚼起來。358Please respect copyright.PENANA1c9BrwQln2
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「真的不能養牠嘛?」雅各布看哥哥拿出一疊舊衣服,幫兔子舖了一張床,道。358Please respect copyright.PENANAIl3ywJqsCc
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「留在這裡牠遲早會變成我的『作業』,我們不能讓牠死掉,明天……」小基德沉吟,「明天一早,趁大家還在睡覺,我們把牠放生到爸爸的酒莊葡萄園裡。我跟家教老師說,我把牠弄丟了就好了。」358Please respect copyright.PENANA0q9lz9imU2
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「哥哥會被揍扁的……」小雅各布含著眼淚道。358Please respect copyright.PENANApShOJlvnZY
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「爸爸的酒莊裡長著一望無際的葡萄,只要沒有工人在那裏,我們可以吃到開心為止。兔子以後也不愁吃了。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAm0VbhTlnPo
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聽到兔子不愁吃,雅各布只好作罷。基德掀起被子的一角,要弟弟進來懷裡。小雅各布悶在哥哥胸前,道:「只有哥哥對我好,我以後要跟哥哥結婚。」358Please respect copyright.PENANA7YbJzwMMuI
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「結婚是什麼意思?」358Please respect copyright.PENANA7hBmreCtXq
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「凡杜恩家族的阿姨們在聊天。她們說結婚就可以親親。」358Please respect copyright.PENANA86laAyckzl
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「然後呢?」358Please respect copyright.PENANAzDzsI7QpNG
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「不知道耶,我問阿姨能不能跟哥哥結婚,她們一直笑、一直笑。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAsJgbQlMc4N
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「那我跟弟弟你結婚,你會不會覺得好點?」小基德道,雅各布用力點點頭。基德對著小雅各布的嘴唇啄了一下。雅各布咂著嘴道:「親親的感覺好奇怪。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAMHjeOZflgg
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「睡吧,明天要早起。我們還要越過廣大的後院,一座小丘,才到得了酒莊。」358Please respect copyright.PENANA0yDX1TE8vo
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「哥哥,再親親我一次。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAj8rZ1xDW9e
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基德又親吻了他弟弟的小嘴,這次比較深一點,比較長一點,便翻身把床頭的小燈扭掉。蹲在一堆舊衣服上的花兔毛嘴微微歙動,珠圓黑眼睛看著這對兄弟。358Please respect copyright.PENANA829aMeF2Nq
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「哥哥,為什麼爸媽要叫傭人大哥大姊們賤民?為什麼大哥大姊說我們是怪物?我覺得我們跟他們沒什麼不一樣啊。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAV7TmhupYec
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「弟弟咪,我不知道,我真的不知道。」358Please respect copyright.PENANAHyLp1zjCAk
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薄寒的清晨時分,小基德花了好大勁才把賴床的弟弟挖起來。羅斯柴爾德大邸的隔夜燈尚未熄滅,一星一點黃光浮在幽微的深宅霧影裡,昏昏映照蕨葉捲雕堆砌而成的長廊群柱,與蒼白的空間綿延,直到一切消失在晦澀不明的低彩度藍灰之中。358Please respect copyright.PENANALE3UlAbChq
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小哥哥牽著小弟弟的手,走下朝花園扇展開來的磨光大理石階梯,帶他翻出樹籬笆。花兔從盒子縫中擠出毛腦袋,抬起鼻子嗅聞涼空氣,又縮了回去。358Please respect copyright.PENANA4sFgXV7vTf
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小雅各布越過羅斯柴爾德私家狩獵場的丘陵,就嚷著腿疼不想走了,小基德只好把他背在身上。弟弟的小手臂環著哥哥的胸口,雙手依然將兔子盒握得牢牢。三不五時鑽出頭的迷你花兔,時不時干擾基德的視線,兩人就這樣每十幾公尺休息一下,最後抵達白霧籠罩的葡萄酒莊。358Please respect copyright.PENANA3S9m7caIHP
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雅各布把花兔放出來,道:「兔兔,快走,快點離開,去一個天天吃得飽的地方吧!」358Please respect copyright.PENANA3CvFizPoKz
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兔子用後腳站立,垂著耳嗅聞周遭,又伏在地上聞聞土壤,遲疑地在泥土地左右轉悠好幾圈,蹦跳地竄入草叢中,消失了。358Please respect copyright.PENANASCNPW7BqLH
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「兔子投奔自由,不會死掉了。」基德有點悲哀,若有所思地道。358Please respect copyright.PENANAIMSRjFmiz8
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兄弟二人在成排深紫葡萄藤矮架中間漫無目的地遊蕩,基德沿路摘揀看上去熟軟的釀酒葡萄給雅各布當早餐。周圍的霧氣越來越濃密,彷彿應著誰的召喚,前來蒙蔽上天的眼睛。358Please respect copyright.PENANA1lN9JERFXv
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待續358Please respect copyright.PENANA7AMVVIIf1Y