Waiting for Columbus (等待哥倫布)

湯瑪士‧托洛費穆克 Thomas Trofimuk
每個說故事的人，背後都還有另一段故事。

從她豎耳傾聽的那一刻起，故事就此展開，即便不是每個主角都能擁有幸福結局，但故事還是要說完，直到找出那艘失落的船……生命總是會離開，但是愛不會。

哥倫布真正的任務就是繼續走下去，走向愛。

西班牙南方塞維亞，一名陌生男子闖進一家精神病院，堅持自己就是偉大的航海家哥倫布。醫院裡的護士康斯薇拉大感疑惑，這位自稱是「哥倫布」的男人，說的故事漏洞百出又前後矛盾，瞎湊著十五世紀和二十一世紀的事件，她當下斷定：這一切不過是「哥倫布」精神錯亂產生的幻覺。

揹著婚姻失敗的枷鎖，康斯薇拉日復一日的工作， 讓自己麻痺於索然無味的例行公事，忘了如何去感受、如何去愛，直到她遇見「哥倫布」。康斯薇拉意外發現，從北歐海盜、航海圖，到宗教裁判所和伊莉莎白女王，「哥倫布」胡謅的故事細節竟然很精準，不像是杜撰。當他述說著哥倫布如何花上數十年的心血，只為了證明一條沒人相信的新航線時，康斯薇拉開始被「哥倫布」和他的冒險深深吸引，有時甚至急不可耐地央求他繼續講下去。她逐漸相信，這不是一個精神病患的鬧劇，但她也不禁好奇，究竟藏在「哥倫布」故事背後的秘密是什麼？

On a beautiful April morning, a man is brought to an insane asylum in contemporary Spain, claiming to be the legendary navigator Christopher Columbus. Found in the treacherous Straight of Gibraltar, he is clearly delusional and has suffered a trauma so severe that he has turned away from reality. As he spins the tall tales of adventure and romance of someone who existed in the late fifteenth century, the lonely Nurse Consuela can’t help but be enchanted by his spirit. Who is Columbus? Where did he come from? This dazzling story about one man’s painstaking search for truth and loyalty will haunt the reader long after the final page.

Thomas Trofimuk is a writer, editor, and communications consultant. His poetry and short fiction have been widely published in Canada to critical acclaim. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife and daughter.