Mr. Sun Rides the Subway
圖‧文 游為淳
Story and illustrations by Weichuen You
Special thanks to the Von family for taking me to the Da Vinci exhibition. The subway ride gave me the inspiration for the following story.
太陽先生每天早上總是等不及起床，因為他最喜歡散發光芒和熱力。
Mr. Sun can’t wait to get up every morning. He just loves to give off light and heat.
看到高樓大廈和人們都在他暖暖的擁抱裡，這是他最得意的事。
He feels on top of the world when seeing skyscrapers and people in his warm arms.
不過在地底下，有個太陽先生完全沒看過的世界。
But underneath the ground, there’s a world that Mr. Sun has never seen.
那就是地下鐵！人類可以不用曬到太陽，到達任何想去的地方。
That is the subway system! People can go everywhere without saying hello to the hot sun face to face!
有一天太陽先生發現了這個大秘密！他看不到他最愛的人群，剛開始驚訝到說不出話來。
One day Mr. Sun discovers the big secret! Not seeing his favorite humans, he’s shocked and speechless.
接著不禁發了一頓好大的脾氣！
Then he flies into a RAGE!
生氣之後，他心裡頭很難過，原來人類不怎麼喜歡他。
After calming down, sadness overwhelms him. He realizes that mankind does not like him very much.
太陽先生先自我反省，然後他決定收起紅通通的光芒，走進地底下的世界，看看地鐵有甚麼了不起。
Mr. Sun thinks about why they dislike him. Next, he decides to hide his red glow and explore the subway world under the ground. Maybe he can learn something from it.
剛開始太陽先生只看到許多黑色的車廂，朝著不同的方向前進，發出轟隆隆的聲音，要搭哪一線呢？這可把太陽先生難倒了。
In the beginning, Mr. Sun only sees many black rumbling cars going in different directions. Which line to take? This really baffles him.
好不容易上了車，太陽先生周圍擠滿乘客，他只好貼著窗戶，但窗外黑漆漆的，沒有風景可看。
It takes him so much effort to get on. He is surrounded by passengers on all sides. He has to recline against the window, but there is really nothing to see outside except the murky darkness.
太陽先生旁邊都是悲傷疲倦的臉孔，好像沒有人因為搭地鐵而開心。
Mr. Sun sees nothing but sad and tired faces. It seems that no one is pleased by the idea of taking the subway.
最後連太陽先生也忍不住吶喊：快放我出去！
In the end even Mr. Sun can’t help screaming inside: Let me out!
突然有好幾聲巨響，接下來所有的燈都熄滅了，乘客害怕地大聲尖叫，地下的車站和隧道一片混亂。
All of a sudden, all the lights go off following several booming sounds. The passengers shout in great fear. The subway stations and tunnels are in total chaos.
原來停電了。
It is a power outage.
不過一瞬間後，黑暗中閃著微微的亮光，太陽先生的頭巾飛走了，他又露出紅紅的光芒。
However, after a short pause, light glimmers in the dark. Mr. Sun’s scarf flies away, his red light revealed.
地鐵站不再黑不嚨咚的，乘客們紛紛和太陽先生道謝，一大群人們搶著和他握手，他都不好意思呢！
The subway stations are no longer in dark. Passengers fight to thank him. With crowds trying to hold his hand, he feels shy about his sudden popularity.
因為很喜歡人類，太陽先生想要天天看到他們，現在他收起一點光芒和熱力，大家才不會嫌他的擁抱太熱情。
Mr. Sun likes humans so much that he longs to see them every day. Now he puts away a little bit of his light and heat so that his passion won’t drive them away.
太陽先生也常常拜訪地鐵站的人們，希望給他們在黑暗中帶來光芒和熱力，不要因為搭地鐵而忘了他。
Mr. Sun also visits people taking the subway on a regular basis. He would like to give them some light and heat in the dark. Most of all, he doesn’t want them to forget him!
