Image Source: eat a good life
【第124個故事：麻糬】
翻譯：國鳳
某位治療師與其靈媒被召來處理一位被精怪附身的人。當治療師成功地讓精怪附身到靈媒身上時，牠開口說道：「我不走詛咒害人這個路線的啦！我只是一隻路過這裡的狐狸。我和我的孩子住在附近的墓地，牠們已經餓了很多天了。我想你們或許會有吃的，若你們能給我一些麻糬，我拿了就走！」
事主家人奉上一大盤麻糬，靈媒心滿意足地吃了好幾塊，還不斷稱讚有多好吃。『這女人！』旁觀的人們咕噥，『她只是假裝自己被附身，好多吃幾塊麻糬吧！』
「好心人，你們能否給我些紙，讓我把剩下的打包起來，帶回去給我的家人？」狐狸說道。
靈媒小心翼翼地將麻糬全數包好放入衣袍內，塞到連胸前都是滿的。
「那我告辭了！」狐狸說道。
『走吧，走吧！』治療師說。
靈媒起身的那一瞬間又倒了下去。當她過一會兒再度站起來的時候，她的衣袍內卻空無一物。
這些麻糬居然全部消失了，多麼奇怪啊！
【譯註】
可愛一點的想法就是狐狸媽媽真的把麻糬全數帶回去給小孩吃。跟中元普渡的感覺有點像。驚悚一點的想法呢，就是靈媒的胸口其實有張大嘴，臉上的小嘴吃東西還得咀嚼、吃太慢，要胸腔的血盆一口吃光才叫過癮（伊藤潤二路線）。
這篇被Tyler老教授歸類在Healing這個類別。試想Healing應該除了治療疾病外，也有驅邪的任務吧。
Rice cakes翻成中文可以是麻糬也可以是年糕，但因為是日本玄怪故事，所以選麻糬。
The following story is an excerpt from Japanese Tales by Royall Tyler, page 177 (1987, first edition). I first read the stories when I was in a Japanese film class in 2011, and enjoy them ever since. I still possess the textbook, and occasionally re-read the stories at leisure. I will remove the following paragraphs if there’s any copyright issue. Thanks!
#124
Rice Cakes
A healer and his medium were called to take care of someone who had been possessed by a spirit. As soon as the healer had gotten the spirit over into the medium, it explained, “Curses aren’t really my line at all! I am just a fox who happened to come by. I live with my little ones over among the tombs, and they’re hungry. I came because I thought you might have food here. If you’ll give me some rice cakes I’ll be on my way.”
The household served up a nice platter of rice cakes, which the medium ate with happy exclamations about how delicious they were. “That woman!” the people grumbled. “She just faked the possession to get those cakes!”
“Now if you’ll be kind enough to give me some paper,” the fox continued, “I’ll wrap up the rest and be off with them to my family.”
The medium carefully wrapped up the cakes and put them into the front fold of her robe, where they made a good bulge all the way up to her bosom.
“Now dismiss me,” said the fox. “I’ll be going.”
“Be gone then, be gone!” the healer ordered.
The medium stood up and instantly collapsed. When she got up again a little later there was nothing in the fold of her robe.
It was very strange how those rice cakes had disappeared.
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