「相薄」不是個罕見詞語，但「相薄」之為「薄」已不見得常見。數碼化把舊日許多實物化為0與1，寄存在電子構成的虛空裏，說它存在，倒更像是虛無，「空不等於無呀，空是本性空，是無常。」知道。實物的質感、螢幕的光點、視神經的傳送，腦海裏的印象，無不虛幻。
你指著我圓滾滾的肚子問：「這裏面是甚麼？」
我答：「是你呀。」
「我在這裏呀。」
「你曾經在這裏呀。」
「為甚麼？」
「因為這是你來到這裏之前住過的地方。」
「那我為甚麼會先在這裏才到這裏。」
終於這一球打到我面前了，要回一記經典的「你大個就知道了」，還是把握機會向你講第一課性教育好呢？
「就像你去婆婆處，我們乘的鐵路，乘幾站才到婆婆那？」
「二...三四站！」數數手指的你答得肯定。
「對喇，住這是你到這裏之前的一站，不經這一站，你便來不到這裏。」
「那麼！」你眼睛亮野野，「我在你肚子裏是第一站，現在是第二站，還有兩站會去哪裏？」
「你還小，你將來還有很多站，不止四個站，也可能去很遠的地方，要坐飛機坐火箭才能到。這裏也不是你的第一站，你以前已有很多站，這裏還有現在的你都只是其中的站。」
「以前是怎樣的？」
「你忘了，我也忘了，但我們一定曾經認識過，所以現在我們又在一起了。」
「那麼！那麼！你以前也很愛我嗎？」
「BB我真的忘了，但是現在的我很愛很愛你。」
「我也是很愛很愛很愛很愛你呀！」
「你快樂嗎？」
「快樂。」
「我剛剛說你以前有很多站，我們曾經遇上，所以我們是認識的？」
「嗯。」
「你以前的站，與我以前的站，到底有多少難以想像，只能說是非常多，每站都像你現在這樣，形態可能稍有不同，可能是一個孩子，孩子會長大，像我這樣，然後繼續長大變成婆婆那樣，然後像公公那樣會離開我們。」
「公公...」
「你想公公了？」
「嗯。」
「不要難過，公公去下一站了。」
「下一站是怎樣的？」
「也許會再去到某個媽咪的肚子裏，像你之前那樣，也可能以其他形式，生在不同的地方。」
「公公會再變成孩子嗎？」
「也許，所以我說我們之前有很多站，將來也會有很多站，公公以前可能是救過你的小狗，也可能是為你辛勞過的農夫，下一站可能是你身邊的一個小孩，也可能是地上的小花，也可能是水裏的小魚。因為以前的站太多，我們身邊的每個人、每個生命，甚至一切事物，我們都已經交匯過，都認識了，只是到了下一站，我們就忘了。」
「真的嗎？我好想想起來啊。」
「想不起來也不要緊，他們全部都在了，就在我們身邊，我們全部都是好朋友，人、動物及植物，一切有生命與無生命的，都是我們的好朋友，只是我們不記得我們曾經認識而已，明白嗎？」
「啊，那麼我們不是有很多朋友嗎？」
「對呀，所以對人要像對朋友一樣有禮貌，為人著想，例如乘鐵路擠人時我們要怎樣？」
「人擠時很難受呀，我都不能呼吸了。」
「真可憐，你個子小，下次多抱抱你。所以呢不想喘不過氣，擁擠時我們該怎樣？」
「如裏面有空間就走進去，不要擠在門前。」
「好乖，都記得。你很愛黑咪是嗎？」
「最愛黑咪了！」
「你也要把這些愛分給其他動物和花草樹木，因為他們就跟黑咪一樣，也是我們的好朋友，好嗎？」
「雖然牠們不夠黑咪可愛，但也很可愛，那好吧！」
「還有要愛護物件，自己的或是公共的都要愛護，試想想你喜歡的咪咪搖搖椅破了你會怎樣？」
「不要！」
「是吧？別人的東西也一樣，如果我們不小心弄壞了別人的東西，人家也會很困擾，如果是公共設施壞掉，還會使很多人不便，所以公共物品我們也應同樣愛護，明白了？」
「明白。」
「但如果真的不小心弄壞了人家的東西，我們一定要道歉啊。」
「知道啦。那麼... 動物是我們的朋友，植物也是我們的朋友，雖然我們不吃動物，但吃植物呀，那不是把朋友吃進肚子去了...」
「你說得對，不過你要知道動物變成食物前要面對死亡非常恐懼，身心承受很大的痛苦，而植物，它們跟動物不一樣，它們不會痛，尤其是果實，它們是為了吸引動物去吃而生的，像蘋果、牛油果不是有核嗎？那是它們的種子，動物吃了果肉，把吃不下的核吐出，就為植物播種了。即使這樣，我們還是得好好感謝為我們獻出生命的植物才對。」
「嗯~ 但我們沒在播種啊... 雖然我們每餐都在感謝它們，也有感恩眾生。」
「對啊，但不要緊，因為我們不是農夫，播種的事還是讓專業的他們去做吧，沒有他們的努力，就沒有我們每天每餐的食物，所以對農夫們，我們要心懷感激。」
「嗯。」
「我們與眾生都交匯過，眾生就是我們，我們都是一體的。」
「所以公公以前可能是小狗？下一站可能是小花小魚？」
「嗯。」
「你很漂亮呢，我在這裏面時這張照片。」
「謝謝你，謝謝爸爸，是爸爸替我們拍的。」
「爸爸還沒起床，呢！」
「去親親他。」
「不要，鬍子很刺。」
想告訴你的事情有很多，不過要學習的事情更多，感恩有你們陪我慢慢體會成長。性教育嗎？下回吧。
surrealist’s mini story - darling baby
Album, a common term. The object it refers to, not so commonly seen in everyday life though. Entities once in the past are now digitized, replaced with 0 and 1 stored in the vast electronic ocean. A form of existence more like it is a void. "emptiness doesn't mean in vain, emptiness is the nature, the shifting nature of everything." Affirmative. The textures of things, a pixel of a screen, the signals transmitted by optical nerves, the images interpreted in the brain, aren't they all illusory?
"What was inside there?" pointing at my round belly you asked.
"It was you." I answered.
"Here I am standing."
"There you were once."
"Why?"
"Because this was where you were before you are here."
"Why was I there and then here I am?"
Finally my turn. Should I give it a classic one like "you'll see when you grow up." or should I seize this chance to teach you the very first lesson about sex?
"Like when you have to go see your grandma by train, how many stations should we travel?"
"Two... three four stations!" you gave a firm answer after counting fingers.
"That's right. Just like train stations, this was where you were before you arrive here, you can't come here unless passing through there."
"So!" your eyes were glowing in excitement, "Your belly was my first station, here is the second one, where will the next two stations bring me?"
"Little one, you'll have a long way to go in the future, way beyond four stations, it might be so far away that you'll have to get there by aeroplane or even by rocket. This isn't your first station either, there were many many stations, right this moment where you are is just one of your stations."
"What were they like, the past stations?"
"You've forgotten about that and same goes here, but we must have met some how in the past, so here we come together again right here right now."
"So! So! You loved me like you do, didn't you?"
"BB, I really can't recall, but I really really love you right this moment."
"I really really really love you too!"
"Are you happy?"
"Yes."
"Didn't I say there were many many stations in the past, we've met and knew each other already?"
"Uh."
"It is hard to even imagine just how many of them for you and for me, let's just say the number must be huge. In each of these stations you might have been a little different from how you are now. You might have been a child, then you grew bigger like how I am, you kept on growing up and turned into an older person like grandma, and then passed away just like grandpa did."
"Grandpa..."
"You miss him?"
"Mm."
"You don't have to feel bad, grandpa is in the next station of his journey."
"How is it like?"
"He might come into some mummy's belly once again like you did in mine, or born in another form some place else."
"He'll be a child once again?"
"Possibly, that's why I said there were and will be many stations, in the past grandpa might have been a doggy that saved your life, or he could have been a farmer who sweated under the sun for you. In his next station he might be a little child you know, or a tiny flower blossoms on earth or a little fish swimming in water. There were so so many stations we've passed through that every single one of us, every life and even everything around us have somehow intersected, we all knew each other, just that we couldn’t remember once we arrived the next station."
"Really? I want those memories back."
"It's ok even if you can't, they are all here around us, we are all friends. I mean people, animals and plants, every life every object are good friends of ours, just that we don't remember we knew each other in the past, got it?"
"Oh, so many friends that we have?"
"That's right, that's why we should be polite to everyone like we do to friends, be considerate. Like... what should we do in a crowded train?"
"It's bad. I was squeezed and couldn't breath."
"Poor little one, I'll carry you more when times like this come. So what should we do if we don't want that happen when the train's too crowded?"
"Move inside if there's room, never block the door area."
"That's my baby, you remember all that. You love little Panther, don't you?"
"She's my love!"
"You should share this love for little Panther to other animals and plants, because they're all good friends to us, OK?"
"They are no match in cuteness with little miss Panther but still very lovely, you have my word."
"And when it comes to stuff, we should handle them with care, no matter they are ours or public property. Imagine how would you feel if your rocking kitty is broken."
"No!"
"Exactly, people feel the same to their belongings too, if we break things that belong to others they'll be upset like you would. We'll even cause inconvenience to a lot more people if what we break is a public facility. So that's the reason why we should take good care of public properties like we do to our own stuff, understand?"
"Yes."
"But if we really break people's stuff by accident we must apologize."
"Sure thing. So, I mean... animals are our friends and so are plants, we don't eat animals but vegetables.
Aren't we eating our friends..."
"You are right, but you need to understand one thing that before animals turn into food they'll have to face death and it is extremely terrifying that will tear their bodies and souls apart in great agony. Plants are different, they don't feel pain, especially when it comes to fruit it's another story, they are designed to attract animals, like apples and avocados they have seeds and stones, haven't they? The stones are also seeds, animals that come for the fruits eat only the flesh and pulp, the stones are spitted out and thus sow the seeds. Nevertheless, we still thank those plants that have given their lives to become our food."
"Um, but we're not sowing the seeds though we do thank them and the rest of all beings before every meal."
"You are right but that's OK, for the sowing part let's leave it to the professional farmers for we do not possess the knowledge to do so. Without their effort there would be no food for our meals everyday three times a day. For that we thank the farmers from the bottom of our hearts."
"Uh."
"We've intersected with every being, we are this whole of existence itself, being as one."
"And so, is that why grandpa might have been a doggy in the past and might turn into a tiny little flower or fish in his next station?"
"Um-hum."
"You were beautiful in this picture with me inside."
"Thank you, and thank daddy for he took the picture for us."
"Daddy, the sleepeeeeHEAD!!"
"Go kiss him."
"No, he has a prickly face."
There is a lot I want to say to you, yet a lot more to be learned. I am so blessed to have you two by my side to experience and grow up together. Sex education? May be next time.
