阮可憐ê小妹 英文版
"My poor, ill-fated little sister."I am a man who walks this path alone—unmarried, a solitary soul who drifted from Tainan to Kaohsiung to carve out a life. Though the toil is heavy, it was a burden I chose for myself.
Back home, there was my younger sister. My parents had only the two of us. Since we were children, our bond was unshakable; she was as gentle as she was brilliant. In high school, she always stood at the top of her class, earning scholarships that she would thoughtfully hand over to our parents to help with the house.
But a tragedy—bitter and cruel—befell her shortly after her graduation. During her school days, she had met a boy. He spoke of a love as vast as the heavens, but I never breathed a word of belief in his promises. How could I? It was he who led my sister to her grave.
To speak of it is to open a wound that still bleeds.
It began when she met a man five years her senior. He had already left school and was earning a living as a mechanic in a motorcycle shop. He was handsome enough, I suppose, though he had a heavy habit of smoking. As for how they met? That, too, is a story in itself.
One day, my sister accompanied a senior classmate to that shop to repair a motorcycle. The shop owner was an old acquaintance of the senior’s father, so whenever there was mechanical trouble, that was where they went. It was on that fateful day that the new mechanic laid eyes on her. He was instantly captivated. She possessed the radiant, untainted grace of a young girl in her prime. His eyes never wandered from her; he watched her with an intensity she later described to me when she was still among the living.
Thinking of this now, a cry threatens to break from my throat. She was my most beloved sister, yet she departed this world far too young.
She told me that after the mechanic asked for her number that day, the invitations became constant. He showered her with praise, calling her beautiful and clever. He whispered sweet, honeyed words and gifted her things she cherished. What young girl could remain unmoved by such devotion? Naturally, she surrendered her heart to him. And what of the senior who had taken her to the shop? He, too, harbored feelings for her, but before his love could find its voice, it was snatched away by that man.
It was a pity. The senior was a fine man—dashing, tall, and kind. He and my sister were a natural match, a bond that should have flourished, had it not been severed by the mechanic’s intrusion.
Let me tell you how my sister, Ah-fong, was taken from us. It was barely ten days after her high school graduation. She was out with her boyfriend, Ah-huat, when their path collided with another. The impact sent Ah-fong flying through the air, only to be struck again by a reversing truck. It was a catastrophe; death was a certainty. In a panic, Ah-huat called for help to rush her to the hospital, but in the end, she could not be called back.
I remember the seventh day after her passing—the night of her return. My parents wept until their tears ran dry, their hearts shattered beyond repair. They could not fathom how she could simply be gone. A life so young, snuffed out in an instant. Later, Ah-huat was taken away to prison for what had happened.
阮可憐ê小妹 日文版
儚き妹（はかなきいもうと）
私は独り身だ。まだ妻も娶らず、台南から高雄へと独り流れ着き、泥にまみれて働いてきた。苦労は絶えないが、それも自分で決めた道だ。
実家には妹が一人いた。父と母にとって、子供は私たち二人きりだった。幼い頃から妹とは本当に仲が良く、彼女は素直で、何をやらせても優秀な子だった。高校時代はいつも成績が一番で、手にした奨学金は、そのまま両親に手渡すような優しい娘だった。
しかし、あまりにも残酷な出来事が、彼女が高校を卒業して間もなく起こった。高校生の頃、彼女には付き合っている男がいた。「どれほど愛しているか」と男は語っていたようだが、私はそんな言葉、微塵も信じてはいなかった。なぜなら、その男が妹を死に追いやったのだから。
……思い出すだけでも、胸が締め付けられる。
男は妹より五つ年上で、高校を出てすぐにバイク屋で整備士、いわゆる「黒手（ヘイショウ）」として働いていた。体格も面構えも悪くはなかったが、ひどく煙草を吸う男だった。二人がどうやって知り合ったのか、それもまた、ひとつの物語になってしまう。
ある日、妹は学校の先輩に付き添ってバイクの修理に行った。その店は先輩の父親の知り合いで、何かあればいつもその店を頼っていたのだ。その日、新入りの整備士だったあの男が妹を見初めた。若々しく、清らかな気品を纏った彼女に、男は一瞬で心を奪われたのだ。男の視線は、ずっと妹の姿を追い続けていたという。これは妹が生前、私に話してくれたことだ。
それを思い出すと、叫び出したくなるような衝動に駆られる。私の大切な、愛してやまない妹。それなのに、こんなにも若くしてこの世を去ってしまうなんて。
妹の話では、あの男に電話番号を渡してからというもの、頻繁に誘いを受けるようになったらしい。男は妹を「綺麗だ、聡明だ」と褒めちぎり、甘い言葉を囁いては、彼女の喜ぶものを贈った。多感な少女が、これほど熱烈に口説かれて、心を動かされないはずがない。結局、彼女は男の手に落ちた。……では、あの時バイク屋へ連れて行った先輩はどうなったのか。当然、彼も妹に想いを寄せていた。だが、その恋心を伝える前に、あの男に横取りされてしまったのだ。
本当に惜しいことをした。あの先輩は立ち居振る舞いも立派で、背が高く、実にかっこいい青年だった。本来なら彼と妹が結ばれるはずだったのに、あの整備士の男がすべてを壊してしまった。
そして、妹の阿芳（アファン）が、どうして「逝って」しまったのか。
高校を卒業してわずか十日ほど経ったあの日、彼女は恋人の阿発（アファ）と一緒にいた。車との衝突事故だった。阿芳は衝撃で跳ね飛ばされ、運悪くバックしてきたトラックに轢かれたのだ。……もはや絶望的だった。助かる見込みなど、どこにもなかった。
事故が起きた時、阿発は激しく狼狽し、すぐに電話で助けを呼んで病院へ運ばせたが、ついに彼女の魂が戻ることはなかった。
忘れもしない、妹の「初七日」の日。父と母は、涙が枯れ果てるまで泣き崩れていた。あんなにも輝いていた少女の命が、これほどあっけなく消えてしまうなんて。
結局、阿発もその事故の責任を問われ、刑務所へと送られた。
