雙語讀電影 《海洋奇緣》第04章 :無論選擇有多難，自己的事情只有自己才能做主

On the shore, Moana grunted as she angrily hurled a coconut to the ground in an attempt to vent her frustrations. She picked up one after another. She hit them with an oar, trying to drive them into the sand, even as her mother approached.

“At least you didn’t say it in front of everybody, standing on a boat,” said Sina, trying to lighten the mood.

Moana whacked another coconut.

“I didn’t say ‘fish beyond the reef’ because I want to be on the ocean.”

“But you still do,” said Sina gently. She glanced down at Moana’s hand tightly gripping the oar and sighed.

Unable to deny it, Moana turned away. It was true; she still heard the ocean’s call and longed to explore it.

Sina continued. “He’s hard on you because—”

“Because he doesn’t get me,” Moana said.

“Because he was you,” Sina corrected her. “Drawn to the water, he took a boat, Moana. He crossed the reef and found an unforgiving sea. Waves like mountains. His best friend begged to be out on that boat. Your father couldn’t save him.”

Sina’s voice trailed off; the memory was too sad to relive. She looked lovingly at Moana. “He’s hoping he can save you.”

Moana’s anger turned to sadness and guilt. In the village, she could see Tui dealing with the panicked villagers. She knew how much her father loved the people of Motunui and how heavy the responsibility of protecting them lay upon his shoulders. She felt terrible.

Moana wished her father understood that she loved the people, too. That was why she wanted to go beyond the reef—to find fish. So that everyone would have plenty to eat.

“Sometimes, who we wish we were, what we wish we could do ... it’s just not meant to be.” Sina took the oar from Moana and put it on the ground.

“If you were me, what would you do?” asked Moana.

Sina brushed the hair away from Moana’s face. “We must make our own choices, my little minnow,” she said. “No matter how hard they may be.” She left Moana alone to think about what she had said.

Moana focused on the horizon. In her imagination, the sea seemed endless and full of possibility. With thoughts flooding her mind, she walked up to the highest peak on Motunui. At the top, she held a stone in her hand, trying to sort out her feelings.

She wanted to make her parents and her village proud. She wanted to do what was right. But how could she quiet the voice inside her? She couldn’t help her curiosity about the ocean. She wondered how far the sea went and what was out there. She also wondered why the voice inside her seemed so different from everybody else’s. And how would she ever make peace with her father’s wishes for her future?

The sun’s reflection off the ocean sparkled in her eyes as the water called to her. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t ignore it. She couldn’t pretend to be someone she wasn’t. She dropped the stone and ran down to the shore.

Pua picked up the oar in his mouth and offered it to her before he hopped on a small boat as Moana pushed it into the water. The boat wobbled a bit as Moana found her balance, and Pua seemed more than a little nervous.

“We’re okay, Pua,” said Moana, trying to find her confidence. “There’s more fish beyond the reef. There’s more beyond the reef.”

She paddled out into the water, feeling a rush of excitement as a wave carried her high on its crest. But then the wind changed and the boom swung toward her! It just missed her head. But as Moana breathed a sigh of relief, a massive wave rushed toward her, breaking before she could react. It slammed into the boat and knocked Pua overboard! The little pig flailed around, struggling to stay afloat.

“Pua!” Moana yelled, trying to get to him. But an even bigger wave crashed down, knocking her into the sea as well. She surfaced with Pua in her arms and shoved him onto the broken outrigger. A moment later, rough waves caused the boat to slam into her head and push her underwater.

Her foot was wedged into a cluster of coral on the ocean floor, trapping Moana underwater. She strained as she tried to swim upward, but she was unable to wriggle free.

Spotting a rock, she grabbed it and smashed the coral, releasing her foot. Using all her might, she pushed off the ocean floor and shot up, gasping for air.

The waves finally pushed Moana and Pua up onto Motunui’s sandy shore. Completely unaffected by the ordeal, Pua gave Moana a cheerful lick and ran off to chase birds. Moana breathed heavily, happy to fill her lungs with air as she collected herself. She looked down at her foot, scraped and bleeding from the sharp coral. The boat she had borrowed was smashed to pieces, which floated in the water and washed up onto the sand. She knew she would be in big trouble for what she had done.

“Whatever just happened ... blame it on the pig,” said a familiar voice.

Moana turned to see Gramma Tala emerging from behind some flowering shrubs.

“Gramma?” Moana asked, moving her foot behind her as she tried to hide it. But Gramma Tala placed her walking stick behind Moana’s ankle and used it to pick up her leg, getting a closer look at the wound. “Are you gonna tell Dad?” Moana asked.

“If you lost a toe, maybe,” Gramma Tala said.

More pieces of the broken boat washed up beside them. Moana shook her head. “He was right about going out there,” she said. She felt a momentary sense of relief. “It’s time. I’m putting my stone on the mountain.”

Gramma Tala studied Moana’s face for a moment. Then she looked back at the ocean and breathed in the salty air. Suddenly, a school of elegant manta rays swam up, gracefully flapping their fins.

Gramma Tala pushed past Moana to get closer to them as they slid through the water. Moana could see the big manta ray tattoo stretched across her grandmother’s back as she watched the animals.

“Well, okay then,” Gramma Tala said. “Head on back; put that stone up there.”

Moana started to walk away. But she turned back to Gramma Tala after taking only a few steps. “Why aren’t you trying to talk me out of it?” she asked.

“Because you said that’s what you wanted,” said Gramma Tala.

“It is,” said Moana.

Gramma Tala nodded without saying a word.

Moana headed back toward the village. But just as she was about to cross the flowering shrubs that lined the beach, Gramma Tala spoke up. “When I die, I’m going to come back as one of these,” she said, gesturing to the manta rays as they continued to swim, swirling in front of her in a circle. Her tattoo wiggled between her shoulders as she danced, swinging her hips and moving her arms in time with the waves striking the shore. “Or I chose the wrong tattoo.” She looked back at Moana with a smirk.

“Why are you acting weird?” asked Moana.

“I’m the village crazy lady ... that’s my job,” Gramma Tala replied.

“If there’s something you want to tell me, just tell me,” said Moana. She sounded almost desperate for her grandmother’s advice. It would be nice to hear someone say she should listen to the call of the ocean. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Gramma Tala leaned in and whispered, “Is there something you want to hear?” Then she smiled mysteriously and hobbled off, using her walking stick to help her over the rough terrain. Moana followed right behind, and she couldn’t help but smile, too. She didn’t know where Gramma Tala was going, but wherever it was, it would be an adventure. And it would involve a story.