Searching for the Melody of the Dream 尋找夢中的旋律

I dreamed of traveling abroad with a group, flying on what seemed to be a Korean airline, and arriving at Seattle Airport.

As I disembarked, I noticed my phone number written on my seat and thought, "Huh? Does this mean I'll be taking the same flight back?" After deplaning, I reminded my companion (whose identity was unclear) that at Seattle Airport, you have to pick up luggage twice and go through customs twice, so we needed to move quickly.

I had a blue backpack, a large white bag, and a bundle of clothes hanging on a rack. The flight attendants were very polite. We arrived at the luggage claim area, and I collected my backpack and the white bag, then went to retrieve the clothes hanging on the rack. I saw a metal rack nearby with my clothes neatly covered in plastic. However, someone else searching for their clothes accidentally knocked mine to the floor. I exclaimed, "Hey, hey, hey! My clothes are clean, and now they might get dirty!"

Quickly, I found a bag and packed my clothes from the bottom up to keep them clean. Then I remembered that I had brought boots but not high heels. I reassured myself, thinking, "Anyway, I still have plenty of heels left here in Seattle from before."

We arrived at a tourist spot where the organizer announced an evening gathering, apparently featuring a singing competition. Someone mentioned that the tour didn’t include meals and eating out was expensive. I told them, "This resort actually provides meals!" But my fellow travelers complained the food wasn’t good. I replied, "I’ve been here before. The food is okay—there’s not much variety, but it’s not bad. If you want to save money, just eat here."

Later, I went to a large hall, where they told me I’d been signed up for the singing competition. I thought, "But no one even asked what song I want to sing!" I felt my voice suited minor-key songs and wanted to choose a wartime ballad. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall the name of the song I had in mind. Instead, the melody of "Peach Blossoms Dancing in the Spring Breeze" kept playing in my head. I remembered it was my backup song and that I’d actually chosen a different wartime song.

I saw someone rehearsing on stage and wondered, "Is this really a competition?" Since I couldn’t remember the lyrics, I decided I’d have to bring the lyrics onstage. Then I discovered it wasn’t a competition but a performance, which relieved me. If it was just a performance, I could bring the lyrics up with me.

I kept pondering what song to choose and saw more people rehearsing. I thought, "I sing better than that person!" Then a child went on stage to practice, and I felt even more confident, thinking, "If a kid can make mistakes, I’ll be fine bringing lyrics on stage."

Even so, I couldn’t settle on a song. I wanted to memorize the lyrics first but couldn’t recall them. I wanted to choose a wartime patriotic song because it suited my voice, but such songs seemed rare now. "Peach Blossoms Dancing in the Spring Breeze" was still stuck in my head as a backup, so I settled on another song.

When I received the sheet music for my chosen song, I couldn’t make sense of the order. I approached my former colleague, Alice, who was chatting with someone else, and asked if she could take a look. She tried hard to decipher it but seemed equally puzzled.

Then I needed to use the restroom. It was somewhat dirty, and as I entered, a girl exited. While using the toilet, I realized, "Wait, where’s the stall wall?" Someone walked in and was startled to see me.

Apparently, I was in stall number nine. I noticed stall eight didn’t even have a toilet and told the person, "You can’t use this one—there’s no toilet!" The person agreed and moved to stall seven, which was separated by a low wall with a small gap.

I continued using the restroom, feeling awkward as we made eye contact. I thought, "This is so embarrassing!"

Afterward, I returned to the hall and saw Teresa Teng singing "May We Live Long" on stage. I thought young people probably hadn’t heard these classic oldies, but the older organizers would enjoy them.

I was notified that I’d be up next, but I still hadn’t decided on a song. I flipped through the lyrics, while the melody of "Peach Blossoms Dancing in the Spring Breeze"* kept playing in my mind. Although I remembered choosing a different wartime song, I knew it would have to be a minor-key song that the organizers would likely appreciate.

夢見我跟著一個團體出國，搭乘像是韓國航空公司的飛機，來到西雅圖機場。

下飛機時，我看到我的座位上有我的手機號碼，我心想：「欸？所以回去還是坐同班飛機嗎？」下飛機後，我提醒我的同伴 (不知道是誰)，西雅圖機場這裡領兩次行李，海關檢查兩次，我們動作要快。

我有一個藍色後背包，一個白色大背包，還有一大包掛在衣架上的衣服。空姐很有禮貌。我們來到提領行李處。

我拿了後背包和白色大背包，準備來找我掛在衣架上的衣服。我看到旁邊有一個鐵架，上面掛著我的衣服，用塑膠套套起來。然後我看到有人同時也要找他的衣服，就把我的衣服弄掉到地上，我喊著「嘿嘿嘿！我的衣服是乾淨的，你這樣子會弄髒了我的衣服。」

我趕快找了一個袋子，從下方把我的衣服一整個收進袋子裡，心想這樣就不會弄髒了。接著想起這次我有帶靴子，但少帶了高跟鞋。又想起反正西雅圖這邊還有很多我以前的高跟鞋，應該可用。

我們來到一個旅遊地點，主辦人說晚上大家集合，好像有歌唱比賽。有人提到這個旅遊團不包餐，出去外面吃很花錢。我跟他們說這個度假中心是有供餐的喔！同團人說這裡東西不好吃。我說以前我來過這裡，餐點還行，只是變化較少，但不算太差。如果要省錢的話，在這裡面吃就好了。

我來到一個大會堂，因為他們說晚上有歌唱比賽，有幫我報名。我心想「可是都沒有人問我要唱什麼歌啊！」

我認為我的聲音適合小調，想要選一首抗戰歌曲。可是我現在怎麼想不起我選的抗戰歌曲名字，整個腦子裡一直都是「桃花舞春風」的旋律。可是我記得它是我的備用歌曲，實際上我選的是另外一首歌。

我看到有人在台上練唱。我心想「這是比賽嗎？」可是我連歌詞都背不起來，我一定得帶歌詞上場。我看到主辦人也上台練習，和他聊了一下，發現其實是表演，不是比賽。我心想如果是表演就沒問題，我就可以帶歌詞上台了。

我還是一直在想我要唱哪一首歌，看到又有人上台練唱，我心想「我唱得比他好呢！」接著我看到小朋友上台練習，又想「那我帶歌詞上台就更沒問題了，因為小朋友更容易出錯。」

我一直在想要挑什麼歌，想要先把歌詞背下來，但怎麼就是想不起來。我想要挑抗戰歌曲，因為歌聲適合，但現在都沒有人唱這種抗戰愛國歌曲了。腦子裡還是「桃花舞春風」的旋律，仍是想把它當做備用歌，就挑了另一首。

我拿到另外一首的歌譜，可是我都看不懂，心想「這順序到底要怎麼唱？」我看到前同事 Alice，她本來在跟別人講話，我問她可不可以打斷一下，請她幫我看一下樂譜。她很努力在看，似乎也看不出是什麼歌。

我想要上廁所。廁所裡面有點髒，一個女生出來，換我進去。當我正在使用的時候，發現：「欸？怎麼廁所隔間牆不見了？」有人進來，看到我在上廁所也嚇了一跳。

我好像是在第九號廁所。我看到第八號廁所根本沒有馬桶，跟那人說：「你這間不能上啊！因為根本沒有馬桶。」他想說「欸！對耶！」第八號和第七號廁所之間有道矮牆，有個小缺口。那人就進到第七號廁所使用。

我還是繼續上廁所，心想怎麼尿這麼多。而且我和那人還相互對望，看到對方上廁所的樣子，真糗！

上完廁所，我回到大會堂，看到鄧麗君在台上唱「但願人長久」。我在想年輕人應該都沒聽過這些老歌，不過主辦單位人員都有點年紀，應該會喜歡老歌。

他們通知我下一個就是我了，我還是一直在想到底要唱什麼歌。我在那裡翻著歌詞，腦子裡仍是「桃花舞春風」的旋律，可是明明記得我挑的是另一首抗戰歌曲。總之我知道我要挑小調歌曲，主辦單位應該會很喜歡。