Mazu Sister’s Mission
媽祖姊姊給的任務
This spring’s Mazu pilgrimage was livelier than ever.
今年春天的媽祖遶境，比往年還要熱鬧非凡。
The news reported over 300,000 people walking with the palanquin,
新聞說有三十幾萬人擠在一起跟著神轎走，
street food stalls bloomed like flowers,
小吃攤像花一樣沿路盛開，
and even the sparrows on the roadside chirped about the grand event.
連路邊的麻雀都在「啾啾」討論這場大盛事。
But Hsuan, a second-year junior high student, wasn’t convinced by all the ‘miracles’.
但國二的小萱對這些「神蹟」總是將信將疑。
She was a logical girl who didn’t believe in legends so easily.
她是一個理性派少女，從不輕易相信神話傳說。
'Who’s Mazu?' she often said, 'I just remember Grandma’s stories about her, with Ears of the Wind and Eyes of a Thousand Miles saving fishermen. Sounds like mythology to me!'
「媽祖是誰？我只記得外婆說過她和順風耳、千里眼的故事，還有什麼在海上救漁民的神蹟，聽起來就像民間版的超人。」她總是這樣回答。
One day, their family set out from Yunlin to return to Kaohsiung.
那天，他們一家人從雲林準備回高雄。
Dad had promised a 3:00 p.m. sharp departure,
爸爸信誓旦旦地說三點準時出發，
but they got stuck near Beigang right after entering the highway—
結果才剛上國道，在北港附近就被堵個正著——
the pilgrimage had arrived!
媽祖遶境來了！
The palanquin, drums, incense, and sea of people turned the traffic into a lazy snake that refused to budge.
神轎、鑼鼓、香火、人山人海，整條車陣就像一條吃太飽不肯動的懶蛇，原地打結。
Hot and bored in the car, Hsuan leaned on the window and soon fell asleep…
車裡悶熱得像蒸籠，小萱靠著窗發呆，沒多久就沉沉睡去……
In her dream, she saw a glowing library.
她夢見了一間會發光的圖書館。
Books flew, braille books danced,
書會飛、點字書會跳舞，
and under the starlit ceiling stood a young woman in a pink robe, smiling radiantly.
天花板還飄著閃爍的星光，站在書架前的，是一位穿著粉紅袍子、笑容閃閃發亮的年輕姊姊。
'Are you the librarian?' Hsuan asked.
「妳是……圖書館館員嗎？」小萱好奇問。
'No, I’m Mazu! I’ve come to give you a mission!' the sister said with a wink.
「不，我是媽祖！今天來是要給妳一個任務喔！」姊姊眨了眨眼。
'Mazu? You look like a K-pop idol who watches YouTube!' 
「媽祖？妳怎麼長得像會跳K-pop的那種YouTuber？還會追新影片嗎？」
'Even deities must keep up with the times!' Mazu chuckled.
媽祖姊姊咯咯笑了：「神明也要與時俱進嘛！」
'If you finish reading 100 braille books, you’ll understand bird speech.
「聽好了，只要妳能讀完一百本點字書，妳就會聽得懂鳥在說什麼。
Finish 500, and you’ll be able to talk with them—and maybe join a bird speech contest!'
如果妳能摸完五百本，我就讓妳擁有鳥語交談的能力，還能參加鳥界演講比賽喔！」
'Seriously?' Hsuan’s eyes lit up like three cups of bubble tea kicked in.
「真的假的？」小萱眼睛睜大，像剛喝下三杯珍奶一樣精神百倍。
'It’s not magic—it’s the fruit of your effort. Are you ready?'
「這不是魔法，是努力後開花的果實。妳準備好了嗎？」
Before she could answer, she woke up.
小萱還來不及回答，就醒了。
The car was still stuck—but her mind was already racing.
車還在塞，但她的腦袋已經開始打算：
I’m going to read. Braille. Books!
我要讀書！點！字！書！
From that day on, she became obsessed with reading braille books.
從那天起，她像著了魔一樣瘋狂閱讀。
She asked her mom to borrow more and more books,
每天請媽媽幫她借點字書回來，
and her reading speed improved with each one.
她的閱讀速度越來越快，
Eventually, she finished her 100th braille book, titled 'The Superpower of Little Lamb'.
終於，有一天，她摸完了第一百本點字書，那本叫《羊小弟的超能力》。
Suddenly, her ears grew hot, and static buzzed like a radio tuning…
就在翻完最後一頁那瞬間，她的耳朵「嗡」地一熱，接著像收音機轉台一樣，傳來一陣沙沙聲……
And then—she heard birds talking!
然後，她聽見了——鳥！在！說！話！
'Did you see Teacher Steven? He looks like the fat worm I ate yesterday!' one bird said.
「你有看到Steven老師的身材嗎？根本就像我昨天啄到的那條大肥蟲耶～哈哈哈！」
Hsuan laughed out loud and ran home to tell her parents.
小萱差點笑倒在地，趕緊衝回家告訴爸媽。
'You must have read too much braille—your brain’s overheating!' her mom joked.
媽媽聽完直搖頭：「妳是點字書摸過頭，腦袋也變熱了吧？」
'It’s true!' Hsuan said. 'A bird even told me it flew from the south to escape the rain!'
小萱不死心：「真的啦！剛剛有一隻鳥說他從南部飛來，因為那邊在下大雨，牠來這裡避雨。」
Just then, the radio announced a thunderstorm warning for the south.
話才剛說完，車上的收音機突然插播：南部地區午後雷陣雨，請駕駛人注意……
Her parents fell silent.
爸爸手一抖，媽媽嘴巴張得比便利商店的自動門還大。
From then on, Hsuan’s life changed.
從那天起，小萱的生活大變樣。
At the zoo, she no longer just admired animals—she listened in.
她去動物園不再只是看可愛動物，而是聽八卦：
Parrots mimicked their owners,
鸚鵡學飼主說「叫你起床還不起來～」
pigeons complained about their lunch,
鴿子抱怨便當不夠吃，還有人偷啄牠的紅豆餅。
and penguins insisted they were actually from Pingtung, not Antarctica!
企鵝表示：「其實我來自屏東，不是什麼南極啦好嗎？」
Now, she was even more determined to finish all 500 books.
她越來越認真——她要達成五百本的任務，這樣她就能和鳥對！話！
'I need to ask them why they always fly around Kaohsiung night markets. Are they afraid of becoming fried bird snacks?'
她說：「我一定要問他們，為什麼飛過高雄夜市時都會轉彎，是不是怕被炸成鹽酥鳥？」
She now believed, more than ever, that reading could change the world.
現在的她，比任何時候都相信——閱讀真的可以開啟一個神奇世界。
Even if it’s with her fingers over raised dots, braille could lead to magic and miracles.
就算是用手指慢慢摸過點字，也能走進一條通往夢想的奇幻旅程。
And high above, Mazu Sister was smiling at the little girl reading her way toward wonder.
而在雲端之上，媽祖姊姊正悄悄地看著這位努力不懈的小女孩，嘴角微微一笑。
This story isn’t over yet—
這個故事還沒結束——
because the 200th braille book is waiting for Hsuan to turn the page.
因為，第兩百本點字書，正等著小萱翻開。
