A Gentle Touch (2) Eine sanfte Berührung (2) Un toque suave (2) 부드러운 터치 (2) Ніжний дотик (2)

Jamie soon found he could do all the work he needed to do at the college in a quarter of the time he used to take. Jamie stellte bald fest, dass er alle Arbeiten, die er am College erledigen musste, in einem Viertel der Zeit erledigen konnte, die er sonst benötigte. Незабаром Джеймі виявив, що може виконувати всю необхідну роботу в коледжі за чверть часу, який він витрачав раніше. He also had at least ten times more energy than he had had before. Außerdem hatte er mindestens zehnmal mehr Energie als zuvor. There was lots of energy left over for his own studies, for his own improvement. Es blieb viel Energie übrig für seine eigenen Studien, für seine eigene Verbesserung. Залишалося багато енергії для власного навчання, для власного вдосконалення. Lots.

People were beginning to talk about him. Про нього почали говорити. His amazing ability to work hard and never get tired was frequently mentioned. Seine erstaunliche Fähigkeit, hart zu arbeiten und nie müde zu werden, wurde häufig erwähnt. These comments were never unkind and he remained popular with both staff and students, though he was well-known for expecting more work from his students than other members of staff. Diese Kommentare waren nie unfreundlich, und er blieb sowohl bei den Mitarbeitern als auch bei den Studenten beliebt, obwohl er dafür bekannt war, dass er von seinen Studenten mehr Arbeit erwartete als andere Mitglieder des Personals. Ці коментарі ніколи не були недоброзичливими, і він залишався популярним як серед співробітників, так і серед студентів, хоча був відомий тим, що очікував від своїх студентів більше роботи, ніж від інших співробітників. There had even been a few students leaving the course because they could not take the stress of the work. Es gab sogar einige Studenten, die den Kurs verließen, weil sie den Stress der Arbeit nicht mehr aushielten. Кілька студентів навіть покинули курс, бо не змогли витримати стрес від роботи. This was a pity but, after all, standards had to be kept up. Das war schade, aber schließlich mussten die Standards aufrechterhalten werden. Це було прикро, але, зрештою, потрібно було дотримуватися стандартів.

His interest in Eastern matters was no secret, though Jamie did not deliberately draw attention to it. Sein Interesse an östlichen Angelegenheiten war kein Geheimnis, auch wenn Jamie nicht absichtlich darauf hinwies. His colleagues admired a man who was enthusiastic about his work, and they liked the fact that a Westerner showed such an interest in Eastern culture. Seine Kollegen bewunderten einen Mann, der sich für seine Arbeit begeisterte, und es gefiel ihnen, dass ein Westler ein solches Interesse an der östlichen Kultur zeigte.

Jamie was becoming quite well known as somebody who knew about such things. Jamie wurde als jemand bekannt, der sich mit solchen Dingen auskennt. Students would ask him for advice instead of going to their local experts. Jamie never asked for money. Once, after he had successfully treated a student's headache with acupressure, he was called to see the head of the college. Nachdem er einmal erfolgreich die Kopfschmerzen eines Studenten mit Akupressur behandelt hatte, wurde er zum Leiter der Hochschule gerufen. Одного разу, після того, як він успішно вилікував головний біль студента за допомогою акупунктури, його викликали до директора коледжу. He was told, kindly but firmly, that he was to leave treatments to those who had licenses to do such things. Ihm wurde freundlich, aber bestimmt gesagt, dass er die Behandlungen denjenigen überlassen solle, die eine Lizenz für solche Dinge hätten.

Jamie made sure he never made that mistake again.

It was soon after this that Adrian Tong, the Physics lecturer, asked Jamie if he was interested in the art of Tai Chi. Kurz darauf fragte Adrian Tong, der Physikdozent, Jamie, ob er sich für die Kunst des Tai Chi interessiere. Adrian was a friendly man, about the same age as Jamie, who always dressed smartly. Adrian war ein freundlicher Mann, etwa im gleichen Alter wie Jamie, der immer adrett gekleidet war. He was a popular member of the college staff, known for his helpful nature. Er war ein beliebtes Mitglied des Kollegiums und bekannt für seine hilfsbereite Art. He mentioned it to Jamie as they were preparing to go home. Er erwähnte es gegenüber Jamie, als sie sich auf den Heimweg machten. Він розповів про це Джеймі, коли вони збиралися додому.

Jamie was interested. He had heard of Tai Chi, which was made up of slow elegant exercises that developed the chi and made it stronger. Er hatte von Tai Chi gehört, das aus langsamen, eleganten Übungen bestand, die das Chi entwickelten und stärkten. Він чув про тайцзи, що складається з повільних елегантних вправ, які розвивають ци і роблять її сильнішою. Every morning in the park he saw people of all ages performing the exercises, gently moving their arms and legs like trees in a soft wind. Jeden Morgen sah er im Park Menschen jeden Alters, die die Übungen ausführten und ihre Arme und Beine sanft bewegten wie Bäume im sanften Wind. Amongst them was a pretty young woman who Jamie thought was very elegant indeed. Unter ihnen befand sich eine hübsche junge Frau, die Jamie für sehr elegant hielt.

Yes, it did look like a good way to relax.

'My uncle is considered to be a master of this art,' Adrian told him. Mein Onkel gilt als ein Meister dieser Kunst", sagte Adrian. 'I am sure he would welcome such a keen student as yourself.' Ich bin sicher, dass er eine so eifrige Schülerin wie Sie willkommen heißen würde. "Я впевнений, що він був би радий такому старанному студенту, як ти".

And so Jamie became a student of Master Tong. Und so wurde Jamie ein Schüler von Meister Tong.

Master Tong was a slim young-looking man though he was over sixty years old. Meister Tong war ein schlanker, jung aussehender Mann, obwohl er über sechzig Jahre alt war. He was amazed by Jamie's knowledge of Eastern culture and agreed to teach him, though he would have to take his place with the rest of his students, all seventy-three of them, in the park at dawn each day. Er war erstaunt über Jamies Kenntnisse der östlichen Kultur und erklärte sich bereit, ihn zu unterrichten, obwohl er jeden Tag im Morgengrauen im Park seinen Platz mit den anderen dreiundsiebzig Schülern einnehmen musste. Він був вражений знаннями Джеймі про східну культуру і погодився навчати його, хоча йому довелося б щодня на світанку виходити в парк разом з іншими учнями, а їх було сімдесят три, на світанку. That suited Jamie. Das passte zu Jamie. It would be a good start to the day.

The first lesson began the very next morning.

The park was next to the local shops. Many items were delivered to the shops at the start of the day and the roads were already busy with small lorries delivering vegetables, newspapers and all kinds of things needed for the day's business. Viele Waren wurden zu Beginn des Tages an die Geschäfte geliefert, und die Straßen waren bereits mit kleinen Lastwagen befahren, die Gemüse, Zeitungen und alle möglichen Dinge für das Tagesgeschäft anlieferten. Master Tong's class had been going through their elegant motions for twenty minutes or so when the loud sound of screaming brakes was heard. Die Klasse von Meister Tong hatte etwa zwanzig Minuten lang ihre eleganten Bewegungen ausgeführt, als das laute Geräusch schreiender Bremsen zu hören war. Клас майстра Тонга виконував свої елегантні рухи протягом двадцяти хвилин, коли почувся гучний звук виття гальм. A child had run in front of a delivery lorry. The lorry had turned sharply and fallen onto its side, trapping the driver, who had tried to jump clear. Der Lastwagen hatte sich scharf gedreht und war auf die Seite gefallen, wobei der Fahrer eingeklemmt wurde, der versucht hatte, abzuspringen. Вантажівка різко розвернулася і впала на бік, затиснувши водія, який намагався вистрибнути. He was alive, but his legs were trapped under the lorry door. Er war noch am Leben, aber seine Beine waren unter der Tür des Lastwagens eingeklemmt. He was calling out for help and was obviously in great pain. Er rief um Hilfe und hatte offensichtlich große Schmerzen.

What happened next amazed Jamie. Was dann geschah, erstaunte Jamie. Master Tong ran to the lorry, took a deep breath and pushed up with both hands against the side of the lorry. Meister Tong rannte zum Lastwagen, holte tief Luft und stieß sich mit beiden Händen an der Seite des Lastwagens ab. What was the old man thinking of? Woran hat der alte Mann gedacht? What could he do? The lorry was not large but it was not something to be pushed away like an empty box. Der Lastwagen war nicht groß, aber er war auch nicht etwas, das man wie eine leere Kiste wegschieben konnte.

But he lifted it up!

Master Tong held up the lorry while other willing hands pulled the driver away. Meister Tong hielt den Lastwagen auf, während andere willige Hände den Fahrer wegzogen. Only after the driver was safe did he let go. The lorry sank down with a heavy sound of metal. Вантажівка опустилася з важким металевим звуком.

Master Tong sat down, a little red in the face but not hurt by his efforts. Meister Tong setzte sich, ein wenig rot im Gesicht, aber nicht verletzt von seinen Bemühungen. But Jamie had no time to talk to him as he was needed by the injured driver. Jamie hatte jedoch keine Zeit, mit ihm zu sprechen, da er von dem verletzten Fahrer gebraucht wurde. He used his acupressure skills to reduce the poor man's pain until he could be taken to hospital. Er nutzte seine Akupressurkenntnisse, um die Schmerzen des armen Mannes zu lindern, bis er ins Krankenhaus gebracht werden konnte. Jamie noticed a young woman by his side. It was the pretty woman from the Tai Chi class. Es war die hübsche Frau aus dem Tai-Chi-Kurs. She was busy talking to the injured man and helping him to relax. Sie war damit beschäftigt, mit dem verletzten Mann zu sprechen und ihm zu helfen, sich zu entspannen. Their eyes met briefly and she smiled at him before she left to get more help. Ihre Blicke trafen sich kurz und sie lächelte ihn an, bevor sie ging, um weitere Hilfe zu holen. Їхні погляди ненадовго зустрілися, і вона посміхнулася йому, перш ніж піти за допомогою.

When the ambulance arrived, Jamie saw that the Tai Chi class had begun again. People were gently moving in the new morning light, all following Master Tong. Die Menschen bewegten sich sanft im neuen Morgenlicht, alle folgten Meister Tong. Люди обережно рухалися в новому ранковому світлі, всі йшли за Майстром Тонгом.

The next day Jamie got to his Tai Chi class early. He wanted to speak to Master Tong before the class began.

Jamie saw him already doing his exercises next to a large banyan tree. Master Tong saw him and smiled.

'Always exercise next to a tree,' he said. 'Trees are good for the chi.'

Jamie looked at the slightly built man who was smiling at him. Could he really have moved that lorry by himself? Master Tong saw his face and answered for him.

'You need not be so surprised by what happened yesterday, my friend. You ought to know from your studies that the chi can be a practical tool, a way of finding outer as well as inner strength.' Sie sollten aus Ihren Studien wissen, dass das Chi ein praktisches Werkzeug sein kann, ein Weg, um sowohl äußere als auch innere Stärke zu finden". Ви повинні знати з ваших досліджень, що ци може бути практичним інструментом, способом знайти зовнішню і внутрішню силу".

'Yes, but I never thought...' Jamie began.

Master Tong again seemed to read his mind. 'You never thought that a gentle form of exercise such as Tai Chi could produce such results, yes?'

'Well... er... yes,' answered Jamie.

'Observe,' said Master Tong.

Jamie saw him go through one of the more complicated exercises at the normal speed. The exercise involved movements that looked like elegant kicks and punches.

'Observe again,' Master Tong told him.

This time the exercise was performed much faster. Master Tong moved with a speed and power that took Jamie's breath away. There was nothing gentle about this!

'One side gentle, one side strong. Both are the same, both are part of the chi. You understand now?'

'I think so,' said Jamie.

'You used the gentle side of the chi yourself when you treated the injured man for his pain. That is good. We both use the chi when it is needed. That is balance. That is good. OK?'

Jamie nodded. He had seen something that would stay in his mind forever. Він побачив щось, що залишиться в його пам'яті назавжди. He had seen strength as well as elegance. Він бачив як силу, так і елегантність.

He had also seen power and it was beautiful in his eyes.

It was a few months after Jamie's talk with Master Tong when Adrian approached Jamie. He and Jamie often talked together after work before they went home.

'My uncle tells me you are one of his best students,' Adrian told him.

'But I've only been with him for a few months!' said Jamie.

'Exactly! He says you've learned more in a few months than most do in a few years! How do you do it, Jamie?'

'Just lucky, I suppose,' said Jamie. They both laughed, but Jamie didn't add any more to explain his answer, though he wasn't sure why. Вони обоє розсміялися, але Джеймі не додав нічого, щоб пояснити свою відповідь, хоча й не був упевнений, чому.

Adrian was too polite to ask again before he went home.

Jamie spent most of his time on studying and practicing his skills. He would apply acupressure or sometimes needles to his skin in order to increase his chi. Er wandte Akupressur oder manchmal auch Nadeln auf seiner Haut an, um sein Chi zu steigern. He needed more energy if he was to do all the things he wanted. And he wanted a lot.

Most of all he wanted power. He wanted the power of his chi to fill his being. Він хотів, щоб сила його ци наповнила його істоту. He did not ask himself why he wanted it. He never questioned his desire for it, a desire that seemed to grow as naturally as his power grew. Er stellte sein Verlangen danach nie in Frage, ein Verlangen, das so natürlich zu wachsen schien, wie seine Macht wuchs. Він ніколи не ставив під сумнів своє бажання - бажання, яке, здавалося, зростало так само природно, як і його влада.

But as his power grew his wisdom didn't. Doch während seine Macht wuchs, wuchs seine Weisheit nicht.

Jamie was still doing well at the college. Jamie war immer noch gut an der Hochschule. He was now head of the Business Studies department. Er war jetzt Leiter der Abteilung für Wirtschaftswissenschaften. The three other lecturers who were in the department liked Jamie, but he expected a lot from them. Die drei anderen Dozenten in der Abteilung mochten Jamie, aber er erwartete viel von ihnen. They wondered how he could work so hard. Sie fragten sich, wie er so hart arbeiten konnte. No matter how much they did, he always seemed to be doing more. Egal, wie viel sie taten, er schien immer mehr zu tun.

Jamie's department was becoming well-known for its excellent examination results. Jamies Abteilung war für ihre ausgezeichneten Prüfungsergebnisse bekannt geworden. Кафедра Джеймі ставала відомою завдяки відмінним результатам іспитів. But his students, though they liked and respected Jamie, found that keeping up with all the work he wanted them to do was almost impossible. Doch obwohl seine Schüler Jamie mochten und respektierten, fanden sie es fast unmöglich, mit all den Aufgaben, die er von ihnen verlangte, Schritt zu halten. Але його студенти, хоч і любили та поважали Джеймі, виявили, що встигати за всіма завданнями, які він хотів, щоб вони виконували, було майже неможливо. That is, if they expected to eat and sleep. Das heißt, wenn sie erwarten, dass sie essen und schlafen können. Тобто, якщо вони розраховували поїсти і поспати.

Jamie himself knew well enough that his expectations were beginning to be too much for his students and staff. Jamie wusste selbst gut genug, dass seine Erwartungen für seine Schüler und Mitarbeiter langsam zu hoch wurden. He decided that something needed to be done about it. Er beschloss, dass etwas dagegen unternommen werden musste. Він вирішив, що з цим треба щось робити. Of course! They could all join Master Tong's Tai Chi classes! Sie könnten alle an den Tai-Chi-Kursen von Meister Tong teilnehmen! Why not?

Jamie was feeling quite excited at the idea of his staff and students joining in the classes every morning. Jamie war ganz begeistert von der Idee, dass seine Mitarbeiter und Schüler jeden Morgen am Unterricht teilnehmen würden. He never stopped to think that they might have other things to do with their lives; that they might have families to be with, or homes to look after or even other jobs to do. Er hat nie daran gedacht, dass sie vielleicht andere Dinge mit ihrem Leben zu tun haben; dass sie vielleicht Familien haben, die sie begleiten, oder Häuser, um die sie sich kümmern müssen, oder sogar andere Jobs, die sie ausüben.

He had not felt excited by anything in this way for some time. Er hatte sich schon lange nicht mehr so erregt gefühlt. Він давно вже не відчував такого захоплення від чогось подібного. He was usually calm and in control of his feelings. Normalerweise war er ruhig und hatte seine Gefühle unter Kontrolle. He would speak to Master Tong about it tomorrow. Er würde morgen mit Meister Tong darüber sprechen. But tonight he decided to walk home by way of the shopping center, past all the bright shops and the colourful lights he had always found so cheerful. It was his way of celebrating.

But there were others who were also celebrating that night. And they were far from being calm. І вони були далеко не спокійні. Five men were sitting at an outdoor table in a street cafe next to the pavement. They had been drinking too much beer. One of them saw Jamie walking past and called out to him.

'Hey, mate, do you speak English?'

Jamie looked at the man. He was big and was speaking too loudly.

'Yes,' said Jamie, politely. 'I am English. Can I help you?'

The men all shouted and laughed, repeating 'I am English' in a rude way that was meant to sound like him. Jamie ignored this.

'Yeah, mate, you can have a beer with us. "Так, друже, можеш випити з нами пива. It's my mate's birthday and I'm buying the drinks. У мого друга день народження, і я купую напої. You're my guest. You can drink to his health, too.'

'No thanks,' said Jamie. 'I don't drink beer, only water and tea.'

The other men all laughed loudly but the first man got angry.

'I'm not asking you, mate, I'm telling you. Now drink!' The man pushed a beer can in front of Jamie's face. Jamie calmly turned away and began to walk off. He did not want to become involved with these men. The man reached out and roughly grabbed Jamie's shoulder.

Jamie did not even think about his next action. He turned quickly and pushed upwards with both hands against the man's chest. The man went up into the air and landed on another table, knocking over beer cans and breaking glasses. He did not get up. Він не вставав.

Jamie could hardly believe what he had done. He had not meant to do anything violent. Now a man was hurt.

The four other men looked at the fallen man in horror. This quickly turned to anger as they got up and attacked Jamie. They were all shouting angrily at him as they did so. Some had bottles in their hands and one had picked up a heavy wooden chair.

Jamie had not asked for this. He had not wanted to hurt anyone. Now four large drunken men were attacking him.

Something seemed to break inside Jamie's mind at that moment. In diesem Moment schien etwas in Jamies Kopf zu zerbrechen. Здавалося, в той момент у Джеймі щось зламалося в голові. It seemed to him as if the men were moving in slow motion. Es kam ihm so vor, als würden sich die Männer in Zeitlupe bewegen. Йому здавалося, що чоловіки рухаються в сповільненій зйомці. It was easy to avoid their punches, easy to hit them in places he knew would make them unconscious for a long time. Es war leicht, ihren Schlägen auszuweichen, sie an Stellen zu treffen, von denen er wusste, dass sie für lange Zeit bewusstlos sein würden. Було легко уникати їхніх ударів, легко бити їх у місця, які, як він знав, надовго виводили їх з ладу. It was just after the fourth man had gone down that he felt a sudden pain in his back. Kurz nachdem der vierte Mann zu Boden gegangen war, spürte er einen plötzlichen Schmerz in seinem Rücken. The floor rushed towards him. Der Boden stürzte auf ihn zu. Підлога кинулася йому назустріч. All the world went black and he knew no more. Die ganze Welt wurde schwarz und er wusste nicht mehr weiter. Увесь світ занурився в темряву, і він більше нічого не знав.