[澳］泰格特/Taggart
同一间病房里住着两个身患重病的人。遵照医嘱，其中一个每天下午要在床上坐一个小时，以便将肺内的积液排出体外，他的床紧邻病房里唯一的窗户。另一个必须终日平躺在床上。他们总是连续几个小时地谈话，他们的话题涉及各自的家庭和妻子、工作和一些服兵役时在部队里发生的事，以及他们都曾在哪儿度过假。每天下午，靠窗子的病人坐起来，都要向他的病友描述发生在窗外的事，以此打发他们的时间。这一个多小时，让另一个病人有了更多的生存渴望。他向往窗外那丰富多彩的生活，那会使他视野开阔，心情畅快。
窗外有一个公园，公园里有一个美丽的湖泊。鸭子和天鹅在水中自由自在地游着，孩子们在水面玩着模型船，青年情侣手挽着手漫步于五彩缤纷的花丛中，擎天的大树使风景更加幽雅迷人。遥望过去，整个城市的轮廓尽收眼底。窗边的男人细致地描述着窗外的美景，此时，另一个男人总是闭上眼睛，幻想着这些如诗如画的美景。
一个阳光和煦的午后，窗边男人又向病友描述着路经的游行队伍，尽管病友听不见鼓乐声，但他可以通过窗边男人的描述，凭借自己的想象在脑海中勾画窗外的美景。时间就这样一天天、一周周过去了。一天早上，值班护士给他们送来洗澡水，发现窗边的男人已经死了，他是在睡梦中安静地死去的。她伤心极了，让医院的护理员抬走了尸体。
选择了一个恰当的时机，另一个男人便问他是否可以搬到靠窗的床上去。护士很高兴地答应了，打理好一切后，便离开了病房。他努力用一个胳膊肘慢慢地支撑着坐起来，他要亲眼看一下外面的世界，他很高兴终于有机会能亲眼看风景了。他紧张地慢慢地扭头向窗外望去，看到的却是一堵白墙。
男人不解地问护士，是什么力量促使已故的病友把窗外的东西描述得那么美好呢护士回答说，那个男人是盲人，连那堵墙都看不到，她说：“他或许只是想给你些鼓励罢了。”
Two men，both seriously ill，occupied the same hospital room.One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.His bed was next to the room’s only window.The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.The men talked for hours on end.They spoke of their wives and families，their homes，their jobs，their involvement in the military service，where they had been on vacation.And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up，he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow.Grand old trees graced the landscape，and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail，the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.Although the other man couldn’t hear the band，he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.Days and weeks passed.One morning，the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window，who had died peacefully in his sleep.She was saddened and called the hospitalattendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate，the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.The nurse was happy to make the switch，and after making sure he was comfortable，she left him alone.Slowly，painfully，he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside.Finally，he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.She said，“Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”
