12 The Hermit

Most people like living with other people. But some people just have to be by themselves. Take Bozo Kucik, for example. For over eighty-four years Bozo lived all alone on a desert island.

In 1888, when Bozo was only sixteen, his father left him on a little island off the coast of Croatia. He kissed Bozo goodbye and said, “I hope all goes well with you, my son.” Then the father got back in his boat and sailed home without his son. Bozo’s father was a poor peasant who couldn’t afford to feed his seven children. So he called his sons together and asked them to decide their own futures. Bozo chose the life of a hermit.

During the years that Bozo lived alone, World Wars I and II were fought. But Bozo never heard about them. In 1972, a crew of fishermen visited his island. They tried to talk to Bozo. At first the old hermit ran away. Finally, he let the men into his windless stone hut.

The fishermen talked with Bozo for over two hours. They told him all about the two world wars he had missed. When they asked his age, Bozo guessed he was one hundred years old. They asked if he wanted to go home. But Bozo said no. So the fishermen wished Bozo well and left him alone again—just as his father had eighty-four years before.

12 隐士

大多数人喜欢和别人一起生活。但有些人就是必须独处。以博佐·库奇克为例。博佐在一个荒岛上独自生活了八十多年。

1888年，博佐只有十六岁时，他的父亲把他留在克罗地亚海岸附近的一个小岛上。他吻别博佐，说：“儿子，希望你一切都好。”然后父亲回到船上，没有带儿子就扬帆回家了。博佐的父亲是个贫穷的农民，养不起他的七个孩子。所以他把儿子们叫到一起，让他们自己决定未来。博佐选择了隐士的生活。

在博佐独居的那些年里，第一次世界大战和第二次世界大战爆发了。但博佐从未听说过这些。1972年，一群渔民造访了他的岛屿。他们试图和博佐交谈。起初，这位老隐士跑开了。最后，他让这些人进入他那没有窗户的石屋。

渔民们和博佐谈了两个多小时。他们告诉他所有他错过的两次世界大战的事情。当他们问他的年龄时，博佐猜测自己有一百岁了。他们问他是否想回家。但博佐说不。于是渔民们祝博佐一切安好，又让他独自生活了——就像他父亲八十多年前做的那样。