📄 *SUB Fri 10.31.25 - Scary Stories

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COMMONLIT Name: _________________________ Class: _________________________ The Landlady By Roald Dahl 1959 Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a British novelist, short story writer, and poet. Dahl’s stories are known for having darkly comic or unexpected endings. In this short story, a young man in search of lodgings is taken in by a seemingly kind and gentle landlady. As you read, take notes on how the author characterizes the landlady. [1] Billy Weaver had travelled down from London on the slow afternoon train, with a change at Swindon¹ on the way, and by the time he got to Bath² it was about nine o’clock in the evening and the moon was coming up out of a clear starry sky over the houses opposite the station entrance. But the air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks. “Excuse me,” he said, “but is there a fairly cheap hotel not too far away from here?” “Try The Bell and Dragon,” the porter³ answered, pointing down the road. “They might take you in. It’s about a quarter of a mile along on the other side.” Billy thanked him and picked up his suitcase and set out to walk the quarter-mile to The Bell and Dragon. He had never been to Bath before. He didn’t know anyone who lived there. But Mr Greenslade at the Head Office in London had told him it was a splendid city. “Find your own lodgings,” he had said, “and then go along and report to the Branch Manager as soon as you’ve got yourself settled.” “The Linville River Farm bed and breakfast, no longer in operation” by Lindley Ashline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. [5] Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat,⁴ and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. He walked briskly⁵ down the street. He was trying to do everything briskly these days. Briskness, he had decided, was the one common characteristic of all successful businessmen. The big shots up at Head Office were absolutely fantastically brisk all the time. They were amazing. 1. a large town in South West England 2. a region in the countryside in South West England 3. A “porter” is a person employed to carry luggage. 4. a soft felt hat with a narrow brim 5. **Brisk** (adjective) moving or acting with quickness and energy 1

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通用读本 姓名：_________________________ 班级：_________________________ 房东太太 罗尔德·达尔 著 1959年 罗尔德·达尔（1916-1990）是英国小说家、短篇故事作家和诗人。达尔的故事以其黑色幽默或出人意料的结局而闻名。在这个短篇故事中，一个寻找住处的年轻人被一位看似善良温和的房东太太收留。阅读时，请注意作者是如何刻画这位房东太太的。 [1] 比利·韦弗乘坐下午的慢车从伦敦出发，中途在斯温顿¹转车，等他抵达巴斯²时，已是晚上九点左右，月亮正从车站入口对面房屋上方的晴朗星空中升起。然而，空气异常寒冷，寒风像冰冷的刀片刮过他的脸颊。 “打扰一下，”他说，“请问附近有没有比较便宜的旅馆？” “试试‘钟与龙’旅馆吧，”行李员³指着路边答道，“他们或许会收留你。沿着这条路走大约四分之一英里，就在路的另一边。” 比利谢过他，提起手提箱，动身前往“钟与龙”旅馆，步行大约四分之一英里。他以前从未到过巴斯，也不认识任何住在那儿的人。但伦敦总公司的格林斯莱德先生告诉他，那是一个宏伟的城市。“自己找好住处，”他说，“然后安顿下来后，尽快去向分公司经理报到。” “林维尔河农场民宿，已停业” 摄影：林德利·阿什林，遵循CC BY-NC-ND 2.0许可协议。 [5] 比利十七岁。他穿着一件崭新的海军蓝大衣、一顶崭新的棕色软呢帽⁴和一套崭新的棕色西装，感觉棒极了。他精神抖擞地⁵走在街上。这些日子他总是努力做任何事都雷厉风行。他认为，雷厉风行是所有成功商人共同的特点。总公司那些大人物总是惊人地雷厉风行。他们真是了不起。 1. 英格兰西南部的一个大城镇 2. 英格兰西南部的一个乡村地区 3. “行李员”是指受雇搬运行李的人。 4. 一种窄边软毡帽 5. **雷厉风行**（形容词）指行动迅速而充满活力。 1

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COMMONLIT There were no shops on this wide street that he was walking along, only a line of tall houses on each side, all them identical. They had porches and pillars and four or five steps going up to their front doors, and it was obvious that once upon a time they had been very swanky⁶ residences. But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows, and that the handsome white façades⁷ were cracked and blotchy from neglect. Suddenly, in a downstairs window that was brilliantly illuminated by a street-lamp not six yards away, Billy caught sight of a printed notice propped up against the glass in one of the upper panes. It said BED AND BREAKFAST. There was a vase of yellow chrysanthemums, tall and beautiful, standing just underneath the notice. He stopped walking. He moved a bit closer. Green curtains (some sort of velvety material) were hanging down on either side of the window. The chrysanthemums looked wonderful beside them. He went right up and peered through the glass into the room, and the first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the hearth. On the carpet in front of the fire, a pretty little dachshund⁸ was curled up asleep with its nose tucked into its belly. [10] The room itself, so far as he could see in the half-darkness, was filled with pleasant furniture. There was a baby- grand piano and a big sofa and several plump armchairs; and in one corner he spotted a large parrot in a cage. Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this, Billy told himself; and all in all, it looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent house to stay in. Certainly it would be more comfortable than The Bell and Dragon. On the other hand, a pub would be more congenial⁹ than a boarding-house. There would be beer and darts in the evenings, and lots of people to talk to, and it would probably be a good bit cheaper, too. He had stayed a couple of nights in a pub once before and he had liked it. He had never stayed in any boarding-houses, and, to be perfectly honest, he was a tiny bit frightened of them. The name itself conjured¹⁰ up images of watery cabbage, rapacious¹¹ landladies, and a powerful smell of kippers¹² in the living-room. After dithering¹³ about like this in the cold for two or three minutes, Billy decided that he would walk on and take a look at The Bell and Dragon before making up his mind. He turned to go. And now a queer¹⁴ thing happened to him. He was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar¹⁵ manner by the small notice that was there. BED AND BREAKFAST, it said. BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST. Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass, holding him, compelling him, forcing him to stay where he was 6. **Swanky** (*adjective*) stylish and expensive 7. A "façade" is the face of a building, especially the front that looks on a street. 8. a type of dog with short legs and a long body 9. **Congenial** (*adjective*) pleasant and enjoyable 10. **Conjure** (*verb*) to produce or cause something to appear 11. **Rapacious** (*adjective*) aggressively greedy or hungry 12. a type of fish 13. to be indecisive 14. strange or odd 15. **Peculiar** (*adjective*) unusual or not normal 2

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COMMONLIT 他走在这条宽阔的街道上，两旁没有商店，只有一排排高大的房屋，全都一模一样。它们有门廊和柱子，门前有四五级台阶，显然，它们曾一度是十分豪华的住宅。但现在，即使在黑暗中，他也能看出门窗木制品上的油漆正在剥落，漂亮的白色外墙也因疏于维护而开裂、斑驳。 突然，在离他不到六码远的一盏街灯照耀下，一扇楼下窗户灯火通明，比利瞥见一块打印的告示牌靠在上层玻璃上。上面写着“住宿加早餐”。告示牌下方摆着一瓶高大美丽的黄色菊花。 他停下了脚步。他走近了一些。 窗户两边垂着绿色的窗帘（某种天鹅绒材质）。菊花在窗帘旁显得格外美丽。他径直走上前，透过玻璃往房间里看，首先映入眼帘的是壁炉里燃着熊熊炉火。炉火前的地毯上，一只可爱的小腊肠狗蜷缩着睡着了，鼻子埋在肚子里。 [10] 房间本身，在他半明半暗中能看到的范围内，摆满了舒适的家具。有一架小型三角钢琴、一张大沙发和几把饱满的扶手椅；在一个角落里，他还发现了一只笼子里的大鹦鹉。比利心想，在这种地方，有动物通常是个好兆头；总而言之，这看起来会是一个相当不错的住宿地点。当然，它肯定会比“贝尔与龙”更舒适。 另一方面，小酒馆会比寄宿公寓更令人愉快。晚上有啤酒和飞镖，有很多人可以聊天，而且可能也会便宜不少。他以前曾在小酒馆住过几晚，很喜欢。他从未住过寄宿公寓，老实说，他对它们有点害怕。这个名字本身就让他联想到寡淡的卷心菜汤、贪婪的女房东，以及客厅里浓烈的熏鱼味。 在寒风中这样犹豫了两三分钟后，比利决定继续往前走，先去看看“贝尔与龙”再做决定。他转身准备离开。就在这时，一件奇怪的事情发生了。他正要后退并转身离开窗户，突然间，他的目光被那块小告示牌以一种最奇特的方式吸引并牢牢抓住。“住宿加早餐”，上面写着。住宿加早餐，住宿加早餐，住宿加早餐。每个词都像一只巨大的黑眼睛，透过玻璃凝视着他，将他牢牢抓住，吸引着他，迫使他留在原地。

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COMMONLIT and not to walk away from that house, and the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reaching for the bell. He pressed the bell. Far away in a back room he heard it ringing, and then at once — it must have been at once because he hadn’t even had time to take his finger from the bell-button — the door swung open and a woman was standing there. Normally you ring the bell and you have at least a half-minute’s wait before the door opens. But this dame¹⁶ was a like a jack-in-the-box. He pressed the bell — and out she popped! It made him jump. [15] She was about forty-five or fifty years old, and the moment she saw him, she gave him a warm welcoming smile. “Please come in,” she said pleasantly. She stepped aside, holding the door wide open, and Billy found himself automatically starting forward into the house. The compulsion¹⁷ or, more accurately, the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily strong. “I saw the notice in the window,” he said, holding himself back. “Yes, I know.” “I was wondering about a room.” [20] “It’s all ready for you, my dear,” she said. She had a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes. “I was on my way to The Bell and Dragon,” Billy told her. “But the notice in your window just happened to catch my eye.” “My dear boy,” she said, “why don’t you come in out of the cold?” “How much do you charge?” “Five and sixpence a night, including breakfast.” [25] It was fantastically cheap. It was less than half of what he had been willing to pay. “If that is too much,” she added, “then perhaps I can reduce it just a tiny bit. Do you desire an egg for breakfast? Eggs are expensive at the moment. It would be sixpence less without the egg.” “Five and sixpence is fine,” he answered. “I should like very much to stay here.” “I knew you would. Do come in.” 16. “Dame” is another term for a woman. 17. **Compulsion** (noun) an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way 3

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COMMONLIT 他没有离开那栋房子，接着他发现自己竟然从窗户那边移步到房子的前门，走上通往门前的台阶，伸手去按门铃。 他按下了门铃。在远处的一间后屋里，他听到了铃声响起，然后立刻——那一定是立刻发生的，因为他甚至还没来得及把手指从门铃按钮上移开——门就打开了，一个女人站在那里。 通常你按门铃后，至少要等上半分钟门才会开。但这个女人¹⁶就像一个弹簧盒里的小丑。他一按门铃——她就跳出来了！这让他吓了一跳。 [15] 她大约四十五到五十岁，她一看到他，就给了他一个热情友好的笑容。 “请进来吧，”她愉快地说。她侧身让开，把门敞得大大的，比利发现自己不由自主地迈步走进了房子。那种强烈的冲动¹⁷，或者更准确地说，是想跟着她走进那栋房子的欲望，异常强烈。 “我看到了窗户上的告示，”他克制住自己说。 “是的，我知道。” “我想问问房间的事。” [20] “一切都为你准备好了，我亲爱的，”她说。她有一张圆润的粉色脸庞和一双非常温柔的蓝眼睛。 “我本来要去‘钟与龙’旅馆的，”比利告诉她，“但你窗户上的告示碰巧吸引了我的注意。” “我亲爱的孩子，”她说，“你为什么不进来避避寒呢？” “你们收费多少？” “每晚五先令六便士，含早餐。” [25] 便宜得令人难以置信。比他本来愿意支付的价格少了一半以上。 “如果这太贵了，”她补充道，“那我或许可以稍微减少一点点。早餐想吃鸡蛋吗？现在鸡蛋很贵。不加鸡蛋的话，可以少收六便士。” “五先令六便士很好，”他回答，“我非常想住在这里。” “我就知道你会的。快进来吧。” 16. “Dame”是“女人”的另一种说法。 17. **Compulsion** (名词) 一种无法抗拒的、想要以某种方式行事的冲动。

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COMMONLIT She seemed terribly nice. She looked exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays. Billy took off his hat, and stepped over the threshold. ¹⁸ [30] “Just hang it there,” she said, “and let me help you with your coat.” There were no other hats or coats in the hall. There were no umbrellas, no walking-sticks — nothing. “We have it all to ourselves,” she said, smiling at him over her shoulder as she led the way upstairs. “You see, it isn’t very often I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest.” The old girl is slightly dotty, ¹⁹ Billy told himself. But at five and sixpence a night, who gives a damn about that? — “I should’ve thought you’d be simply swamped ²⁰ with applicants,” he said politely. [35] “Oh, I am, my dear, I am, of course I am. But the trouble is that I’m inclined to be just a teeny weeny bit choosy and particular — if you see what I mean.” “Ah, yes.” “But I’m always ready. Everything is always ready day and night in this house just on the off-chance that an acceptable young gentleman will come along. And it is such a pleasure, my dear, such a very great pleasure when now and again I open the door and I see someone standing there who is just exactly right.” She was half- way up the stairs, and she paused with one hand on the stair-rail, turning her head and smiling down at him with pale lips. “Like you,” she added, and her blue eyes travelled slowly all the way down the length of Billy’s body, to his feet, and then up again. On the first-floor landing she said to him, “This floor is mine.” They climbed up a second flight. “And this one is all yours,” she said. “Here’s your room. I do hope you’ll like it.” She took him into a small but charming front bedroom, switching on the light as she went in. [40] “The morning sun comes right in the window, Mr Perkins. It is Mr Perkins, isn’t it?” “No,” he said. “It’s Weaver.” “Mr Weaver. How nice. I’ve put a water-bottle between the sheets to air them out, Mr Weaver. It’s such a comfort to have a hot water-bottle in a strange bed with clean sheets, don’t you agree? And you may light the gas fire at any time if you feel chilly.” “Thank you,” Billy said. “Thank you ever so much.” He noticed that the bedspread had been taken off the bed, and that the bedclothes had been neatly turned back on one side, all ready for someone to get in. 18. a point of entering 19. “Dotty” means somewhat mad. 20. **Swamp** (*verb*) to overwhelm with an excessive amount of something 4

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她看起来非常和蔼可亲。她就像你最好的同学的妈妈，欢迎你到家里过圣诞假期一样。比利摘下帽子，迈过门槛。¹⁸ [30]“就挂在那儿吧，”她说，“我来帮你脱外套。” 门厅里没有别的帽子或外套。没有雨伞，没有手杖——什么都没有。 “这里只有我们，”她越过肩膀对他微笑，领着他上楼。 “你看，我很少有机会能带客人来我的小窝。” “这老太太有点古怪，”¹⁹比利心想。但一晚五先令六便士，谁会在乎那个呢？ ——“我还以为您会应接不暇呢，”²⁰他礼貌地说。 [35]“哦，是的，亲爱的，是的，我当然是。但问题是，我有点挑剔，有点讲究——你懂我的意思吧。” “啊，是的。” “但我总是准备好的。这房子里的一切都日夜准备着，以防万一有位合意的年轻绅士到来。亲爱的，当我不时打开门，看到一个恰到好处的人站在那里时，那真是莫大的荣幸，非常非常大的荣幸。”她走到楼梯一半，一只手扶着扶手停了下来，转过头，用苍白的嘴唇对他微笑。“就像你一样，”她补充道，她的蓝眼睛慢慢地从比利全身扫过，一直到他的脚，然后又向上扫回来。 在一楼的平台，她对他说：“这一层是我的。” 他们又爬了一层。“这一层都是你的，”她说。“这是你的房间。我真希望你会喜欢。”她带他进了一间小巧但迷人的临街卧室，进去时顺手打开了灯。 [40]“早晨的阳光会直接照进窗户，珀金斯先生。您是珀金斯先生，对吗？” “不，”他说，“我是韦弗。” “韦弗先生。真好。韦弗先生，我把一个热水袋放在床单之间，让它们透透气。在陌生的床上，铺着干净的床单，再有个热水袋，真是太舒服了，您不觉得吗？如果您觉得冷，随时可以点燃煤气炉。” “谢谢您，”比利说，“非常感谢。”他注意到床罩已经被拿掉了，床单和被子整齐地向一侧翻开，一切都准备好让人入睡了。

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COMMONLIT “I’m so glad you appeared,” she said, looking earnestly²¹ into his face. “I was beginning to get worried.” [45] “That’s all right,” Billy answered brightly. “You mustn’t worry about me.” He put his suitcase on the chair and started to open it. “And what about supper, my dear? Did you manage to get anything to eat before you came here?” “I’m not a bit hungry, thank you,” he said. “I think I’ll just go to bed as soon as possible because tomorrow I’ve got to get up rather early and report to the office.” “Very well, then. I’ll leave you now so that you can unpack. But before you go to bed, would you be kind enough to pop into the sitting-room on the ground floor and sign the book? Everyone has to do that because it’s the law of the land, and we don’t want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings, do we?” She gave him a little wave of the hand and went quickly out of the room and closed the door. Now, the fact that his landlady appeared to be slightly off her rocker²² didn’t worry Billy in the least. After all, she was not only harmless — there was no question about that — but she was also quite obviously a kind and generous soul. He guessed that she had probably lost a son in the war, or something like that, and had never got over it. [50] So a few minutes later, after unpacking his suitcase and washing his hands, he trotted downstairs to the ground floor and entered the living-room. His landlady wasn’t there, but the fire was glowing in the hearth, and the little dachshund was still sleeping in front of it. The room was wonderfully warm and cosy. I’m a lucky fellow, he thought, rubbing his hands. This is a bit of all right. He found the guest-book lying open on the piano, so he took out his pen and wrote down his name and address. There were only two other entries above his on the page, and, as one always does with guest-books, he started to read them. One was a Christopher Mulholland from Cardiff. The other was Gregory W. Temple from Bristol. That’s funny, he thought suddenly. Christopher Mulholland. It rings a bell. Now where on earth had he heard that rather unusual name before? Was he a boy at school? No. Was it one of his sister’s numerous young men, perhaps, or a friend of his father’s? No, no, it wasn’t any of those. He glanced down again at the book. Christopher Mulholland, 231 Cathedral Road, Cardiff. Gregory W. Temple, 27 Sycamore Drive, Bristol. As a matter of fact, now he came to think of it, he wasn’t at all sure that the second name didn’t have almost as much of a familiar ring about it as the first. “Gregory Temple?” he said aloud, searching his memory. “Christopher Mulholland?…” “Such charming boys,” a voice behind him answered, and he turned and saw his landlady sailing into the room with a large silver tea-tray in her hands. She was holding it well out in front of her, and rather high up, as though the tray were a pair of reins on a frisky²³ horse. 21. **Earnest (adjective)** serious and sincere 22. a phrase that means insane 23. **Frisky (adjective)** playful and full of energy 5

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COMMONLIT “你来了我真高兴，”她真诚地看着他的脸说，“我开始有点担心了。” [45] “没关系，”比利开朗地回答，“你不用为我担心。”他把手提箱放在椅子上，开始打开。 “亲爱的，晚饭怎么样？你来之前吃过东西了吗？” “我一点也不饿，谢谢，”他说，“我想我最好尽快上床睡觉，因为明天我得早起去办公室报到。” “那好吧。我现在就走，好让你整理行李。不过在你睡觉之前，能不能麻烦你到楼下的客厅去签个名？每个人都必须这样做，因为这是国家法律，我们可不想在这个节骨眼上违法，是吧？”她朝他挥了挥手，然后迅速走出房间，关上了门。 房东太太看起来有点精神失常，但这丝毫没有让比利担心。毕竟，她不仅无害——这一点毫无疑问——而且显然是个善良慷慨的人。他猜她可能是在战争中失去了儿子，或者类似的事情，并且从未从中走出来。 [50] 几分钟后，他整理好手提箱，洗了手，便小跑着下楼来到客厅。房东太太不在，但壁炉里的火正熊熊燃烧，小腊肠狗依然睡在炉前。房间里暖和又舒适极了。“我真是个幸运儿，”他搓着手想，“这地方还真不错。” 他发现留言簿摊开放在钢琴上，于是拿出笔写下了自己的名字和地址。那一页上，在他名字上面只有另外两条记录，就像人们看留言簿时常做的那样，他开始读了起来。一条是来自卡迪夫的克里斯托弗·马尔霍兰。另一条是来自布里斯托尔的格雷戈里·W·坦普尔。“真奇怪，”他突然想，“克里斯托弗·马尔霍兰。这个名字听起来耳熟。他到底是在哪里听过这个不寻常的名字呢？” 是学校里的同学吗？不是。是他姐姐的众多追求者之一吗，或者他父亲的朋友？不，不，都不是。他再次低头看了一眼留言簿。克里斯托弗·马尔霍兰，卡迪夫大教堂路231号。格雷戈里·W·坦普尔，布里斯托尔梧桐大道27号。事实上，现在他仔细一想，他甚至不确定第二个名字听起来是否和第一个名字一样耳熟。 “格雷戈里·坦普尔？”他大声说，搜寻着记忆。“克里斯托弗·马尔霍兰？……” “多么迷人的小伙子啊，”他身后传来一个声音回答道。他转过身，看到房东太太手里端着一个大银茶盘，飘进了房间。她把茶盘举得高高的，远远地伸在身前，仿佛那托盘是一匹活泼骏马的缰绳。

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COMMONLIT [55] “They sound somehow familiar,” he said. “They do? How interesting.” “I’m almost positive I’ve heard those names before somewhere. Isn’t that queer? Maybe it was in the newspapers. They weren’t famous in any way, were they? I mean famous cricketers or footballers or something like that?” “Famous,” she said, setting the tea-tray down on the low table in front of the sofa. “Oh no, I don’t think they were famous. But they were extraordinarily handsome, both of them, I can promise you that. They were tall and young and handsome, my dear, just exactly like you.” Once more, Billy glanced down at the book. [60] “Look here,” he said, noticing the dates. “This last entry is over two years old.” “It is?” “Yes, indeed. And Christopher Mulholland’s is nearly a year before that — more than three years ago.” “Dear me,” she said, shaking her head and heaving a dainty²⁴ little sigh. “I would never have thought it. How time does fly away from us all, doesn’t it, Mr Wilkins?” “It’s Weaver,” Billy said. “W-e-a-v-e-r.” [65] “Oh, of course it is!” she cried, sitting down on the sofa. “How silly of me. I do apologise. In one ear and out the other, that’s me, Mr Weaver.” “You know something?” Billy said. “Something that’s really quite extraordinary about all this?” “No, dear, I don’t.” “Well, you see — both of these names, Mulholland and Temple, I not only seem to remember each one of them separately, so to speak, but somehow or other, in some peculiar way, they both appear to be sort of connected together as well. As though they were both famous for the same sort of thing, if you see what I mean — like … like Dempsey and Tunney, for example, or Churchill and Roosevelt.” “How amusing,” she said. “But come over here now, dear, and sit down beside me on the sofa and I’ll give you a nice cup of tea and a ginger biscuit before you go to bed.” [70] “You really shouldn’t bother,” Billy said. “I didn’t mean you to do anything like that.” He stood by the piano, watching her as she fussed about with the cups and saucers. He noticed that she had small, white, quickly moving hands, and red finger-nails. 24. **Dainty** (*adjective*) delicately small 6

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COMMONLIT [55] “听起来有点耳熟，”他说。 “是吗？真有意思。” “我几乎可以肯定我在什么地方听过这些名字。这不是很奇怪吗？也许是在报纸上看到的。他们不是什么名人吧？我的意思是，不是什么著名的板球运动员或足球运动员之类的？” “名人，”她说，把茶盘放在沙发前的矮桌上。“哦不，我不认为他们是名人。但他们都非常英俊，我可以向你保证。他们又高又年轻又英俊，亲爱的，就像你一样。” 比利又一次低头看书。 [60] “看这里，”他注意到日期，说道，“这最后一条记录是两年多以前的了。” “是吗？” “是的，没错。而克里斯托弗·马尔霍兰的记录比这还要早将近一年——那是三年多以前的事了。” “哎呀，”她摇了摇头，轻轻地叹了口气，“我真没想到。时间过得真快啊，是不是，威尔金斯先生？” “是韦弗，”比利说，“W-e-a-v-e-r。” [65] “哦，当然是了！”她叫道，在沙发上坐下。“我真傻。我真抱歉。我就是那种左耳进右耳出的人，韦弗先生。” “你知道吗？”比利说，“关于这一切，有一件非常不寻常的事情？” “不，亲爱的，我不知道。” “嗯，你看——这两个名字，马尔霍兰和坦普尔，我不仅似乎是分别记住了他们，可以说，而且不知怎么的，以某种奇特的方式，他们似乎也以某种方式联系在一起。就好像他们都因为同一种事情而出名，如果你明白我的意思——就像……就像邓普西和特尼，或者丘吉尔和罗斯福。” “真有趣，”她说，“不过现在过来吧，亲爱的，到沙发上坐到我旁边，在你睡觉前我给你一杯好茶和一块姜饼。” [70] “你真的不必麻烦了，”比利说，“我不是那个意思，没想让你做这些。”他站在钢琴旁，看着她忙着摆弄杯子和碟子。他注意到她有一双小巧、白皙、动作迅速的手，以及红色的指甲。

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COMMONLIT “I’m almost positive it was in the newspapers I saw them,” Billy said. “I’ll think of it in a second. I’m sure I will.” There is nothing more tantalising²⁵ than a thing like this which lingers just outside the borders of one’s memory. He hated to give up. “Now wait a minute,” he said. “Wait just a minute. Mulholland… Christopher Mulholland… wasn’t that the name of the Eton schoolboy who was on a walking-tour through the West Country, and then all of a sudden…” “Milk?” she said. “And sugar?” [75] “Yes, please. And then all of a sudden…” “Eton schoolboy?” she said. “Oh no, my dear, that can’t possibly be right because my Mr Mulholland was certainly not an Eton schoolboy when he came to me. He was a Cambridge undergraduate. Come over here now and sit next to me and warm yourself in front of this lovely fire. Come on. Your tea’s all ready for you.” She patted the empty place beside her on the sofa, and she sat there smiling at Billy and waiting for him to come over. He crossed the room slowly, and sat down on the edge of the sofa. She placed his teacup on the table in front of him. “There we are,” she said. “How nice and cosy this is, isn’t it?” Billy started sipping his tea. She did the same. For half a minute or so, neither of them spoke. But Billy knew that she was looking at him. Her body was half-turned towards him, and he could feel her eyes resting on his face, watching him over the rim of her teacup. Now and again, he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell that seemed to emanate²⁶ directly from her person. It was not in the least unpleasant, and it reminded him — well, he wasn’t quite sure what it reminded him of. Pickled walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corridors of a hospital? “Mr Mulholland was a great one for his tea,” she said at length. “Never in my life have I seen anyone drink as much tea as dear, sweet Mr Mulholland.” [80] “I suppose he left fairly recently,” Billy said. He was still puzzling his head about the two names. He was positive now that he had seen them in the newspapers — in the headlines. “Left?” she said, arching her brows. “But my dear boy, he never left. He’s still here. Mr Temple is also here. They’re on the third floor, both of them together.” Billy set down his cup slowly on the table, and stared at his landlady. She smiled back at him, and then she put out one of her white hands and patted him comfortingly on the knee. “How old are you, my dear?” she asked. “Seventeen.” 25. **Tantalize (verb)** to torment or tease someone with something that is unobtainable 26. **Emanate (verb)** to issue or spread out from a source 7

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“我几乎可以肯定是在报纸上看到他们的，”比利说，“我马上就能想起来。我肯定能。” 没有什么比这种在记忆边缘徘徊、却又抓不住的东西更令人心痒难耐的了。他不想放弃。 “等等，”他说，“等一下。马尔霍兰……克里斯托弗·马尔霍兰……那不是那个伊顿公学学生的名字吗？他当时正在西郡徒步旅行，然后突然间……” “牛奶？”她说，“加糖吗？” [75] “是的，请。然后突然间……” “伊顿公学学生？”她说，“哦不，亲爱的，那不可能对，因为我的马尔霍兰先生来我这里的时候，肯定不是伊顿公学学生。他当时是剑桥大学的本科生。现在过来，坐到我旁边，在这炉可爱的火前暖和暖和。来吧。你的茶都准备好了。”她拍了拍沙发上她身旁空着的位置，微笑着看着比利，等他过来。比利慢慢地穿过房间，坐在沙发边缘。她把他的茶杯放在他面前的桌子上。 “好了，”她说，“多舒服多温馨啊，是不是？” 比利开始小口啜饮他的茶。她也一样。大约半分钟左右，两人都没有说话。但比利知道她正在看着他。她的身体半转向他，他能感觉到她的目光停留在他的脸上，透过茶杯边缘注视着他。时不时地，他会闻到一股奇特的味道，似乎直接从她身上散发出来。这味道一点也不令人不快，它让比利想起——嗯，他不太确定想起了什么。腌核桃？新皮革？还是医院的走廊？ “马尔霍兰先生非常爱喝茶，”她终于开口说，“我这辈子从没见过谁像亲爱的、甜美的马尔霍兰先生那样喝那么多茶。” [80] “我想他最近才离开吧，”比利说。他仍在绞尽脑汁思考那两个名字。 他现在可以肯定，他曾在报纸上——在头条新闻里——看到过他们。 “离开？”她扬起眉毛说，“可是我的好孩子，他从没离开过。他还在呢。坦普尔先生也在这里。他们都在三楼，两个人都在。” 比利慢慢地把茶杯放到桌上，盯着他的房东太太。她回以微笑，然后伸出一只白皙的手，安慰性地拍了拍他的膝盖。“你多大了，亲爱的？”她问。 “十七岁。”

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COMMONLIT [85] “Seventeen!” she cried. “Oh, it’s the perfect age! Mr Mulholland was also seventeen. But I think he was a trifle²⁷ shorter than you are, in fact I’m sure he was, and his teeth weren’t quite so white. You have the most beautiful teeth, Mr Weaver, did you know that?” “They’re not as good as they look,” Billy said. “They’ve got simply masses of fillings²⁸ in them at the back.” “Mr Temple, of course, was a little older,” she said, ignoring his remark. “He was actually twenty eight. And yet I never would have guessed it if he hadn’t told me, never in my whole life. There wasn’t a blemish on his body.” “A what?” Billy said. [90] “His skin was just like a baby’s.” There was a pause. Billy picked up his teacup and took another sip of his tea, then he set it down again gently in its saucer. He waited for her to say something else, but she seemed to have lapsed²⁹ into another of her silences. He sat there staring straight ahead of him into the far corner of the room, biting his lower lip. “That parrot,” he said at last. “You know something? It had me completely fooled when I first saw it through the window from the street. I could have sworn it was alive.” “Alas,³⁰ no longer.” “It’s most terribly clever the way it’s been done,” he said. “It doesn’t look in the least bit dead. Who did it?” [95] “I did.” “You did?” “Of course,” she said. “And have you met my little Basil as well?” She nodded towards the dachshund curled up so comfortably in front of the fire. Billy looked at it. And suddenly, he realised that this animal had all the time been just as silent and motionless as the parrot. He put out a hand and touched it gently on the top of its back. The back was hard and cold, and when he pushed the hair to one side with his fingers, he could see the skin underneath, greyish-black and dry and perfectly preserved. “Good gracious me,” he said. “How absolutely fascinating.” He turned away from the dog and stared with deep admiration at the little woman beside him on the sofa. “It must be most awfully difficult to do a thing like that.” “Not in the least,” she said. “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away. Will you have another cup of 27. to some small degree 28. something used to fill a cavity 29. **Lapse (verb)** to revert to a previous state or behavior 30. an expression of grief or pity 8

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“十七岁！”她叫道，“哦，真是完美的年纪！穆赫兰先生当年也是十七岁。不过我觉得他比你矮一点点，事实上我敢肯定他就是，而且他的牙齿也没那么白。韦弗先生，你的牙齿真漂亮，你知道吗？” “它们没看起来那么好，”比利说，“后面有很多补牙的填充物。” “当然，坦普尔先生年纪稍大一些，”她说着，没有理会比利的话，“他当时二十八岁。要不是他告诉我，我这辈子都猜不到。他身上一点瑕疵都没有。” “什么？”比利问。 “他的皮肤就像婴儿一样。” 一阵沉默。比利端起茶杯又喝了一小口茶，然后轻轻地放回茶碟里。他等着她再说些什么，但她似乎又陷入了她惯常的沉默中。他坐在那里，直视着房间的远角，咬着下唇。 “那只鹦鹉，”他终于开口了，“你知道吗？我刚从街上透过窗户看到它的时候，它把我完全骗住了。我简直可以发誓它是活的。” “唉，它已经不是了。” “这做得真是太巧妙了，”他说，“它看起来一点也不像死的。是谁做的？” “我做的。” “你做的？” “当然，”她说，“你见过我的小巴兹尔了吗？”她朝那只舒服地蜷缩在炉火前的腊肠犬点了点头。比利看着它。突然，他意识到这只动物一直以来都和那只鹦鹉一样安静、一动不动。他伸出手，轻轻地摸了摸它的背部。它的背部又硬又冷，当他用手指拨开毛发时，他看到了下面的皮肤，灰黑色、干燥、保存完好。 “天哪，”他说，“真是太令人着迷了。”他把目光从狗身上移开，带着深深的钦佩之情凝视着沙发上他身边的小女人。“做这种事一定非常非常难吧。” “一点也不，”她说，“我的小宠物们去世后，都是我自己把它们做成标本的。你再来一杯……”

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COMMONLIT tea?” [100] “No, thank you,” Billy said. The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds,³¹ and he didn’t much care for it. “You did sign the book, didn’t you?” “Oh, yes.” “That’s good. Because later on, if I happen to forget what you were called, then I can always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr Mulholland and Mr… Mr…” “Temple,” Billy said. “Gregory Temple. Excuse my asking, but haven’t there been any other guests here except them in the last two or three years?” [105] Holding her teacup high in one hand, inclining her head slightly to the left, she looked up at him out of the corners of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile. “No, my dear,” she said. “Only you.” “The Landlady” from The Best of Roald Dahl by Roald Dahl. Copyright © 1959 by David Hingham Associates Limited. Used by permission of Vintage. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license 31. The taste or smell of bitter almonds is an indication that something contains a deadly poison called cyanide. 9

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COMMONLIT 茶？” [100] “不，谢谢。”比利说。茶里隐约有股苦杏仁³¹的味道，他不太喜欢。 “你确实签了名，对吧？” “哦，是的。” “那太好了。因为以后万一我忘了你叫什么，我随时可以下来查。我几乎每天都还这样查穆赫兰先生和……先生……” “坦普尔，”比利说，“格雷戈里·坦普尔。请原谅我冒昧地问一句，过去两三年里，除了他们，这里就没有其他客人了吗？” [105] 她一只手高高举着茶杯，头微微向左倾斜，从眼角向上瞟了他一眼，又给了他一个温柔的微笑。 “不，亲爱的，”她说，“只有你。” 选自罗尔德·达尔《罗尔德·达尔精选集》中的《房东太太》。版权所有 © 1959 David Hingham Associates Limited。经Vintage许可使用。保留所有权利。 除非另有说明，本内容根据CC BY-NC-SA 4.0许可协议授权。 31. 苦杏仁的味道或气味表明某物含有致命毒药氰化物。 9

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Name: _________________________ Class: _________________________ COMMONLIT Click-Clack the Rattlebag By Neil Gaiman 2015 Neil Gaiman is British-born fiction writer who has written novels, comics, graphic novels, nonfiction and screenplays. His work has received various awards including a 2009 Newbery award. "Click-Clack the Rattlebag" is included in a collection of short stories titled *Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances*. **As you read, keep track of the characters' feelings of fear and discomfort.** [1] "Before you take me up to bed, will you tell me a story?" "Do you actually need me to take you up to bed?" I asked the boy. He thought for a moment. Then, with intense seriousness, "Yes, actually I think you do. It's because of, I've finished my homework, and so it's my bedtime, and I am a bit scared. Not very scared. Just a bit. But it is a very big house, and lots of times the lights don't work and it's a sort of dark." I reached over and tousled¹ his hair. [5] "I can understand that," I said. "It is a very big old house." He nodded. We were in the kitchen, where it was light and warm. I put down my magazine on the kitchen table. "What kind of story would you like me to tell you?" "N/A" by Blake Lisk is licensed under CC0. "Well," he said, thoughtfully. "I don't think it should be too scary, because then when I go up to bed, I will just be thinking about monsters the whole time. But if it isn't just a little bit scary then I won't be interested. And you know she says that's what you do." "She exaggerates. I write stories, yes. Nothing that's been published, yet, though. And I write lots of different kinds of stories." "But you do write scary stories?" 1. **Tousle** (*verb*) to make something, especially a person's hair, untidy 1

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姓名：_________________________ 班级：_________________________ COMMONLIT 咔嗒咔嗒响的布袋怪 尼尔·盖曼 著 2015年 尼尔·盖曼是一位英国出生的虚构文学作家，创作过小说、漫画、图像小说、非虚构作品和电影剧本。他的作品曾荣获各种奖项，包括2009年的纽伯瑞奖。《咔嗒咔嗒响的布袋怪》收录在他的短篇小说集《触发警告：短篇小说与不安》中。 **阅读时，请留意角色们的恐惧和不安情绪。** [1] “在你带我上床睡觉前，能给我讲个故事吗？” “你真的需要我带你上床睡觉吗？”我问那个男孩。 他想了一会儿。然后，非常认真地说：“是的，我确实觉得你需要。因为，我作业写完了，所以该睡觉了，我有点害怕。不是特别害怕。就一点点。但这房子很大，很多时候灯都不亮，有点黑。” 我伸手过去，揉乱了他¹的头发。 [5] “我能理解，”我说。“这确实是一栋很大的老房子。”他点点头。我们当时在厨房里，那里又亮又暖和。我把杂志放在厨房桌上。“你想听我讲什么样的故事？” “N/A” 作者 Blake Lisk，遵循 CC0 许可。 “嗯，”他若有所思地说。“我觉得不应该太吓人，因为那样我上床睡觉的时候就会一直想着怪物。但如果一点都不吓人，我就没兴趣了。而且你知道她说过你就是讲这种故事的。” “她夸大其词了。我确实写故事，是的。不过还没发表过。而且我写很多不同类型的故事。” “但你确实写恐怖故事，对吗？” 1. **Tousle** (*动词*) 弄乱（某物，尤指人的头发）

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COMMONLIT “Yes.” [10] The boy looked up at me from the shadows by the door, where he was waiting. “Do you know any stories about Click-Clack the Rattlebag?” “I don’t think so.” “Those are the best sorts of stories.” “Do they tell them at your school?” He shrugged. “Sometimes.” [15] “What’s a Click-Clack the Rattlebag story?” He was a precocious² child, and was unimpressed by his sister’s boyfriend’s ignorance. You could see it on his face. “Everybody knows them.” “I don’t,” I said, trying not to smile. He looked at me as if he was trying to decide whether or not I was pulling his leg. He said, “I think maybe you should take me up to my bedroom, and then you can tell me a story before I go to sleep, but a very not-scary story because I’ll be up in my bedroom then, and it’s actually a bit dark up there, too.” I said, “Shall I leave a note for your sister, telling her where we are?” [20] “You can. But you’ll hear when they get back. The front door is very slammy.” We walked out of the warm and cosy kitchen into the hallway of the big house, where it was chilly and draughty and dark. I flicked the light-switch, but nothing happened. “The bulb’s gone,” the boy said. “That always happens.” Our eyes adjusted to the shadows. The moon was almost full, and blue-white moonlight shone in through the high windows on the staircase, down into the hall. “We’ll be all right,” I said. “Yes,” said the boy, soberly. “I am very glad you’re here.” He seemed less precocious now. His hand found mine, and he held on to my fingers comfortably, trustingly, as if he’d known me all his life. I felt responsible and adult. I did not know if the feeling I had for his sister, who was my girlfriend, was love, not yet, but I liked that the child treated me as one of the family. I felt like his big brother, and I stood taller, and if there was something unsettling about the empty house I would not have admitted it for worlds. [25] The stairs creaked beneath the threadbare stair-carpet. “Click-Clacks,” said the boy, “are the best monsters 2. **Precocious (adjective)** unusually advanced or mature 2

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“是的。” [10] 男孩从门边阴影里抬头看我，他一直在那里等着。“你听过关于‘咔嗒咔嗒响袋怪’的故事吗？” “我想没有。” “那些故事是最好听的。” “你们学校里会讲这些故事吗？” 他耸了耸肩。“有时候会。” [15] “‘咔嗒咔嗒响袋怪’的故事是怎样的？” 他是个早熟²的孩子，对他姐姐男朋友的无知不以为然。你从他脸上就能看出来。“人人都知道的。” “我不知道，”我说，努力忍住不笑。 他看着我，好像在判断我是不是在开玩笑。他说：“我想你也许应该带我上楼回我的卧室，然后在我睡觉前给我讲个故事，但要讲一个一点都不可怕的故事，因为我到时候会在我的卧室里，而且那里其实也有点黑。” 我说：“要不要给你姐姐留张字条，告诉她我们在哪儿？” [20] “你可以留。不过他们回来的时候你会听到的。前门关起来声音很大。” 我们走出温暖舒适的厨房，来到大房子的走廊，那里又冷又漏风，一片漆黑。我按了一下电灯开关，但什么也没发生。 “灯泡坏了，”男孩说。“总是这样。” 我们的眼睛适应了黑暗。月亮几乎是满月，蓝白色的月光透过楼梯上的高窗户，洒进了大厅。“我们会没事的，”我说。 “是的，”男孩严肃地说。“我很高兴你在这里。”他现在看起来没那么早熟了。他的手找到了我的手，舒适而信任地握住我的手指，仿佛他认识我一辈子了。我感到自己肩负着责任，像个大人。我不知道我对他的姐姐，也就是我的女朋友，是不是爱，还没有，但我喜欢这个孩子把我当成家里人。我感觉自己像他的哥哥，我站得更直了，如果这空荡荡的房子有什么令人不安的地方，我绝不会承认。 [25] 楼梯在磨损的楼梯地毯下吱呀作响。“咔嗒咔嗒响袋怪，”男孩说，“是最好的怪物——” 2. **早熟的（形容词）** 异乎寻常地超前或成熟

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ever.” “Are they from television?” “I don’t think so. I don’t think any people know where they come from. Mostly they come from the dark.” “Good place for a monster to come.” “Yes.” [30] We walked along the upper corridor in the shadows, walking from patch of moonlight to patch of moonlight. It really was a big house. I wished I had a flashlight. “They come from the dark,” said the boy, holding on to my hand. “I think probably they’re made of dark. And they come in when you don’t pay attention. That’s when they come in. And then they take you back to their… not nests. What’s a word that’s like nests, but not?” “House?” “No. It’s not a house.” “Lair?” [35] He was silent. Then, “I think that’s the word, yes. Lair.” He squeezed my hand. He stopped talking. “Right. So they take the people who don’t pay attention back to their lair. And what do they do then, your monsters? Do they suck all the blood out of you, like vampires?” He snorted. “Vampires don’t suck all the blood out of you. They only drink a little bit. Just to keep them going, and, you know, flying around. Click-Clacks are much scarier than vampires.” “I’m not scared of vampires,” I told him. “Me neither. I’m not scared of vampires either. Do you want to know what Click-Clacks do? They drink you,” said the boy. [40] “Like a Coke?” “Coke is very bad for you,” said the boy. “If you put a tooth in Coke, in the morning, it will be dissolved into nothing. That’s how bad coke is for you and why you must always clean your teeth, every night.” I’d heard the Coke story as a boy, and had been told, as an adult, that it wasn’t true, but was certain that a lie which promoted dental hygiene was a good lie, and I let it pass. “Click-Clacks drink you,” said the boy. “First they bite you, and then you go all *ishy* inside, and all your meat and all your brains and everything except your bones and your skin turns into a wet, milk-shakey stuff and then the Click-Clack sucks it out through the holes where your eyes used to be.” COMMONLIT 3

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从来没有。” “它们是从电视里出来的吗？” “我不这么认为。我想没人知道它们从哪儿来。它们大多是从黑暗中来的。” “怪物就该从那种地方来。” “是的。” [30] 我们沿着上层走廊在阴影中行走，从一片月光走到另一片月光。这房子真大。我真希望我有个手电筒。 “它们从黑暗中来，”男孩抓着我的手说，“我想它们大概就是由黑暗组成的。当你没注意的时候，它们就进来了。它们就是那时候进来的。然后它们会把你带回它们的……不是巢穴。有什么词跟巢穴差不多，但又不是巢穴呢？” “房子？” “不。不是房子。” “巢穴？” [35] 他沉默了。然后说：“我想就是这个词，是的。巢穴。”他紧紧握了握我的手。他不再说话了。 “好吧。所以它们把那些不注意的人带回它们的巢穴。那它们会做什么呢，你的怪物？它们会像吸血鬼一样把你的血吸干吗？” 他哼了一声。“吸血鬼不会把你的血吸干。它们只喝一点点。只是为了让它们能继续活动，你知道的，飞来飞去。咔嗒怪比吸血鬼可怕多了。” “我不怕吸血鬼，”我告诉他。 “我也不怕。我也不怕吸血鬼。你想知道咔嗒怪会做什么吗？它们会喝掉你，”男孩说。 [40] “像喝可乐一样吗？” “可乐对你很不好，”男孩说，“如果你把一颗牙齿放进可乐里，到早上，它就会溶解得什么都不剩。可乐就是对你这么不好，所以你每晚都必须刷牙。” 我小时候听过可乐的这个故事，长大后被告知那不是真的，但我确信一个能促进口腔卫生的谎言是个好谎言，所以我没有拆穿。 “咔嗒怪会喝掉你，”男孩说，“它们先咬你，然后你里面就会变得黏糊糊的，你所有的肉、所有的脑子，除了骨头和皮肤之外的一切，都会变成湿漉漉、奶昔一样的东西，然后咔嗒怪就会通过你原来眼睛的洞把它们吸出来。”

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COMMONLIT [45] “That’s disgusting,” I told him. “Did you make it up?” We’d reached the last flight of stairs, all the way in to the big house. “No.” “I can’t believe you kids make up stuff like that.” “You didn’t ask me about the rattlebag,” he said. “Right. What’s the rattlebag?” [50] “Well,” he said, sagely, soberly, a small voice from the darkness beside me, “once you’re just bones and skin, they hang you up on a hook, and you rattle in the wind.” “So what do these Click-Clacks look like?” Even as I asked him, I wished I could take the question back, and leave it unasked. I thought: Huge spidery creatures. Like the one in the shower that morning. I’m afraid of spiders. I was relieved when the boy said, “They look like what you aren’t expecting. What you aren’t paying attention to.” We were climbing wooden steps now. I held on to the railing on my left, held his hand with my right, as he walked beside me. It smelled like dust and old wood, that high in the house. The boy’s tread was certain, though, even though the moonlight was scarce. “Do you know what story you’re going to tell me, to put me to bed?” he asked. “It doesn’t actually have to be scary.” [55] “Not really.” “Maybe you could tell me about this evening. Tell me what you did?” “That won’t make much of a story for you. My girlfriend just moved in to a new place on the edge of town. She inherited it from an aunt or someone. It’s very big and very old. I’m going to spend my first night with her, tonight, so I’ve been waiting for an hour or so for her and her housemates to come back with the wine and an Indian takeaway.” “See?” said the boy. There was that precocious amusement again. But all kids can be insufferable sometimes, when they think they know something you don’t. It’s probably good for them. “You know all that. But you don’t think. You just let your brain fill in the gaps.” He pushed open the door to the attic room. It was perfectly dark, now, but the opening door disturbed the air, and I heard things rattle gently, like dry bones in thin bags, in the slight wind. Click. Clack. Click. Clack. Like that. [60] I would have pulled away, then, if I could, but small, firm fingers pulled me forward, unrelentingly, into the dark. 4

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“真恶心，”我告诉他，“你编的吧？” 我们已经走到最后一层楼梯，一直通向那栋大房子。 “不是。” “我真不敢相信你们这些孩子会编出这种东西。” “你还没问我关于‘响袋’的事呢，”他说。 “对。‘响袋’是什么？” “嗯，”他故作老成、一本正经地说，黑暗中传来他细小的声音，“等你只剩下骨头和皮的时候，他们会把你挂在钩子上，你就会在风中咔嗒作响。” “那这些‘咔嗒怪’长什么样？”我问出口的同时，真希望自己能收回这个问题，让它从未被问起。我想：巨大的蜘蛛状生物。就像那天早上淋浴间里那只。我害怕蜘蛛。 男孩说：“它们看起来就像你意想不到的东西。你没注意到的东西。”我松了口气。 我们现在正爬着木制楼梯。我左手扶着扶手，右手牵着他的手，他走在我身边。房子高处弥漫着灰尘和旧木头的气味。尽管月光稀疏，男孩的脚步却很坚定。 “你知道要给我讲什么故事哄我睡觉吗？”他问，“其实不一定要是吓人的故事。” “不太清楚。” “也许你可以给我讲讲今晚的事。告诉我你做了什么？” “那对你来说算不上什么故事。我女朋友刚搬到镇边的一个新地方。她从某个阿姨那里继承的。房子很大也很旧。我今晚要和她一起度过第一个夜晚，所以我已经等了大约一个小时，等她和她的室友带着葡萄酒和印度外卖回来。” “看吧？”男孩说。那种早熟的乐趣又出现了。但所有孩子有时都会让人难以忍受，当他们觉得自己知道一些你不知道的事情时。这对他们来说可能是有益的。“你都知道这些。但你没有思考。你只是让你的大脑填补空白。” 他推开了通往阁楼房间的门。现在里面一片漆黑，但开门扰动了空气，我听到一些东西轻轻地咔嗒作响，就像薄袋子里的干骨头，在微风中。咔嗒。咔嗒。咔嗒。咔嗒。就是那种声音。 如果可以，我当时真想抽身离开，但那双小小的、坚定的手指却毫不留情地把我向前拉，拉进了黑暗中。