It was a sunny, cold day, exactly like the one she’d left.
太阳很亮，天气很冷，跟她刚刚离开的家一样。
“Good afternoon,” said the cat.
“下午好。”猫说。
The house looked exactly the same from the outside. Or almost exactly the same; around Miss Spink and Miss Forcible’s door were blue and red lightbulbs that flashed on and off spelling out words, the lights chasing each other around the door. On and off, around and around. ASTOUNDING! was followed by A THEATRICAL and then TRIUMPH!!!
从外面看，这幢宅子也和她家那幢宅子一模一样。或者说，差不多一模一样：斯平克小姐和福斯波尔小姐的门上挂着许多红红蓝蓝的小灯泡，一闪一闪，拼出字来。灯光绕着房门跑，追来追去。一开一关，灯光跑了一圈又一圈。先拼出一个词：“神奇！”然后变成另一个词：“引人入胜”，最后变成：“辉煌！！！”
Its voice sounded like the voice at the back of Coraline’s head, the voice she thought words in, but a man’s voice, not a girl’s.
声音很怪，像直接在她的脑子里响，那些字眼好像是她自己想出来的。只不过是男人的声音，不是小女孩的。
There was a polite noise from behind her.
后面很有礼貌地轻轻咳了一声。
“Hello,” said Coraline. “I saw a cat like you in the garden at home. You must be the other cat.”
“你好。”卡萝兰说，“我在家里的园子里也见过一只猫，跟你长得很像。你肯定是另一只猫？”
She turned round. Standing on the wall next to her was a large black cat, identical to the large black cat she’d seen in the grounds at home.
她转过身。旁边的墙头上蹲着一只大黑猫，正是她在自家园子里见过的那只猫。
The cat shook its head. “No,” it said. I’m not the other anything. I’m me.” It tipped its head on one side; green eyes glinted. “You people are spread all over the place. Cats, on the other hand, keep ourselves together. If you see what I mean.”
猫摇摇头，“不。”它说，“我才不是什么另一个呢，我就是我。”它一偏脑袋，绿眼睛亮晶晶的，“人到处跑。我们猫不一样，守着一个地方不动窝。懂我的意思吗？”
“No?” said the cat.
“不会？”猫说。
“Cats don’t talk at home.”
“我们家那儿的猫不会说话。”
The cat leapt smoothly from the wall to the grass, near Coraline’s feet. It stared up at her.
猫轻轻一跳，从墙头跳到卡萝兰脚边的草丛里，吓了她一跳。
“Come back,” said Coraline. “Please. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“回来。”卡萝兰说，“你回来好吗？我错了，对不起。”
Cats don’t have shoulders, not like people do. But the cat shrugged, in one smooth movement that started at the tip of its tail and ended in a raised movement of its whiskers. “I can talk.”
猫跟人不同，没有肩膀。可这只猫却耸了耸肩，先从尾巴梢动起，一下子就到了猫胡子。“我会说话。”
The cat stopped walking, and sat down, and began to wash itself, thoughtfully, apparently unaware of Coraline’s existence.
猫停下脚步，蹲下，开始细心地洗脸，不理睬卡萝兰。
“Well, you’re the expert on these things,” said the cat drily. “After all, what would I know? I’m only a cat.” It began to walk away, head and tail held high and proud.
“唔，这些事，你是专家。”猫冷冷地说，“说到底，我懂什么？我只不过是只猫。”它走开了，脑袋和尾巴高高翘着，傲慢极了。
“We could be rare specimens of an exotic breed of African dancing elephants,” said the cat. “But we’re not. At least,” it added cattily, after darting a brief look at Coraline, “I’m not.”
“我们还可以变成两只品种古怪的非洲大象呢。”猫说，“可我们没有变成大象。”它扫了卡萝兰一眼，很快加上一句，“至少我没有。”
“We… We could be friends, you know,” said Coraline.
“我们…你知道，我们可以交朋友。”卡萝兰说。
“No,” said Coraline.
“不会。”卡萝兰说。
“I suppose. But if you’re the same cat I saw at home, how can you talk?”
“差不多吧。可是，如果你就是我在家里见过的那只猫，你怎么会说话？”
Coraline sighed.
卡萝兰叹了口气。
The cat yawned slowly, carefully, revealing a mouth and tongue of astounding pinkness. “Cats don’t have names,” it said.
猫慢慢地伸了个长长的懒腰，张开嘴打了个哈欠，露出漂亮的粉红色舌头。“猫没有名字。”它说。
“Like you did. I walked,” said the cat. “Like this.”
“跟你一样，走来的呗。”猫说，“就像这样。”
The cat glanced around briefly. “It’s here,” said the cat.
猫很快地四周瞧了瞧。“这个地方就是这里。”猫说。
Half of her wanted to be very rude to it; the other half of her wanted to be polite and deferential. The polite half won. “Please, what is this place?”
她一半儿想骂它一顿，另一半儿又想对它客客气气。最后，客客气气这一半儿赢了。“请问，这是什么地方？”
“Please. What’s your name?” Coraline asked the cat. “Look, I’m Coraline. Okay?”
“求你了。你叫什么名字？”卡萝兰问猫，“你瞧，我叫卡萝兰。”
Coraline watched as the cat walked slowly across the lawn. It walked behind a tree, but didn’t come out the other side. Coraline went over to the tree and looked behind it. The cat was gone.
卡萝兰望着猫慢慢走过草坪，走到一棵树后不出来了。卡萝兰到树后一瞧，猫走了，不见了。
“I can see that. Well, how did you get here?”
“这我知道。嗯，你是怎么来这儿的？”
“No?” said Coraline.
“没有吗？”卡萝兰说。
“No,” said the cat. “Now, you people have names. That’s because you don’t know who you are. We know who we are, so we don’t need names.”
“没有。”猫说，“告诉你，你们人有名字，因为你们不知道自个儿是谁。我们知道自个儿是谁，所以用不着名字。”
There was something irritatingly self-centred about the cat, Coraline decided. As if it were, in its opinion, the only thing in any world or place that could possibly be of any importance.
这只猫真让人生气，自高自大，卡萝兰心想。好像它觉得自个儿是全世界最重要的东西似的，除了它以外，别的什么都不重要。
The door was open, just slightly. She knocked on it, but her first knock made the door swing open, and Coraline went in.
门没锁，开着一道窄缝。她在门上敲了敲。才敲一下，门就开了。卡萝兰走进屋。
“That’s what I said,” said the cat. “And anyway –“
“我就是这么说的。”猫说，“再说——”
She walked back towards the house. There was another polite noise from behind her. It was the cat.
她回头朝宅子走去。后面很有礼貌地轻轻咳了一声。是那只猫。
“By the by,” it said. “It was sensible of you to bring protection. I’d hang on to it, if I were you.”
“顺便说一句，”它说，“你有必要采取一点保护措施。要是换了我，我就会这么做。”
She also wondered whether cats could all talk where she came from and just chose not to, or whether they could only talk when they were here — wherever here was.
她也不知道家那边的猫是不是也会说话，只不过不肯说。或许，它们只能在这里说话。也不知道这里究竟是哪里。
It vanished among the trees.
钻进树丛不见了。
Coraline wondered what the cat had meant.
卡萝兰不知道猫究竟是什么意思。
It paused, and stared intently at something that wasn’t there.
它不作声了，专心盯着一个卡萝兰看不见的东西看。
She walked down the brick steps to the Misses Spink and Forcible’s front door. The blue and red lights flashed on and off.
她走下砖砌的台阶，走到斯平克小姐和福斯波尔小姐的前门。蓝色和红色的灯忽明忽暗。
“Protection?”
“保护？”
Then it went down into a low crouch and moved slowly forward, two or three steps. It seemed to be stalking an invisible mouse. Abruptly, it turned tail and dashed for the woods.
接着，它低低趴下，慢慢向前蹭，好像在跟踪一只看不见的老鼠。突然间，它尾巴一甩，猛地冲进树林。
She was in a dark room that smelled of dust and velvet. The door swung shut behind her, and the room was black. Coraline edged forward into a small anteroom. Her face brushed against something soft. It was cloth. She reached up her hand and pushed at the cloth. It parted.
这是个黑乎乎的房间，一股灰尘和天鹅绒的味儿。房门在她身后合上，房间里一点光都没有。卡萝兰一步一步朝前挪，走进一个小房间，脸碰上了一件软乎乎的东西。是块布。她伸出手，一撩。布分开了。
“Hello,” said Coraline.
“你好。”卡萝兰说。
She stood blinking on the other side of the velvet curtains, in a poorly lit theatre. Far away, at the edge of the room, was a high wooden stage, empty and bare, a dim spotlight shining on to it from above.
她站在一幅天鹅绒布帘的另一面，直眨巴眼睛。这是个戏院，灯光很暗。房间另一头有个高高的木头戏台，上面光光的，什么都没有。戏台上面很高的地方有一盏聚光灯，灯光照在戏台上。
The dog put the torch down on the floor and looked up at her. “Right. Let’s see your ticket,” it said gruffly.
狗把手电筒放在地板上，抬头望着她。“好了，给咱瞧瞧你的票。”它粗声粗气地说。
There were seats between Coraline and the stage. Rows and rows of seats. She heard a shuffling noise, and a light came towards her, swinging from side to side. When it was closer she saw the light was coming from a torch being carried in the mouth of a large black Scottie dog, its muzzle grey with age.
卡萝兰和戏台之间是戏院的座位，一排又一排。她听见脚步声，一道灯光晃呀晃地，朝她过来了。走近了才发现是个手电筒，叼在一只又大又黑的高地小猎犬嘴里。这只狗已经很老了，狗嘴一圈儿都变灰了。
“Ticket?”
“票？”
Coraline sighed. “I don’t have a ticket,” she admitted.
卡萝兰叹了口气。“我没有票。”她承认说。
“That’s what I said. Ticket. I haven’t got all day, you know. You can’t watch the show without a ticket.”
“我就是这么说的。票。我可没时间跟你蘑菇。看戏不能没票。”
The dog picked up the torch in its mouth and trotted off into the dark. Coraline followed. When it got near to the front of the stage it stopped and shone the torch on to an empty seat. Coraline sat down and the dog wandered off.
狗叼起手电筒，迈着小碎步，走进黑影。卡萝兰跟着它走到戏台前。它停住脚步，电筒朝一个空座位一照。卡萝兰坐下，狗溜溜达达走开了。
“Another one,” said the dog gloomily. “Come in here, bold as anything, ‘Where’s your ticket?’ ‘Haven’t got one.’ I don’t know É” It shook its head, then shrugged. “Come on, then.”
“又来一个蹭戏的。”狗气恼地说，“大摇大摆走进来。‘你的票呢？’‘没有票。’拿你怎么办…”它摇着头，接着一耸肩，“进来吧。”
Miss Spink was riding a one-wheeled bicycle, and juggling balls. Miss Forcible skipped on behind her, holding a basket of flowers. She scattered the flower petals across the stage as she went. They reached the front of the stage, and Miss Spink leapt nimbly off the unicycle, and the two old women bowed low.
斯平克小姐蹬着一辆只有一个轮子的自行车，手里抛着几个小球。福斯波尔小姐蹦蹦跳跳跟在后面，挽着个花篮，一路撒着花。她们来到戏台中间，斯平克小姐利索地跳下独轮自行车，两个老太太弯腰鞠了个大躬。
As her eyes got used to the darkness she realised that the other inhabitants of the seats were also dogs.
过了一会儿，眼睛适应了黑乎乎的戏院。她发现别的座位坐的也是狗。
There was a sudden hissing noise from behind the stage. Coraline decided it was the sound of a scratchy old record being put on to a record player. The hissing became the noise of trumpets, and Miss Spink and Forcible came on to the stage.
戏台上忽然响起一阵沙沙声。卡萝兰半天才听明白，这是留声机放出的老唱片的声音。沙沙声变成了一片呜里哇啦的喇叭声。斯平克小姐和福斯波尔小姐出现在戏台上。
All the dogs thumped their tails and barked enthusiastically. Coraline clapped politely.
戏院的狗全都砰砰砰甩着尾巴，兴奋地汪汪叫。卡萝兰有礼貌地拍手鼓掌。
Then they unbuttoned their fluffy round coats and opened them. But their coats weren’t all that opened: their faces opened, too, like empty shells, and out of the old empty fluffy round bodies stepped two young women. They were thin, and pale, and quite pretty, and had black-button eyes.
两个老太太裹着毛茸茸的大衣，圆滚滚的。她们解开纽扣，敞开大衣。敞开的不单是大衣，她们的脸也打开了，像两个用胖乎乎的老太婆做成的空壳。空壳里跳出两个年轻女人，瘦瘦的，白白的，挺漂亮。脸上是两双黑黑的纽扣眼睛。
“This is my favourite bit,” whispered the little dog in the seat next to her.
“接下来是我最喜欢的节目。”旁边座位上的小狗悄声对她说。
Coraline pressed back against her seat. Miss Spink left the stage, and the noise of trumpets squealed as the gramophone needle dug its way across the record and was pulled off.
卡萝兰向后一仰，靠在椅背上。斯平克小姐退场。哇啦哇啦的喇叭声越来越尖，像留声机的针头在唱片上使劲刮。喇叭声停下来。
Miss Forcible curtseyed, and all the dogs applauded again. Coraline didn’t bother clapping this time.
福斯波尔小姐行了个屈膝礼，小狗们重新欢呼起来。这一次，卡萝兰不想鼓掌。
The other Miss Forcible picked a knife out of a box on the corner of the stage. “Is this a dagger that I see before me?” she asked.
另一个福斯波尔小姐从戏台角落的一个盒子里拿出一把刀。“在我眼前的是一把匕首吗？”她问。
The new Miss Spink was wearing green tights and high brown boots that went most of the way up her legs. The new Miss Forcible wore a white dress and had flowers in her long yellow hair.
新的斯平克小姐穿了一身绿色紧身衣，高高的褐色靴子，差不多整条腿都套进去了。新的福斯波尔小姐穿着白裙子，长长的黄头发上戴着花儿。
“Yes!” shouted all the little dogs. “It is!”
“是！”小狗们汪汪大叫，“是！”
“And now,” Miss Spink said, “Miriam and I proudly present a new and exciting addendum to our theatrical exposition. Do I see a volunteer?”
“现在，”斯平克小姐说，“米里亚姆和我将骄傲地向大家展示我们的新节目。有没有谁自愿登台？，”
The little dog next to Coraline nudged her with its front paw. “That’s you,” it hissed.
邻座的小狗用前爪推了推卡萝兰，“说你呢。”它嘶嘶地说。
Miss Spink came back on. She slapped her thigh, and all the little dogs woofed.
斯平克小姐又回来了。她拍打着大腿，下面的汪汪声响成一片。
Miss Forcible threw the knife at the balloon. It popped loudly, and the knife stuck into the board just above Coraline’s head and twanged there. Coraline breathed out.
福斯波小姐把刀扔向气球。它啪的一声，刀子就插进了卡萝兰头上的木板里，砰的一声掉在那里。卡萝兰喘了口气。
Miss Spink walked over to Miss Forcible. She blindfolded Miss Forcible’s button eyes with a black scarf and put the knife into her hands. Then she turned her round three or four times and pointed her at Coraline.
斯平克小姐走到福斯波小姐跟前。她用一条黑围巾蒙住福斯波小姐纽扣的眼睛，把刀放在手里。然后她转过身三四次，指着卡萝兰。
“Now,” said the other Miss Spink, “stand over here.” She led Coraline over to a board by the side of the stage, and put a balloon on top of Coraline’s head.
“现在，”另一个斯平克小姐说，“请站过来。”她把卡萝兰领到舞台旁边的一块木板上，把一个气球放在卡萝兰的头上。
“Coraline,” said Coraline.
“卡萝兰。”卡萝兰说。
“Can I have a big round of applause for the young volunteer?” asked Miss Spink.
“请大家为这位年轻的自愿者鼓掌！”斯平克小姐大声说。
Coraline looked at the thin young woman with black-button eyes and shook her head, slowly.
卡萝兰盯着这个瘦瘦的、脸上一双黑纽扣眼睛的年轻女人，慢慢摇了摇头。
Coraline stood up, and walked up the wooden steps to the stage.
卡萝兰站起来，踏着木梯子走上戏台。
“Now, Coraline,” said Miss Spink. “What’s your name?”
“现在，卡萝兰，”斯平克小姐说，“请问你叫什么名字？”
The dogs woofed and squealed and thumped their tails on the velvet seats.
下面响起一片汪汪汪、咯咯咯，还有尾巴敲打天鹅绒椅垫的噗噗声。
“And we don’t know each other, do we?”
“咱们从前没见过面，不认识，对吧？”
Coraline held her breath and squeezed her fingers into two tight fists.
卡萝兰屏住呼吸，把手指捏成两个紧握的拳头。
“I thought chocolates weren’t very good for dogs,” she said, remembering something Miss Forcible had once told her.
“我原以为巧克力对狗不太好，”她说，想起了福斯波小姐曾经告诉她的话。
“Would you like one?” she asked it.
“你想要一个吗？”她问的。
Coraline went back to her seat.
卡萝兰回到座位上。
“Maybe where you come from,” whispered the little dog. “Here, it’s all we eat.”
“也许你是从哪儿来的，”小狗小声说在这里，我们只吃这些。
Misses Forcible and Spink began juggling with huge wooden clubs.
福斯波和斯平克小姐开始用巨大的木棍玩杂耍。
Miss Spink gave Coraline a very small box of chocolates and thanked her for being such a good sport.
斯平克小姐给了卡萝兰一小盒巧克力，并感谢她这么好的运动。
Miss Forcible and Miss Spink were doing some acting. Miss Forcible was sitting on a stepladder, and Miss Spink was standing at the bottom.
福斯波尔小姐和斯平克小姐正在戏台上演一出什么戏。福斯波尔小姐坐在一架梯子上，斯平克小姐站在梯子下。
“Yes, please,” whispered the dog. “Only not toffee ones. They make me drool.”
“是的，请，”狗低声说只是不是太妃糖。它们让我流口水。
“You were very good,” said the little dog.
“你很好，”小狗说。
“You’re welcome,” said Coraline.
“不客气。”卡萝兰说。
Coraline opened the box of chocolates. The little dog looked at them longingly.
卡萝兰打开了那盒巧克力。小狗渴望地看着他们。
Coraline couldn’t see what the chocolates were, in the dark. She took an experimental bite of one which turned out to be coconut. Coraline didn’t like coconut. She gave it to the dog.
在黑暗中，卡萝兰看不清巧克力是什么。她试着咬了一口椰子。卡萝兰不喜欢椰子。她把它给了狗。
The dogs went wild.
狗变得狂野起来。
“Thank you,” said the dog.
“谢谢你。”小狗说。
“Thank you,” said Coraline.
“谢谢你，”卡萝兰说。
“I know not how to tell thee who I am,” said Miss Spink to Miss Forcible.
“我没法告诉你我叫什么名字。”斯平克小姐对福斯波尔小姐说。
The three of them walked back up to Coraline’s other house together. Coraline’s other mother stroked Coraline’s hair with her long white fingers. Coraline shook her head.
三个人一块儿朝卡萝兰的另一个家走去。另一个妈妈用长长的指头抚着卡萝兰的头发。
Coraline gave the dog another chocolate.
卡萝兰又给了它一块巧克力。
“This bit finishes soon,” whispered the dog. “Then they start folk dancing.”
“这一节不长，很快就完。”小狗低声说，“接下来她们会跳土风舞。”
“Did you have a nice time?” asked her other mother.
“玩得开心吗？”她的另一个妈妈问。
“All the time,” said the dog. “For ever and always.”
“早就有了，”小狗说，“一直都有。”
“What’s in a name?” asked Miss Forcible. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
“名字本来是没有意义的；”福斯波尔小姐说，“我们叫做玫瑰的这一种花，要是换了个名字，它的香味还是同样的芬芳。①”【注：①莎士比亚戏剧《罗密欧与朱丽叶》，译文出自朱生豪译本。下同。】
“Have you got any more chocolates?” said the dog.
“巧克力还有吗？”小狗问。
“Thank you,” said the dog. Coraline stood up.
“太谢谢了。”小狗说。卡萝兰站起来。
“See you soon,” said the dog.
“待会儿见。”小狗说。
“Here,” said Coraline. “Keep the chocolates.”
“这儿，”卡萝兰说，“一盒都给你。”
“Bye,” said Coraline. She walked out of the theatre and back into the garden. She had to blink her eyes at the daylight.
“再见。”卡萝兰说。她走出戏院，走进园子。外面好亮，她眨了好几下眼睛。
Her other parents were waiting for her in the garden, standing side by side. They were smiling.
她的另一个爸爸和妈妈在园子里等她，肩并肩站着，脸上挂着笑。
“How long does this go on for?” asked Coraline. “The theatre?”
“这地方开了多久？”卡萝兰问，“我是说戏院。”
“It was interesting,” said Coraline.
“挺有意思的。”卡萝兰说。
“So,” said her other father. “Do you like it here?”
“好了，”另一个爸爸说，“你喜欢这儿吗？”
“Don’t do that,” said Coraline.
卡萝兰一晃脑袋，“不喜欢。”她说。
Her other mother took her hand away.
另一个妈妈的手拿开了。
“Oh, but we want you to,” said her other mother. “We want you to stay. And it’s just a little thing.”
“噢，可我们希望这么做。”她的另一个妈妈说，“我们盼着你留下来。这只是一件很小的小事。”
“I’m glad you like it,” said Coraline’s other mother. “Because we’d like to think that this is your home. You can stay here for ever and always. If you want to.”
“你喜欢这儿，我真高兴。”卡萝兰的妈妈说，“我们喜欢把这儿当成你的家。只要你愿意，你可以一直待下去，永远不离开。”
“Hmm,” said Coraline. She put her hands in her pockets and thought about it. Her fingertips touched the stone that the real Misses Spink and Forcible had given her the day before, the stone with the hole in it.
“嗯。”卡萝兰说。她把两只手插进口袋里，好好想了想。她的手碰到了真正的斯平克小姐和福斯波尔小姐昨天送给她的那块中间带洞眼的小石头。
They went into the kitchen. On a china plate on the kitchen table were a spool of black cotton and a long silver needle and, beside them, two large black buttons.
他们走进厨房。餐桌上摆着一个瓷盘，上面放着一卷黑色棉线，一根长长的银针。这两样东西旁边，是两颗又大又黑的纽扣。
“I don’t think so,” said Coraline.
“我不乐意。”卡萝兰说。
“I suppose,” said Coraline. “It’s much more interesting than at home.” They went inside.
“还行吧。”卡萝兰说，“比家里有趣多了。”他们进了屋。
“If you want to stay,” said her other father. “There’s only one little thing we’ll have to do, so you can stay here for ever and always.”
“要是你想留在这儿，”她的另一个爸爸说，“咱们只需要办一件小事。办完以后，你就可以一直留在这儿了。”
“I’m going now,” said Coraline. She put her hands back in her pockets. Her fingers closed around the stone with the hole in.
卡萝兰向后退了一步。“我要走了。”卡萝兰说，又把手插进口袋，握住那块有洞眼的石头。
“If that’s what you want,” she said.
“你真的想走？”她问。
“Yes,” said Coraline.
“对。”卡萝兰说。
“And then we’ll all be together as one big happy family,” said her other mother. “For ever and always.”
“到时候，我们三个人就是一个开开心心的家。”她的另一个妈妈说，“开开心心过日子，一直过下去。”
Coraline knew that when grown-ups told you something wouldn’t hurt it almost always did. She shook her head.
卡萝兰知道，只要大人告诉你做什么事不疼，一准疼得要命。她摇了摇头。
Coraline backed away. She turned and hurried into the drawing room and pulled open the door in the corner. There was no brick wall there now — just darkness; a night-black underground darkness that seemed as if things in it might be moving.
卡萝兰转身走了。拐一个弯，急急忙忙走进客厅，拉开角落里的门。这一次，门后面没有砖墙，只有一片黑。伸手不见五指，像埋在地底下那种黑。卡萝兰觉得里面有什么东西在动。卡萝兰拿不定主意。她转过身。
“We’ll see you soon, though,” said her other father. “When you come back.”
“那么，再见。用不了多久，咱们还会见面的。”她的另一个爸爸说，“等你回来的时候。”
Her other mother’s hand scuttled off Coraline’s shoulder like a frightened spider.
另一个妈妈的手一下子从卡萝兰肩膀上拿开，慌里慌张的，像吓了一跳的蜘蛛。
“We only want what’s best for you,” she said. She put her hand on Coraline’s shoulder. Coraline backed away.
“我们做的一切都是为你好。”她说。她伸出手，放在卡萝兰的肩膀上。
Her other mother smiled brightly and the hair on her head drifted like plants under the sea.
她的另一个妈妈高兴地笑起来，她的头发晃来晃去，像长在海底、飘来飘去的海草。
“It won’t hurt,” said her other father.
“不疼。”她的另一个爸爸说。
“Um,” said Coraline.
“嗯。”卡萝兰说。
Her other mother reached out her free hand and beckoned gently with one white finger. Her pale lips mouthed, “Come back soon,” although she said nothing aloud.
她的另一个妈妈伸出那只空着的手，向她打招呼，一根白白的指头轻轻钩着。她白得像纸一样的嘴张开了，“记得不久回来呀。”可又好像没发出声音。
Coraline hesitated. She turned back. Her other mother and her other father were walking towards her, holding hands. They were looking at her with their black-button eyes. Or at least she thought they were looking at her. She couldn’t be sure.
她的另一个妈妈和另一个爸爸正朝她走过来，两个人手拉着手，用他们的黑纽扣眼睛望着她。至少，卡萝兰觉得他们是在看她，她说不准。
The open doorway behind her was blocked by rough red bricks. She was home.
身后的过道刚才还开着，这会儿已经被一堵粗糙的红砖墙堵死了。她回家了。
Coraline took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness, where strange voices whispered and distant winds howled. She became certain that there was something in the dark behind her: something very old and very slow. Her heart beat so hard and so loudly she was scared it would burst out of her chest. She closed her eyes against the dark.
卡萝兰深深吸了一口气，鼓足勇气，踏进门去。一片黑暗中，好像有奇怪的声音，不住说着悄悄话，远处还有呜呜的风声。她越来越肯定，就在她背后，一片漆黑中，有什么东西跟着她。一种非常非常老、动作非常非常慢的东西。她的心脏怦怦直跳，真响，她担心胸口会不会进开。她闭上眼睛，不看四周的黑暗。
Eventually she bumped into something, and opened her eyes, startled. She had bumped into an armchair, in her drawing room.
最后，她一头碰上了什么。她睁开眼睛，吓了一跳。碰到的原来是一把扶手椅，放在她家的客厅里。
0 条评论