《毒》
我开车到家时已是午夜
It was midnight when I drove home.
我开到小屋前 关掉了车大灯
As I approached the bungalow, I switched off the headlamps
免得光线透过窗户 晃醒哈利·蒲伯
so the beam wouldn’t swing through the window and wake Harry Pope.
其实用不着 他的灯还亮着呢
I needn’t have bothered. His light was still on.
我停好车 走上门廊
I parked, went up to the porch,
仔细数着台阶 以免多迈一步
counting each step so I wouldn’t take an extra step,
在楼梯顶部踏空 一、二、三、四
which wasn’t there, at the top. One, two, three, four.
我走去哈利的房♥间 安静地打开门 往里看去
I went to Harry’s room, opened it quietly, and looked in.
他躺在床上 还醒着 一动不动 连头都没转一下
He was lying in bed awake. He didn’t move or even turn his head.
但我听见他在低吟 几乎听不清…
But I heard him whispering, almost inaudible…
救命
Help.
“救命”？
“Help”?
我推开了门 开始走进房♥间
I pushed the door and started across the room.
站住
Stop.
“站住”？我几乎听不清
“Stop”? I could hardly hear a word.
他似乎全身紧绷 没法出声
He seemed to be straining enormously to produce sound.
救命 – “救命”？
Help. – “Help”?
你怎么了 哈利？
What’s the matter, Harry?
把鞋子脱了
Take off shoes.
“把鞋子脱了”？
“Take off shoes”?
他让我想起了 腹部中枪的乔治·巴尔灵
He reminded me of George Barling after he got shot in the stomach
他倚靠着板条箱
when he leaned against a crate,
紧紧地抱住自己 念叨着那个日本飞行员
gripping himself and muttering about the Japanese pilot
那个紧绷的语气 就跟现在哈利的一模一样
in just the same straining half-whisper Harry was using now.
然后毫不意外地 乔治·巴尔灵趴下了
Then George Barling bent over, of course…
死了
and died.
把鞋子脱了
Take off shoes.
“把鞋子脱了”？
“Take off shoes.”
我摸不着头脑 但我没提出异议
I couldn’t understand, but I wasn’t going to object.
怎么了 哈利？ – 别碰
What is it, Harry? – Don’t touch.
他平躺着 用被单盖住四分之三的身体
He was on his back with a sheet covering three-quarters of his body,
穿着条纹睡衣 大汗淋漓
wearing striped pajamas and sweating terribly.
天气热 我也在出汗 但没哈利这么夸张
It was hot. I was sweating, but not like Harry.
他满脸是汗 枕头都被浸湿了
His face was wet and the pillow was soaked.
看着像是得了疟疾
It looked like malaria to me.
怎么了 哈利？ – 金环蛇
What is it, Harry? – Krait.
什么？ – 金环蛇
What? – Krait.
“金环蛇” – 有蛇
“Krait”? – Snake.
你被金环蛇咬了 多久了？
You’ve been bitten. How long ago?
不是
No.
什么？
What?
还没咬
Didn’t bite yet.
我都糊涂了 用奇怪的表情看着哈利
That confused me. I gave Harry a funny look.
肚子上有金环蛇 睡着了
Krait on stomach. Asleep.
我不由自主地往后跳
I jumped backwards. I couldn’t help it.
我盯着他肚子上盖着的被单
I stared at his stomach, at the sheet that covered it.
根本看不出来下面有没有东西
It was impossible to tell if there was something underneath.
你该不是说现在 有金环蛇在你肚子上睡觉吧？
You don’t mean there’s a krait on your stomach now? Asleep?
是的
Yes.
它怎么爬进去的？
How’d it get there?
我就不应该问 我就该让他别出声
I shouldn’t have asked a question. I should’ve just told him to keep quiet.
我平躺着看书 感觉到胸口有东西 在书后面
Lying on back. Reading. Felt something on chest, behind book.
挠得很痒
Tickling.
我眼角看到 一条小金环蛇在睡衣上爬
From corner of eye, saw little krait sliding over pajamas.
很小 或许有25厘米
Small. Maybe ten inches.
我知道不能动 所以躺着不敢动惮 盯着它看
Knew mustn’t move. Lay frozen, watching it.
本以为它会顺着被单上面爬
Thought it would go over top of sheet.
哈利安静了一会儿
Harry was silent for a moment.
他想确保低声说话 没有惊扰到趴在那里的东西
He was making sure his whispering wasn’t disturbing the thing laying there.
结果它往被单里爬
It went under.
感觉它穿过了睡衣 在肚子上动
Felt it through pajamas. Moving on stomach.
然后停住了 现在趴在那里睡着了
Then it stopped. Now lying there asleep.
我一直在等
I’ve been waiting.
多久了？ – 四小时
How long? – For hours.
接连几个小时 该死的几个小时
Hours and hours and bloody hours and hours.
没法继续躺着不动了 我想咳
Can’t keep still much longer. Need to cough.
其实
In fact,
金环蛇有这样的举动并不奇怪
it wasn’t a surprising thing for a krait to do.
它们喜欢在人们的屋子周围徘徊 找温暖的地方
They linger around people’s houses and go for the warm places.
反而奇怪的是 过了这么久 哈利都没被咬
The surprising thing was that Harry hadn’t been bitten so far.
若不立刻抓住它 被咬伤将会非常致命
The bite is ferociously deadly, unless you catch it at once,
手边要随时准备好抗蛇毒素
with a dose of antivenom immediately at hand.
这纤细的小东西长这样
Slim, little things. They look like this.
它可能会悄悄溜进来
One might slip, discreetly,
比如说 通过一条门缝 进入小孩的卧室
through the just-cracked open door of a small child’s bedroom, for instance.
一位茶园管理人曾告诉我 一只绵羊后腿被咬了
The manager of a tea estate once told me about a sheep bitten on the hind leg.
他把尸体剖开时 血就像沥青 像焦油一般黑
When he cut open the carcass, its blood ran pitch, black as tar.
我说：“好了 哈利” 现在连我也在耳语了
“All right, Harry,” I said. Now I was whispering too.
“别动 如非必要 不要说话
Don’t move and don’t talk unless you have to.
它被惊扰了才会咬人 我们会想办法的”
It won’t bite unless it’s frightened. We’ll fix it.
我轻手轻脚地走出房♥间
I went out softly
从厨房♥拿了一把锋利的小刀
and fetched a small sharp knife from the kitchen.
我把它放进口袋备用 以防哈利惊扰了金环蛇而被咬伤
I put it in my pocket ready to use in case Harry frightened the krait and got bitten.
要准备好切开哈利的伤口 吸出毒液
I was ready to cut Harry and suck out the venom.
我说：“哈利 我觉得最好是
“Harry, I think the best thing to do
让我轻轻拉下被单看看”
is for me to draw back the sheet very gently and have a look.”
你个白♥痴♥
You idiot.
他的声音非常苍白 因为他说话太慢、太轻柔
There was no expression in his voice. He spoke too slowly and softly for that.
神情要靠眼睛和嘴角来传达
The expression was in the eyes and corners of the mouth.
光线会惊吓到蛇 它会咬死我的
Light will startle. Snake will kill me.
有道理
Good point.
要是我快速盖回被单 不去管…
How about I whip back the sheet and brush it off the instant–
叫医生
Get doctor.
他看着我 好像我早该自己想到似的
He looked at me as if I should have thought of that myself.
医生 可不是嘛 没错 我去叫甘德拜医生
A doctor. Of course. That’s it. I’ll get Dr. Ganderbai.
我踮着脚尖走出去 查找甘德拜医生的号♥码
I tiptoed out, looked up Dr. Ganderbai’s number,
拿起电♥话♥ 然后叫接线员动作快
lifted the phone and told the operator to hurry.
我是伍兹监管员 – 你好 伍兹先生 还没睡吗？
This is Supervisor Woods. – Hello, Mr. Woods. You’re not in bed yet?
请马上拿血清来 是金环蛇
Come at once and bring serum. For a krait.
血清？谁被咬了呀？
Serum? Who’s been bitten?
这问题像小型爆♥炸♥ 如雷贯耳
The question came like a small explosion in my ear.
暂时没人被咬
No one. No one, yet.
在被单下面 有一条睡着的蛇趴在哈利的肚子上
Harry’s got one sleeping on his stomach under the sheet.
电♥话♥对面大约安静了三秒钟
For about three seconds there was silence on the line.
然后他慢慢说 这次不再像爆♥炸♥了 准确地讲 甘德拜医生说…
Speaking slowly, not like an explosion, precisely, Dr. Ganderbai said…
他不能动 不能说话 你明白了吗？
He’s not to move or talk. Do you understand?
当然明白 医生 – 我现在就来
Of course, Doctor. – I’m coming now.
他挂断电♥话♥ 然后我回到卧室
He rang off, and I went back to the bedroom.
哈利看着我走向床边
Harry’s eyes walked me to his bed.
甘德拜医生马上来 他说躺着别动
Dr. Ganderbai’s coming. He said to lie still.
不然他以为我在干吗？
What does he think I’ve been doing? – No talking. Either of us.
别说话 谁都别说了
那就闭嘴
Shut up, then.
他嘴巴一侧的肌肉 原本是用来展现笑容的
The muscles on one side of his mouth, the muscles used for smiling
却开始抽搐 微微地颤动
started twitching, little movements
他说完话后 颤动持续了一会
that continued for a while after he finished speaking.
我不喜欢他这样 也不喜欢他说话的语气
I didn’t like that, or the way he talked, either.
甘德拜医生的车疾速驶到前院
Dr. Ganderbai’s car sped up to the front.
我出去跟他碰面
I went out to meet him.
他人在哪里？ – 甘德拜医生没停下来等我回答
Where is he? – Dr. Ganderbai didn’t stop for my answer.
他径直走过我身边 进入客厅 把手包放在椅子上
He walked on past me into the hall. He put his bag down on a chair.
他穿着软底卧室拖鞋
He was wearing soft-soled bedroom slippers.
他毫无声响地走进去 像只小心翼翼的猫
He walked across the floor noiselessly, like a careful cat.
哈利用眼角警惕着周边情况
Harry watched out the sides of his eyes.
走到床边 医生看着哈利笑了笑
Upon reaching the bed, he looked at Harry and smiled,
神情让人安心 他点着头 仿佛在说…
reassuring, nodding his head as if to say…
别担心 没什么大不了的 交给甘德拜医生吧
Don’t worry. This is a simple matter. Leave it to Dr. Ganderbai.
他走去厨房♥ 我跟了过去
He went into the kitchen, and I followed him.
他打开手包
He opened his bag.
首先尝试帮他注射血清 但必须干净利落 他不能畏缩
First is to try to get serum into him, but I must do it neatly. He can’t flinch.