猫咪与爷爷在线阅读_爷爷与猫

　　中国“鬼节”刚过,就得为西方“鬼节”做准备了――期刊周期真可恶,小编得连着过两个 　　“鬼节”+_+。不过能提着杰克灯到处要糖吃的鬼节还是蛮好玩的～还记得小时候爷爷奶奶会给我们讲带点聊斋味道的鬼故事,于是为大家奉上一篇爷爷说的故事。别担心,不恐怖的啦!P.S. 还是慢速英语哦!
　　
　　It was another snow chilled day. The sun had just gone down. A 1)Navaho Indian girl half opened the door and measured the coldness of the coming winter night. She called into the shivering air,
　　“2)Nizhoni! Nizhoni! Nizhoni!” Out of the darkness, a small kitten came running and answered the warm call.
　　Nizhoni the kitten shook the snow off its cotton-like claws. The orange fire on the center floor of the room could be seen shining in the little cat’s glassy eyes as in a mirror. The girl’s hands firmly held the kitten as it tried to race back outside, then she closed the door. Nizhoni jumped and 3)bounced into the dark corner of the mudded logs of the walls. The children laughed at the funny cat, and Grandfather laughed with them. Then, the children asked Grandfather if they could hear the story of the cat once more. Grandfather put his boney back against the hard wall and began his story.
　　Long time ago before your mother and father were born, our people suffered a terrible snowstorm. Our Great Spirit grew angry against the people for not obeying his commands. I must admit that I stupidly continued to get drunk on wine. I sold my best silver and jewels and our sheep and cows to buy more wine. I said false things about my neighbors. I beat your grandmother. I even stoned to death our cats when they came looking for food.
　　In the first days of our past, the time of your great, great grandparents, there were few cats in the wild land. They were treated like dogs or horses. Cats used to sleep among the sheep or dogs, or they hid under the pile of firewood for warmth. Our food was given only to the more useful dogs. The cats hunted lizards, mice and even the people’s wastes for food. They were beaten if caught stealing food from our own supply or from the dogs’ meals. Sometimes the cats never lived to the next day during the cold nights. Anyway, your grandmother used to spread out sheep skins for the cats outside during cold nights.
　　Six days and nights after the continuous snowstorm, 20 sheep and 13 goats froze to death. Our dogs and horses began to get sick. Your grandmother and I stayed up without sleep, night after night, caring for the animals. We built huge fires in the 4)corral and filled our house with the dying sheep and goats. Soon, we became very tired and weak. Our firewood burned out. In 19 days our hands froze blue from searching the snow for grasses. The snow got too deep for the horses, so we could not ride to get help from our neighbors who lived far beyond the eastern hills.
　　One night, my head began to ache, and my body lost its strength then broke down, shivering with chills. At about mid-night, I lost all feeling and a terrible darkness filled my eyes. When I awoke I felt the cold touch of your grandmother. She told me that all the animals, including the horses and dogs, had died during my long sleep. I knew my death was coming. I begged her to leave me to die and try to make her go to our nearest neighbor. I told her to follow a 5)ridge where the snow might be thin and to take all the remaining food. I forced her to prepare me for 6)burial. She said prayers not for curing but for all the evils I have done. She closed the smoke hole and the door and left.
　　I saw darkness not as in a night, but as a silent, dark emptiness. Suddenly, I found myself sitting on top of my motionless dead body. I was able to look down at my dead face. The hard, the cruel eyes were finally closed. My mouth emptied of 7)curses, and the scars of drunkenness turned pale and blue. The sight brought back terrible memories. I now regretted, all the cruelties and deaths I brought upon the living creatures. I found my own answer for my punishment. I cried. Immediately, a white cloud appeared out of the black emptiness. I froze with fright. The scene seemed to be only a trick, an 8)illusion, but it was real. The cloud came closer and closer. I cried louder and louder. Then, the cloud flew open; several horsemen appeared, riding toward me. I could not run, I only watched as they came. At a distance behind these ghosts, rode two more horsemen driving along our dead animals. They also pulled along an empty horse. These creatures were the evil spirits. They stopped and looked down at me. The skin on their faces was gone. I could see their angry teeth. The man with the empty horse moved to one side of his horse and held down his inviting hand. I forced up my hand, knowing that I had to go with them. As I felt the boney fingertip, a sudden cry broke our hold. The hand of the evil spirit pulled back as if burned by fire. All the evil spirits fled back into the darkness, I was left alone. Right then, on the left side of my chest, I felt something wooly and warm. It was our cat. It was tearing through the air with its open claws like an angry 9)panther. The cat had frightened the evil spirits away. I wanted to touch and 10)stroke the cat. But I was too stunned with surprise and happiness.
　　Slowly, I got to my feet with my arms around the cat. The dogs cheerfully raced to my side, then joyfully the cat, the dogs and I gathered up our sheep, goats and horses. Again, I heard the voice. It commanded that I and the cat should go back. The animals were to be put in a greener 11)pasture then our land. The cloud flowed away with my livestock. I cried, but then smiled when I pictured them in a green pasture. At the farthest distance a figure joined the 12)flock and herded
　　them out of sight. Suddenly I was back in my body. The cat was 13)cuddled up and 14)snoring, asleep on my chest, keeping my heart warm. Life had been given back to me by the cat I once tortured.
　　Your grandmother died in the snowstorm. But I learned the 15)commandment she always believed in. And I always think she was the figure who herded the flock to the greener pasture.
　　So ended Grandfather’s story. Grandfather has always kept a cat in his house since the horrible
　　snowstorm. Nizhoni, which means beauty, is a name given to all his cats. A cat is fun for the children and keeps the rats, lizards and snakes out of the house. But it also is protection against the evil spirits. The fire burned low and the children quietly 16)dozed off to sleep. Grandfather stepped outside and stood looking into the peaceful winter night, holding Nizhoni in his arms.
　　
　　又是一个严寒刺骨的下雪天。太阳刚刚下山。一位纳瓦霍印第安女孩推开半边窗户,感受着这个即将到来的冬夜的寒冷。她对着寒冷的空气大喊:“尼松尼!尼松尼!尼松尼!”一只小猫从黑暗中跑了出来,回应这温暖人心的呼唤。
　　这只叫“尼松尼”的小猫轻轻地将雪花从它那双像棉花一样柔软的爪子上抖落下来。小猫水晶般的眼睛像一面镜子,映射着房子地板正中那堆橙色的火焰。它极力挣扎着想跑回屋外,可是女孩用双手将它紧紧抱住,并关上了门。尼松尼跳了下来,冲进墙边那堆沾满泥巴的木头所形成的黑暗角落里。这只可爱的小猫把孩子们逗乐了,爷爷也跟着笑了起来。随后,孩子们问爷爷能否再讲一次猫的故事。爷爷瘦骨嶙峋的背部靠到坚硬的墙上,开始娓娓道来。
　　很久很久以前,你们的父母还没出生,那时我们的部落遭受了一场可怕的暴风雪。我们的先灵因为族人不听从他的命令而大发雷霆。我必须承认,我当时愚蠢至极地继续酗酒。我变卖了最好的银器和珠宝,卖光了我们的绵羊和奶牛,只为了买更多的酒来喝。我对邻居粗言秽语,殴打你们的祖母,甚至还用石头砸死我们前来找食物的猫。
　　很久以前,也就是你们的曾曾祖父的年代,野外很少有猫。我们像对待狗和马一样对待它们。通常,猫会睡在羊群或是狗窝里,要不然就藏在柴火堆下取暖。我们只会给狗喂食,因为它们更有用。猫则要自己抓些蜥蜴和老鼠吃,有时甚至还要吃人的排泄物。如果被发现偷吃我们的食物或者狗食,它们就要挨打。有时候,猫根本没有办法在外面熬过一个寒冷的冬夜。尽管这样,在冬天寒冷的夜里,你们的祖母总会给屋外的猫盖上一块羊皮保暖。
　　暴风雪一连袭击了六天六夜,20只绵羊和13头山羊被冻死了。我们的狗和马也开始支撑不住了。你们的祖母和我不眠不休,日以继夜地照顾这些动物。我们在畜栏里烧起一大堆火,把那些垂死的绵羊和山羊赶进屋里。很快地,我们也感到身体虚弱,疲惫不堪。我们的柴火也烧光了。十九天过去了,我们的手因为耙雪寻找牧草而冻得发紫。雪积得太厚,连马也走不了,因此我们没办法得到邻里的帮助――他们可住在遥远的东部山区。
　　某天晚上,我觉得头痛欲裂,身体失去力量,整个人都垮了,不停打着寒颤。午夜时分,我失去知觉,眼前黑得可怕。到我醒来的时候,我感觉到你们祖母用冰冷的手抚摸着我。她告诉我,在我昏睡的那段时间里,包括马和狗在内的所有动物都死了。我也知道自己行将就木。我恳求她别管我的死活,努力说服她到最近的邻居那里求助。我叫她带上所有食物,沿着山脊向前走,那里的雪也许会薄一些。我强迫她为我准备葬礼。她为我祷告,不是为了治愈病痛,而是为我消除罪孽。她盖好通风孔,关上门走了。
　　我眼前一片黑暗,不是黑夜,而是一片寂静而深沉的空洞。突然间,我发现自己坐在我那一动不动的尸体上面。我低头就能看见自己那张死去的脸。那双硬朗而残酷的眼睛终于合上了。嘴巴不再说出恶毒的言语,脸上的酒疤也变得惨白而发紫。这样的情景让我回想起可怕的事情。我现在后悔极了,我杀了生,还对那些动物如此残忍。我得到了应得的惩罚。我哭了起来。就在这时,一团白色云雾出现在这黑暗的空洞中。我怔住了。这场景像是一场把戏,一种幻觉,却又异常真实。那片云雾越靠越近,我的哭声越来越大。接着,云雾散开了;几个骑士出现了,朝着我冲过来。我跑不动了,只能看着他们靠近。在这些幽魂身后不远处,有另外两个骑士在死去的动物旁穿行,同时也拉着一匹没有人骑的马。他们就是恶灵了吧。他们停下来看着我,脸上的皮肤已经消失,可以看见他们凶狠的牙齿。拉着空马的人移到自己坐骑的另一边,向我伸出手。我迫不得已伸出手,知道自己必须跟他们走。就在我碰到他只剩骨头的指尖时,一声突如其来的叫声让我们停了下来。恶魔像被火烧了一样抽回了手。所有恶魔都退回到黑暗中,只剩我一个人站在那里。就在这个时候,我感觉到左边胸口有什么毛茸茸又暖洋洋的东西。是我们的猫。它的叫声撕破长空,张牙舞爪的样子就像一只愤怒的美洲豹。猫把恶灵吓跑了。我真想抱起它爱抚一下,可是我又惊又喜,无法动弹。
　　慢慢地,我站了起来,抱着那只猫。狗儿们兴奋地冲到我身边,我和猫狗们高兴地将绵羊、山羊和马聚集成群。我再次听到了那个声音。它命令我和猫退回去。这些动物要赶往比我们的土地更富饶翠绿的草原。那片云雾带着我的动物们飞走了。我哭了,但想到它们生活在一片翠绿草原上的情景,我便满足地笑了起来。在那最遥远的远方,一个身影加入了这些群落,赶着它们渐渐远去。突然,我回到了自己的身体。猫儿蜷缩在我的胸口,呼噜噜地睡大觉,一直温暖着我的心脏。这只曾经被我折磨过的小猫让我重拾了
　　生命。
　　你们的祖母在暴风雪中与世长辞。不过我学会了她一直坚信的诫条。而我也一直相信,她就是将羊群和马群赶往富饶草原的那个身影。
　　爷爷的故事讲完了。自从那次暴风雪之后,爷爷总会在家里养一只猫。“尼松尼”是“美丽”的意思,爷爷的猫都取这个名字。孩子们喜欢和猫玩,猫也能把老鼠、蜥蜴和蛇赶跑。还它也能保护你免受恶灵伤害。屋里的火越烧越弱,孩子们打起瞌睡来,渐渐睡着了。爷爷走出门外,望向平静安详的冬夜,手里紧紧抱着尼松尼。