英語經典鬼故事兩篇
在如今日益千篇一律的生活裡,人們的生活節奏越來越快,人們需要感官上的刺激,於是便有了鬼故事這種文學消遣。下面小編為大家帶來,歡迎大家閱讀!
英語經典鬼故事:圖書館的四個傢伙
In the process of recalling my college days, I am reminded of that momentous occasion during my first year at St Montague's, when, by some irksome and malign fate, I discovered myself sharing the confines of the school library with three well-read scholars of that time. These loathsome fellows I normally would avoid at all costs, but owing to the atrocious February weather I was compelled to gain welcome warmth beside that roaring fire.
回憶我在聖.蒙塔格大學的生活,我總是會想到我在那的第一年時發生的這件事。當時,我非常鬱悶得發現我得和三個當時看來很博學的學生共享圖書館。若在平時,我會不惜一切代價躲避這些討厭的傢伙,但那年二月的天氣實在是太糟糕了,我不得不呆在壁爐旁,享受那熊熊旺火的溫暖。
"What is your name, young chap?" I was asked, by a large scholar wearing a three-piece suit of pin-stripes. His enquiry wore a ghastly cloak of supposed superiority and rank, which I kind of expected, as I was a mere first year student at that particular time.
“你叫什麼名字,小夥子?”一個穿著高大的排扣三件套西服的學生問。他詢問的語氣彷彿都透著股優越感和居高臨下的感覺,這個我早有心理準備,因為當時我還只是個新生而已。
"Grim Shaw," I told him, and as I uttered my name I surveyed the three pairs of beady eyes which were fixed upon my being. I detected a vast amount of arrogance beyond those staring sockets.
“格里姆.肖。”我回答。我看到三雙犀利的眼睛正盯著我瞧。從他們的眼神中,我能感覺到強烈的傲慢。
"A common name," sneered the fellow, whose own name I knew to be Rhodes-Fotheringham. As I have mentioned, he was large, with a reddened, chubby face and whiskers that hid his stiff upper lip completely. It appeared as if he owned the bottom one only, and I reckoned this to be quite comical, although I dared not to chuckle in their presence.
“名字真俗。”一個傢伙嘲笑道,我後來知道他的名字是拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆。我說過,他的個子很高,面色發紅,滿是贅肉,上嘴脣完全被濃密的鬍鬚蓋住,看起來就像他只長了下嘴脣似的。我覺得這真是太滑稽了,但又不敢在他們面前笑。
"Well, Grim Shaw," snarled the second chap, whose name was Blake, and who was exactly as tiresome as Rhodes-Fotheringham, "my chums and I were in the process of recounting horrific tales of ghosts and apparitions. If you wish to remain in our company, you must endure this."
“好吧,格里姆.肖,”另一個和拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆一樣討厭的叫布萊克的傢伙說,“我和哥們兒們正在講恐怖的鬼故事。如果你想和我們一起呆在這的話,那你就必須忍耐。”
"And not go fleeing from the room in fright!" added the third monster, a scoundrel by the name of Atkinson.
“而且即使害怕也不許從這個房間跑出去。”第三個叫阿特肯森的無賴補充說。
I endeavored not to be afraid, which was not a simple task, as the trio themselves were sufficient to cause a shivering sensation inside me. We were all seated, with discreet distances between each, in huge Victorian armchairs facing the blazing flames of the log fire. The library itself was enormous, and must have contained thousands of books on all subjects. Including the topic of ghosts.
我努力抑制自己的恐慌,但這還不是我要面對的惟一的任務,因為這三個人也足以讓我內心打顫了。我們都坐在面向熾熱的爐火的維多利亞式靠背椅上,彼此間保持一定距離。圖書館很大,有關於各種主題的幾千本圖書,當然,也有關於鬼魂的書。
"I remember one chap," said Rhodes-Fotheringham, a cigar of eager proportions in his ample hand, "whose name I cannot recall. He regularly encountered the ghostly figure of an old man in a pale-colored nightgown, who was prone to walking up and down the stairs of the chap's home, and with his head held under his arm!"
拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆的大手裡拿著根雪茄,說:“我記得有個人,他的名字我不記得了。他經常能看到一個穿著淺色睡衣的鬼影,那鬼影總在他家樓梯上上上下下來回走,胳膊下夾著自己的頭!”
Excessive gasps left the mouths of Blake and Atkinson, whilst I myself remained silent and breathless. Rhodes-Fotheringham's features became hidden in the midst of an awful-smelling cloud of cigar smoke, providing an eerie vision of his face, and at that moment I wondered whether he himself was a dreadful phantom.
布萊克和阿特肯森開始大口喘息,而我則不敢出聲,摒住呼吸。拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆的臉掩在嗆人的雪茄煙霧後,讓他看起來有種奇異的虛幻感,那一刻,我都有點覺得他本身就是個可怕的鬼魂了。
"Anyway," he continued, with the smoke drifting in the direction of the fireplace, "this chap could stand it no longer and subsequently decided to take his own life by shooting himself in the head with a pistol. Now it is rumored that he himself haunts that house."
“最後,”他繼續講著,吐出的雪茄煙霧向著壁爐的方向飄去“那傢伙再也受不了,就飲彈自盡了,現在有謠言說他的鬼魂就在那房子裡出沒。”
His two companions seemed quite unsettled by this story, and as the flames crackled in the hearth they each took a copious mouthful of the brandy that was readily available nearby. Then Blake appeared to decide that he was not to be outdone by his friend.
另外兩個人聽了他的故事都顯得很不安,壁爐爐膛裡傳出噼噼啪啪的木柴燃燒的聲音,他們都拿起身邊的白蘭地,大大地吞了一口。布萊克覺得自己不應該輸給朋友。
"That is a pretty gruesome tale, old chap," he said in a quavering voice, "but allow me to relate the story of the man whose wife gave birth to an apparition."
“哥們,這故事真是可怕。”他顫著聲說:“但請聽我講講另外一個人的事,他老婆生了個鬼怪。”
"By Jove!" exclaimed Rhodes-Fotheringham, with peculiar puffed cheeks. He appeared to be somewhat perturbed by Blake's proclamation, and I noticed how agitated he became as his companion continued the tale.
“天呀!”拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆喊道。他臉上的肉鬆垮垮的,他像是被布萊克的話嚇到了,我注意到當布萊克講故事的時候,他變得越來越不安。
"It is indeed true," said Blake, who, in contrast to Rhodes-Fotheringham, was of a thin shape, and was clutching his brandy glass tightly the whole time. "This apparition grew to a fine old age, until he reached a maturity he could not improve on, and now he haunts the church in which his parents had married."
“這是個真實的故事。”布萊克說。和拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆不同,他長得很瘦弱,講故事的時候手裡一直緊握著白蘭地酒杯。“那鬼怪一直長到它成熟為止,現在,它就在它父母當年結婚的那家教堂出沒。”
Again, a strange air filled the room, and an odd nervousness prevailed in the three figures that flanked me. I remember thinking how chilling and sinister were those three fellows, to the point where I began to feel rather frightened me. However, I attempted not to reveal this, as I sat with clenched fists upon that armchair, gazing into the leaping flames opposite my position in that library.
房間裡的氛圍再次變得很奇怪,坐在我身邊的三個人有種怪異的緊張感。我還記得當時他們的神情是多麼害怕慌張,那神情讓我覺得很害怕。但我努力不把這種害怕表現出來,於是我坐在扶手椅上,緊握雙拳,緊盯著對面壁爐裡跳動的火焰。
"That is an impressive story," said Atkinson. I had never seen a chap as tall and gangly as he was. His weird-looking legs protruded from that chair, stretched out before him like two huge clothes-props, and behind his gold-rimmed spectacles I observed the most evil pair of grey eyes.
阿特肯森說:“這故事真是嚇人。”我從沒見過像他那樣又瘦又高的人。他那看起來怪怪的雙腿從椅子前突出來,像兩根晒衣繩支架似的。透過他的那副金邊眼鏡,我看見一雙至為邪惡的灰色的眼睛。
"What about this then, chaps," he said, grasping the opportunity to tell his own grotesque tale. "A soldier in the Great War was lurking in the trenches, with bullets whizzing around his ears, when suddenly he noticed beside him his own ghost. It was identical in every detail, and he was naturally astonished. Seconds later this poor chap was struck in the head by an enemy shot, and was killed instantly. But strangely, he recalls then holding his own dying figure in his arms, for he had taken over the form of the apparition that was beside him!"
他抓緊機會講自己的靈異故事,說:“夥計們,你們聽聽這個怎麼樣。第一次世界大戰時,有個士兵潛伏在戰壕裡,子彈在他耳邊呼嘯而過。突然他看到了自己的魂魄,跟他長得一模一樣,他自然感到很驚訝了。幾秒鐘後,他就被敵軍的子彈擊中頭部,當場死亡。但奇怪的是,他記得當時是他自己抱著自己的屍體,因為他已經附身在身邊的另一個鬼魂身上了!”
"My good God!" cried Rhodes-Fotheringham, with an obvious alarm.
“我的老天!” 拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆喊道,聲音裡明顯帶著驚恐。
I then looked at Blake, who appeared so petrified he was speechless. I found it quite odd that these three chaps knew so much about ghosts. They seemed to be more than mere students of the college, and indeed I morbidly started to fear what exactly they were. However, I quickly dismissed these thoughts, and seized the chance to reveal some ideas of my own.
我看布萊克,他已經被嚇呆了,說不出話來。我覺得很奇怪,這三個人居然知道這麼多關於鬼魂的故事,看起來他們不單只是大學學生,我突然對他們的真實身份感到很害怕。但我馬上把這些念頭揮去,抓緊機會說出我的觀點。
"This is all preposterous!" I shouted above the blaze of the fire.
“這些都太荒謬了。”我喊道。
"What?" demanded Blake, who suddenly regained his powers of speech upon hearing my unwelcome exclamation.
“什麼?”布萊克問,聽到我這不怎麼討人喜歡的話後,他似乎又有了說話的力氣。
"I have never hap that saw the ghost on the stairs. How do you know this if he shot himself? The same with the soldier in the war. He was dead just seconds after supposedly seeing his own ghost, so how do you know this? And as for the fellow whose wife gave birth to a phantom. That is pure drivel of the finest water!"
“我從沒在樓梯上見過什麼鬼魂,再說,如果他是自殺的,你們又怎麼知道這個故事?那個士兵的故事也一樣,如果他在看到自己的魂魄幾秒鐘之後就死掉了,你又怎麼知道?至於那個老婆生了個鬼怪的人,簡直是滿嘴胡話!”
Rhodes-Fotheringham was in such an intolerable rage that I thought he would explode before my eyes, and the other two were not far behind in their ire. Each of them was blazing more intensely than the fire was!
拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆變得怒不可遏,彷彿就要在我面前氣炸了似的。其他兩個人也氣壞了,看起來,他們的怒火比壁爐裡的火還要旺許多!
"Get out of here!" yelled Rhodes-Fotheringham in a tremendous, booming voice. "And do not return! You are far from worthy of our company!"
“滾出去!”拉霍斯.佛斯林漢姆大聲地喊道:“你不配和我們呆在一起!”
This request -- or rather, this command -- seemed quite popular amongst the three of them, and so it was with a trembling demeanor that I proceeded to leave the library. A chilling silence ensued as I slowly stepped away from them and the fireplace. However, I believe I succeeded in astounding my trio of companions, for I departed from that room without opening the door.
看起來這個請求,或者說這個命令是他們三個人一致認同的,所以我只好戰戰兢兢得離開了圖書館。我從他們身邊和溫暖的爐火旁離開的時候,身後一片死寂。但我確信我嚇到了我這三個夥伴,因為我不用開啟門就從房間裡消失不見了。
英語經典鬼故事:神祕的夜貓
My father has lived Aspen, Colorado for over 20 years during the ski season, November to April, as he is an avid skier. I lived in my father’s house for a year and a half in 1990/91 when I was working at a gallery in Aspen, but had no experiences except for being extremely uncomfortable in the downstairs area. Recently that changed.
作為一名滑雪愛好者,我父親每年都會在滑雪季節***每年的11月到來年的四月***搬到科羅拉多州的阿斯彭***譯者注:科羅拉多中西部的一座城市,為一流行的滑雪聖地***居住,如今在這裡已經居住了20多年。他的這座房子,我只是在1990年到1991年間住了一年半,其時我正在阿斯彭的一家展覽館工作,在此期間除了對這座房子的樓下部分感到極其不舒服外,也沒有什麼特別的感受。不過,最近這種感覺可不同了。
I am married now and my husband, son and I went to visit my father over the holidays. My brother, his wife and his 3 children were visiting as well and were already there. My father’s home is a two level, 4 bedroom house in Snowmass Village. It was built in the 70’s and he is the second owner. I know nothing about the first owner. There are two bedrooms downstairs with a full bath, a workout room, a laundry room, and a sauna room/ski storage area. The house is built into the side of the mountain, so there are no windows for the downstairs bathroom, workout, laundry and sauna room. The windows for the two bedrooms are not as expansive or bright as the rooms on the floors above so it can appear pretty dim in the rooms down there, especially the second bedroom furthers from the stairs and closest to the other dark rooms.
如今,我已結婚生子,那是在一個假日,丈夫、兒子還有我來到這裡看望父親。而我弟弟當時跟他妻子和他的三個孩子也正好來看父親。這座房子地處聚雪山莊***Snowmass Village***,建於上個世紀70年代,共有兩層,四間臥室,我父親是這座房子的第二任房主,而對於第一任房主我一無所知。樓下有兩間臥室,一個廁所,一間健身房,一間洗衣房,此外還有一個桑拿間和雪橇放置區。這座房子在建造時是傍山而建,所以底層的廁所、健身房、洗衣房及桑拿間都沒有窗戶,漆黑一片;而兩間臥室的窗戶跟樓上的比起來也是又小又暗,所以下到這裡就會覺得昏暗迷濛,暗淡無光。
It is also important to note that since I lived there in the early 90’s, my father acquired an old music organ that he said was a gift from a business associate. It is very, very old and I was told that is was originally from Connecticut, it used to be in a church and it is from the1800’s. It’s not very attractive and I was told that my mother refused to have it in her house so my father put it in his Aspen home as he thought the organ was great. He put the organ in the second, darkest bedroom where it dominates the room.
此外關於這房子,還有重要的一條需要說明,自從90年代我在這兒走後,父親就弄到了一把風琴,據他自己說是由一個生意夥伴送的,這架風琴已經是非常非常舊了,據我所知它最初是來自康涅狄格州,可追溯到19世紀,並且還在教堂使用過。這把風琴看上去並不是很惹人喜愛,據我瞭解母親就拒絕把它放到自己的房間,因此父親只好把它帶到了位於阿斯彭的房子,因為在他眼裡這把風琴可是價值不菲。父親把它安頓在第二間,也就是最黑最暗的那間臥室,在這裡,它默默地統治著這間房子。
When my father has guests in the downstairs area, whoever is there first always takes the first and brightest bedroom. Nobody ever wants the second bedroom unless they have no choice. Because my husband, son and I were the last to arrive, my brother’s daughters were in the room first but were moved from the second bedroom to the upstairs bedroom while our nephew and our son took the sofas upstairs. My husband and I were then given the second room with the organ. That night, both my husband and I were very tired from our trip and we went to bed exhausted.
如果我父親有客人來訪需要住在樓下時,不管是誰只要是先到者,總會選第一間明亮的臥室,沒有人希望住到第二間,除非他別無選擇而於我們一家就來的比較晚,我弟弟的女兒從樓下第一間臥室搬到了樓上的臥室,我兒子和外甥睡在樓上的沙發上, 而我們兩口得到的便是那間由風琴守候的第二間臥室。那天晚上,丈夫和我由於長途勞頓,上床時都已經是精疲力竭了。
I had drunk a lot of water earlier as it’s important when coming into the mountains from sea level or a lower altitude not to drink alcohol but instead drunk a lot of water to stay hydrated and to help acclimate to the high altitude. So with all this water in my belly, I found I had to get up a couple of times in the night and use the bathroom. The lights were off in the bedroom and the door was shut making the room very dark indeed, but still I could see a little bit. It was my second trip to the bathroom, maybe around midnight, and as I went to the bedroom door, I glanced down and saw a cat waiting to get out of the room. My father has no cats, has never had cats as he is allergic to them and as far as I know there has never been a cat in that house, EVER. I could see the cat was striped and looked gray and white and maybe a little brown. It appeared motionless but was gazing at the door the way animals do when they want to get out but are being very patient about it. I thought I was dreaming and kept looking at this cat, rubbing my eyes, looking back down at it but it remained. ***Now it is important to the story that I mention that we also had brought our dog and he was asleep in the room with us and as far as I know, he was not awake***
在這之前,我喝了不少水,因為這樣就能夠在進入高海拔山區不至於脫水,同時還能有助於更快的適應高原反應,但喝酒是不行的。所以,我肚子裡全是水,在夜裡我不得不頻頻起床上廁所。臥室裡的燈是關著的,緊閉的房門使整個房間更是漆黑一片,不過,我多少還是能夠看到點。大約在半夜,那是我第二次起床去上廁所,當我向房門走去的時候,向腳下瞥了一眼,突然看到一隻貓伏在那裡,它正等著出去。但是我父親沒養貓啊,由於對貓過敏,父親是從來不養貓的。而且據我所知,在這所房子裡也沒養任何貓,從來就沒有過。但是,我確實看到一隻貓,全身佈滿斑紋,看上去是灰白色,似乎還有點褐色。它在那裡一動不動,只是目不轉睛地注視著房門,它的姿勢就是動物們在想出門時所擺出的那種姿勢,不過,這隻貓顯得非常得耐心。我以為自己是在做夢,注視著這隻貓,我揉了揉眼睛,再一下,它還在那裡。***現在我需要提一點,這對整個故事很重要,我們過來時把我家的那條狗也給帶來了,它就跟我們睡在同一房間,不過據我所知,這隻狗一直酣睡在那裡***
Finally, after staring at it for a few moments, I decided the cat really must be there and it really wanted to go out so I was going to let it out, so I opened the door. I watched, fully expecting this cat to come walking out into the hallway, but instead my dog bounded out as if he were chasing this cat, which of course, now wasn’t there any longer.
我又注視著它端詳了片刻,最終確定那裡就是有一隻貓,而且它確實就是想出去,於是,我便打算將它放出去,打開了房門,我看著它,滿以為這隻貓會走到走廊裡去,但它還在那裡,倒是我的那隻狗在我開門時躍了起來,好像是要去抓這隻貓,這時貓一溜煙的跑了。
That could have been the end of the story, but the next morning, my husband, ***who doesn’t believe in ghosts or the afterlife*** mentioned he wanted to speak to me about something while we were making the bed. He made me promise not to tell anyone while we were visiting because he did not want to get laughed at for something he doesn’t even believe in. He went on to tell me that around two in the morning he had suddenly woke up and found the room filled with mist or smoke. He thought this was strange and then he said he could make out the head of a woman at the foot of the bed, hovering in all this mist. At first he thought this woman was me, so he asked if I was alright. He said he nearly had a heart attack when I groaned softly next to him. ***I had no memory of him asking me anything, but I guess I was asleep***.
故事到此也許應該就結束了,但是在第二天早晨收拾床時,我丈夫, 一個從來不信鬼神、不信陰府來世的人,說他想告訴我點事。他還讓我發誓在逗留的這段時間內不要告訴任何人,因為他不想被別人因為自己從來不相信的東西而取笑自己。接著他告訴我,大約在凌晨兩點左右,他突然驚醒,發現房間裡煙霧瀰漫,覺得很奇怪,然後他接著講,在床尾處他竟發現有一個女人頭飄在煙霧中盤旋。起初,他以為那個女人是我,於是他就問了一句:“你沒事吧?”,也就在這時,他說自己差點就心臟病發作,因為他聽到我就在他身邊,輕輕地朝他哼了兩聲***不過我倒沒記著他問我什麼事,我想我那時睡著了***。
Anyway, he was startled to find that I was lying next to him and that it wasn't me at the foot of the bed, so he began to really try to see who it was. He told me it was difficult at first to focus because he didn’t have his contacts in, but as he took a good look, he could see there was no body, just a head. Even though his vision wasn’t as clear as he would have liked, he made an effort to see who was there and said he could make out a woman’s head that was quite skeletal and appeared to have a lot of make-up on, lipstick and eye make-up, he said, VERY made up. The woman’s head seemed to have long hair and some kind of big hat that has a sash that goes over the top and ties underneath the chin. He said the head started floated up over the bed, over my side of the bed rather than his side of the bed, but he said, she seemed to be looking right at him. He said when it got towards the headboard, it suddenly vanished. He said he was so freaked out that he just tried to go back to sleep, trying to forget what he had just seen until he finally did fall back asleep.
不管怎麼說,當他發現我躺在他身邊,而在床尾的那個不是我時,著實被震驚了,於是他開始仔細端詳起這個人到底是誰。開始時由於他沒有戴隱形眼鏡,很難看清,但是當他看清時,發現是一個人頭在那裡,沒有身體,僅僅一個懸浮的頭在那裡。儘管此時這位“無神論者”看的沒有平常那樣清楚,但當他努力看時,還是能夠識別出那就是一個女人的頭,瘦削的臉龐,看上去似乎還化著厚厚的濃裝,擦著口紅,打著眼影。“妝化的非常濃”,他說。這顆女頭好像還留著長髮,帶著一頂大帽子,帽子上帶著繫帶,就係在女頭的下頜處。這顆頭開始在床的上空飄浮起來,而且還是偏在我這邊,開始向床頭慢慢的漂移過來,但眼睛卻直勾勾地盯著他,突然,就在這時,頭不見了。這時的這位無神論者,據他自己說,是驚恐不安,只想能夠快點入睡,努力忘掉剛才看到的那一幕,這種驚悚餘悸一直持續到他再次入睡。
The next day, I kept my promise to him about telling the others about the head, but I mentioned seeing the cat to my sister in law and my nieces as a cat isn’t as scary as a floating head. My nieces then confessed that while in that room, they always felt as if they were being watched and our son, who was later in that room after my brother and his family left and before we told him about the head, said he felt as if he was being watched as well.
第二天,我遵守我的諾言沒有向任何人提起這顆頭的事,不過我還是將我夜半遇貓的經歷告訴了弟妹和外甥女,畢竟這沒有那顆飄浮的人頭那麼恐怖。而外甥女此時無忌地說當她們在自己那間屋子裡時,老感覺是有什麼在一直盯著自己,在我弟弟全家走了以後,我兒子就搬到了她們房間,他也說好像是感覺到老有什麼在一直看著自己,而這時我和丈夫都沒有告訴他關於那顆頭的故事。
For the rest of the visit, nothing else happened. After our visit, my sister in law and I had a talk and tried to figure out where these ghosts were coming from and we guessed that maybe they were attached to this old organ. My father doesn’t have much history on it except for what I mentioned earlier in the story. My theory is his business partner gave it to him because it creeped him out and he wanted to get rid of it. My father said it is a very valuable antique and now wants to leave it to me some day since I was asking questions about it. ***I didn’t tell my dad about what I had seen, as he does not believe in ghosts and I didn't want to freak him out*** I told him thanks but I really couldn’t accept it and I told him he should donate it to a church or something. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but I don’t want it!!
不過在接下來的這段時間裡,倒是什麼也沒發生。在看望結束後,弟妹和我又談論起這件事,努力想找出這鬼到底是從何而來,據我們猜測,鬼也許就附在那把老古董的風琴上。其實我父親對這把風琴的歷史沒有多少了解,他所知道的就是我在故事開頭所提到的那幾點。據我猜測,這位生意夥伴之所以將這把風琴送給我父親,那是因為這把風琴也曾經讓他驚悚過,因此他想擺脫掉這把風琴,於是就送給了我父親。而我父親還把這風琴說成是價值不菲的古董,說是將來哪一天還要留給我,因為他發現我對它一直是非常好奇,老是問這問那***我並沒有告訴父親我所看到一切,因為他也不信鬼神,而且我也不想讓他擔驚受怕***。我向他表達了我的謝意,但是我著實無法接受這份禮物,我勸他可以將風琴捐給教堂之類的組織。我不想傷害他的感情,但同樣,我也不想得到這把風琴!!