The Language of the Heart

The Language of the Heart

Written by Maureen Fredrickson
Read by Ruth Ross

Soapy Smith is a twenty-four-pound 1)calico 2)rex rabbit. People look 3)startled when they first touch him and remark how soft he is. I’ve noticed he seems to make everyone who meets him a little softer, too.

One day, Soapy Smith and I visited a shelter for 4)battered 1 women located in a 5)bedraggled section of the city. No one smiled a greeting, and they appeared uninterested in Soapy’s 6)carrier. One little girl in particular moved like a 7)wisp 8)in the background. The staff informed me that she had been there for over a month and had not spoken the entire time. Her mother said she had talked at one time but not in recent memory. I didn’t want to imagine what could have happened to rob this little girl of the natural curiosity and enthusiasm so natural to childhood.

Spreading a blanket on the floor, I sat down and opened Soapy’s carrier. As the silent child circled past me, I told the group that Soapy would come to talk to them if they sat on his blanket. Several children did this, including the silent girl. She sat 9)rigidly 2 at the edge of the blanket, legs held 10)stiffly out straight in front of her. She was staring hard at Soapy. It appeared that he kept making eye contact with her. She didn’t reach out to him or encourage him in any way. Rather she sat 11)tensely, just staring.

Finally Soapy came to a stop about two inches from her 12)thigh 3. He quietly reached out and laid his chin on her knee. I was 13)astonished. While a common behavior for dogs, this is not a behavior 14)exhibited by rabbits, especially not by this rabbit.

The child did not reach out to pet Soapy. Instead, she slowly leaned toward him. When her face was within inches of his, she carefully reached out and circled him with her arms. So softly that no one in the room could hear, she began to talk. Folded around the rabbit, she 15)pillowed her head on his back and whispered to him. Soapy remained 16)motionless.

I looked up and noticed that the shelter workers had stopped talking. Every adult in the room froze in place. Time seemed 17)suspended...

The little girl reappeared when I was preparing to leave. She reached her hands out and looked me directly in the eye. I held Soapy out to her. She wrapped him in a big hug and pressed her face against him. Suspended from my hands as he was, I was concerned that he would begin to struggle. Instead he reached out his head again and laid it on the child’s shoulder. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. As quickly as it happened, the little girl released her hug and stepped back. As she turned away, I thought I saw the beginnings of a 18)faint smile.

The rabbit in his cloud of soft, warm fur had touched something deep in the child-something that had died from too much hard experience. Soapy’s 19)innocence 4 and trust appeared to 20)kindle 5 those very same qualities in the little girl. It seems the language of the heart is simple after all.

注释：
1) calico [5kAlikEu] a. （马等）有斑点的
2) rex rabbit 雷克斯兔（在我国多称为“獭兔”），原产地法国，以绒毛平整富光泽，手感柔软、舒适著名
3) startled [5stB:tld] a. 震惊的
4) battered [5bAtEd] a. 受重创的，连续打击的
5) bedraggled [bi5drA^ld] a. 荒废的，破旧的
6) carrier [5kAriE] n. （自行车等）行李架，置物架
7) wisp [wisp] n. 小物体，纤细的东西
8) in the background 在不引人注目的地方，在隐蔽的地方
9) rigidly [5ridVidli] ad. 僵硬地，死板地
10) stiffly [5stifli] ad. 呆板地，僵硬地
11) tensely [tensli] ad. 紧张地
12) thigh [Pai] n. 大腿
13) astonished [Es5tCniFd] a. 惊讶的
14) exhibit [i^5zibit] v. 展出，展示
15) pillow [5pilEu] v. 把……枕在……上
16) motionless [5mEuFEnlis] a. 不动的，静止的
17) suspended [sEs5pendid] a. 暂停的，悬浮的
18) faint [feint] a. 微弱的，暗淡的
19) innocence [5inEsEns] n. 天真，单纯
20) kindle [5kindl] v. 引起，照亮

心灵的语言

泡泡·史密斯是一只24磅重的雷克斯斑点兔。第一次抚摸它的人都会惊诧于它的柔软。而据我所见，它似乎也能软化那些见过它的人。
一天，我带着泡泡·史密斯去了一家被虐妇女收容所。那地方在城市破烂的一角，没有一个人对我笑着问声好，也没人对装着泡泡的篮子显出丝毫的兴趣。 一个极瘦弱的小女孩仿佛一小撮移动的干草，在不为人注意的地方走着。那儿的工作人员告诉我，她已经来了一个多月了，可一句话也没说过。她母亲说她曾经说过一次话，但那已不是最近的事了。我不愿去想象究竟是什么经历夺走了这个小女孩童年应有的好奇和热心。
我在地板上铺了张毯子坐下来，打开了装着泡泡的篮子。当时，那位沉默的女孩在我身边绕圈子经过，我向那里的人说，如果谁坐在泡泡的毯子上，它就会上前和他说话。几个孩子坐到了毯子上，其中也有那个不说话的女孩。她拘谨地坐在毯子的边缘，两条腿硬梆梆地伸在前面。她紧紧盯着泡泡，而看起来泡泡也不停地在用眼神和她交流。她没有伸出手去抱它，也没有使出什么法子来逗它，只是紧张地坐在那儿，盯着泡泡。
泡泡终于在离她大腿两英寸远的地方停了下来。它轻轻地探出头，把下巴搁在她的膝盖上。我不禁吃了一惊。一般说来这是狗才有的举动，兔子不会这样做的，而泡泡就更不用说了。
小女孩没有伸出手去摸泡泡，只是慢慢把上身往前倾，直到她的脸离泡泡还有几英寸的时候，才小心地张开双臂将它围住。她开始说话了，声音很轻很柔，屋子里的人谁也听不见。她身体蜷在泡泡身边，把头枕在它的背上，对它窃窃私语，而泡泡也一动不动地趴在那儿。
我抬起头来，发现收容所的工作人员都停止了说话，屋子里的每一个大人都僵在原地。时间仿佛凝固了……
在我准备离开的时候，小女孩又出现了。她伸开双手，直视着我。我把泡泡捧给她。她紧紧地抱着泡泡，脸贴在它上面。开始时我担心泡泡会挣扎，因为那时它的半个身子都悬在空中。可是它却又一次把头探出来，搁在女孩的肩上。它的呼吸渐渐慢了下来，眼睛也闭了起来。女孩一察觉到这点，便连忙松开手，向后退了一步。就在她转身的刹那，我相信我看到了一丝淡淡的微笑开始浮现在她脸上。
这只毛茸茸、暖烘烘的兔子触及了女孩内心深处的某种感受，这种感受早已被太多太多的苦难生活所扼杀。泡泡的天真和信任似乎唤醒了女孩心中同样的天性。毕竟，心灵的语言是简单的。